Headlines will return MONDAY, June 21.
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010
Two big items on the agenda today: 1) FCC meeting on broadband classification and 2) House hearing on a national, public safety network http://bit.ly/dkvS0C
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Federal Communications Commission set to reconsider framework for regulating broadband
High-Speed Internet Rules Might Prove Costly
Why US Tech Policy Needs Silicon Valley's Input
Broadband Access: Who is Ultimately Responsible?
More Democrats Voice Support For Network Neutrality Regulations
Upton Calls FCC's Title II Plan a "Blind Power Grab"
Industry Groups Offer Legislative Deal On Network Neutrality
Verizon: Comcast P2P blocking was wrong, we won't do it
AT&T Rethinks U-Verse Spending After FCC Move
Frontier Promises Broadband Investment for West Virginia
West Virginia to Build State Wide Fiber Network
Minority Groups Band Together to Obtain BTOP Funds
Officials hope map detailing high-speed Internet access will help bring service to rural Texas
WIRELESS
Public safety community unconvinced by new FCC report
Wireless Oligopoly Smothers Invention
Three ways to shift spectrum from TV to wireless broadband
After Delay, AT&T Deal Nears Approval
OWNERSHIP
FCC Issues RFPs for Media Ownership Studies
NBC and Comcast paint it black when it comes to FCC questions
Tribune bankruptcy judge orders info from JPMorgan
CYBERSECURITY
US Hampered in Fighting Cyber Attacks, Report Says
Cybersecurity legislation looks likely to pass this year
Has The Cyberwar Threat Been Exaggerated?
A governmentwide cybersecurity purchasing contract gains converts
PRIVACY
Groups Call On Facebook To Make More Privacy Changes
TELECOM
House Commerce Committee Requests Universal Service Update
Consumer advocates urge FCC to investigate wireless Lifeline benefits
New Illinois law relaxes phone regulations
JOURNALISM
News Media Access Problems In Gulf
Knight Foundation Announces Winners of 2010 News Challenge
CONTENT
A good example of Obama's warning about the media focusing on 'sexier' stories
Internet File-Sharing Service Is Sued by Music Publishers
Google shadow over new media groups
ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
The Disclose Act is a matter of campaign honesty
NRA exemption shows campaign disclosure bill's cynical, fatal flaws
TELEVISION
Local Broadcasters Bullish at SNL Kagan Conference
For cable channels, the niche is expanding
STORIES FROM ABROAD
In China, Labor Movement Enabled by Technology
Trade Commission, Congress Examining Chinese Policies
The EU Digital Agenda: Key Issues for Business
MORE ONLINE
New York City Launches New Effort to Aid Media Sector
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
TODAY'S AGENDA
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote Thursday to begin taking public comments on three different paths for regulating broadband. One of them is a proposal by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to define broadband access as a telecommunications service subject to "common carrier" obligations to treat all traffic equally.
benton.org/node/37016 | Associated Press
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RULES COULD BE COSTLY
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Olga Kharif]
Proposed regulation of high-speed Internet service providers by the U.S. government could cost the economy at least $62 billion annually over the next five years and eliminate 502,000 jobs, according to a study released by New York University Law School. The report estimates that broadband providers and related industries may cut their investments by 10 percent to 30 percent from 2010 to 2015 in response to additional regulation. At 30 percent, the economy might sustain an $80 billion hit, according to Charles Davidson, director of the law school's Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute, which released the report on June 16. "There will be follow-on effects in the whole ecosystem," said Bret Swanson, president of technology researcher Entropy Economics, who co-authored the study with Davidson. "A diminution of investment by the big infrastructure companies will reduce network capacity, new services, and investment by all the ecosystem companies," such as application providers and device manufacturers.
