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June 2009

How the Consumers Federation of America aims to shape telecom policy

The Consumer Federation of America is a long-standing consumer group that is involved in telecom as well as a range of other issues. Now in its forty-second year, the organization was founded to represent state and local consumer groups at the federal level. Founders, explained CFA Research Director Mark Cooper, "realized that a lot of policies that affect the consumer are set in Washington -- we're usually invited to a state to help on an important issue, and we frequently get members to sign on to comments to the FCC." CFA attempts to influence policy in a variety of ways, Cooper said. "We file comments, issue research, talk to the press, write letters to Capitol Hill and testify a lot," he said. When it comes to telecom policy matters, however, Cooper appears to be using the royal "we." "I'm the telecom staff," he said. In the mid-eighties, CFA played a big role in shaping the Lifeline and Linkup programs that use Universal Service funding to support the costs of telephone service for low-income consumers. "We did the research that created the programs," Cooper said. Today, CFA is "very active" in supporting Network Neutrality efforts, Cooper said. "The open character of the Internet is its essential feature and preserving it is critical," he said. CFA fought hard to get the four principles of net neutrality into several policy rulings. Those principles attempt to achieve what some refer to as an "open Internet" by asserting, for example, that consumers should be able to attach any device to the network. "We want a fifth principle to say that the first four are enforceable," Cooper said.

Sherwood (OR) rethinks fiber-optic access for all

Five years ago, Sherwood (OR) leaders ambitiously set out to build and operate a fiber-optic network creating Internet connections to every home and business. They promised that the enterprise would pay for itself -- and then some, creating excess revenue for other city projects. So far, that hasn't happened. Plagued by loose planning and oversight, Sherwood's experience exemplifies the risks and challenges of government-funded Internet projects now running in a handful of Oregon communities. Sherwood Broadband has been subsidized by $1.55 million in taxpayer money. It has missed revenue projections by nearly one-third while expenses have been more than one-quarter over budget. It serves about two dozen business locations -- nearly half of them outside city limits -- and about 50 wireless users each day. One elected official publicly called it a "significant money loser." Sherwood leaders acknowledge missteps, particularly minimal marketing and sales efforts. But officials say they are developing a new strategy. And they insist that the 60-mile network could eventually lead to new jobs and economic development.

3 Million New North American Broadband Subscribers

The Broadband Forum estimates that broadband grew by 16.6 million lines globally in the last quarter alone, with more than three million being added across North America. Broadband lines in the world now top 429.2 million and the last quarter shows growth slightly higher than the previous three month period. Twenty countries grew by 10 percent or more in that time. The biggest growth in the top 20 came from India at 13.4 percent, while the other large gainers were Ukraine (15.2 percent), Egypt (10.6 percent) and Mexico (10.3 percent). Of the total figure, North America grew 3.87 percent to more than 93.5 million. DSL continues to be the most popular broadband access technology, although fiber grew by more than three million lines to reflect a 12.4 percent share of the market, while wireless showed a healthy proportionate increase of over one million lines to a total of 5.58 million.

House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet
House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection
10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 18
2123 Rayburn House Office Building
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=articl...

The Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection will hold a joint hearing titled, "Behavioral Advertising: Industry Practices and Consumers' Expectations" on Thursday, June 18, 2009, in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing will examine the potential privacy implications of behavioral advertising.

INVITED WITNESSES:

• Jeffrey Chester, Executive Director, Center for Digital Democracy
• Scott Cleland, President, Precursor LLC
• Charles D. Curran, Executive Director, Network Advertising Initiative
• Christopher M. Kelly, Chief Privacy Officer, Facebook
• Edward W. Felten, Professor of Computer Science and Public Affairs, Princeton University
• Anne Toth, Vice President of Policy, Head of Privacy, Yahoo! Inc.
• Nicole Wong, Deputy General Counsel, Google Inc.


