February 5, 2014 (Making Progress on ConnectED)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2014
Protecting Consumer Information: Can Data Breaches Be Prevented? And The Internet as a Platform for International Trade http://benton.org/calendar/2014-02-05/
EDUCATION
Making Progress on ConnectED - press release
Why the FCC pays for landlines but not broadband Internet
House Commerce Committee Leaders Respond to President’s E-Rate Proposal - press release [links to web]
Benton Welcomes ConnectED Progress - press release
Mr. President: Where Have Libraries Gone? - analysis
USDA Investments to Expand Distance Learning and Telemedicine Opportunities in Rural Areas - press release [links to web]
Improve Teachers' 'Data Literacy,' Education Groups Urge [links to web]
Districts Weigh Blended Costs, Savings [links to web]
BROADBAND/INTERNET
Time to Give Up the Net-Neutrality Quest - op-ed
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
House Judiciary Committee: NSA powers must be changed
DOJ: Feds ‘probably’ collect lawmakers’ data [links to web]
Klayman asks Supreme Court to hear NSA case
Republicans Spar on Leaks and Surveillance, Underscoring Partisan Shake-up [links to web]
Zuckerberg: Government 'made a lot of mistakes' on NSA transparency [links to web]
The Feds Flirt With Reining in TV Talk - op-ed
SECURITY/PRIVACY
Sens Franken, Leahy: Time for Data Breach, Notification Legislation [links to web]
Senators Launch Probe Of Massive Data Breaches [links to web]
SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
H Block Update: Total Has Topped $1.2 Billion [links to web]
Mobile data from Super Bowl stadium breaks records [links to web]
AT&T Won’t Pay T-Mobile Subscribers to Switch Anymore [links to web]
TELEVISION
FCC May Crack Down on Multiple-TV Station Strategies
Congress shouldn't carry water for pay-TV - op-ed
Multicultural TV: Programmers Vary Approaches to Targeting Content [links to web]
Time Warner Cable Issuing Credits for L.A. Customers Affected by Super Bowl Blackout [links to web]
CONTENT
Appeals court has harsh words for Apple and DOJ in fight over antitrust monitor [links to web]
HEALTH
In Texting Era, Crisis Hotlines Put Help at Youths’ Fingertips [links to web]
FCC REFORM
Sen Heller Introduces FCC Process Reform Bill [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
Reps Eshoo, Pallone compete for Rep Waxman's job [links to web]
COMPANY NEWS
Microsoft Names Satya Nadella as CEO
New Boss at Microsoft, With Gates at His Side [links to web]
Bill Gates masters DC -- and the world [links to web]
Facebook's next decade: 4 things the network should do - USAToday analysis [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Google and EU agree to settle search row
The Censorship Pendulum - op-ed [links to web]
Televised Debate Is a First for Kabul [links to web]
AT&T Becomes First Major Advertiser to Protest Russia’s Antigay Law [links to web]
Can We Make The Media World A Better Place? - ITU analysis [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
NEA Funds Benefit Both Rich and Poor, Study Finds [links to web]
Most Charities Fail at Online Fundraising Basics, Says Study [links to web]
ALA launches free e-government webinar series - press release [links to web]
EDUCATION
MAKING PROGRESS ON CONNECTED
[SOURCE: The White House, AUTHOR: David Hudson]
President Barack Obama visited Buck Lodge Middle School in Adelphi (MD) to announce major progress on the ConnectED initiative, designed to enrich K-12 education for every student in America. ConnectED empowers teachers with the best technology and the training to make the most of it, and empowers students through individualized learning and rich, digital content. President Obama announced that private-sector companies have committed more than $750 million to deliver cutting-edge technologies to classrooms, including:
Apple, which will donate $100 million in iPads, MacBooks, and other products, along with content and professional development tools to enrich learning in disadvantaged U.S. schools
AT&T, which pledged more than $100 million to give middle school students free Internet connectivity for educational devices over their wireless network for three years
Autodesk, which pledged to make their 3D design program "Design the Future" available for free in every secondary school in the U.S. -- more than $250 million in value
Microsoft, which will launch a substantial affordability program open to all U.S. public schools by deeply discounting the price of its Windows operating system, which will decrease the price of Windows-based devices
O'Reilly Media, which is partnering with Safari Books Online to make more than $100 million in educational content and tools available for free to every school in the U.S.
