146-477: The Office of Communications , commonly known as Ofcom , is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers across the television, radio, telecoms and postal sectors. It has a statutory duty to represent the interests of citizens and consumers by promoting competition and protecting
292-412: A thermionic tube or thermionic valve uses thermionic emission of electrons from a heated cathode for a number of fundamental electronic functions such as signal amplification and current rectification . The simplest vacuum tube, the diode invented in 1904 by John Ambrose Fleming , contains only a heated electron-emitting cathode and an anode. Electrons can only flow in one direction through
438-541: A BBFC 15 certificate at any time of day provided a PIN -protected system is in place to restrict access to those authorised to view it. The broadcasting of pornography with a BBFC R18 certificate is not permitted. In 2010 Ofcom revoked the licences of four free-to-air television channels for promoting adult chat services during daytime hours and transmitting content that was too sexually explicit. The companies involved were fined £157,250. Ofcom's jurisdiction does not cover television and radio channels which are broadcast in
584-411: A radio broadcasting station , the station's large power amplifier is the transmitter and the broadcasting antenna is the interface between the power amplifier and the free space channel. The free space channel is the transmission medium and the receiver's antenna is the interface between the free space channel and the receiver. Next, the radio receiver is the destination of the radio signal, where it
730-586: A supermarket tabloid , and in 1976 it purchased the New York Post from Dorothy Schiff for $ 31 million. In 1984, News Corp acquired the Chicago Sun-Times from Field Enterprises (later sold in 1986 to the American Publishing Company subsidiary of Canada-based Hollinger ) for $ 90 million and Travel Weekly and other trade magazines from Ziff Davis . In March 1985, News Corp bought
876-1028: A 20% stake in 1994 for $ 200 million), for $ 2.48 billion in stock and was completed on January 22, 1997. On October 7, 1996, the Fox Entertainment Group launched the Fox News Channel , a 24-hour cable news network to compete against Time Warner 's rival channel CNN . In 1999, News Corporation significantly expanded its music holdings in Australia by acquiring the controlling share in a leading Australian-based label, Michael Gudinski 's Mushroom Records , merging it with already held Festival Records to create Festival Mushroom Records (FMR). Both Festival and FMR were managed by Rupert Murdoch's son James Murdoch for several years. Also mid 1999, The Economist reported that News Corp paid comparatively lower taxes, and Newscorp Investments specifically had made £11.4 billion ($ 20.1 billion) in profits over
1022-605: A 34% stake in Hughes Electronics (now DirecTV Group ), operator of the largest American satellite TV system, from General Motors for US$ 6 billion. DirecTV was sold to Liberty Media in 2008 in exchange for its stake in News Corporation. In January 2005, shortly after reincorporation in the United States, News Corporation announced that it was buying out Fox Entertainment Group . The manoeuvre delisted Fox from
1168-680: A 50% stake in TCF Holdings, the holding company of the movie studio 20th Century Fox from Marc Rich for $ 162 million, and later acquired the remaining stake from Marvin Davis in September for $ 325 million. Two months after the acquisition of the 50% stake in TCF Holdings, on May 6, 1985, News Corp announced it was buying the Metromedia television stations and its syndication arm Metromedia Producers Corporation from John Kluge for $ 3.5 billion, setting
1314-561: A 63.6% stake of the Hong Kong-based STAR TV satellite network from Pearson for over $ 500 million, followed by the purchase of the remaining 36.4% in July 1995. Murdoch declared that: (Telecommunications) have proved an unambiguous threat to totalitarian regimes everywhere ... satellite broadcasting makes it possible for information-hungry residents of many closed societies to bypass state-controlled television channels. In 1995,
1460-411: A better price for their goods. In Côte d'Ivoire , coffee growers share mobile phones to follow hourly variations in coffee prices and sell at the best price. On the macroeconomic scale, Lars-Hendrik Röller and Leonard Waverman suggested a causal link between good telecommunication infrastructure and economic growth. Few dispute the existence of a correlation although some argue it is wrong to view
1606-407: A bidding process. Most of the procedures in place have been inherited from the systems used by the previous regulators. However, Ofcom may change some of these processes in future. Ofcom protects the radio spectrum in a number of ways: In October 2010 the government announced plans for Ofcom to inherit the functions of Postcomm as part of a wider set of public service sell-off measures. Following
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#17328519549301752-438: A caveat for it in 1876. Gray abandoned his caveat and because he did not contest Bell's priority, the examiner approved Bell's patent on March 3, 1876. Gray had filed his caveat for the variable resistance telephone, but Bell was the first to document the idea and test it in a telephone.[88] Antonio Meucci invented a device that allowed the electrical transmission of voice over a line nearly 30 years before in 1849, but his device
1898-441: A connection between two or more users. For both types of networks, repeaters may be necessary to amplify or recreate the signal when it is being transmitted over long distances. This is to combat attenuation that can render the signal indistinguishable from the noise. Another advantage of digital systems over analogue is that their output is easier to store in memory, i.e., two voltage states (high and low) are easier to store than
2044-495: A continuous range of states. Telecommunication has a significant social, cultural and economic impact on modern society. In 2008, estimates placed the telecommunication industry 's revenue at US$ 4.7 trillion or just under three per cent of the gross world product (official exchange rate). Several following sections discuss the impact of telecommunication on society. On the microeconomic scale, companies have used telecommunications to help build global business empires. This
2190-554: A contract to monitor the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Government . It was subsequently reported that the contract had not been put out to tender and that Huw Roberts and Nerys Evans held positions for both Deryn and Ofcom. The contract was terminated and Ofcom concluded that it had broken its own procurement rules. Abu Dhabi TV , owned by the Abu Dhabi Media state enterprise, was condemned by Ofcom for broadcasting
2336-537: A contract with Dow Jones to provide content and services to the network, the Fox Entertainment Group officially launched the Fox Business Network on October 15, 2007. Alexis Glick, the network's original morning show host and vice president of business news, indicated that its lawyers had reviewed the details of Dow Jones' contract with CNBC, but noted that it would still "actively use" other Dow Jones properties. In September 2009, News Corp established NewsCore,
2482-616: A controlling interest in The News . News Limited operates today as News Corporation's Australian brand and includes ownership of The Australian , operating out of Surry Hills , in Sydney . News Ltd. made its first acquisition in the United States in 1973, when it purchased the San Antonio Express and News (the two papers merged in 1984). Soon afterwards it founded the National Star ,
2628-520: A forced confession from British former journalist Peter Humphrey was broadcast on the channel. In addition, it also received four formal complaints over similar alleged confessions. In November, Hong Kong activist and former UK consulate worker Simon Cheng filed a complaint to Ofcom a week after CGTN released a video of him admitting to "soliciting prostitution", which Cheng said he was forced to make. Telecommunication Telecommunication , often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom ,
2774-597: A global wire service set up to provide news stories to all of News Corp's journalistic outlets. In April 2010, News Corporation sold Bulgarian broadcaster bTV , which it launched on 1 June 2000, as part of a deal to Central European Media Enterprises (CME) for $ 400 million in addition to another $ 13 million for working capital adjustment. The deal included cable channels bTV Comedy and Btv Cinema and News Corporation's 74% stake in Radio Company CJ which included five radio stations. In September 2010, due to