New America Foundation
1899 L St NW, 4th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
Thursday, June 25, 2009
12:15 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.
http://www.newamerica.net/events/2009/end_spectrum_scarcity

featured speakers
Kevin Werbach
Assistant Professor of Law, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Co-lead on the Obama Administration's FCC Transition review

Preston Marshall
Director, Information Sciences Institute,
Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California
Former Program Manager, DARPA
Next Generation Communications

Michael Marcus
Principal, Marcus Consulting

Tom Stroup
CEO, Shared Spectrum Company

Sascha Meinrath
Director, Open Technology Initiative, New America Foundation

Michael Calabrese
Vice President and Director, Wireless Future Program, New America Foundation

As the FCC begins its year-long process to recommend a National Broadband Plan, one starting point is to unlock publicly-owned assets that can facilitate ubiquitous, affordable broadband access. Wireless spectrum remains the most cost-effective and rapid means to deliver broadband access to rural and unserved urban residents. But as mobile broadband use continues to increase exponentially, demand for spectrum will rapidly outpace availability under current spectrum management policies.

Public policy seems stymied by the myth that spectrum is scarce. In reality, only government permission to access the airwaves (licenses) is scarce - spectrum capacity itself is barely used in most locations and at most times. This underutilized spectrum represents enormous, untapped, public capacity for high-speed and pervasive broadband connectivity. It is vital to a national broadband plan to consider policies that will encourage more intensive and efficient use of the nation's spectrum resources.

What combination of technologies and policy reforms can open the airwaves and enable an era of pervasive connectivity? Our panel includes technology and policy experts who believe dynamic, opportunistic access to underutilized spectrum - especially federal government bands - is feasible if we can only muster the political will. One promising mechanism for making substantial new allocations of spectrum available for wireless broadband deployments and other innovation is to leverage the TV Bands Database that will be certified by the FCC for unlicensed access to vacant TV channels. Several papers describing this and other ideas to achieve more shared, dynamic spectrum access will be released at this event.


HIT Policy Committee
At least 10 minutes prior to the meeting start time, please go to: http://altarum.na3.acrobat.com/HITpolicy
(If for any reason the link does not work, simply copy and paste the URL into your browser's address bar)
Select "enter as a guest"
Type your first and last name into the field
Click "enter room"

Audio:
You may listen in via computer or telephone.
US toll free: 1-877-705-6006
International Direct: 1-201-689-8557
Confirmation Code: HIT Committee Meeting

Agenda

10:00 a.m. CALL TO ORDER - Judy Sparrow, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

10:05 a.m. Opening Remarks - David Blumenthal, MD, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

10:30 a.m.

  • John Glaser, Office of the National Coordinator
  • Paul Tang, Co-Chair
  • Farzad Mostashari, Co-Chair

Members of the Workgroup
Charges for the Workgroup
Presentation on Draft Description of Meaningful Use

11:15 a.m. Committee Discussion on Draft Description of Meaningful Use

12:00 p.m. BREAK

12:30 p.m. Certification/Adoption Workgroup Update

  • John Glaser, ONC
  • Paul Egerman, Co-Chair
  • Marc Probst, Co-Chair

Members of the Workgroup
Charges for the Workgroup
Workplan Timeline

1:15 p.m. Information Exchange Workgroup Update

  • Kelly Cronin, ONC
  • Deven McGraw, Co-Chair
  • Micky Tripathy, Co-Chair

Members of the Workgroup
Charges for the Workgroup
Information Exchange/Meaningful Use

1:45 p.m. Public Comment

2:00 p.m. Adjourn


Today's Quote 06.16.09

"Any country relying today on Internet access speeds of 14.4 Kb/s would be left in the slow lane."

-- Stephen Carter, UK communications minister

Busy Telecom Agenda Today 06.16.09

A busy day in telecomland: 1) the House discusses the cyberspace policy review, 2) a look at how technology is transforming education, 3) the Satellite Home Viewer Act, 4) FCC nominations are considered in the Senate, and 5) why do we pay so much to send text messages?

