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October 2010

DC crowd's path to Silicon Valley

A trek to Silicon Valley has become a must-do for DC lawmakers seeking to stress their business and tech bona fides while developing relationships that could lead to big campaign donations down the road.

Just last week, six Democratic senators -- Mark Begich of Alaska, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Tom Carper of Delaware, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Mark Warner of Virginia -- joined the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for a fundraiser and an event on innovation featuring Google and Facebook. A frequent visitor to the valley is Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chairman of the GOP's High-Tech Working Group and co-chairman of the Congressional Internet Caucus. Goodlatte, whose son works at Facebook, met in April with Google, Facebook, Intel, McKesson Corp. and Adura, according to a spokeswoman. Two of those companies, Google and Intel, are recent donors to Goodlatte. Also in 2010, Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, led by ranking member Dave Camp of Michigan, headed to the valley as part of a tour organized by The Ripon Society. That delegation — which included fellow GOP committee members Kevin Brady of Texas, Wally Herger of California and Devin Nunes of California — met with staffers from Google, Cisco, Microsoft and other firms to talk taxes and trade.

It Is Too Early to Evaluate Programs Long-Term Effectiveness of America COMPETES Act, but Agencies Could Improve Reporting

The four agencies that received funds authorized under the COMPETES Act obligated about $30 billion for new and expanded research and education programs and activities from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2010; scientific research obligations totaled about $27 billion and STEM education obligations totaled about $3 billion.

Three of the four agencies GAO reviewed -- Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology -- conducted basic scientific research. However, they did not consistently set a percentage funding goal to support high-risk, high-reward research--something that Congress provided they should do. In addition, two of these three agencies did not report this information with their annual budget submissions, as the law provides. Agency officials provided us with information indicating that they faced challenges in defining such research, and as a result, each program applied the criteria in the act differently. In addition, the directors of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) jointly issued a memo in August 2009 specifying that agencies conducting science research should explain in their budget submissions how they will support such activities and cooperate with them to develop datasets on federal science and technology investments, although this memorandum did not direct agencies on how to do so or direct them to set a percentage goal. Results in Brief Because the new programs authorized and funded under the COMPETES Act have only recently received and obligated funding, and because of the difficulties we and others have reported as being inherent in measuring outcomes of research and educational programs, it is too early to assess the effectiveness of these programs. However, all four of the agencies we reviewed are taking steps to oversee the implementation of various projects and monitor their progress. For example, the agencies are collecting various types of project data to monitor progress toward cost, schedule, and program outputs. We are recommending that DOE, NSF, and NIST each set a goal for funding high-risk, high-reward research and that the agencies coordinate in doing so. We are also recommending that the agencies include information on high-risk, high-reward research with their annual budget requests, which are available to the public.

In commenting on our draft report, Commerce agreed with both recommendations and NSF agreed with the recommendation to report to Congress. Additionally, OSTP, DOE, and NSF expressed concerns about aspects of our recommendation that agencies funded under the COMPETES Act identify a percentage goal for funding high-risk, high-reward research. Despite these concerns, we believe that agencies should seek to provide the information, as expressed in the sense of the Congress as provided in the act, and therefore believe this recommendation remains valid. (GAO-11-127R)

HIT Standards Committee Schedule for the Assessment of HIT Policy Committee Recommendations

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 mandates that the Health Information Technology Standards Committee develop a schedule for the assessment of policy recommendations developed by the HIT Policy Committee. The National Coordinator will establish priority areas based in part on recommendations received from the HIT Policy Committee regarding health information technology standards, implementation specifications, and/or certification criteria.

Once the HIT Standards Committee is informed of those priority areas, it will:
A) Direct the appropriate workgroup or subcommittee to develop a report for the HIT Standards Committee, to the extent possible, within 90 days, which will include among other items the following:
1) An assessment of what standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria are currently available to meet the priority area;
2) an assessment of where gaps exist (i.e., no standard is available or harmonization is required because more than one standard exists) and identify
potential organizations that have the capability to address those gaps; and
3) a timeline, which may also account for NIST testing where appropriate, and include dates when the HIT Standards Committee is expected to issue recommendation(s) to the National Coordinator.

