1. Monthly archive
  2. August 2015

August 2015


Public Knowledge
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
3 p.m. ET
https://www.publicknowledge.org/press-release/media-alert-public-knowled...

Public Knowledge will review the implications that the technology transitions have for consumers, emphasizing the importance of continuing to apply fundamental values such as public safety and competition on the new digital networks. COMPTEL and the National Hispanic Media Coalition will also be joining the briefing to share their perspectives on the policy considerations at stake in this proceeding.

Phillip Berenbroick, Government Affairs Counsel; Chris Lewis, Vice President of Government Affairs; and Gene Kimmelman, President and CEO of Public Knowledge, will be available to answer media questions. Chip Pickering, CEO and Karen Reidy, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, will be available to answer questions on behalf of COMPTEL. Michael Scurato, Vice President of Policy, will be joining on behalf of the National Hispanic Media Coalition.

Press Call Participant Information:
WHEN: Tuesday, August 4 at 3 p.m. ET
DIAL-IN: 1-712-432-3071
PASSWORD: 676292
INSTRUCTIONS: 5* to queue questions, please state your name and outlet clearly


August 4, 2015 (Dr. Colin Rhinesmith)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2015

Benton Welcomes New Benton Faculty Research Fellow Dr. Colin Rhinesmith - press release


INTERNET/BROADBAND
   Does Google Fiber Avoid the Biggest Cities?
   A federal bailout project to build broadband needs a bailout of its own
   The coming fight over net neutrality - op-ed
   Gigabit and the Economy: A First-Hand Look at Chattanooga [links to web]
   Unbundling broadband to promote competition: A “fix that fails” - Bronwyn Howell/AEI op-ed [links to web]

WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
   Leading towards Next Generation "5G" Mobile Services - FCC Chairman Wheeler press release
   The Internet of Things and the Future of Farming [links to web]
   Three questions with Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist at Google [links to web]
   Apple and Google Know What You Want Before You Do

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
   Innovative Research Helps Emergency Responders Better Communicate While Indoors - NTIA press release [links to web]

CYBERSECURITY
   The Homeland Security Department Issues a Big Warning About the Senate's Cyber Bill
   Cybersecurity Bill Faces Time Crunch as Recess Approaches [links to web]
   Secret NSA maps show Silicon Valley is focus of Chinese cyberattacks [links to web]
   White House Details 'Cyber Sprint' Progress, Says Congress Needs to Lift Sequester for Security Improvements [links to web]

PRIVACY
   Privacy group touts new Do Not Track system

ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
   Everson Complains to FEC About GOP Debate Criteria [links to web]
   Veteran Campaign Reporters Criticize Fox News' Control Over Republican Debate: "This Whole Thing Is A Sham" [links to web]
   How Data and Programmatic TV Will Dominate the 2016 Presidential Campaign [links to web]
   Joe Biden spikes on social media [links to web]

TELEVISION/RADIO
   FCC Announces Workshop on Access to, and Use of, Broadcast Ownership Data - public notice [links to web]
   New York City Major to FCC: Keep TVs Out of Duplex Gap [links to web]
   Cable Networks Stuffing More Ads Into Programs [links to web]

HEALTH
   Connected medical devices: The Internet of things-that-could-kill-you [links to web]

CONTENT
   Google and the “right to be forgotten”: Where is the Obama Administration? - AEI/ Claude Barfield op-ed [links to web]

LABOR
   Democrats press T-Mobile on labor issues [links to web]

DIVERSITY
   Black lawmakers push for diversity in Silicon Valley [links to web]
   Hollywood should be ashamed of the way it treats Muslim actors - analysis [links to web]

STORIES FROM ABROAD
   Why India is cracking down on Internet pornography [links to web]