2920-534: A greater role in Internet regulation to protect users from "harmful and illegal content". In July 2022, Ofcom received additional tools to prevent, identify and remove any content that depicts child sexual abuse and exploitation. These tools will be introduced through an amendment to the Online Safety Bill. Ofcom will be allowed to penalise those tech firms that do not comply, either by fines up to £18m or by 10% of
3066-406: A higher-frequency signal (known as the " carrier wave ") before transmission. There are several different modulation schemes available to achieve this [two of the most basic being amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM)]. An example of this process is a disc jockey's voice being impressed into a 96 MHz carrier wave using frequency modulation (the voice would then be received on
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#17328519549303212-450: A key advantage of digital signals over analogue signals. However, digital systems fail catastrophically when noise exceeds the system's ability to autocorrect. On the other hand, analogue systems fail gracefully: as noise increases, the signal becomes progressively more degraded but still usable. Also, digital transmission of continuous data unavoidably adds quantization noise to the output. This can be reduced, but not eliminated, only at
3358-410: A material influence over the company; that Ofcom is not precluded from acting by ongoing police investigations; and that Ofcom's process is not dependent upon a criminal conviction being secured. In April 2012, Ofcom's probe moved from a monitoring phase to an "evidence gathering" phase. * Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Ofcom licenses all UK commercial television and radio services in
3504-507: A national minority, property, birth or age." However, there is concern that Ofcom's broad definition of hate speech can easily result in the unjustified censorship of controversial opinions, however legitimate they might be. Ofcom has received criticism for incurring unnecessary costs as a result of "extravagant Thames-side offices" and a "top-heavy salary bill", for inflexibility in its regulation of commercial radio, and for "poor service". In response to ongoing expenditure concerns, Ofcom made
3650-792: A new international frequency list and used in conformity with the Radio Regulation". According to the ITU's Radio Regulations adopted in Atlantic City, all frequencies referenced in the International Frequency Registration Board , examined by the board and registered on the International Frequency List "shall have the right to international protection from harmful interference". From a global perspective, there have been political debates and legislation regarding
3796-437: A person's age, interests, sexual preference and relationship status. In this way, these sites can play important role in everything from organising social engagements to courtship . Prior to social networking sites, technologies like short message service (SMS) and the telephone also had a significant impact on social interactions. In 2000, market research group Ipsos MORI reported that 81% of 15- to 24-year-old SMS users in
3942-421: A potentially harmful influence on competition or consumers. One of its most high-profile interventions was to require BT to split its wholesale and retail arms into separate companies, bringing about the creation of Openreach which supplies wholesale services to both BT Retail and competing providers. On 1 July 2015, Ofcom made a number of changes to the way phone calls to UK service numbers would be charged. Under
4088-491: A radio as the channel "96 FM"). In addition, modulation has the advantage that it may use frequency division multiplexing (FDM). A telecommunications network is a collection of transmitters, receivers, and communications channels that send messages to one another. Some digital communications networks contain one or more routers that work together to transmit information to the correct user. An analogue communications network consists of one or more switches that establish
4234-653: A register of disclosable interests of the Ofcom board. Ofcom has a number of committees and advisory bodies which inform the Ofcom Board and Executive. These include: Since 1 January 2021, Ofcom has defined hate speech as "all forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify hatred based on intolerance on the grounds of disability, ethnicity, social origin, sex, gender, gender reassignment, nationality, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, colour, genetic features, language, political or any other opinion, membership of
4380-469: A service that operated for a year until the gap in the telegraph link was closed. In the Middle Ages, chains of beacons were commonly used on hilltops as a means of relaying a signal. Beacon chains suffered the drawback that they could only pass a single bit of information, so the meaning of the message such as "the enemy has been sighted" had to be agreed upon in advance. One notable instance of their use
4526-419: A set charge for the cost of calling numbers starting with 084, 087 and 09. The streamlining of these charges must be printed in each customer's contract and monthly bills. The change came into force on 1 July 2015 and affected over 175 million phone numbers, making it the biggest overhaul of telephoning in over a decade. On 1 January 2016, the regulation of video on demand was transferred to Ofcom from ATVOD ,
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4672-442: A single medium to transmit several concurrent communication sessions . Several methods of long-distance communication before the modern era used sounds like coded drumbeats , the blowing of horns , and whistles . Long-distance technologies invented during the 20th and 21st centuries generally use electric power, and include the telegraph , telephone , television , and radio . Early telecommunication networks used metal wires as
4818-468: A speech against the proliferation of quangos : With a Conservative government, Ofcom as we know it will cease to exist… Its remit will be restricted to its narrow technical and enforcement roles. It will no longer play a role in making policy. And the policy-making functions it has today will be transferred back fully to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Under Cameron's subsequent premiership of
4964-477: A summary of the responses received, and uses this information as a basis for its decisions. Michael Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth was appointed as chairman of Ofcom for a four-year term from 1 May 2022. The current Chief Executive is Melanie Dawes who was appointed on 12 February 2020. The first chairman of Ofcom (2002–2009) was David Currie, Baron Currie of Marylebone , Dean of Cass Business School at City University . The first chief executive (2003–2007)
5110-411: A telephone network, the caller is connected to the person to whom they wish to talk by switches at various telephone exchanges . The switches form an electrical connection between the two users and the setting of these switches is determined electronically when the caller dials the number. Once the connection is made, the caller's voice is transformed to an electrical signal using a small microphone in
5256-635: A televised interview of the confessions made by a Qatari citizen, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Jaida, while he was detained arbitrarily in the Abu Dhabi prisons in 2013. The National Human Rights Committee of the State of Qatar welcomed Ofcom's decision. Under the decision, it was stated that on 28 June 2017, the Abu Dhabi TV channel, which is affiliated with Abu Dhabi Media Company P.J.S.C "ADMC", licensed under Ofcom had broadcast an interview recording titled "Mahmoud Al-Jaidah and
5402-412: A version of the electrical telegraph that he unsuccessfully demonstrated on September 2, 1837. His code was an important advance over Wheatstone's signaling method. The first transatlantic telegraph cable was successfully completed on July 27, 1866, allowing transatlantic telecommunication for the first time. The conventional telephone was patented by Alexander Bell in 1876. Elisha Gray also filed
5548-423: A wider agenda by distributing the keys to rival set-top box operators and seeking to obtain phone records of suspected rivals. The emails were from the hard drive of NDS European chief Ray Adams. In 2012, it was also revealed that Australian Federal police were working with UK police to investigate hacking by News Corp. On June 28, 2012, Rupert Murdoch announced that, after concerns from shareholders in response to