benton.org/node/37015 | Bloomberg
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SILICON VALLEY INPUT NEEDED
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Susan Crawford]
[Commentary] The enormous economic impact of Silicon Valley's edge and cloud companies isn't adequately reflected in the policy debates taking place in Washington (DC). Given the extraordinary market power and plugged-in political clout of the few high-speed Internet access providers in this country, the Valley can no longer simply come up with tech solutions to get around what's going on in Washington. The Federal Communications Commission is about to begin a consideration of how to regulate broadband. Entrepreneurs need a level playing field that's predictable and allows them to launch without asking permission. The network access providers have clearly aimed all of their guns — monetary and otherwise — at the Commission in an attempt to avoid any hint of standardized regulation that would ensure competition or prevent them from monetizing Internet application. The tech community, by contrast, has been all but silent.
benton.org/node/37013 | GigaOm
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WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BROADBAND GAPS?
[SOURCE: telecompetitor, AUTHOR: Bernie Arnason]
In Dane County (WI), residents are petitioning the state public service commission to order TD to provide broadband to them. TD says these communities are just too small and isolated to provide broadband services. "I am tremendously sympathetic ... but the unfortunate situation is they live in a very isolated pocket. It is the most difficult conversation we have with customers," TD spokesman Andrew Peter sen tells the MS. TD also says the community did not qualify for broadband stimulus funding because of its proximity to urban areas. So ultimately, who is responsible for solving this problem? The government? Service providers? End users?
benton.org/node/36999 | telecompetitor
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MARKEY ET AL LETTER
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Reps Ed Markey (D-MA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Mike Doyle (D-PA), and Doris Matsui (D-CA) have written federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski in support of network neutrality. They said that Chairman genachowski's proposed "third way" for broadband regulation is a "tailored, commonsense approach" to clarification, which is necessary after a federal appeals court threw out the FCC's action against Comcast for blocking file uploads by BitTorrent users.
"We agree that your proposition's application of sections within Title II to broadband services is appropriate and necessary, as they cover fundamental consumer protection issues such as privacy and access for individuals with disabilities." But they also praised the FCC's decision to start the process with a Notice of Inquiry on various scenarios (rather than, say, voting to adopt that Third Way, which could be done since the change is in the application of existing rules and can be done without going through the rulemaking process). They said that the NOI will "enable the public to take part in this vital process."
benton.org/node/36995 | Multichannel News
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UPTON CALLS MOVE POWER GRAB
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Rep Fred Upton (R-MI), a former chairman of the House Communications Subcommittee, has weighed in strongly against the Federal Communications Commission's classification of broadband transmissions as a Title II service subject to some of those common carrier regulations. Mincing no words, Rep Upton came out firing in a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski: "Despite overwhelming opposition within a Congress that possesses the actual authority that the FCC covets, the Commission now inexplicably appears poised on Thursday to take another misguided leap towards its investment-suffocating attempt to regulate broadband providers as common carriers." Rep Upton said the FCC's regulatory compass was broken and labeled the move a "blind power grab." Pulling out the rhetorical bullhorn, Upton warned, "stand down from pursuing a course unauthorized and opposed by Congress."
benton.org/node/37014 | Broadcasting&Cable
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NET NEUTRALITY DEAL?
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Apparently, AT&T and Verizon are negotiating a deal with members of Congress, indicating a willingness to compromise on a subject they had vowed never to cede ground: outlawing a two-tiered Internet. The lobbying blitz is part of a two-pronged industry strategy: seek a better outcome in Congress while preparing to battle the Federal Communications Commission in court. The FCC is considering restructuring how broadband is regulated and adopting network neutrality rules.