B) Upon receipt of a subcommittee report, the HIT Standards Committee will:
(1) Accept the timeline provided by the subcommittee, and if necessary, revise it; and
(2) assign subcommittee(s) to conduct research and solicit testimony, where appropriate, and issue recommendations to the full committee, in a timely manner.

C) Advise the National Coordinator, consistent with the accepted timeline in (B)(1) and after NIST testing, where appropriate, on standards, implementation specifications, and/or certification criteria, for the National Coordinator's review and determination whether or not to endorse the recommendations, and possible adoption of the proposed recommendations by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
8:30 a.m. -- 3:15 p.m.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-25412.pdf
http://www.nist.gov/tip/

The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) Advisory Board is composed of ten members appointed by the Director of NIST who are eminent in such fields as business, research, science and technology, engineering, education, and management consulting.

The purpose of this meeting is to review and make recommendations regarding general policy for the Technology Innovation Program, its organization, its budget, and its programs within the framework of applicable national policies as set forth by the President and the Congress.

The agenda will include a TIP update, a presentation on the TIP critical national need process, and a discussion of potential critical national need areas for future funding.


October 8, 2010 (Bill Shock, Mobility Fund, CableCARD on FCC's Agenda)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010

Next week's agenda includes FCC meeting and cell phone bill shock (see stories below) http://www.benton.org/calendar/2010-10-10--P1W


AGENDA - FCC AND THE HILL
   Bill Shock, Mobility Fund, CableCARD on FCC's Agenda Next Week
   FCC Chairman gives broadband progress report
   Bill shock and awe coming next week
   Sen Udall encourages FCC to make 'bill shock' rules
   Markey Pushes For All-Vid, CableCARD Fixes
   Sen Carper: Bill Would Help Implement Cybersecurity Measures
   Dispute Over FM Chip Mandate In Mobile Phones Continues
   Intel, Microsoft, eBay support Rush's online privacy bill, while noting concerns

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   Waxman: Title II is 'imperfect,' but 'we just don't have any other recourse'
   Comcast's "Racquet-eering" Shows Lessons For Internet's Future
   UK Urges ISPs to Divulge Traffic-Shaping Policies
   Free Press: FCC Should Build on Broadband Deployment Measurement Advances
   Expanding Opportunities in the Hispanic Community
   ITU Opens Global Conference With an Eye on Broadband

WIRELESS
   Coverage biggest issue for wireless enterprise apps
   Amazon Amps Up Apps Rivalry
   Verizon iPhone May Not Be Built for Speed
   Verizon Expects a Lot More Devices for Its Old Network

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   White House says online investigations, privacy can coexist
   UAE lifts BlackBerry ban threat

ENERGY
   Smart grid standards: Interoperability and cyber security standards ready for review

MEDIA AND ELECTIONS
   Money Talks Louder Than Ever in Midterms
   Sen Franken seeks FEC probe of foreign cash
   Big Money From Communications/Electronics Sector
   Text, tweet, win? Not so fast.

JOURNALISM
   The shrinking statehouse press corps
   Bloggers React to a Religion Quiz
   New Knight Grant Accelerates Digital Transformation Of Investigative Reporting Leader, Center for Public Integrity

HEALTH
   The Gift of Innovation from Within
   Returning to the Source to Help Achieve Patient Safety Goals

PRIVACY
   Website Operators Say It Isn't Possible to Keep Track of All Tracking Tools
   Polls Shows Parents, Teens Concerned About Online Privacy

ED TECH
   Why laptops in class are distracting America's future workforce

COMMUNITY MEDIA
These headlines presented in partnership with:

   Library lends a hand in troubled times
   Community news sites are not a business yet
   Community media can build bridges
   Early and Often
   National Digital Public Library Gets One Step Closer to Reality

MORE ONLINE
   The Open Internet Guy
   Survey: Tech firms still cautious about spending, hiring