5694-577: Is adapted from the French, because its written use was recorded in 1904 by the French engineer and novelist Édouard Estaunié . Communication was first used as an English word in the late 14th century. It comes from Old French comunicacion (14c., Modern French communication), from Latin communicationem (nominative communication), noun of action from past participle stem of communicare, "to share, divide out; communicate, impart, inform; join, unite, participate in," literally, "to make common", from communis". At
5840-671: Is called point-to-point communication because it occurs between a transmitter and a receiver. Telecommunication through radio broadcasts is called broadcast communication because it occurs between a powerful transmitter and numerous low-power but sensitive radio receivers. Telecommunications in which multiple transmitters and multiple receivers have been designed to cooperate and share the same physical channel are called multiplex systems . The sharing of physical channels using multiplexing often results in significant cost reduction. Multiplexed systems are laid out in telecommunication networks and multiplexed signals are switched at nodes through to
5986-451: Is called (in the jargon of the field) " quadrature amplitude modulation " (QAM) that are used in high-capacity digital radio communication systems. Modulation can also be used to transmit the information of low-frequency analogue signals at higher frequencies. This is helpful because low-frequency analogue signals cannot be effectively transmitted over free space. Hence the information from a low-frequency analogue signal must be impressed into
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6132-434: Is commonly called "keying" —a term derived from the older use of Morse Code in telecommunications—and several keying techniques exist (these include phase-shift keying , frequency-shift keying , and amplitude-shift keying ). The " Bluetooth " system, for example, uses phase-shift keying to exchange information between various devices. In addition, there are combinations of phase-shift keying and amplitude-shift keying which
6278-794: Is converted from electricity to sound. Telecommunication systems are occasionally "duplex" (two-way systems) with a single box of electronics working as both the transmitter and a receiver, or a transceiver (e.g., a mobile phone ). The transmission electronics and the receiver electronics within a transceiver are quite independent of one another. This can be explained by the fact that radio transmitters contain power amplifiers that operate with electrical powers measured in watts or kilowatts, but radio receivers deal with radio powers measured in microwatts or nanowatts . Hence, transceivers have to be carefully designed and built to isolate their high-power circuitry and their low-power circuitry from each other to avoid interference. Telecommunication over fixed lines
6424-481: Is degraded by undesirable noise . Commonly, the noise in a communication system can be expressed as adding or subtracting from the desirable signal via a random process . This form of noise is called additive noise , with the understanding that the noise can be negative or positive at different instances. Unless the additive noise disturbance exceeds a certain threshold, the information contained in digital signals will remain intact. Their resistance to noise represents
6570-723: Is irrelevant and in the circumstances I feel it is proper for me to resign from News Corp, and apologize to those hurt by the actions of the News of the World." In 2012, following a BBC Panorama report, allegations were made that News Corp subsidiary NDS Group had used hackers to undermine pay TV rivals around the world. Some of the victims of the alleged hacking, such as Austar , were later taken over by News Corp and others such as Ondigital later went bust. NDS had originally been set up to provide security to News Corp's pay TV interests but emails obtained by Fairfax Media revealed they had also pursued
6716-490: Is responsible for the management, regulation, assignment and licensing of the electromagnetic spectrum in the UK, and licenses portions of it for use in television and radio broadcasts, mobile phone transmissions, private communications networks, wireless devices and so on. The process of licensing varies depending on the type of use required. Some licences simply have to be applied and paid for; other commercial licences are subject to
6862-609: Is self-evident in the case of online retailer Amazon.com but, according to academic Edward Lenert, even the conventional retailer Walmart has benefited from better telecommunication infrastructure compared to its competitors. In cities throughout the world, home owners use their telephones to order and arrange a variety of home services ranging from pizza deliveries to electricians. Even relatively poor communities have been noted to use telecommunication to their advantage. In Bangladesh 's Narsingdi District , isolated villagers use cellular phones to speak directly to wholesalers and arrange
7008-448: Is separated from its adjacent stations by 200 kHz, and the difference between 200 kHz and 180 kHz (20 kHz) is an engineering allowance for the imperfections in the communication system. In the example above, the "free space channel" has been divided into communications channels according to frequencies , and each channel is assigned a separate frequency bandwidth in which to broadcast radio waves. This system of dividing
7154-449: Is the informational equivalent of two newspaper pages per person per day in 1986, and six entire newspapers per person per day by 2007. Given this growth, telecommunications play an increasingly important role in the world economy and the global telecommunications industry was about a $ 4.7 trillion sector in 2012. The service revenue of the global telecommunications industry was estimated to be $ 1.5 trillion in 2010, corresponding to 2.4% of
7300-569: Is the transmission of information with an immediacy comparable to face-to-face communication. As such, slow communications technologies like postal mail and pneumatic tubes are excluded from the definition. Many transmission media have been used for telecommunications throughout history, from smoke signals , beacons , semaphore telegraphs , signal flags , and optical heliographs to wires and empty space made to carry electromagnetic signals. These paths of transmission may be divided into communication channels for multiplexing , allowing for
7446-447: The "7/7" bombings on London's transit system, family members of British troops killed overseas, Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old missing British girl who was later found dead, actor Hugh Grant and a lawyer representing the family of Princess Diana's lover at the inquest into her death. On July 13, 2011, News Corp withdrew its bid to purchase the final 61% stake in BSkyB after pressure from both
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#17328519549307592-536: The 2010 UK coalition government , the Public Bodies Act 2011 did remove or modify several of Ofcom's duties, although it did not substantially reduce Ofcom's remit. On 1 October 2011, Ofcom took over responsibility for regulating the postal services industry from the Postal Services Commission (Postcomm). In April 2015, Ofcom announced that telephone companies would have to provide customers with
7738-552: The East End resulted in nightly battles outside the new plant. Delivery vans and depots were frequently and violently attacked. Ultimately the unions capitulated. In 1987, News Corp acquired the book publisher Harper and Row for $ 300 million, and later acquired the British book publisher William Collins, Sons in 1989 for $ 721 million, who later merged with Harper to form HarperCollins that same year. In 1988, News Corp acquired
7884-714: The Fox television network). News Corp was established in 1980 by Rupert Murdoch as a holding company for News Limited . News Limited was founded in 1923 in Adelaide by James Edward Davidson , funded by the Collins House mining empire for the purpose of publishing anti-union propaganda; subsequently the controlling interest was bought by the Herald & Weekly Times . In 1949, Keith Murdoch took control of Adelaide's afternoon tabloid The News . When he died in 1952, his son Rupert inherited