Sprint, which will offer free wireless service for up to 50,000 low-income high school students over the next four years, valued at $100 million
Verizon, which announced a multi-year program to support ConnectED through up to $100 million in cash and in-kind commitments
benton.org/node/173959 | White House, The | White House fact sheet
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top
BROADBAND AND THE E-RATE
[SOURCE: American Public Media, AUTHOR: Dan Weissmann]
The Federal Communications Commission currently distributes $2.4 billion/year to schools for telecom from a fund called E-Rate, paid for out of fees collected by telecommunications companies. But so far, only half of E-Rate's money goes toward broadband connections. Some pays for cellphones, and a quarter of it pays for phone service -- translation: landlines. "That made sense back at the beginning of the program [in 1996]," says EducationSuperhighway Director Evan Marwell. "How did most schools get on the Internet in 1996? Dial up. But today, how many schools get on the Internet with dial up?" When E-Rate funds do pay for broadband, it turns out that we don’t really know exactly how much bandwidth schools get for the money. "That would be really useful information," says Danielle Kehl, a policy analyst with the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute. Kehl says the FCC doesn't get information from broadband providers about the rates schools pay and the bandwidth they get. For a simple reason: "They don’t actually ask the telecom providers for that precise information," she says. She hopes the agency will change that don’t ask, don’t tell practice.
benton.org/node/173998 | American Public Media
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top
MR. PRESIDENT: WHERE HAVE LIBRARIES GONE?
[SOURCE: American Library Association, AUTHOR: Emily Sheketoff]
[Commentary] President Barack Obama’s speech about the ConnectED initiative missed the mark in a few key ways. First, he failed to recognize the importance of an effective school library program. ConnectED must include professional development and support for school librarians, in addition to broadband access and devices, to ensure students have the digital literacy and research skills necessary to effectively use those devices. At a broader level, US school, public and higher-education libraries complete education and help jumpstart employment in every community in this country. Afterschool Wi-Fi use in public libraries spikes at 3:01 p.m. when students bring their devices and homework assignments to one of more than 16,000 library locations. When one must have digital access and skills to find a job, apply for unemployment benefits, or enroll in a health exchange, libraries are the one place for all. Library needs for high-capacity broadband are clear: fewer than 10 percent of libraries have internet speeds of 100Mbps or higher, and one in five libraries has speeds of 1.5 Mbps or slower. One internet user participating in an interactive distance learning program can cripple access for dozens of other learners in the library. This is not acceptable. If we’re serious about learning, then we must be serious about libraries. The original framers of the E-rate program understood this, and we hope the President will recognize and engage the power of libraries and librarians in connecting communities and achieving the vision for 21st century education and a globally competitive economy.
[Emily Sheketoff is the Executive Director of the American Library Association's Washington Office]
benton.org/node/173981 | American Library Association
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top
BROADBAND/INTERNET
TIME TO GIVE UP NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Richard Bennett]
[Commentary] When the D.C. circuit court struck down the Federal Communications Commission's quixotic "net neutrality" rules on Jan. 14, the court left the agency with a way forward despite two straight court losses. The court ruled that one way the agency could regulate the Internet would be to simply reclassify it as a "common carrier," no different from 19th-century telephone networks. The best option is to just drop this ill-conceived crusade. As the US phases out landline telephone service for more vibrant, 21st-century alternatives, the commission shouldn't slap obsolete regulations built for the old system onto the new one. That's exactly what net neutrality -- which essentially means that Internet service providers cannot customize services based on consumer needs and then price accordingly -- seeks to do. But no matter. The net-neutrality debate rages on, even though we know which policy works best: the one we have now. Unfettered Internet has unleashed innovation and growth for the past 20 years. The FCC should put the future of communications ahead of agency pride. [Bennett is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute]
benton.org/node/173995 | Wall Street Journal
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
NSA POWERS MUST BE CHANGED
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Julian Hattem]
Members of both parties warned the Obama Administration it must significantly change National Security Agency surveillance programs or Congress will not approve a controversial law the White House has used to justify them. Lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee said Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which is set to expire next summer, will be dissolved unless the Administration proposes broad changes to the NSA’s collection of people’s phone records. Rep James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), who wrote the Patriot Act and its two reauthorizations, told Deputy Attorney General James Cole that the Administration was on the hook to propose a workable alternative. “Section 215 expires in June of next year,” Rep Sensenbrenner said. “Unless Section 215 is fixed, you, Mr. Cole, and the intelligence community will end up getting nothing because I am absolutely confident that there are not the votes in this Congress to reauthorize 215.” He added that the extent of the government’s surveillance programs was a “shock” to him. Rep Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) told Deputy Attorney General Cole that the department had “better come in with very specific recommendations” or else risk losing the entirety of the program. Rep John Conyers (D-MI), the ranking Democrat on the panel, said the administration risked losing all of Section 215. He said the panel needs recommendations from the administration in order to act. “Unless this committee acts and acts soon, I fear we will lose valuable counterterrorism tools along with the surveillance programs many of us find objectionable,” he said.
