June 2013

Sen. Paul defends Google, Facebook on privacy

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) came to Google and Facebook's defense when asked about their commitment to protecting users' privacy.

Sen Paul, who is currently on a fundraising trip to Silicon Valley, took issue with Wired reporter Spencer Ackerman's comments about the two Web giants making money off of people's personal information, and their mixed reputation on protecting users' online privacy. "That’s not exactly true. I don’t entirely accept that premise. What I would say is you can track with Google, and share some information to get a service. It’s an exchange," Sen Paul told Ackerman. "As long as it’s part of an exchange and they uphold your contract, I’m all for that." Pivoting from talking about the companies' track record on online privacy, Sen Paul said he worries about the government using the Patriot Act to obtain a sweeping amount of people's information from companies — all with immunity from future lawsuits.

Sec Hagel calls out China on cyberattacks

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called out China for alleged cyberattacks against the U.S. government and several industries.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Security Dialogue, where Chinese officials were present, Sec Hagel urged China to work with the United States to establish "international norms of responsible behavior in cyberspace." "The United States has expressed our concerns about the growing threat of cyber intrusions, some of which appear to be tied to the Chinese government and military," Sec Hagel said.

Online poker lobby wants more GOP lawmakers at table

Lobbyists who advocate legalizing online poker are on the prowl for a new Republican to champion their cause in the Senate.

Former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) had been a reliable supporter of online poker, but he retired last year after making a last-ditch effort to pass legislation with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Gambling interests are eager to revisit Internet poker legalization — a top priority for Reid’s casino-dominated home state — but lobbyists for the gaming industry doubt the effort will succeed until a Republican ally is found from outside Nevada who can broaden the issue’s appeal. “That's important to do. We want to make sure that this is not Nevada-centric. It's important to find someone who sees the wisdom of going forward with the federal bill,” said Frank Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “It just makes sense that this important legislation has bipartisan support.”

The House will also see action on Internet gambling this year.

Commissioner McDowell: Filling FCC Seats Could Take a While

Former Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell warned that the replacements for former FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and himself might not be installed until late fall, if then.

He said he was not looking for a speedy confirmation and pointed to the "trifecta of scandals" the Administration was currently dealing with that could lead to holds on FCC and other nominees until certain documents were presented. The nominations of current commissioners Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel were both held up for months by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa). McDowell was asked whether he thought the Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn would push forward with major moves on the broadcast incentive auctions. He suggested that she may have to if the commission wants to keep the process moving.

Small Internet Businesses Head to Hill With Mozilla Topping Agenda

Small Internet publishers have been to Washington before to tell their story, but this time they are gathering with a singular purpose: to persuade lawmakers to put more pressure on Mozilla to change its plans for blocking third-party advertisers cookies by default in its Firefox browser.

As many as 60 small Web companies will be visiting lawmakers June 3 and 4 as part of the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) annual Long Tail Alliance Fly-In. Even though it's the group's fifth year on the Hill, this year they are more determined than ever to be heard. Although Mozilla announced earlier this month that it wouldn't implement the default cookie blocker in its July release until it did more testing, small Internet websites still feel threatened.

Appeals Court Affirms Decision to Deny Nexstar Injunction Against Time Warner Cable

Television stations may want to re-read their retransmission contracts to see whether they, too, could be subject to distant signal importations. The U.S. Court of Appeals has denied motions for a stay and injunction against Time Warner Cable for retransmitting Nexstar distant signals, agreeing with a Texas district court that Nexstar is not likely to succeed on the merits of its breach of contract claim against Time Warner Cable. Nexstar said that the language in its retrans consent agreement (RCA) did not apply to delivering signals outside a market, while TWC said it granted broad carriage rights. The Texas district court, in denying to enjoin Nexstar, agreed with TWC that the contract provided those broad rights and the Fifth Circuit affirmed that decision.

Why the US needs Huawei more than Huawei needs the US

Huawei has done quite well for itself without landing a single major U.S. infrastructure deal. Domestic operators may have resisted Huawei’s allure, but carriers in Canada, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa certainly haven’t. By some measurements, Huawei has already surpassed Ericsson as the largest telecom vendor in the world. Huawei may not need the U.S. to be successful, but the U.S. needs Huawei if it wants to keep the telecom equipment market competitive.

US Cellular to start selling a home phone service that still uses the mobile network

For $20 a month U.S. Cellular will sell you a home phone line starting June 7. No, U.S. Cellular isn’t becoming a local phone company. It’s using its CDMA cellular network instead of copper wires to deliver calls to wired and cordless phones. Simply called Home Phone, the service is the same as Verizon’s Home Phone Connect or Sprint’s Connect 2 – a way of squeezing whatever life is left out of the home voice market. As more and more traffic migrates over to data networks, carriers are finding they have a lot of excess space on their voice networks. Why not put that capacity to use in the residential market?

CBS Gains Full Ownership Of TV Guide Digital

CBS has acquired full ownership of TV Guide Digital, including TVGuide.com and all TV Guide Mobile apps. In March, CBS and Lionsgate each acquired a 50% stake in TV Guide Digital from One Equity Partners for a reported $100 million.

Report: Americans Spend Almost an Hour a Day Using Smartphones

Americans spend an average 58 minutes each day using their smartphones – 26% of the time talking, 20% texting, 16% on social networks and 14% browsing the mobile Web, according to new data from Experian Marketing Services’ Simmons Connect mobile and digital panel.

E-mailing and playing games took up around 9% and 8%, respectively, of the time Americans spent using their smartphones, while using smartphone cameras and GPS each accounted for another 2% of usage time, Experian found. Experian also found “clear differences” in usage patterns between different mobile operating systems (OS). For instance, iPhone users spend 75 minutes each day using their devices, “a full 26 minutes more than the typical Android phone owner.”

Benton

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