benton.org/node/36981 | CongressDaily
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VERIZON ON COMCAST
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Nate Anderson]
Verizon isn't a fan of the FCC's proposed "third way" approach to network neutrality rules, and the company's top policy people have suggested that the Internet needs an entirely new "policy framework." Such a framework will require massive wrangling in Congress, so in the short term, Verizon has partnered with Google and others to find a "consensus" framework for the short-term. Is this a plan to avoid government rules on openness and turn the company into a maniacal bit-blocker? At a recent panel discussion, Verizon policy exec Link Hoewing said no—the company has no wish to go down Comcast's P2P blocking route, and he called out Comcast for its earlier approach. "We came up with a standard that says any of the players on the Internet should not do anything that harms users or competition," said Hoewing. "And I think that's a pretty important policy principle. Because what it says is that, take the Comcast case, in that case, they were using reset packets and it clearly did harm a lot of users. They were not able to use the Internet, some of them. So that principle basically says you can't do that kind of thing, even if it's network management to deal with congestion problems. That's not appropriate." Verizon is one of the sponsors of a new private-sector group that hopes to work out network management principles -- and Hoewing argues that such a group could have saved Comcast from itself.
benton.org/node/37012 | Ars Technica
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AT&T UVERSE THREAT
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Niraj Sheth]
AT&T could cut back spending on its U-Verse home television and Internet service if the Federal Communications Commission goes forward with its plan to tighten regulation on broadband Internet providers. AT&T says that investment could be cut short due to fears the new regulation could change the economics of the industry. "If this Title 2 regulation looks imminent, we have to re-evaluate whether we put shovels in the ground," AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson said. AT&T isn't threatening to roll back capital spending on its wireless network, the core of its business. U-Verse, AT&T's answer to the cable industry's TV, Internet and phone packages, had 2.3 million subscribers at the end of March, up 231,000 from a year earlier. The carrier doesn't break out how much capital it spends on U-Verse in particular, but Stephenson says it is a "couple billion" dollars a year. AT&T has said that it plans roughly $19 billion in capital expenditure this year on its wireless and wireline networks combined. The FCC recently said that it is planning to bring broadband providers under Title 2 regulation, which comes with a stronger set of rules than what Internet providers have to abide by now. Derek Turner, Free Press research director, said, "AT&T has no credibility on investment, and this latest threat is further evidence of that. The company continues to cry wolf about investment to pressure the FCC into doing its bidding, while it fails to deliver on key promises. In 2002, the company (operating as SBC) promised the Commission that it would invest billions to deploy fiber-to-the-home technology if the FCC gave it specific deregulatory favors. AT&T got exactly what it wanted, but the company has yet to deliver on its investment promise. This latest threat is just more of the same."
benton.org/node/36984 | Wall Street Journal | ars technica | Free Press
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FRONTIER WV BROADBAND INVESTMENT
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
On June 15, West Virginia EGov. Joe Man chin, Frontier Communications, and the Communications Workers of America announced that Frontier, which is acquiring from Verizon almost 5 million lines in primarily rural and small-town areas in 14 states, will guarantee a $310-million-dollar investment in West Virginia over the next three years for broadband deployment, service quality improvements, and other capital expenditures. Frontier also committed to a number of steps to create and protect jobs throughout its territory. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said, "I am pleased that Frontier's expansion to additional service areas, facilitated by the FCC last month, will result in hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, the creation of high-tech jobs in West Virginia and other areas around the country, and increased job security for communications workers."
benton.org/node/36996 | Federal Communications Commission | Broadcasting&Cable
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WV FIBER NETWORK
[SOURCE: BroadbandBreakfast.com, AUTHOR: David Cup]
In March, West Virginia was awarded $126 million from the Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program. The federal money was granted to create a statewide high-speed broadband network of 45mbps down, for all public schools, libraries, health-care facilities and fire and police departments. West Virginia's Commerce Secretary Kelly Goes said "After we get the system working smoothly in that first county, we're going to wire everything that needs it in every county, statewide." Governor Joe Manchin said in 2007 that the state would be wired, and thus this process began long before there was even a thought of a federal grant. The state was the only grantee to be given funds to create a state wide network while most others have local or county networks. "If we can use the broadband stimulus dollars to overbuild fiber optic capacity in the communities, then that extra capacity can be expanded to the community in the future," Kyle Schafer, chief technical officer for the project said, "That's the intent. It will be a real selling point for new businesses and new residents who want to work from home." $40 million of the stimulus money will be used to build 12 broadband towers to the state's existing 83 towers; $40 million will pay Verizon Business Services to lay fiber optic cable to 1,064 public facilities and provide access to global networks.