benton.org/node/173964 | Hill, The | Government Executive
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top
KLAYMAN ASKS SUPREME COURT TO HEAR NSA CASE
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Josh Gerstein]
The conservative legal activist who won the first court ruling questioning the legality of the National Security Agency's massive phone-call tracking database is asking the Supreme Court to short circuit the normal appeals process and take up the case directly. Attorney Larry Klayman said he sent the unusual petition to the high court. "We went to the Supreme Court because, unlike the government, we're not dragging our feet. We want a quick decision here," Klayman said. The filing, known as a petition for writ of certiorari before judgment, is granted exceedingly rarely by the court. Usually, the justices prefer for cases to have full appellate review and in many cases review by appeals courts from more than one circuit.
benton.org/node/173949 | Politico
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top
REINING IN TV TALK
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Lee Goodman]
[Commentary] David Gregory and George Stephanopoulos should be concerned. The same Federal Election Commission that represented to the Supreme Court that it could ban books now claims the authority to censor Sunday-morning news programs. This startling assertion of government power became public in December when the FEC released an enforcement file in the case of a Boston television station's regular Sunday-morning news program, "On the Record." The station, WCVB, had invited two congressional candidates (a Democrat and a Republican) into its studio to appear on "On the Record" in the weeks leading up to the 2012 election and formatted the joint appearance as a 30-minute debate. Another candidate (a libertarian) who was not invited filed a complaint alleging that the value of WCVB's production costs and airtime constituted unlawful corporate contributions to the two candidates who were invited. Corporate contributions to federal candidates are illegal and people who make them face stiff fines, injunctions, and can even go to prison. The Federal Election Campaign Act, which established the FEC, regulates money in federal campaigns to protect American citizens from corrupt politicians. It also expressly forbids the agency from regulating the press. Congress enacted this "press exemption" to protect the profoundly important First Amendment right of the press to inform the public about campaigns and candidates without government interference.
[Goodman, a Republican, was appointed to the Federal Election Commission in October 2013 and elected as chairman in December.]
benton.org/node/173992 | Wall Street Journal
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top
TELEVISION
FCC MAY CRACK DOWN ON MULTIPLE-TV STATION STRATEGIES
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Todd Shields]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is considering restrictions on television station owners controlling more than one property in a market, a strategy that’s helped fuel an $11 billion station buying spree. Chairman Wheeler has discussed the idea with staff members without offering a formal proposal, according to two people familiar with his thinking. It’s not clear how his change, which would need approval by a commission majority, would affect pending deals or existing combinations. Chairman Wheeler has said he wanted to re-examine arrangements in which a station owner has marketing or shared-content arrangements with others in the same city -- a situation Sinclair Broadcasting wants to create in three additional markets as part of a proposed deal. The FCC limits how many TV stations one company can hold in a market to help preserve a diversity of voices.