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AGENDA - FCC AND THE HILL

FCC OPEN MEETING AGENDA
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on Thursday, October 14, 2010. The FCC will consider: 1) a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on rules requiring mobile carriers to provide usage alerts and related information that will assist consumers in avoiding unexpected charges on their bills, 2) a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on a proposal to use recently reserved universal service funds to create a Mobility Fund to support private investment in current-(3G) and next-generation mobile services in areas where consumers currently lack such services, and 3) a Third Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration that will make changes to the FCC's CableCARD rules to improve the consumer experience with the video navigation devices used with cable services and promote the development of a competitive market for such devices.
benton.org/node/43313 | Federal Communications Commission
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BROADBAND PLAN PROGRESS REPORT
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Sara Jerome]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said the National Broadband Plan recommendations that the FCC has already begun implementing include its white spaces order, reform to pole-attachment rules, moving to free up spectrum for mobile broadband, and reform of the E-Rate program to help bring technology into schools. As for initiatives still on the way, Genachowski named a few: reform the Universal Service program, promote broadband adoption, launch incentive auctions to recover underused spectrum, and empower consumers of wired and wireless broadband.
benton.org/node/43316 | Hill, The
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BILL SHOCK ON AGENDA
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Sara Jerome]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to regulate wireless billing practices and is pressing hard to gain flattering publicity on this policy. The agency launched the effort earlier this year by releasing a survey that showed one in six customers have experienced alarm when they find their monthly wireless bills are higher than expected. The agency termed the condition "bill shock." FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will discuss his search for a cure in a speech at the Center for American Progress. He will release the findings of a new FCC paper on "bill shock." The speech comes a day before an FCC meeting where the agency is expected to begin a proceeding to regulate wireless billing practices.
benton.org/node/43312 | Hill, The | Broadcasting&Cable
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

WAXMAN, INSLEE ON RECLASSIFICATION
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Sara Jerome]
House Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (C-CA) and Rep Jay Inslee (D-WA) restated their calls for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to move forward with Title II regulation of broadband services. The regulatory path they are suggesting would place broadband companies under certain rules that apply to telephones, which the companies see as too onerous. Chairman Waxman restated that if Congress can't reach a compromise on broadband issues, the FCC should move forward. "Then, I think the only course of action will be for the FCC to act on its own. As imperfect as that may be, as uncertain as that may be because of possible lawsuits, we just don't have any other recourse," he said.
benton.org/node/43281 | Hill, The
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COMCAST LESSONS FOR INTERNET FUTURE
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
Every once in a while, an obscure bureaucratic notice can crack open some wide vistas of unintended understanding. So it was on October 5, when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a "hearing designation order" on a complaint filed by the Tennis Channel against Comcast. In this case, we have a case of alleged discrimination against a growing and thriving cable channel that also provides a window into how the Internet would look if Comcast and the telephone companies had their way. As you might expect, the picture isn't pretty. Yet while the story on the surface is about cable programming, the story below the surface provides yet another cautionary tale about how the Internet could look if the big companies get their way.
benton.org/node/43305 | Public Knowledge
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OFCOM ON TRAFFIC SHAPING
[SOURCE: BroadbandBreakfast.com, AUTHOR: Philip Hunter]
UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom has shied away from enforcing network neutrality, but has urged service providers to be more transparent about their traffic shaping policies. There is also pressure for mobile service providers to stop discriminating against specific applications in order to enforce use of their own. UK operators were relieved to hear that their existing traffic shaping practices will be allowed to continue, following a recent eForum in London called "Net Neutrality in the UK." This recognized the reality that without traffic shaping at peak times, the cost of broadband services would have to double, according to Hugo Harber, director of convergence and network strategy at Star, which provides managed broadband services in the UK to small and medium businesses. "We don't have network neutrality in the UK.," said Harber, who attended the UK eForum. "There is some application restriction and all the major networks such as BT and Virgin Media restrict [peer to peer] traffic at peak times, or else they'd have to upsize their networks. That's considered quite acceptable, and the response from Ofcom and from the Communications Consumer Panel was that this should be more transparent."
benton.org/node/43295 | BroadbandBreakfast.com
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BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT MEASUREMENT ADVANCES
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: S. Derek Turner]
In comments filed at the Federal Communications Commission about measuring the deployment of broadband, Free Press says certain large broadband providers wish to undermine the considerable progress made by the FCC in its efforts to more faithfully implement the directives of Section 706. In doing so, these incumbents not only misinterpret the relevant legislative language, but do so by relying on old, thoroughly refuted evidence to justify their assertion that deployment is reasonable and timely. These efforts are centered on convincing the Commission to lower the newly defined threshold speeds needed to offer consumers advanced telecommunications capability. This lobbying for mediocrity is a transparent attempt to have the Commission include in its Section 706 assessment connections that clearly are not robust enough to offer the capabilities described in the law. Regression to the old standard would thwart both the spirit and letter of the law. In short, providers are keen to go back to a world where the FCC praised their limited deployment efforts and heavily underestimated the bandwidth needed to have advanced telecommunications capability.
benton.org/node/43297 | Free Press
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EXPANDING BROADBAND OPPORTUNITIES
[SOURCE: National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, AUTHOR: ]
This whitepaper calls for federal, state and local stakeholders to prioritize adoption of broadband through digital literacy programs and public-private partnerships that promote innovation and new economic opportunities. NHCSL also includes recommendations developed from the Broadband En Acción taskforce's analysis of the policy environment affecting the lag in Hispanic adoption of broadband -- 47% of Latinos have adopted broadband at home in comparison to 69% of African Americans and 79% of whites, according to the FCC. Only 20% of Spanish-dominant survey takers had adopted broadband at home. If the digital divide is not closed, Latinos will lag behind in the digital opportunities and economic expansion that broadband facilitates
benton.org/node/43296 | National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
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ITU CONFERENCE OPENS
[SOURCE: BroadbandBreakfast.com, AUTHOR: ]
The International Telecommunications Union this week opened its three-week conference in Mexico with a call by its secretary general for delegates to be "bold and visionary" in reaching agreements providing a sound platform for the development of information and communications technologies. The 18th quadrennial global conference is expected to address broadband access, cyber security and Internet addresses, among other things. On Oct. 12, it will host a special side session focusing on roadblocks to broadband for everyone. The event, which is taking place at the Guadalajara Expo, is hosted by Mexico's Ministry of Communications and Transport. It is expected to attract around 2,000 participants from some 190 ITU member states, sector members and observer organizations, including over 80 ministers, 40 deputy ministers and 40 ambassadors.
benton.org/node/43278 | BroadbandBreakfast.com
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WIRELESS