benton.org/node/36983 | BroadbandBreakfast.com
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BROADBAND OPPORTUNITY COALITION
[SOURCE: BroadbandBreakfast.com, AUTHOR: Mytheos Holt]
The Broadband Opportunity Coalition, a new coalition of civil rights organizations, announced a plan to promote broadband adoption and literacy among minority and disadvantaged communities. The coalition was formed in response to encouragement by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for groups to coalesce around shared goals. The group plans to engage the policy arena with several key initiatives. The first is an educational program designed to reach "public policy makers and decision makers in the public and private sectors of the importance of broadband," according to coalition spokesman and president of the National Urban League Marc Morial. Also involved in this educational initiative will be a grassroots push for further broadband adoption within targeted disadvantaged communities. The second element of the group's strategy is institutional, as the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council filed two pleadings with the FCC calling for new hearings on broadband within disadvantaged communities. One proposal calls for 15 new hearings, with 8 taking place in urban areas and 7 taking place in rural areas.
benton.org/node/36982 | BroadbandBreakfast.com
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BROADBAND MAPPING IN TEXAS
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Schuyler Dixon]
The first map detailing high-speed Internet access around the state will highlight unserved rural areas in hopes of bringing service to those communities, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said Wednesday. The interactive map unveiled during an online news conference allows computer users to pinpoint availability even down to a specific rural home. Staples says the tool could lead service providers to target future investment. Although the map shows 96 percent of Texas households have access to high-speed, or broadband, Internet service, Staples said that doesn't mean much to the roughly 250,000 homes without it. The map allows individuals and businesses to search specific areas to see whether broadband access exists and, if so, what services are available. The map features color-coded overlays representing varieties of wired and wireless access, plus areas without any of those services. It also brings up links to providers, which officials say will allow customers to compare prices. Connected Texas, the nonprofit that did the mapping for the Texas Department of Agriculture, will try to identify areas of strong demand that might persuade providers to move in, said Chief Executive Brian Mefford. The $3 million mapping project was funded through federal stimulus money.
benton.org/node/37010 | Associated Press
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WIRELESS
PUBLIC SAFETY UNMOVED BY FCC REPORT
[SOURCE: Connected Planet, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
The public safety community remains unconvinced by a report issued this week from the Federal Communications Commission that aims to justify the FCC's plan involving a nationwide public safety network. "It's flawed in many aspects," said Harlan McEwen, chairman of the Public Safety Spectrum Trust, the license holder for the 10 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band that was granted to the public safety community years ago. McEwen said he was still reviewing the report issued yesterday and declined to provide details but added, "It makes a number of false assumptions." Richard Mirgon, president of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials was more blunt. "I've read fiction that has more substance to it than the report does," he said. The public safety community has argued that 10 MHz of spectrum is not enough for its needs and wants the FCC to give it an additional 10 MHz of spectrum in the adjacent D-block.