June 16, 2009 (Broadband Definition Must Come Before Action)

"Any country relying today on Internet access speeds of 14.4 Kb/s would be left in the slow lane."
-- Stephen Carter, UK communications minister http://www.benton.org/node/25965

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY JUNE 16, 2009

A busy day in telecomland: 1) the House discusses the cyberspace policy review, 2) a look at how technology is transforming education, 3) the Satellite Home Viewer Act, 4) FCC nominations are considered in the Senate, and 5) why do we pay so much to send text messages? For all these events see http://www.benton.org/calendar/2009-06-16


INTERNET/BROADBAND
   National Broadband: Definition Must Come Before Action
   Smart Infrastructure starts with planning
   FCC NBS Comments: Why Not Follow Japan's Lead?
   UK needs industrial policy for a digital age
   AT&T: FCC Needs To Fix Universal Service Fund
   Turning the Masses Onto Mobile Broadband
   American Broadband Market Works, Economists Say

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   Iran Cracks Down on Western Media as Protest Spreads
   Social Networks Spread Iranian Defiance Online
   China Orders Patches to Planned Web Filter

WIRELESS
   Senators ask FCC to review mobile handset deals

TELEVISION
   FCC Pushing 'Double Re-scan'
   FCC Lifts Conditions on News Corp.'s Purchase of Major Stake in DirecTV

HEALTH AND MEDIA
   Panel To Unveil 'Meaningful Use' Report

POLICYMAKERS
   How consumers' groups aim to shape telecom policy
   MMTC Endorses Clyburn for FCC

MORE ON THE WEB
   Knight Awards $15 Million in Grants for Investigative Reporting
   Education Sec Duncan: Use tech to leverage change
   Blame gets shared for dark side of reality TV fame
   Digital technology and dollar signs
   Family time eroding as Internet use soars

Recent Comments on:
Half of Americans Say Broadband Must be Available to All, Government Must Not Regulate