VERIZON NOT ABANDONING 3G
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jenna Wortham]
Verizon announced that nearly 40 cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco would get access to its fourth-generation wireless network, known at LTE, by the end of this year. Wouldn't it make more sense to introduce a device running on the company's speedier new wireless network? Not necessarily, said Tony Melone, the chief technology office of Verizon Wireless. "We'll still be growing our 3G network for some time," he said. "We'll be adding to it for years ad selling 3G devices well into this decade, possibly through the end of the decade." Melone said he expected the first LTE mobile devices to appear next year, but that it would be another two to three years before the majority of devices available for sale would be exclusively 4G. "It takes time to get LTE in gear," he said. "Until then, people can still sell successful devices on our 3G network."
benton.org/node/43301 | New York Times
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

WIRETAPS AND PRIVACY
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Aliya Sternstein]
Civil liberties and national security are at the core of the White House's cybersecurity agenda, a senior administration official said amid concerns the FBI's desire to wiretap the Internet conflicts with protecting personal information on the Internet. "We don't take the position that this is an either-or situation," the official said during the first week of the 7th annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. "Hardening our cybersecurity defenses around critical infrastructure and protecting classified and sensitive information go hand in hand and are easy examples to point to." The FBI wants Web services providers to enable law enforcement officials to retrieve the digital communications of suspected criminals, according to recent media reports. Privacy advocates said such a policy would contradict the government's effort to teach Americans how to secure digital devices. The Obama administration on Monday initiated a public awareness campaign that will provide organizations, neighborhoods and interested users with instructional materials on steps to ward off online intruders. "Protecting civil liberties and privacy is a fundamental part of this administration's cyber policy and efforts," the senior official said. A privacy and civil liberties official now sits on the National Security Council, following a 2009 cyberspace policy review that recommended the White House designate a dedicated officer to engage with civil liberties groups, he added.
benton.org/node/43306 | nextgov
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UAE LIFTS BLACKBERRY THREAT
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Andrew England]
The United Arab Emirates said it would not go ahead with the suspension of BlackBerry mobile communication services next week, saying the provider now complied with the Gulf's state's regulatory framework. The UAE's regulator had said in August that it would ban BlackBerry's messenger, e-mail and web-browser services on October 11 because they were operating outside of its laws and raised national security concerns. However, after discussions between Research in Motion, the Canadian maker of BlackBerry, the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said on Friday: "BlackBerry services are now compliant with the UAE's telecommunications regulatory framework. "Therefore, the TRA has confirmed today that all BlackBerry services in the UAE will continue to operate as normal and no suspension of service will occur on October 11, 2010.
benton.org/node/43318 | Financial Times
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ENERGY