8030-611: The Fox Entertainment Group and 20th Century Fox ) and Murdoch as CEO, was renamed 21st Century Fox . Murdoch remained chairman for both companies. Shareholders approved the split on June 11, 2013. On June 19, 2013, preliminary trading for the new News Corp on the Australian Securities Exchange commenced in preparation for the formal split that was finalized on June 28, 2013. Shareholders received one share of New News Corp for every four shares they owned of
8176-642: The Hayman Island off the coast of Australia. The events were private and secretive, there are no records available for the agenda or talks given at the conferences, and no uninvited journalists are permitted access. The 2006 event in Pebble Beach , California was led by Rupert Murdoch . According to a copy of the agenda leaked to the Los Angeles Times and other media accounts, issues discussed related from Europe to broadcasting and new media , terrorism to
8322-456: The Iranian presidential election in 2009 , that was obtained by force while he was held in a Tehran jail. Press TV said that Bahari did not "dispute the truth and accuracy" of the extract of the interview, so it made "no logical sense" to require his consent. The Sitefinder database is a national database of mobile phone base stations in the UK. In September 2007, an Information Tribunal ruled that
8468-664: The New York Stock Exchange ; Fox had traded on the NYSE under the ticker FOX . In 2004, Murdoch set aside $ 2 billion and handpicked a team of young executives to look at possible ways to use the Web as a distribution platform. That team was composed of four rising stars: Ross Levinsohn, Adam Bain, Travis Katz , and Michael Kirby. The four became the backbone of what would become News Corp's digital division, Fox Interactive Media. Shortly after, in July 2005, News Corporation purchased
8614-756: The Nipkow disk by Paul Nipkow and thus became known as the mechanical television . It formed the basis of experimental broadcasts done by the British Broadcasting Corporation beginning on 30 September 1929. However, for most of the 20th century, televisions depended on the cathode ray tube invented by Karl Ferdinand Braun . The first version of such a television to show promise was produced by Philo Farnsworth and demonstrated to his family on 7 September 1927. After World War II, interrupted experiments resumed and television became an important home entertainment broadcast medium. The type of device known as
8760-502: The Postal Services Act 2011 regulatory responsibility for postal services transferred to Ofcom on 1 October 2011, with its primary duty to maintain the UK's six-day-a-week universal postal service. Ofcom makes extensive use of consultations with industry and the public to help it make decisions based upon the evidence presented. Consultation processes begin with publishing documents on its website, asking for views and responses. If
8906-585: The Royal Family . Other allegations put out by The Guardian newspaper include the exploitation, with intent to gain access to or use private information, of a list of 4,332 names or partial names, 2,987 mobile phone numbers, 30 audio tapes of varying length and 91 PIN codes, of a kind required to access the voicemail of the minority of targets who change the factory settings on their mobile phones. The names are said to include those of British victims of September 11, 2001 terror attacks, family members of victims of
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#17328519549309052-480: The Sky Television satellite network in the UK, which incurred massive losses in its early years of operation, which (like many of its business interests) was heavily subsidised with profits from its other holdings until it was able to force rival satellite operator BSB to accept a merger on its terms in 1990. (The merged company, BSkyB , has dominated the British pay-TV market since.) In 1993, News Corp acquired
9198-718: The Supreme Court , who in turn referred a point of law to the European Court of Justice , and then in October 2011 ordered that the matter should be remitted to the Information Rights Tribunal to reconsider the public interest balancing exercise. On 12 December 2012, the Information Rights Tribunal upheld its decision of 4 September 2007. In 2017, Ofcom's advisory committee for Wales awarded Deryn Consulting
9344-530: The UK Parliament announced the creation of Ofcom. The new body, which was to replace several existing authorities, was conceived as a "super-regulator" to oversee media channels that were rapidly converging through digital transmission. On 29 December 2003, Ofcom launched, formally inheriting the duties that had previously been the responsibility of five different regulators: In July 2009, Conservative Party opposition leader David Cameron referenced Ofcom in
9490-584: The United States Chamber of Commerce . The Chamber aggressively supported the Republican effort to retake Congress in 2010. This donation and an earlier $ 1 million contribution that News Corporation made to the Republican Governor's Association led media critics to question whether the company had crossed an ethical line for a media company. News Corporation split up to 21st Century Fox and
9636-507: The national policy . The event included speeches from Murdoch, Actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger , former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , Bono , Al Gore , Senator John McCain and Bill Clinton while Israel's President, Shimon Peres , appeared on a panel named "Islam and the West". Other notable attendees included Newt Gingrich and Nicole Kidman . The company's Board of Directors consisted of 17 individuals at
9782-440: The spark gap transmitter for radio or mechanical computers for computing, it was the invention of the thermionic vacuum tube that made these technologies widespread and practical, leading to the creation of electronics . In the 1940s, the invention of semiconductor devices made it possible to produce solid-state devices, which are smaller, cheaper, and more efficient, reliable, and durable than thermionic tubes. Starting in
9928-480: The "fit and proper" holder of a UK broadcasting licence. On the same day Ed Richards , the then chief executive of Ofcom, replied to Simon Hughes MP, Don Foster MP and Tim Farron MP following a letter which they had written to him on 8 July concerning News Corporation's shareholding in BSkyB. In the letter Richards confirmed that Ofcom considers that News Corporation's current shareholding of 39.14% in BSkyB does give it
10074-671: The 1932 Plenipotentiary Telegraph Conference and the International Radiotelegraph Conference in Madrid, the two organizations merged to form the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). They defined telecommunication as "any telegraphic or telephonic communication of signs, signals, writing, facsimiles and sounds of any kind, by wire, wireless or other systems or processes of electric signaling or visual signaling (semaphores)." The definition
10220-492: The 1970s. In the 1960s, Paul Baran and, independently, Donald Davies started to investigate packet switching , a technology that sends a message in portions to its destination asynchronously without passing it through a centralized mainframe . A four-node network emerged on 5 December 1969, constituting the beginnings of the ARPANET , which by 1981 had grown to 213 nodes . ARPANET eventually merged with other networks to form
10366-595: The Americas in New York City. Prior to its split in 2013, it was the world's largest media company in terms of total assets and the world's fourth largest media group in terms of revenue. It had become a media powerhouse since its inception, dominating the news, television, film, and print industries. News Corporation was a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq . Formerly incorporated in Adelaide , South Australia ,
10512-528: The Asia-Pacific sports network. On November 20, 2012, News Corporation announced that it would acquire a 49% stake in the regional sports network YES Network , owned by the Major League Baseball team New York Yankees . In January 2013, News Corp. attained 54.5% majority control of Sky Deutschland . On February 4, 2013, News Corporation announced the sale of IGN and its related properties to
10658-491: The Authority for Television on Demand. The Digital Economy Act 2017 extended Ofcom's remit and powers. Ofcom were given powers concerning the minimum broadband speed provided by Internet service providers , the ability to financially penalise communications providers for failing to comply with licence commitments and the power to require public service broadcasters to include a minimum quantity of children's programming made in