benton.org/node/173957 | Bloomberg
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top
CONGRESS SHOULDN'T CARRY WATER FOR PAY-TV
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Fred Campbell]
[Commentary] 2013 ended with hundreds of deals between television broadcasters and pay-TV providers successfully negotiated. No blackouts, no drama. A respected industry watcher recently remarked that, “TV blackouts are in a quiet period.” So, why is Congress proposing legislation to put the federal government in the middle of market-driven disputes? The reason is stiffening competition in the video marketplace. Verizon, AT&T, and Google are now offering cable service, and Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu are offering award-winning original series online. The news that Amazon is considering adding live TV to its online video offering indicates this space is going to become even more competitive over the next few years. Pay-TV providers are feeling the squeeze from the increased competition and are pushing Congress to regulate their rivals. That’s why a group of pay-TV providers is lobbying for government-mandated prices for television programming distribution rights. Reps Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) each introduced bills on the same day in January 2014 to give pay-TV providers special treatment when negotiating rights to resell broadcast programming to cable customers (rights known as “retransmission consent”). But it is no coincidence that, though each bill is styled as an effort to reform the video marketplace, they would regulate only local TV stations. The real purpose of these bills is to help Pay-TV providers maximize their profits by shifting a portion of their programming costs to broadcasters. Pay-TV providers want to have it both ways. They want the ability to blackout channels they don’t think they need while asking Congress to prevent broadcasters from withholding their programming when video providers refuse to pay. Enhancing the power of pay-TV providers over programming in this way might improve their bottom line, but it wouldn’t benefit consumers. Congress should just say no. [Fred Campbell is executive director of the Center for Boundless Innovation in Technology and former chief of the FCC’s Wireless Bureau]
benton.org/node/173955 | Hill, The
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top
COMPANY NEWS
MICROSOFT NAMES SATYA NADELLA AS CEO
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: John Kell, Shira Ovide]
Microsoft has named company veteran Satya Nadella as its next chief executive, an appointment that comes as the software giant faces competition across all fronts of its business. The company also said founder Bill Gates, who previously was chairman, moves to a new role on the board as technology adviser and will devote more time to the company, supporting Nadella in shaping technology and product direction. John Thompson, who was formerly the lead director, will become chairman. Nadella's naming to the post, effective immediately, makes him the third CEO since the company was founded in 1975. He succeeds Steve Ballmer, who in August announced his plans to retire. Mr. Ballmer was originally handed the reins in 2000 when founder and college friend Bill Gates stepped aside after 25 years. The appointment of Nadella, who is 46 years old and leads the Microsoft division that makes technology to run corporate computer servers and other back-end technology, will be considered a safe choice. He has signaled a desire for continuity, telling directors that, as CEO, he hopes to lean on Gates, according to several people familiar with the matter. Little in Nadella's public history at Microsoft suggests he will break from the company's pattern as a fast follower, rather than a trend setter.
benton.org/node/173951 | Wall Street Journal | B&C | GigaOm | ars technica
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top
STORIES FROM ABROAD
GOOGLE AND EU AGREE TO SETTLE SEARCH ROW
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Alex Barker, Richard Waters]
Google’s three-year antitrust battle in Europe is set to end in settlement after the European Commission took a positive view of its latest offer to give its rivals more prominence in search results. Following two-years of see-saw negotiations and three separate settlement proposals, the European Commission gave its provisional blessing to final terms that places legal curbs on how Google presents its search page. Google’s rivals panned earlier offers as inadequate and “worse than nothing.” The latest revisions leave those terms largely unchanged, but require Google to give more space and visibility to mandatory links to alternative search services, such as for shopping or restaurants. Both Google and Joaquín Almunia, the EU competition chief, see this as the closing chapter in protracted settlement talks that were on the brink of collapse at various points, with threats of formal charges unless Google’s offer was improved. The pact remains subject to a final approval process. To the annoyance of Google rivals, this will not include a formal “market test” of the third offer. The 18 groups that filed complaints in the case will be consulted about the final terms when the commission informs them of its intention to reject the case.
The five-year pledge to the European Commission lets Google add new services or alter its search page as long as it grants three links to rival services next to its own specialized search results such as Google Shopping. Competitors will pay at least 3 euro cents (4 U.S. cents) to bid for a spot in a shaded box on some of Google’s search pages.
benton.org/node/173987 | Financial Times | Bloomberg | NYTimes
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top