CYBERSECURITY STANDARDS
[SOURCE: SmartGridNews.com, AUTHOR: ]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced that five sets of "foundational" standards for smart grid interoperability and cyber security are ready for consideration by state and federal energy regulators. The standards were developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and focus on information models and protocols critical to reliable and efficient grid operations and security. The standards address:
A Common Information Model necessary for exchanges of data between devices and networks, primarily in transmission and distribution (two separate sets of standards)
Facilitating substation automation and communications as well as interoperability with a common data format
Facilitating information exchanges between control centers
The cyber security of the communication protocols defined by the preceding standards.
benton.org/node/43303 | SmartGridNews.com | NIST
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MEDIA AND ELECTIONS

MONEY IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Michael Luo]
The dominant story line of this year's midterm elections is increasingly becoming the torrents of money, much of it anonymous, gushing into House and Senate races across the country. Television spending by outside interest groups has more than doubled what was spent at this point in the 2006 midterms, according to data from the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political advertising. And skirmishing between Democrats and Republicans over the spending, which has overwhelmingly favored Republicans, reached a fever pitch this week, with charges and countercharges, calls for investigations and calls to block them. Suddenly, complex campaign finance regulations have been elevated to crucial political talking points. The explanation for how these interest groups have become such powerful players this year includes not just the Supreme Court's ruling in January in the Citizens United case that struck down restrictions on corporate spending on elections, but also a constellation of other legal developments since 2007 that have gradually loosened strictures governing campaign financing and the regulation of third-party groups. Add in the competitive political environment, with Republicans ascendant, the Obama administration struggling to break the perception that it is hostile to business, and the resulting stew is potent.
benton.org/node/43331 | New York Times
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CAMPAIGN MONEY
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Sen Charles Schumer (D-NY) so far has received the most financial support from the communications and electronics sector this election cycle. The top 10 congressional recipients of contributions from the communications and electronics sector are all Democrats. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who is in a tight race for re-election, came in second behind Schumer, taking in roughly $700,000. Despite playing a major role in crafting tech and telecom legislation, House Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., came in tenth place with nearly $360,000. None of the leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee and its Communications Subcommittee, which have jurisdiction over communications issues, made the top 20 list. On the House side, however, Commerce Chairman Committee Henry Waxman (D-CA) ranked 17th, with $231,000 in contributions from the communications and electronics sector. In total, the communications/electronics sector has given close to $58 million this campaign cycle with 65 percent going to Democrats and 34 percent going to Republicans.
benton.org/node/43299 | CongressDaily
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SOCIAL MEDIA AND VOTES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Shailagh Murray, John Wagner]
[Commentary] President Obama's 2008 campaign showed how the Internet could be used to organize grass-roots supporters into a nationwide political force. Now House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates across the country are finding it isn't so easy to duplicate Obama's results. To show that they "get" the Web, too, politicians are venturing online to raise money, organize volunteers and communicate directly with supporters. They rack up Facebook friends, tweet their every thought and action (or assign some poor young staffer to do it for them), shell out for Obama-style iPhone applications and wait for the Web to work its magic. A lot of them have been disappointed to find that all that motion doesn't necessarily translate into votes.
benton.org/node/43328 | Washington Post
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JOURNALISM