10804-526: The Chief Executive of John Lewis in June 2019, the office of Chief Executive remained open until Jonathan Oxley was appointed as Interim Chief Executive. In February 2020, it was announced that Melanie Dawes would become the new Chief Executive. On 15 March 2016, it was announced that Steve Gettings would become Corporation Secretary in succession to Graham Howell. Ofcom's key personnel are: Ofcom publishes
10950-575: The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg stated that the Government would launch a review of laws on what constituted a "fit and proper" owner for broadcasting companies in the United Kingdom, and that anyone found not to meet that standard can be forced to give up their current holdings in a company. On 22 July 2011, it was reported that Ofcom had begun an investigation into whether the phone-hacking scandal may have changed BSkyB's status as
11096-464: The FBI opened a probe into the hacking of 9/11 victims. Les Hinton, chief executive of the media group's Dow Jones, resigned on July 15, saying, "I have seen hundreds of news reports of both actual and alleged misconduct during the time I was executive chairman of News International and responsible for the company. The pain caused to innocent people is unimaginable. That I was ignorant of what apparently happened
11242-457: The Fijian government's requirement that the country's media outlet must be 90% owned by Fiji Nationals, News Corporation sold 90% of their stake in their Fijian newspapers ( Fiji Times , Nai Lalakai , and Shanti Dut ) to Motibhai Group of Companies. In November 2010, News Corp purchased education technology and student progress tracking company Wireless Generation for $ 360 million. The company
11388-571: The Fox network became the object of scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) when it was alleged that its Australian base made Murdoch's ownership of Fox illegal. The FCC, however, ruled in Murdoch's favor, stating that his ownership of Fox was in the public's best interests. It was also noted that the stations themselves were owned by a separate company whose chief shareholder
11534-461: The ITU was able to compile an index that measures the overall ability of citizens to access and use information and communication technologies. Using this measure, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland received the highest ranking while the African countries Niger , Burkina Faso and Mali received the lowest. Telecommunication has played a significant role in social relationships. Nevertheless, devices like
11680-675: The Internet. While Internet development was a focus of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) who published a series of Request for Comments documents, other networking advancements occurred in industrial laboratories , such as the local area network (LAN) developments of Ethernet (1983), Token Ring (1984) and Star network topology. The effective capacity to exchange information worldwide through two-way telecommunication networks grew from 281 petabytes (PB) of optimally compressed information in 1986 to 471 PB in 1993 to 2.2 exabytes (EB) in 2000 to 65 EB in 2007. This
11826-552: The Labour and Conservative Parties in Parliament. Allegations about the violation of ethical standards by the News Corporation subsidiary News of the World have been speculatively applied to News Corporation holdings in the United States. Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV) stated on July 12, 2011, that there should be a government investigation into News Corporation "to ensure that Americans have not had their privacy violated." His statement
11972-580: The McGraw-Hill Media Summit that the Fox Entertainment Group would launch a new business news channel later in the year, which would compete directly against rival network CNBC . Murdoch explained that the channel would be more "business-friendly" than CNBC, because he felt that they "leap on every scandal, or what they think is a scandal." In July 2007, News Corp. reached a deal to acquire Dow Jones & Company , owners of The Wall Street Journal , for $ 5 billion. Despite CNBC already having
12118-715: The Philadelphia-based Triangle Publications , publisher of the magazines TV Guide , Seventeen , and the Daily Racing Form for $ 3 billion. To raise money, the trade publications were sold to Reed International . By 1992, News Corp had incurred large debts, which forced it to sell many of the American magazine interests it had acquired in the mid-1980s to K-III Communications , as well spinning off long-held Australian magazines interests as Pacific Magazines . Much of this debt came from its stake in
12264-546: The UK but licensed abroad. In 2012 Ofcom lodged a complaint with the Dutch media regulator regarding the content of adult chat television channels which are broadcast in the UK but licensed in the Netherlands. Based on a survey of 200 British respondents, Ofcom published in 2016 a list of about 50 words classified in four grades of offensiveness, from "milder" to "strongest". Ofcom regulates the UK telecoms sector, defining and enforcing
12410-486: The UK. After investigations exceeding eight months, Ofcom reported that Al Jazeera was in line with journalism standards and cleared the filmmakers of the allegations. In May 2011, Ofcom ruled that Press TV , an Iranian English-language satellite channel, was responsible for a serious breach of UK broadcasting rules and could face a fine for airing an interview with Maziar Bahari , the Newsweek journalist arrested covering
12556-494: The UK. Broadcasters must comply by the terms of their licence, or risk having it revoked. Ofcom also publishes the Broadcasting Code, a series of rules which all broadcast content on television and radio must follow. The Broadcasting Code requires that content inappropriate for children should not be broadcast between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Premium-rate film services may broadcast content equivalent to
12702-442: The United Kingdom had used the service to coordinate social arrangements and 42% to flirt. In cultural terms, telecommunication has increased the public's ability to access music and film. With television, people can watch films they have not seen before in their own home without having to travel to the video store or cinema. With radio and the Internet, people can listen to music they have not heard before without having to travel to
12848-436: The United Kingdom, whose properties include The Times , The Sun , and the now-defunct News of the World (the subject of a phone hacking scandal that led to its closure in July 2011), Dow Jones & Company (an American publisher of financial news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal ), the book publisher HarperCollins , and the Fox Entertainment Group (then owners of the 20th Century Fox film studio and
12994-839: The United Kingdom. The act also transferred to Ofcom the regulation of the BBC , a duty previously undertaken by the BBC Trust , and updated the Ofcom Electronic Communications Code to make it easier for telecommunications companies to erect and extend mobile masts. Following a consultation over the Online Harms White Paper published by the UK government in April 2019, the government announced in February 2020 that it intended Ofcom to have
13140-692: The United States was spent on media that depend upon telecommunication. Many countries have enacted legislation which conforms to the International Telecommunication Regulations established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is the "leading UN agency for information and communication technology issues". In 1947, at the Atlantic City Conference, the ITU decided to "afford international protection to all frequencies registered in
13286-509: The caller's handset . This electrical signal is then sent through the network to the user at the other end where it is transformed back into sound by a small speaker in that person's handset. News Corporation (1980%E2%80%932013) The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited ) was an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of
13432-671: The clandestine organization in UAE". According to the decision, the aired interview was recorded against the consent of Dr. Al-Jaidah, who was physically tortured during his time in the Abu Dhabi prison. The activity had constituted a serious breach of the principles of fairness and privacy detailed in the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. In 2019, Ofcom began an investigation into the Chinese international channel CGTN , owned by state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), following allegations that