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INTERNET/BROADBAND


NATIONAL BROADBAND: DEFINITION MUST COME BEFORE ACTION
[SOURCE: xchange, AUTHOR: Kelly Teal]
With the first round of comments filed on a national broadband strategy, the Federal Communications Commission can start hashing through myriad details, beginning at one very basic point: how to define broadband. The definition dilemma drew dozens of responses in the 540 total comments submitted. Numerous other issues also were raised, but the FCC cannot realistically weave a national broadband program until it knows what broadband means. Of the hundreds of filings, an estimated two-thirds came from the general public. Most of the communications industry made an appearance, too ­ including the Bells, several Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs), WiMAX network operators, satellite and telecom service providers, equipment makers, Web 2.0 firms, cable companies, relevant associations and pundits ­ with each party addressing the usual pet subjects. But before the FCC can change existing regulations, it must deal with some underlying matters ­ namely, figuring out what exactly constitutes broadband. Right now the FCC considers 768kbps to qualify as basic broadband service. That speed generally is considered fast enough to accommodate e-mail and Web site access, as well as media streaming and downloading. But a lot of communications companies are calling on the FCC to define broadband first by the network that delivers it, and then the rate at which it is delivered.
http://benton.org/node/25968
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SMART INFRASTRUCTURE STARTS WITH PLANNING
[SOURCE: Great Falls (MT) Tribune, AUTHOR: Garn Anderson]
[Commentary] If you are wondering how economic stimulus funds can turn your community into the futuristic society depicted in "The Jetsons," it's easy to get lost in the complexities of what Smart Grids and Smart Infrastructure have to do with any of this. Instead of going to Hollywood to see what the future may hold, go to Cleveland. It's here you'll find an example of a community with five years of experience in creating a regional fiber-optic network that connects more than 1,000 organizations — hospitals, school districts, governments, museums, libraries and other public and nonprofit organizations. The success in and around Cleveland demonstrates not only the benefits of Smart Infrastructure, but also the reality that local communities are best equipped to implement today's fundamental need for infrastructure that empowers innovation. A Smart Infrastructure looks at the big-picture and end goals. If a road project is in progress, smart planning might mean going an extra mile to lay fiber optic cables while the road is open. Having the foresight to plan for civic improvements while empowering innovation is what smart infrastructure is all about.
http://benton.org/node/25967
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FCC NBS COMMENTS: WHY NOT FOLLOW JAPAN'S LEAD?
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
[Commentary] The Japanese government submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission on a US national broadband plan. Japan is at least five to ten years ahead of us in terms of getting themselves wired with next-gen networks and inspired about using these networks. Japan released its first in a succession of national strategies all the way back in 2001. The initial goals were to provide "high-speed Internet" to 30 million households and "ultra-high-speed Internet" to 10 million households within five years. Japan achieved this goal by 2003, only two years after the initial strategy was set in motion, which shows what can be accomplished when a government sets clear goals and puts in place specific plans to achieve them.
http://benton.org/node/25966
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UK NEEDS INDUSTRIAL POLICY FOR A DIGITAL AGE
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Stephen Carter]
[Commentary] The British government will on Tuesday attempt to rebut this with the publication of Digital Britain, a policy framework for the communications and technology and media sector that represents a shift towards "industrial activism." Good industrial activism has to reflect the reality of where the UK can exercise economic leadership, carving a path for others to follow, rather than gamely trying to sustain industries past their sell-by date. As our iconic media and communications companies show, the UK retains enormous power in the digital content industry, a market with strong prospects. Any country relying today on Internet access speeds of 14.4 Kb/s would be left in the slow lane. The UK government knows there is more change to come. That is why Digital Britain focuses on policies to ensure we are prepared for next-generation changes in fixed and mobile networks. (Lord Carter is the UK's communications minister.)
http://benton.org/node/25965
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AT&T: FCC NEEDS TO FIX UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
AT&T says that the Federal Communications Commission cannot get serious about a national broadband plan until it fixes the Universal Service Fund. The FCC announcement Monday the latest USF contribution percentage, which is now at 12.9%, up from 9.5% at the beginning of the year, a whopping 36% increase. The fund's base continues to shrink as more people drop landline for wireless and Internet phone service. "The universal service fund is in a death spiral, driven by growing demands on the fund, the decline of the wireline model and consumer migration to other platforms and services," said AT&T in a statement. "These factors cause the government to ask for more money from a shrinking base of phone customers to support the goals of universal service. This vicious cycle leads to higher and higher USF fees.... In order to begin a discussion on a National Broadband Plan, the Commission must address comprehensive universal service reform."
http://benton.org/node/25964
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TURNING THE MASSES ONTO MOBILE BROADBAND
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Kevin O'Brien]
After two years of rapid growth, mobile broadband, the wireless industry's most successful innovation of the past decade, is at a crossroads as operators struggle to maintain fast, omnipresent service in the face of exploding Internet traffic. Since mid-2007, when the first services came on the market, about 16 million people worldwide have signed up for mobile broadband, according to Screen Digest, an industry researcher. In 2008, the number of subscribers almost doubled. But the rapid deployment — and mounting Internet traffic from video streaming and file sharing — have caused many wireless broadband services to slow down or interrupt from data overload.
http://benton.org/node/25963
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AMERICAN BROADBAND MARKET WORKS, ECONOMISTS SAY
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Ryan Womack]
Reports of the death of American broadband have been greatly exaggerated, said a group of economists Friday at a panel on broadband market competition sponsored by the Progress and Freedom Foundation. Because American broadband was deregulated just five years ago, "competition is driving innovation," says Emperis managing partner Jeffrey Eisenach. But Information Technology and Innovative Foundation President Rob Atkinson said there is a difference between government "facilitation" of deregulation and actual deregulation on the broadband system. "I think we are behind, and I think it is a duopoly," he said. But Americans are "lucky to have two pipes" compared with many countries, he said. Introducing a municipal third pipe would be "overbuilding [and] a huge waste of money."
http://benton.org/node/25962
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS


IRAN CRACKS DOWN ON WESTERN MEDIA AS PROTEST SPREADS
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
Iranian authorities criticized international media reports and took steps to control the flow of information from independent news sources as anti-government protests raged in the country for a second day Sunday. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at the media shortly after he claimed victory in the election that critics contend was marked by widespread voter fraud. At a news conference Sunday, he accused international media of launching a "psychological war" against the country. Street protests broke out in Tehran and were fiercely battled by anti-riot police. A range of communications have been disrupted inside Iran since election day, including those which could be used to organize protests.
http://benton.org/node/25961
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SOCIAL NETWORKS SPREAD IRANIAN DEFIANCE ONLINE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brad Stone, Noam Cohen]
As the embattled government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to be trying to limit Internet access and communications in Iran, new kinds of social media are challenging those traditional levers of state media control and allowing Iranians to find novel ways around the restrictions. Iranians are blogging, posting to Facebook and, most visibly, coordinating their protests on Twitter, the messaging service. Their activity has increased, not decreased, since the presidential election on Friday and ensuing attempts by the government to restrict or censor their online communications.
http://benton.org/node/25960
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CHINA ORDERS PATCHES TO PLANNED WEB FILTER
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Edward Wong]
A designer of censorship software that the Chinese government requires to be preinstalled on computers sold in China has been ordered to fix potential security breaches in the software, the newspaper China Daily reported Monday. The report was an indication that the government still supports use of the software despite heated debate over it. The software, called Green Dam-Youth Escort, has come under attack by many computer users in China for both political and technical reasons. Critics say that although the Chinese government insists that the software will be used only to block access to pornography Web sites, the software's actual use will be to block any site with content deemed politically objectionable, like the Tibet issue or the 1989 Tiananmen killings. The government says all computers sold in China must have the software installed by July 1. Some computer experts who have studied the software said last week that it was so flawed that it could allow hackers to monitor a user's Internet activity, steal personal data or plant viruses.
http://benton.org/node/25959
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WIRELESS


SENATORS ASK FCC TO REVIEW MOBILE HANDSET DEALS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: John Poirier]
Several Senators urged the Federal Communications Commission on Monday to review exclusive arrangements regarding mobile handset technology between wireless carriers and cell phone makers and how they affect competition and choice in the marketplace. In a letter to FCC Chairman Michael Copps, the senators said they were concerned about exclusivity. "We ask that you examine this issue carefully and act expeditiously should you find that exclusivity agreements unfairly restrict consumer choice or adversely impact competition in the commercial wireless marketplace," they wrote. Democrats John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet; Byron Dorgan of North Dakota; Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, signed the June 15 letter. Some exclusive agreements include the iPhone by Apple and AT&T and the deal between Verizon Wireless and LG Voyager. The FCC was asked in the letter if such agreements were becoming prevalent, limiting consumers' ability to take full advantage of handset technologies, manipulating the competitive marketplace between commercial wireless carriers, and playing a role in discouraging innovation.
http://benton.org/node/25958
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TELEVISION