SHRINKING STATEHOUSE PRESS CORPS
[SOURCE: Columbia Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Joel Meares]
Few have been hit harder by California's newspaper woes than the reporters charged with covering state government. What goes uncovered is hard to tangibly measure. One area of coverage missing this election cycle, in which the state's media is obsessing over "eMeg" and the Senate race between Barbara Boxer and Carly Fiorina, is coverage of smaller contests like that for the office of state attorney general, the winner of which is often a lock to eventually run for governor. "Then there's the state controller, the state treasurer, and I'll just tell you, nobody's covering it." "There's nowhere near the scrutiny that California government deserves," agrees Steve Maviglio, a media strategist who was once a big part of that government—he served as former governor Gray Davis's press secretary from 2000 to 2003. "The budget story has been boiled down to: Democrats want taxes, Republicans don't. Very few people go behind the structural issues involved, the many special interests that are involved, the lobbying that goes on. We're just getting the veneer of a very complex situation." Perhaps the biggest losers in all this are newsreaders outside L.A., San Francisco, and Sacramento. In those three cities, the major papers still have a presence in the capitol and do some (though less) solid, deeper reporting. Other cities have seen papers close their Sacramento bureaus and publish wire content instead; it's neither localized nor focused on members of the legislature representing those areas.
benton.org/node/43273 | Columbia Journalism Review
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PRIVACY

DEFENDING PRIVACY PRACTICES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Julia Angwin, Scott Thurm]
Eleven of the nation's largest website operators defended their privacy practices to lawmakers, saying it is impossible for them to monitor all the tracking technologies their sites install on visitors' computers. The operators -- including Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL -- say they are improving disclosures about online tracking and offering users more ways to protect their privacy. But they say that eliminating tracking is technically difficult and economically impractical, because the targeted advertisements supported by tracking allow the operators to offer free content. "It is technically impossible for Yahoo! to be aware of all software or files that may be installed on a user's computer when they visit our site," Anne Toth, Yahoo's vice president of global policy and head of privacy, wrote to U.S. Reps. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Joe Barton (R-TX). The lawmakers are co-chairmen of the House Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus. In August, they requested information about data-collection practices from the 15 websites.
Rep. Markey said the responses raise concerns, particularly about "complicated and laborious" privacy policies Internet users must navigate to learn how their data is being used and shared. Rep Markey said he wasn't satisfied that "consumers are able to effectively shield their personal Internet habits and private information from the prying eyes of online data gatherers."
benton.org/node/43315 | Wall Street Journal
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COMMON SENSE MEDIA PRIVACY POLL
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
A new poll shows that most parents are concerned that their children are sharing too much information online, and both parents and teens say more restrictions should be placed on what information is shared about children. The poll, released by Common Sense Media, found that 92 percent of parents say they worry that their children are sharing too much information online, while 79 percent of teens say they believe their friends share too much information online. The poll, which surveyed teens and adults, shows both groups would like to see greater privacy protections, with 85 percent of teens responding that social media sites should obtain their permission before using their personal information for marketing purposes. And 88 percent of parents say they would support a law requiring social networking and other websites to obtain a user's consent before using their personal information to market products to them.
benton.org/node/43314 | CongressDaily
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ED TECH
   Why laptops in class are distracting America's future workforce

LAPTOPS DISTRACT STUDENTS
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Timothy Snyder]
[Commentary] As these first few weeks of the college semester begin, professors look out expectantly into grand lecture halls, where they see, rather than faces of students, the backs of open laptops. The students, for their part, are looking intently at the laptop screens. What are they doing as they stare forward with such apparent focus? Thanks to wireless Internet access, they are updating their Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr profiles; they are chatting on Skype, Gchat, or iChat; they are making travel plans, or reading the newspaper, or following the pennant race. This fall, higher education lost yet another new class of freshmen, as the new students learned that the university classroom is just one more physical place to be on the Internet. I would not have the attention of my students if I did not ban laptops and smartphones from my classroom. Part of the problem is that students are not paying attention at a given moment; part of the problem is that they often lack the ability to pay attention at all. Removing laptops from the classroom gives students a chance to focus, and a chance to learn to focus. Without the flash of screens and the sound of typing, they find themselves... learning. In most courses, much is lost and nothing is gained by the use of the Internet. If the students need to use the Internet, they have the remaining 23 hours of the day, and indeed the rest of their lives, to do their screen-staring.
benton.org/node/43317 | Christian Science Monitor, The
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Money Talks Louder Than Ever in Midterms

The dominant story line of this year's midterm elections is increasingly becoming the torrents of money, much of it anonymous, gushing into House and Senate races across the country.