benton.org/node/36980 | Connected Planet
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WIRELESS INDUSTRY HOLDS BACK INNOVATION
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Ryan Singel]
[Commentary] The wireless industry -- AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile -- needs some ground rules that make clear they are common carriers that get the right to rent the airwaves by abiding by fair rules. Right now, they play by their own rules. You only get a single device, one that has to be pre-approved by the carrier. The device is almost always locked down. If you manage to pry its OS open enough to install software, you void your warranty. If you care to use your 3G connection occasionally as a modem for your laptop, be prepared to pay $30 extra a month — or hack the device and (see above) void your warranty. If you want to switch devices, you'll often be forced to 'upgrade' to a more expensive plan, even if your current plan offers unlimited data. For instance, Sprint has tens of thousands of users using its old friends-of-a-employee plan, known as SERO, which offered unlimited data on its best smartphones. Unhappy with the bargain it struck, the company refuses to let those customers upgrade to new devices -- even if they buy the devices for full price. Any device that runs on these carrier's networks must be approved by the carriers. The wireless industry defends itself, saying that it's changed its ways. Long notorious for crippling their phones and strangling app developers who wanted access to their devices, the carriers have loosened their policies, since AT&T made its fateful deal with Apple, which ripped control of the device out of AT&T's hands. The result showed to the world how the wireless industry had purposely crippled cell phones to boost their bottom lines, customers be damned. Now, the Federal Communications Commission, which is mulling more official net-neutrality rules, has the chance to finish the job Apple started, but couldn't bring itself to finish -- removing the carriers stranglehold over mobile devices.
benton.org/node/36979 | Wired
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SPECTRUM AND BROADBAND
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
The Federal Communications Commission wants to make about 500MHz available for wireless broadband over the next decade, 300MHz of that in five years, with about 120MHz of it coming from the broadcast television bands. Within that 120MHz context, the UHF TV region appears particularly juicy to the FCC. The big plan is to create a "Mobility Fund" through which TV license owners can sell or share this wealth of spectrum. The basic idea is "incentive auctions" in which broadcasters who give up their licenses get a share of the consequent auction proceeds. Here are the three ways the FCC thinks this could be done. 1) A "two step auction." In phase one of this system, individual broadcasters would announce the minimum auction price at which they'd be willing to relinquish their license to the FCC. The agency would then conduct "a re packing analysis" of the spectrum and the cost of "clearing" for transfer to a wireless company. 2) An "exchange," in which groups of broadcasters would offer up their spectrum together and bidders offer prices on them simultaneously. 3) A license sharing or "overlay" regimen in which the FCC divides the broadcast TV bands into large, contiguous blocks and auctions all or a portion of those blocks as overlay licenses with flexible use. Overlay licensees would have co-primary rights with DTV stations. They would have primary rights in any part of the license area that is not served by DTV licensees, but would have to protect any DTV broadcast stations in their service area. The overlay license holders could negotiate directly with broadcast TV stations to clear the spectrum either by discontinuing over-the-air signals or by relocating to another block. One overlay license holder could pay another overlay license holder to accept the relocated station or pay a broadcast TV station to share its bandwidth with that relocated station.
benton.org/node/36997 | Ars Technica
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OK FOR AT&T DEAL
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Niraj, Amy Schatz]
After a prolonged review, AT&T is close to securing regulatory approval for its $2.35 billion purchase of rural U.S. wireless licenses from rival Verizon Wireless. Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski last week circulated an order asking the other four members of the commission to approve the deal. The vote could happen in coming weeks. Regulators mandated the sale in 2008 as a condition for approving $28.1 billion purchase of Alltel by Verizon, a unit of Verizon Communications Inc. AT&T, which stands to add a swath of network coverage in 18 states, mainly in the middle of the country, announced the deal with Verizon in May 2009 and had said it expected to close the sale in the first quarter. But with a new commission taking over last year and a flood of other issues at the top of the FCC's list, the Alltel deal took a back seat.
benton.org/node/37008 | Wall Street Journal
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OWNERSHIP
MEDIA OWNERSHIP RESEARCH
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission has released its request for proposals (RFP) for media ownership studies. It is commissioning nine studies but is also asking for suggestions on any others it might want to consider. The studies are an effort to make the media ownership rule review a data-driven exercise with input on how different ownership structures affect competition, localism and diversity, the three pillars of the FCC's public interest-protection job description. Studies include a consumer survey on the value of TV and radio, and ones on level of civic engagement, availability and use of local Internet content, the impact of minority ownership and programming, the quality of news and public affairs programming, viewpoint diversity, and range of viewpoints supplied. The Commission has set a deadline of July 7 for comments on what new studies it might to want to commission. Then it will have to approve the bids for the studies it has already outlined, get the studies done and peer-reviewed, and take them into account in the quadrennial review.
