Benton Foundation

The Silence of the Bought

[Commentary] The big Internet service provider gate-keepers may have bought the silence of Congress, but they cannot buy the silence of the people. We know there is overwhelming popular support for an open internet with strong net neutrality rules.  But we have to demonstrate this support and the power behind it.  We must make our voices heard.  Contacting Congress now on the CRA is vital—your Senators, of course, but your House members, too.  Tell them your vote in the next election depends on their vote now to restore net neutrality. 

Louis Brandeis: A Man for This Season

In the early years of the 20th Century, Louis Brandeis was America’s most influential advocate for antitrust enforcement but his contributions to antitrust have been much debated ever since.

Millions Could Lose Service if FCC 'Reforms' Lifeline Program

[Editorial] The Benton Foundation has joined literally hundreds of organizations that are asking the Federal Communications Commission to ensure Lifeline voice and broadband service for low-income households, with minimal disruption to the people who depend on the program for a consistent connection to the world via their telephone or internet connection. We're asking that the FCC:

Setting the Bar for Public Funding: Aiming Higher with the Connect America Fund

[Commentary] How can we improve the biggest tool to closing the digital divide in the Federal Communications Commission’s toolbox: the Connect America Fund. Back in 2011, the FCC adopted a performance goal for the Connect America Fund of ensuring universal access to fixed broadband and concluded it would measure progress towards this outcome based on the number of newly served locations — but it did not articulate any concrete vision for when this universal service goal might be achieved.

Year One: Trump vs The Free Press

January 20, 2018 marks the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Last week, we documented the Federal Communications Commission’s policy priorities of the past year. This week, we look at President Trump’s war with the press. One of the greatest concerns going into the Trump Presidency was how his Administration would interact with the press. Just eight days into the Trump administration, we published The First Casualty is the Truth: Trump's Running War With the Media, which described the first combative week of the President Trump-press relationship.

Disney to Buy Fox. Was The Repeal of Net Neutrality A Factor?

On the same day the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal its 2015 network neutrality rules, the Walt Disney Company announced a deal to buy most of 21st Century Fox. The all-stock transaction is valued at roughly $52.4 billion. If approved, Disney would go from being “a juggernaut to being a megajuggernaut.” Disney hopes the acquisition of Fox’s sports and entertainment content will give it new market power in the growing online distribution market (streaming services). The FCC’s move is not unrelated.

Reactions to Sprint/T-Mobile Vote at the FCC

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): “I have repeatedly raised serious antitrust concerns about the harmful effects of merging T-Mobile and Sprint, two of the four remaining nationwide wireless carriers. Overwhelming evidence shows that approving this merger will almost certainly hurt competition and consumers and lead to higher prices, worse service, and less innovation. I am hopeful that the lawsuit brought by over a dozen state attorneys general to block the merger will be successful.”

Too uneducated to understand the importance of home Internet?

In their recent Op-Ed in the Washington Post, “Cities, not rural areas, are the real Internet deserts,” authors Blair Levin and Larry Downes argue that the digital divide in cities persists because uneducated people do not understand the importance, or “relevance,” of the internet in their everyday lives.

All Over the Broadband Map

What if you held a Congressional hearing and consensus broke out? As strange as that proposition may appear to be in Washington these days, there does seem to be general consensus that the Federal Communications Commission isn't doing a good enough job collecting data on where broadband internet access service is available -- and where it ain't.

Survey Says: Telehealth + Community Broadband = Local Economic Success

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and I teamed up to survey the association’s members.

Digital Divide Policy Enters the National Conversation

The digital divide is a complicated technical and political policy issue in the U.S., with unique urban and rural challenges. Some 2020 candidates are recognizing the importance of the issue and spreading awareness. But if we’re seeking to bring affordable, high-capacity broadband to all people in the U.S., both access and adoption challenges need to be addressed. And policymakers must take into account the role competition must play in these two challenges.

2020 Candidates Offer Plans to Extend the Reach of Broadband

Two 2020 presidential candidates released plans for investing in rural America this week. And broadband plays a key role in both. Senator Elizabeth Warren's (D-MA) plan to invest in rural America includes a "public option for broadband" and a proposal to create an Office of Broadband Access that will manage an $85 billion federal grant program to expand broadband access across the country. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's (D-NY) plan includes having the White House be a funding partner for communites and a call for a $60 billion investment to connect all Americans.

New Tool Helps Navigate State Broadband Policy

The Pew Charitable Trusts released the State Broadband Policy Explorer - an easily accessible database that contains information on state-level broadband policy and legislation.

What to Expect When You're Expecting a Net Neutrality Decision

Every Tuesday and Friday morning at 10 am (Eastern), scores of journalists, activists, and lawyers stare at the website of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s “Opinions” page, rapidly refreshing their browsers. They are waiting for the court’s opinion in the challenge to the Federal Communications Commission’s 2017 decision repealing its own Obama-era network neutrality rules.

Reaction to DOJ Approval of T-Mobile/Sprint

“Competition is critical to a strong economy—among the four largest cell phone carriers, that competition has led to lower prices, better service, and more innovation. That’s why, when this merger was first reported, I raised serious antitrust concerns about combining two of the four remaining nationwide wireless carriers, and I have since urged the Justice Department to reject the deal as anticompetitive," said Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

The FTC Fines Facebook. But Privacy Violations Are Not a Thing of the Past

On July 24, 2019 the Federal Trade Commission, together with the Department of Justice, announced a record-breaking $5 billion penalty for Facebook, alleging the company had repeatedly misled its users about the way advertisers and app developers could obtain their personal data. What did Facebook do wrong? What are the components of the settlement? What does it all mean for Big Tech? Let's dive in.

Reactions to FTC's $5 Billion Settlement with Facebook for Privacy Violations

The Federal Trade Commission released details of its settlement with Facebook over violations to a 2012 consent decree. Under the settlement, Facebook has agreed to pay $5 billion, create a privacy committee on Facebook’s board, and conduct a privacy review. The FTC alleges that Facebook repeatedly violated the 2012 order, and that the improper data collection and misuse by Cambridge Analytica was just a part of a larger problem. Some reactions:

Under the Radar Broadband Policy

Nearly drowned out by all the Big Tech hearings and unPresidential tweets this week were developments in broadband deployment. We learned of more funding for rural broadband and a proposal to improve broadband deployment data collection. But we were also reminded of the problems and challenges that still exist in reaching the most disconnected areas.

The FCC's July Meeting: A Broadband Action Blockbuster

The Federal Communications Commission held its monthly open meeting on July 10. We gave a preview of the meeting a few weeks back. There were eight items in total in the action-packed agenda, but we’re going to unpack a few of the actions that are especially relevant to open, affordable, high-capacity broadband in the U.S. 

At Last A Beginning

At last it’s happening—a growing national discussion about how America’s news and information “industry” is failing to nourish our civic dialogue. It should be something we expect the candidates to discuss—and take a stand on—as the 2020 election campaigns ramp up.

Benton Urges FCC to Reject Proposal that Would Harm Competition and Consumers

On July 1, 2019, the Benton Foundation urged the Federal Communications Commission to dismiss a proposal that would require E-Rate program participants to pay more than is required by mandating less competition than is available. The FCC's E-Rate program makes broadband and telecommunications services more affordable for schools and libraries around the country.

The House Passed an Appropriations Bill. With a Message for the FCC.

On June 26, the US House of Representatives passed the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act (H.R. 3351) -- an appropriations bill that provides fiscal year 2020 funding for a variety of departments and independent agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission. The massive bill passed with many amendments.