Television spending by outside interest groups has more than doubled what was spent at this point in the 2006 midterms, according to data from the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political advertising. And skirmishing between Democrats and Republicans over the spending, which has overwhelmingly favored Republicans, reached a fever pitch this week, with charges and countercharges, calls for investigations and calls to block them. Suddenly, complex campaign finance regulations have been elevated to crucial political talking points. The explanation for how these interest groups have become such powerful players this year includes not just the Supreme Court's ruling in January in the Citizens United case that struck down restrictions on corporate spending on elections, but also a constellation of other legal developments since 2007 that have gradually loosened strictures governing campaign financing and the regulation of third-party groups. Add in the competitive political environment, with Republicans ascendant, the Obama administration struggling to break the perception that it is hostile to business, and the resulting stew is potent.

Amazon Amps Up Apps Rivalry

Apparently, Amazon is plotting a deeper foray into Google's and Apple's turf, with plans to open an online applications store for smartphones running Google's Android software. Amazon's entry into the mobile-applications marketplace would open a new battlefield with Apple, which pioneered the market with its iPhone App Store. Amazon already competes with Apple's iTunes in sales of digital music, videos and books. Amazon will also be pitting itself against a formidable rival in Google, which created the Android operating system. Google runs its own digital-app marketplace called Android Market. Google's website has 80,000 apps and is the second largest after Apple's App Store, which has 250,000 apps. But unlike Apple, Google doesn't screen the submissions for quality or organize how they are promoted.

Verizon iPhone May Not Be Built for Speed

The real question about a Verizon iPhone is no longer whether it will be available sometime soon. It's whether it will be an iPhone 4G.

No, that isn't a reference to Apple's iPhone 4, which some people erroneously call the 4G. There isn't yet a 4G version of the iPhone or of most cellphones. While Sprint Nextel and MetroPCS Communications have begun offering fourth-generation wireless service, boasting faster data speeds, generally the rollout of 4G remains in its infancy. There are only a few 4G-compatible phones available in the U.S., mainly from Samsung Electronics and HTC. That's why the question about the iPhone is important. If Verizon starts offering an iPhone usable only on its 3G network, Apple's handset will be at a disadvantage to rival 4G phones. What's more, users may find they get slower speeds than they would with the iPhone on AT&T's network. Congestion on the AT&T network complicates any speed comparison, but AT&T's 3G technology is theoretically faster than Verizon's version of 3G.

Text, tweet, win? Not so fast.

[Commentary] President Obama's 2008 campaign showed how the Internet could be used to organize grass-roots supporters into a nationwide political force. Now House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates across the country are finding it isn't so easy to duplicate Obama's results. To show that they "get" the Web, too, politicians are venturing online to raise money, organize volunteers and communicate directly with supporters. They rack up Facebook friends, tweet their every thought and action (or assign some poor young staffer to do it for them), shell out for Obama-style iPhone applications and wait for the Web to work its magic. A lot of them have been disappointed to find that all that motion doesn't necessarily translate into votes.

UAE lifts BlackBerry ban threat

The United Arab Emirates said it would not go ahead with the suspension of BlackBerry mobile communication services next week, saying the provider now complied with the Gulf's state's regulatory framework.

The UAE's regulator had said in August that it would ban BlackBerry's messenger, e-mail and web-browser services on October 11 because they were operating outside of its laws and raised national security concerns. However, after discussions between Research in Motion, the Canadian maker of BlackBerry, the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said on Friday: "BlackBerry services are now compliant with the UAE's telecommunications regulatory framework. "Therefore, the TRA has confirmed today that all BlackBerry services in the UAE will continue to operate as normal and no suspension of service will occur on October 11, 2010.

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