benton.org/node/37002 | Broadcasting&Cable
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NBC-COMCAST FILING
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Joe Flint]
Last month, the Federal Communications Commission sent Comcast and NBC Universal dozens of questions seeking very detailed and in many cases confidential information about their businesses and partnerships. Although the companies spilled the beans to the FCC, anyone else looking to find the secrets to their success has been left in the dark. That's because the documents the two companies filed at the commission have blacked out all the juicy stuff. The FCC won't be the only one who gets to look at the answers. Competitors who can make a case to the agency that they need to see the answers to assess what the Comcast-NBC merger will mean for their businesses have to sign protective orders and confidential agreements. In other words, you can only look if you promise not to leak.
benton.org/node/36977 | Los Angeles Times
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TRIBUNE CASE
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
The judge in the Tribune Company's bankruptcy case has ordered JPMorgan Chase to turn over information sought by a group of lenders who oppose the company's reorganization plan. The lenders told the judge Wednesday that JPMorgan should provide the names and addresses of current holders of Tribune's credit agreement debt, and a list of payments Tribune made under the credit agreement before filing for bankruptcy in 2008. The lenders want to use the information in part to try to rally opposition to Tribune's reorganization plan.
benton.org/node/36993 | Associated Press
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CYBERSECURITY
CYBERSECURITY REPORT
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Siobhan Gorman]
The US government's ability to counter cyber attacks against its nonmilitary computer systems is largely ineffective, according to a report from an internal watchdog to be released Wednesday. The Homeland Security Department branch that monitors cyber attacks can't force other agencies to protect their systems, is woefully understaffed and its ability to manage responses to cyber attacks has been hindered by constant turnover, said the department's inspector general. The department's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, known as US-CERT, also withheld data from other federal agencies that could have helped them address security breaches, the report found. The team "is still hindered in its ability to provide an effective analysis and warning program for the federal government in a number of ways," according to congressional testimony outlining the report from Inspector General Richard Skinner.
benton.org/node/36990 | Wall Street Journal | CongressDaily | TheHill | nextgov | GAO
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CYBERSECURITY LEGISLATION
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Gautham Nagesh]
Lawmakers on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee appear confident their recently unveiled comprehensive cybersecurity legislation will pass the Senate this year, despite the Administration's refusal to endorse the bill at a hearing on June 15. At a hearing to discuss the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010 on Tuesday experts testified the bill would significantly upgrade the federal government's approach to protecting its networks. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who sponsored the bill with Sens. Susan Collins, (R-Maine) and Thomas Carper (D-Delaware) said he has scheduled the bill for a markup next week and he anticipates reporting it to the Senate floor before the July 4 recess. The hearing turned briefly contentious when Sen. John McCain, (R-AZ) questioned Philip Reitinger, deputy undersecretary of the National Protection and Programs Directorate at DHS, on the nature of denial of service attacks launched against the nations of Estonia and Georgia last year. Reitinger refused to attribute the attacks despite widespread media reports that they originated in Russia, causing McCain to shake his head in disbelief. Sen McCain also expressed doubt that DHS is the ideal choice to take the lead on civilian cybersecurity. "After DHS' handling of the Christmas bomber, I am not confident that DHS at this particular time is the proper bureaucracy to work in partnership, particularly with the Department of Defense," Sen McCain said.