13578-653: The company was re-incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law after a majority of shareholders approved the move on November 12, 2004. News Corporation was headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas , New York, in the newer 1960s–1970s corridor of the Rockefeller Center complex. On June 28, 2012, after concerns from shareholders in response to its recent scandals and to "unlock even greater long-term shareholder value", founder Rupert Murdoch announced that News Corporation's assets would be split into two publicly traded companies, one oriented towards media, and
13724-553: The company's annual turnover, whichever amount is higher. In July 2011, in the wake of the News International phone hacking scandal, Ofcom came under pressure to launch an inquiry into whether the parent company of News International , News Corporation , was still the "fit and proper" owner of a controlling stake in the satellite broadcasting company British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). On 13 July former Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged Ofcom to launch an investigation. On 15 July
13870-498: The conditions by which all mobile and fixed-line phone and broadband companies must abide. These 'general conditions' are wide-ranging rules relating to matters such as telephone numbering, emergency services, sales, marketing and interconnection standards. Ofcom's investigation unit monitors compliance with the conditions and resolves disputes between providers. Ofcom is also the competition authority for telecoms, enforcing remedies in markets where it believes dominant operators may have
14016-437: The correct destination terminal receiver. Communications can be encoded as analogue or digital signals , which may in turn be carried by analogue or digital communication systems. Analogue signals vary continuously with respect to the information, while digital signals encode information as a set of discrete values (e.g., a set of ones and zeroes). During propagation and reception, information contained in analogue signals
14162-720: The current incarnation of News Corporation on June 28, 2013. All media and broadcasting assets, except media assets owned by News Limited , now belong to The Walt Disney Company and Fox Corporation , the legal successors to News Corporation (and 21st Century Fox). Meanwhile, newspapers and other publishing assets, including media assets under News Limited , were spun off as a new News Corp. News Corp agreed to sell eight of its television stations to Oak Hill Capital Partners for approximately $ 1.1 billion as of December 22, 2007. The stations are US Fox affiliates. These stations, along with those already acquired by Oak Hill that were formerly owned by The New York Times Company , formed
14308-511: The development of optical fibre. The Internet , a technology independent of any given medium, has provided global access to services for individual users and further reduced location and time limitations on communications. Telecommunication is a compound noun of the Greek prefix tele- (τῆλε), meaning distant , far off , or afar , and the Latin verb communicare , meaning to share . Its modern use
14454-537: The device—from the cathode to the anode. Adding one or more control grids within the tube enables the current between the cathode and anode to be controlled by the voltage on the grid or grids. These devices became a key component of electronic circuits for the first half of the 20th century and were crucial to the development of radio, television, radar, sound recording and reproduction , long-distance telephone networks, and analogue and early digital computers . While some applications had used earlier technologies such as
14600-458: The document is perceived to be long and complicated, a plain English summary is usually published as well. A period, usually of 10 weeks, is allowed for interested persons, companies or organisations to send in their responses to the consultation. After this consultation period, Ofcom publishes all the responses on its website, excluding any personal or confidential information. Ofcom then prepares
14746-422: The electrical telegraph, the last commercial line was abandoned in 1880. On July 25, 1837, the first commercial electrical telegraph was demonstrated by English inventor Sir William Fothergill Cooke and English scientist Sir Charles Wheatstone . Both inventors viewed their device as "an improvement to the [existing] electromagnetic telegraph" and not as a new device. Samuel Morse independently developed
14892-403: The expense of increasing the channel bandwidth requirement. The term "channel" has two different meanings. In one meaning, a channel is the physical medium that carries a signal between the transmitter and the receiver. Examples of this include the atmosphere for sound communications, glass optical fibres for some kinds of optical communications , coaxial cables for communications by way of
15038-456: The following statement regarding the 2017/2018 budget: "Ofcom has delivered 12 consecutive years of like-for-like real-terms budget reductions, and we will continue to reduce spending wherever we can." The Qatar-based news media outlet was reported to Ofcom in January 2017, following an exposé about Israeli diplomatic corps irregularities and influence peddling amongst political and student groups in
15184-518: The growth of the competing social network Facebook . The deadline for bids, May 31, 2011, passed without any above the reserve price of $ 100 million being submitted. The rapid deterioration in Myspace's business during the most recent quarter had deterred many potent suitors. Later in June, Specific Media and pop singer Justin Timberlake bought the site for $ 35 million, which CNN reported noted
15330-431: The importance of social conversations and staying connected to family and friends. Since then the role that telecommunications has played in social relations has become increasingly important. In recent years, the popularity of social networking sites has increased dramatically. These sites allow users to communicate with each other as well as post photographs, events and profiles for others to see. The profiles can list
15476-552: The management of telecommunication and broadcasting. The history of broadcasting discusses some debates in relation to balancing conventional communication such as printing and telecommunication such as radio broadcasting. The onset of World War II brought on the first explosion of international broadcasting propaganda. Countries, their governments, insurgents, terrorists, and militiamen have all used telecommunication and broadcasting techniques to promote propaganda. Patriotic propaganda for political movements and colonization started
15622-474: The medium for transmitting signals. These networks were used for telegraphy and telephony for many decades. In the first decade of the 20th century, a revolution in wireless communication began with breakthroughs including those made in radio communications by Guglielmo Marconi , who won the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics . Other early pioneers in electrical and electronic telecommunications include co-inventors of
15768-567: The medium into channels according to frequency is called " frequency-division multiplexing ". Another term for the same concept is " wavelength-division multiplexing ", which is more commonly used in optical communications when multiple transmitters share the same physical medium. Another way of dividing a communications medium into channels is to allocate each sender a recurring segment of time (a "time slot", for example, 20 milliseconds out of each second), and to allow each sender to send messages only within its own time slot. This method of dividing
15914-414: The medium into communication channels is called " time-division multiplexing " ( TDM ), and is used in optical fibre communication. Some radio communication systems use TDM within an allocated FDM channel. Hence, these systems use a hybrid of TDM and FDM. The shaping of a signal to convey information is known as modulation . Modulation can be used to represent a digital message as an analogue waveform. This
16060-727: The mid-1930s. In 1936, the BBC broadcast propaganda to the Arab World to partly counter similar broadcasts from Italy, which also had colonial interests in North Africa. Modern political debates in telecommunication include the reclassification of broadband Internet service as a telecommunications service (also called net neutrality ), regulation of phone spam , and expanding affordable broadband access. According to data collected by Gartner and Ars Technica sales of main consumer's telecommunication equipment worldwide in millions of units was: In