FCC PUSHING 'DOUBLE RESCAN'
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission says some stations in Chicago and Philadelphia may have to apply for power boosts and are in discussions with stations there about their various technical issues, but that it is currently focused on consumer-based fixes for reception problems, including promoting what it is calling the "double-rescan." That is having consumers clear out their boxes' memories before re-scanning, a process the commission says is having success, particularly in Chicago. The FCC's call center volume continues to drop as viewers settle in to the DTV transition. According to an FCC spokeswoman, the DTV helpline took just under 63,000 calls on Sunday. That was after recording a one-day record of 317,000-plus on Friday, June 12, as stations were pulling the plug on analog. Saturday saw a drop-off to just north of 145,000 calls.
http://benton.org/node/25957
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FCC LIFTS CONDITIONS ON NEWS CORP'S PURCHASE OF MAJOR STAKE IN DIRECTV
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission has removed the last conditions on News Corp's purchase of a major stake in DirecTV from Hughes Corp. The remaining conditions required News Corp. to participate in arbitration disputes over carriage of regional sports nets and participate in arbitration over retransmission consent negotiations with multichannel video providers. Some public interest groups and competitors -- including Dish and the American Cable Association -- had opposed lifting the conditions on the company, but it seemed all but a foregone conclusion after News Corp. dealt off that 41% stake to Liberty in 2008, or what the FCC described as a "material change in circumstance."
http://benton.org/node/25956
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HEALTH AND MEDIA


PANEL TO UNVEIL 'MEANINGFUL USE' REPORT
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
High-tech and healthcare stakeholders monitoring the implementation of economic stimulus package provisions intended to spur a nationwide network of electronic health records will have their first look Tuesday at what might constitute "meaningful use" of health IT products. A subgroup of the Health and Human Services Department's health IT policy committee will unveil a report on the topic and the full panel will deliberate. The paper will also be released for a formal public comment period and recommendations will ultimately be sent to David Blumenthal, the Obama administration's health IT coordinator. Final HHS guidance will let healthcare providers know how they can qualify for incentives included in the $19 billion section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
http://benton.org/node/25955
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POLICYMAKERS


HOW CONSUMERS' GROUPS AIM TO SHAPE TELECOM POLICY
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
In the first in a series series, TelephonyOnline explores several of the key telecom consumer groups -- their history, funding, previous successes and current areas of emphasis -- and takes a look at the role these groups may play moving forward. Consumer advocacy groups involved in telecom -- including the Consumer Federation of America, the Consumers Union, the Free Press and Public Knowledge -- could gain more clout under a Democratic administration. Most telecom issues pit certain groups within the industry against others. Handset exclusivity, for example, is largely a big-carrier-versus-small-carrier issue, while net neutrality pits virtually all communications service providers--including telcos and cable companies--against the information technology giants. By weighing in on one side or the other, consumer groups increasingly may help to tip the scales. This article focuses on Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports. Recent Consumers Union victories in the telecom area include helping to overturn FCC media ownership rules, leading to narrower rules aimed at boosting competition and diversity and leading the effort to convince Congress and the White House to delay the digital TV transition.
http://benton.org/node/25969
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MMTC ENDORSES CLYBURN FOR FCC
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Minority Media & Telecommunications Council has endorsed South Carolina utility regulator Mignon Clyburn for commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission. "Ms. Clyburn is one of the very few FCC nominees with years of experience in both mass media...MMTC warmly endorses this nomination." MMTC was just as warm in its praise for Clyburn when her name first came up. MMTC's David Honig at the time called her a "terrific choice."
http://benton.org/node/25954
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How consumers' groups aim to shape telecom policy

In the first in a series series, TelephonyOnline explores several of the key telecom consumer groups -- their history, funding, previous successes and current areas of emphasis -- and takes a look at the role these groups may play moving forward. Consumer advocacy groups involved in telecom -- including the Consumer Federation of America, the Consumers Union, the Free Press and Public Knowledge -- could gain more clout under a Democratic administration. Most telecom issues pit certain groups within the industry against others. Handset exclusivity, for example, is largely a big-carrier-versus-small-carrier issue, while net neutrality pits virtually all communications service providers--including telcos and cable companies--against the information technology giants. By weighing in on one side or the other, consumer groups increasingly may help to tip the scales. This article focuses on Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports. Recent Consumers Union victories in the telecom area include helping to overturn FCC media ownership rules, leading to narrower rules aimed at boosting competition and diversity and leading the effort to convince Congress and the White House to delay the digital TV transition.

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