benton.org/node/36989 | Hill, The | CongressDaily
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PRIVACY
GROUPS ASK FACEBOOK FOR MORE PRIVACY
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Ten privacy and civil liberties groups urged Facebook June 16 to take additional steps to fix lingering privacy issues they say still exist with the social networking site. In an open letter Wednesday to Facebook CEO Mark Zucker berg, the groups said they are "glad to see that Facebook has taken steps in the past weeks to address some of its outstanding privacy problems. However, we are writing to urge you to continue to demonstrate your commitment to the principle of giving users control over how and with whom they share by taking" additional steps. Among the other steps the groups urged Facebook to take include allowing users to decide which applications can access their personal Facebook information; allow users to control all the information they can share on Facebook including name, gender and profile picture; make it easier for users who want to quit Facebook to export their data to other social networking sites; and make instant personalization, a pilot program Facebook launched with partner sites that utilizes a Facebook user's data to target content to them, opt-in by default.
benton.org/node/36994 | CongressDaily
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TELECOM
USF INFO REQUEST
[SOURCE: House of Representatives Commerce Committee, AUTHOR: Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA), House Telecom Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-VA), Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL)]
The leaders of the House Commerce Committee are requesting an update on the federal Universal Service Fund in a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski. They ask a series of questions about support for high-cost areas including identification of top recipients, state-by-state disbursements, the largest per-line subsidies, rate information, and state universal service funds. The Members of Congress request a reply by June 30.
benton.org/node/36998 | House of Representatives Commerce Committee
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LIFELINE AND WIRELESS
[SOURCE: National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, AUTHOR: ]
Low-income wireless telephone customers receiving benefits through the federal Universal Service Fund (USF) may not be saving enough. In a resolution adopted this week by the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA), the Federal Communications Commission was asked to consider establishing a minimum standard to ensure adequate value is provided to recipients of wireless Lifeline benefits. Lifeline is a federal program designed to make local telephone service more affordable and accessible to residential consumers. The FCC and state regulators have permitted an increasing number of wireless companies to tap into the USF to offer Lifeline benefits. While federal rules define specific levels of landline discounts for eligible low-income customers, there are not required benefit levels for wireless programs. A minimum number of monthly minutes and a maximum price of additional minutes available for purchase are samples of benefits that could be provided. "Wireless companies should be required to show that those paying into the fund - including residential ratepayers - are getting their money's worth," said Mary Healey, president of NASUCA and consumer counsel for the state of Connecticut. "Federal and state regulators should ensure benefits offered to low-income wireless customers are at least equal to the level of funding paid by all customers into the Universal Service Fund." "With millions of dollars of ratepayer money at stake, it is in consumers' best interests that minimum guidelines be enacted to ensure wireless benefits are adequate and only eligible customers are receiving free handsets and monthly allotments of minutes," said David Bergmann, chairman of the NASUCA telecommunications committee. "As described in the resolution, other aspects of these so-called 'Lifeline-only' carriers also deserve explanation." Bergmann is also an assistant consumers' counsel with the Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel.
benton.org/node/36986 | National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates
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NEW ILLINOIS LAW
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, AUTHOR: Monique Garcia]
Telephone companies operating in Illinois will face fewer regulations, and consumers could face higher prices under a measure Gov. Pat Quinn (D-IL) signed into law June 15, a move supporters said will encourage investment in broadband and wireless technologies. Under the new law, companies offering local phone service can change service packages and pricing plans without approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission. Supporters said the outdated regulations, last revamped in 2001, were not doing enough to create competition and profits that will entice companies to expand service and create new jobs. Consumers can choose from three packages for land-line service: a basic plan that includes 30 local calls a month, one that allows for unlimited local calls or a more advanced plan that includes unlimited local calls and two extra features, such as voice mail and call waiting. Prices range from $3.05 a month for the most basic plan to $19.70 a month for the more advanced, though they are lowest in Chicago and highest in rural areas. "There is always going to be a battle with telephone companies over pricing," said Jim Chilsen, a spokesman for the Citizens Utility Board. "But now we have protections in place for consumers who want plain old telephone service and want to keep their rates low." The changes go into effect immediately and will be in place for the next three years, when lawmakers would have to revisit the issue.
benton.org/node/37011 | Chicago Tribune
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