16206-584: The mid-1960s, thermionic tubes were replaced with the transistor . Thermionic tubes still have some applications for certain high-frequency amplifiers. On 11 September 1940, George Stibitz transmitted problems for his Complex Number Calculator in New York using a teletype and received the computed results back at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire . This configuration of a centralized computer ( mainframe ) with remote dumb terminals remained popular well into
16352-552: The mobile telecommunications industry in keeping information about mast locations secret. Ofcom's stated reasons for the appeal have ranged from "preventing terrorist attacks" on the sites of phone masts to "protecting the intellectual property" of the mobile telecommunications industry. In April 2008, the High Court found in favour of the Information Commissioner's Office and over-ruled Ofcom's objections. Ofcom appealed to
16498-452: The music store. Telecommunication has also transformed the way people receive their news. A 2006 survey (right table) of slightly more than 3,000 Americans by the non-profit Pew Internet and American Life Project in the United States the majority specified television or radio over newspapers. Telecommunication has had an equally significant impact on advertising. TNS Media Intelligence reported that in 2007, 58% of advertising expenditure in
16644-400: The neighbourhood of 94.5 MHz (megahertz) while another radio station can simultaneously broadcast radio waves at frequencies in the neighbourhood of 96.1 MHz. Each radio station would transmit radio waves over a frequency bandwidth of about 180 kHz (kilohertz), centred at frequencies such as the above, which are called the "carrier frequencies" . Each station in this example
16790-618: The new legislation, which was promoted by an information campaign entitled UK Calling , call charges must be clearly stated on all materials that advertise a service number. The changes came after research found that callers are often confused about service call charges, and thus can avoid calling these numbers. The July 2015 changes also saw 'freephone numbers' 0800 and 0808 become free to call from both mobiles and landlines. In March 2016, Ofcom launched an interactive "Mobile coverage and fixed broadband checker", allowing people to check mobile coverage and broadband speeds via their post code. Ofcom
16936-831: The old News Corp. The two new companies began trading on the Nasdaq on July 1, 2013. 21st Century Fox and most of its businesses were later acquired by the Walt Disney Company in March 2019; its U.S. broadcasting, sports, and news assets were spun-off to Fox Corporation , which would be retained under Murdoch ownership. The key trends for News Corporation are (as of the financial year ending June 30): News Corporation organized an annual management conference, discussing media issues related to geopolitics . Attendees included News Corporation executives, senior journalists, politicians and celebrities. Previous events were in Cancún , Mexico, and
17082-457: The other towards publishing. The formal split was completed on June 28, 2013; the original News Corp. was renamed 21st Century Fox and consisted primarily of media outlets, while a new News Corporation was formed to take on the publishing and Australian broadcasting assets. Its major holdings at the time of the split were News Limited (a group of newspaper publishers in Murdoch's native Australia), News International (a newspaper publisher in
17228-515: The presence or absence of an atmosphere between the two. Radio waves travel through a perfect vacuum just as easily as they travel through air, fog, clouds, or any other kind of gas. The other meaning of the term "channel" in telecommunications is seen in the phrase communications channel , which is a subdivision of a transmission medium so that it can be used to send multiple streams of information simultaneously. For example, one radio station can broadcast radio waves into free space at frequencies in
17374-445: The previous 11 years but had not paid net corporation tax. It also reported that after an examination of the available accounts, Newscorp could normally have been expected to pay corporate tax of approximately $ 350 million. The article explained that in practice, the corporation's complex structure, international scope, and use of offshore tax havens allowed News Corporation to pay minimal taxes. In late 2003, News Corp acquired
17520-530: The production process of its British newspapers, over which the printing unions had long dominated. A number of senior Australian media moguls were brought into Murdoch's powerhouse, including John Dux, who was managing director of the South China Morning Post . This led to a confrontation with the printing unions National Graphical Association and Society of Graphical and Allied Trades . The move of News International's London operation to Wapping in
17666-562: The public from harmful or offensive material. Some of the main areas Ofcom regulates are TV and radio standards, broadband and phones, video-sharing platforms online, the wireless spectrum and postal services. The regulator was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002 and received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003 . On 20 June 2001, the Queen's Speech to
17812-530: The public should have access to the database under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 . However, as Ofcom has no legal power to force mobile phone operators to add information to the database, UK mobile phone operators consequently ceased updating it. Ofcom appealed against the Freedom of Information Act ruling, together with one UK mobile operator – T-Mobile. This has led to accusations of the organisation's complicity with
17958-598: The publishing company Ziff Davis . News Corp. had planned to spin off IGN as an independent company, but failed to do so. In July 2011, News Corp closed down the News of the World newspaper in the United Kingdom due to allegations of phone hackings. The allegations include trying to access former Prime Minister Gordon Brown 's voice mail, and obtain information from his bank accounts, family's medical records, and private legal files. Allegations of hacking have also been brought up in relation to former Prime Minister Tony Blair , and
18104-459: The recent scandals and to "unlock even greater long-term shareholder value", News Corporation's assets would be split into two publicly traded companies, one oriented towards media, and the other towards publishing. News Corp's publishing operations were spun out into a second News Corporation with Robert James Thomson , editor of The Wall Street Journal , as CEO. The original News Corporation, which retained most of its media properties (such as
18250-709: The relationship as causal. Because of the economic benefits of good telecommunication infrastructure, there is increasing worry about the inequitable access to telecommunication services amongst various countries of the world—this is known as the digital divide . A 2003 survey by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) revealed that roughly a third of countries have fewer than one mobile subscription for every 20 people and one-third of countries have fewer than one land-line telephone subscription for every 20 people. In terms of Internet access, roughly half of all countries have fewer than one out of 20 people with Internet access. From this information, as well as educational data,
18396-431: The reporting by News Corporation companies. DGA head Nathan Daschle wrote to the chairman of News Corporation company Fox News , Roger Ailes : "In the interest of some fairness and balance , I request that you add a formal disclaimer to your coverage any time any of your programs covers governors or gubernatorial races between now and election day." Around the same time, News Corporation also donated $ 1 million to
18542-493: The social networking website Myspace for $ 580 million. News Corporation had beat out Viacom by offering a higher price for the website, and the purchase was seen as a good investment at the time. Of the $ 580 million purchase price, approximately $ 327 million has been attributed to the value of Myspace according to the financial adviser fairness opinion . Within a year, Myspace had tripled in value from its purchase price. In February 2007, Murdoch announced at
