August 2014

Hillary Clinton: 'Our technology companies are not part of our government'

Hillary Clinton called for a "global compact" on surveillance and the use of collected data, saying the US isn't the only country that does it and American technology companies are unfairly targeted for the government's actions.

"The US government doesn't use information for commercial purposes," while other countries do, Clinton said. "We need to make it clear to other countries that our technology companies are not part of our government, and that we have more legal processes than any other country that I'm aware of" covering government requests for information, Clinton said. The threat of electronic spying was so great in some countries that when traveling as a US official she couldn't carry any electronics, she said.

End the Tyranny of 24/7 E-mail

[Commentary] Limiting workplace e-mail seems radical, but it’s a trend in Germany. If this can happen in precision-mad, high-productivity Germany, could it happen in the United States? Absolutely. It not only could, but it should. More than a century ago, blue-collar workers fought for a limited workday with an activist anthem: “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will.” It’s a heritage that, this Labor Day, we need to restore.

[Thompson is the author of “Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better.”]

Irish Panel to Pick Privacy Regulator With Global Reach

An Irish government committee is set to pick the country’s new data privacy regulator, a relatively obscure position but one with global sway.

The five-person panel of civil servants and privacy experts will choose a data protection commissioner, who will have a large say in how Internet giants including Facebook and Apple use online information from roughly a billion users. That is because the regulator has the power to police any company based in Ireland, and over the past two decades many of the world’s largest technology companies have moved their international headquarters there, in large part because of the country’s low corporate tax rates.

Brazilian Flirtation Pushes Telecom Behemoths Telefónica and Telecom Italia Toward Divorce

When Telefónica became Telecom Italia’s biggest shareholder in 2007, it was meant to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship between southern Europe's two telecom behemoths. Instead, the relationship has crumbled over the last couple of years over a raft of issues -- most importantly the companies' strategies in Brazil, where they are both fierce competitors and fervently need to grow to offset dire markets at home. Now those tensions have exploded into the open, creating a paradoxical situation whereby Telecom Italia is locked in a bidding war with its biggest shareholder to gain a bigger foothold in Brazil.

Weekly Digest

What Are People Saying About Comcast/Time Warner Cable? (Part I)

NAB to FCC: Cable, DBS Should Join Political File Party

The National Association of Broadcasters says it is fine with the Federal Communications Commission extending its online political file mandate to all video services, including cable and satellite and even broadcast radio, though there are some issues with the last that might require a phased-in approach.

FTC proposes to expand children's online privacy protection rule

Parents would have a new way of protecting their children's privacy when they are surfing the Internet under new rules proposed by the Federal Trade Commission.

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, last updated in July 2013, requires websites to obtain consent from the parents of children who are under the age of 13 before sharing their personal information.

The agency announced that it is considering a new way in which parents can verify their identity. Comments on the proposed rules are due by September 30.

FCC Move to Reduce Consolidation, Close Media Ownership Loopholes, Already Increasing Diverse Ownership

Gray Television announced that it had secured new, diverse owners for six television stations that it had acquired and previously operated under shared service agreements.

The divestitures appear to be the direct result of recent statements by the Federal Communications Commission indicating that it would scrutinize any transfers of licenses that involve sidecar deals that indicate control or influence.

In Colorado, Gray will transfer one station to an Asian American husband and wife ownership team.

In North Dakota, one station will be transferred to a respected South Asian broadcaster.

Four other stations in various markets will be transferred to an ownership team consisting of two female broadcasters. All of the transfers result in full ownership and control of the broadcasting outlets by women and people of color.

FCC Supports Fast Track for NAB Auction Challenge

The Federal Communications Commission said it supports the National Association of Broadcasters' request for expedited hearing of NAB's challenge to a portion of the incentive auction rules.

While saying it was not agreeing with NAB's criticism of the FCC's auction order, or that broadcasters would suffer irreparable injury absent the quick turn-around, it agreed that it was "generally in the public interest" to resolve the issue as promptly as possible.

American Television Alliance: CBS Radio Rejects Local Choice Ad

CBS radio stations KMOX in St. Louis, WCCO Minneapolis, KXNT Las Vegas, and KDKA Pittsburgh have rejected an ad from the American Television Alliance promoting a new "local choice" retransmission-remaking proposal that TV stations say threatens their business model and localism.

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