18688-723: The stage for the launch of a fourth U.S. commercial broadcasting television network. On September 4, 1985, Murdoch became a naturalized citizen to satisfy the legal requirement that only United States citizens could own American television stations. In 1986, the Metromedia deal was completed, and the Fox Broadcasting Company , simply known as Fox, launched on October 9, with Joan Rivers ' The Late Show as its late-night program, it would later air prime-time programming starting in April 1987. In 1986 and 1987, News Corp (through subsidiary News International ) moved to adjust
18834-604: The telegraph Charles Wheatstone and Samuel Morse , numerous inventors and developers of the telephone including Antonio Meucci , Philipp Reis , Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell , inventors of radio Edwin Armstrong and Lee de Forest , as well as inventors of television like Vladimir K. Zworykin , John Logie Baird and Philo Farnsworth . Since the 1960s, the proliferation of digital technologies has meant that voice communications have gradually been supplemented by data. The physical limitations of metallic media prompted
18980-412: The telephone system were originally advertised with an emphasis on the practical dimensions of the device (such as the ability to conduct business or order home services) as opposed to the social dimensions. It was not until the late 1920s and 1930s that the social dimensions of the device became a prominent theme in telephone advertisements. New promotions started appealing to consumers' emotions, stressing
19126-609: The then-newly discovered phenomenon of radio waves , demonstrating, by 1901, that they could be transmitted across the Atlantic Ocean. This was the start of wireless telegraphy by radio. On 17 December 1902, a transmission from the Marconi station in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada , became the world's first radio message to cross the Atlantic from North America. In 1904, a commercial service
19272-506: The time of its break up: In anticipation of US midterm elections , News Corporation donated $ 1 million to the Republican Governors Association in June 2010. The move was criticized by Democrats, who said this was evidence of News Corporation's news outlets conservative leanings (see Fox News Channel controversies ). The Democratic Governors Association also criticized the donation and demanded more transparency in
19418-490: The voltages and electric currents in them, and free space for communications using visible light , infrared waves, ultraviolet light , and radio waves . Coaxial cable types are classified by RG type or "radio guide", terminology derived from World War II. The various RG designations are used to classify the specific signal transmission applications. This last channel is called the "free space channel". The sending of radio waves from one place to another has nothing to do with
19564-488: The wartime purposes of aircraft and land communication, radio navigation, and radar. Development of stereo FM broadcasting of radio began in the 1930s in the United States and the 1940s in the United Kingdom, displacing AM as the dominant commercial standard in the 1970s. On March 25, 1925, John Logie Baird demonstrated the transmission of moving pictures at the London department store Selfridges . Baird's device relied upon
19710-418: The world's gross domestic product (GDP). Modern telecommunication is founded on a series of key concepts that experienced progressive development and refinement in a period of well over a century: Telecommunication technologies may primarily be divided into wired and wireless methods. Overall, a basic telecommunication system consists of three main parts that are always present in some form or another: In
19856-489: Was Stephen Carter, Baron Carter of Barnes , formerly a senior executive of JWT UK and NTL and subsequently a Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting. Colette Bowe was appointed Ofcom chairman with effect from 11 March 2009. She was the founding chairman of the Telecoms Ombudsman Council, and chaired Ofcom's Consumer Panel from its inception in 2003 to December 2007. Dame Patricia Hodgson
20002-623: Was "far less than the $ 580 million News Corp. paid for Myspace in 2005." Murdoch went on to call the Myspace purchase a "huge mistake". On July 13, 2011, Rupert Murdoch announced that the company would withdraw its takeover bid for BSkyB due to concerns relating to the News of the World scandal. News Corporation already owned, and continues to own, 39.1% of BSkyB. On June 6, 2012, News Corporation announced that it would buy out ESPN Inc. 's stake in ESPN Star Sports to gain full control over
20148-654: Was a U.S. citizen, Murdoch, although nearly all of the stations' equity was controlled by News Corp. In the same year, News Corporation announced a deal with MCI Communications to develop a major news website as well as funding a conservative news magazine, The Weekly Standard . In the same year, News Corp launched the Foxtel pay television network in Australia in a partnership with Telstra and Publishing & Broadcasting Limited . On July 17, 1996, News Corporation announced that it would acquire television production and broadcasting company New World Communications (who acquired
20294-404: Was appointed as chairman of Ofcom for a three-year term from April 2014. She was a member of the Ofcom board from July 2011 and became deputy chairman in January 2012. On 18 July 2016, it was announced that her term would be extended for a further year until 2018. Sharon White was Ofcom's chief executive from 2015 to 2019, having replaced Ed Richards in the role. After Sharon White was appointed
20440-483: Was during the Spanish Armada , when a beacon chain relayed a signal from Plymouth to London . In 1792, Claude Chappe , a French engineer, built the first fixed visual telegraphy system (or semaphore line ) between Lille and Paris. However semaphore suffered from the need for skilled operators and expensive towers at intervals of ten to thirty kilometres (six to nineteen miles). As a result of competition from
20586-456: Was echoed on Wednesday by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who specifically requested an investigation into 9/11 victims, as well as Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) who encouraged an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. On July 13, 2011, Representative Peter King (R-NY) wrote a letter to the FBI requesting an investigation into News Corporation's ethical practices, and on July 14,
20732-407: Was established to transmit nightly news summaries to subscribing ships, which incorporated them into their onboard newspapers. World War I accelerated the development of radio for military communications . After the war, commercial radio AM broadcasting began in the 1920s and became an important mass medium for entertainment and news. World War II again accelerated the development of radio for
20878-462: Was later reconfirmed, according to Article 1.3 of the ITU Radio Regulations , which defined it as "Any transmission , emission or reception of signs, signals, writings, images and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire , radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems". Homing pigeons have been used throughout history by different cultures. Pigeon post had Persian roots and
21024-609: Was later used by the Romans to aid their military. Frontinus claimed Julius Caesar used pigeons as messengers in his conquest of Gaul . The Greeks also conveyed the names of the victors at the Olympic Games to various cities using homing pigeons. In the early 19th century, the Dutch government used the system in Java and Sumatra . And in 1849, Paul Julius Reuter started a pigeon service to fly stock prices between Aachen and Brussels ,
21170-476: Was of little practical value because it relied on the electrophonic effect requiring users to place the receiver in their mouths to "hear". The first commercial telephone services were set up by the Bell Telephone Company in 1878 and 1879 on both sides of the Atlantic in the cities of New Haven and London. In 1894, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi began developing a wireless communication using
21316-508: Was the NY City Education Department's partner for its School of One pilot program (now Teach to One ). In late February 2011, News Corp officially put the now-struggling Myspace up for sale, which was estimated to be worth $ 50–200 million. Losses from the last quarter of 2010 were $ 156 million, over double of the previous year, which dragged down the otherwise strong results of parent News Corp. Its struggles were attributed to
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