back to top

INTERNET/BROADBAND

DOES GOOGLE FIBER AVOID THE BIGGEST CITIES?
[SOURCE: Government Technology, AUTHOR: Colin Wood]
Google has a reputation for succeeding in a singular style. The Harris Poll Reputation Quotient report has consistently ranked Google as one of the best-liked and most-trusted companies the past several years, and for good reason. Google’s primary-colored product line is diverse, innovative and effective. And when things aren’t working, Google is the first to admit it and move onto something else. Luckily for those discontented by the incumbent Internet service providers that are monopolizing and duopolizing communities around the nation, Fiber appears to be working. When Google announced plans to enter the broadband market five years ago, people were excited. And in 2015, Google Fiber customers in Provo (UT), Austin (TX), and Kansas City (KS) do not feel let down. Satisfaction polls show Fiber users wouldn’t switch to another company offering similar services at the same price. But with the product being Gigabit Internet at $70 a month, a lot of customers would tolerate buying from the Khmer Rouge, or maybe even Comcast. Google’s product -- lightning fast Internet -- sells itself. Fiber is proving itself more than an experiment, as Google will soon expand to communities in Raleigh-Durham (NC), Nashville (TN), Atlanta (GA), Salt Lake City (UT), and potentially San Jose (CA), Portland (OR), Phoenix (AZ), and San Antonio (TX). In 10 years, Google Fiber may be as prevalent as AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter or CenturyLink in a handful of big cities. But the biggest metropolitan centers remain conspicuously absent from Google’s plans. Los Angeles (CA), New York (NY), Chicago (IL), San Francisco (CA), San Diego (CA), Las Vegas (NV), Seattle (WA), Houston (TX), Jacksonville (FL), Detroit (MI), Boston (MA), and Philadelphia (PA), together make for tens of millions who may never get chance to be Fiber customers.
benton.org/headlines/does-google-fiber-avoid-biggest-cities | Government Technology
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top


A FEDERAL BAILOUT PROJECT TO BUILD BROADBAND NEEDS A BAILOUT OF ITS OWN
[SOURCE: Times-Call Business, AUTHOR: Jerd Smith]
The announcement came out early on July 17. One of Boulder's (CO) entrepreneurial bright stars, the Zayo Group, had signed an agreement to help operate and provide technical support to a controversial, federally funded broadband network charged with bringing high-speed access to Colorado's rural schools, hospitals and libraries. Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), in that same announcement, heralded the deal, saying the fast-growing Zayo, which had raised hundreds of millions in its first public offering just months earlier, would have the capital and expertise needed to help EAGLE-Net Alliance complete its network and bring service thousands of Coloradans who still live far on the other side of the digital divide. What no one addressed that day was a lawsuit, filed against EAGLE-Net just two days earlier, by the company Zayo was preparing to replace. The suit alleges that EAGLE-Net failed to pay its former operator, Austin (TX)-based Affiniti Inc., and that it had also failed to inform Affiniti of several problems with EAGLE-Net's operations prior to Affiniti's own takeover of the network just 18 months earlier. It's unclear whether the lawsuit will affect Zayo's agreement with EAGLE-Net. Zayo and EAGLE-Net officials declined to comment on the suit. In some ways the Zayo announcement was deja vu. Affiniti came to Colorado in 2013 to assume EAGLE-Net's operations. EAGLE-Net's $100.6 million grant from the federal government had been suspended. The National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA), which oversees the grant program, had launched an audit of EAGLE-Net, and found compliance problems and issues with reporting and documentation. But despite those issues, and with the help of Affiniti, it was allowed it to resume building its network.
benton.org/headlines/federal-bailout-project-build-broadband-needs-bailout-its-own | Times-Call Business
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top


THE COMING FIGHT OVER NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, AUTHOR: David Balto]
[Commentary] Horror movies are famous for their deceptive "false victories" -- in which everyone thinks the bad guy has been defeated and the heroes are safe, and then the villain bursts out of nowhere and the chase is on again. It's a good analogy for politics, where no victory is ever truly secure and every bit of progress must be constantly defended. Supporters of net neutrality face this reality right now. After a hard-fought effort in 2014, pushed over the finish line by the president of the United States himself, net neutrality proponents celebrated when the Federal Communications Commission passed sweeping new rules in February. But like our movie heroes prematurely letting out their sighs of relief, these net neutrality optimists are in for a very rude awakening. The fight for Internet openness is far from over -- and the new FCC rules that many have already chalked up as a win are actually almost certain to be overturned in court. Seven different lawsuits challenging the FCC rules already have been filed. Those who care about the open Internet need to re-cork the champagne and get to work urging Congress to shore up these rules right away. For those who care about net neutrality, there is only one way to cure these legal defects and survive the coming onslaught in court. Congress must pass legislation to make the core open Internet protections permanent. Legislation would make the entire conflict over "information services" vs. "telecommunications" irrelevant -- those classifications apply to the FCC, not Congress -- and put the rules on the strongest possible legal footing. A law of this kind could be immune to challenge. There is growing interest in both parties in legislation along these lines, shoring up net neutrality while jettisoning the legally suspect "reclassification" approach. And anyone who cares about long-term protection for the open Internet should urge them to do so quickly before the courts strike down a victory many worked so hard to win.
[David Balto served as policy director at the Federal Trade Commission]
benton.org/headlines/coming-fight-over-net-neutrality | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

WIRELESS/SPECTRUM

LEADING TOWARDS NEXT GENERATION "5G" MOBILE SERVICES
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler]
[Commentary] It is because of the success of flexible use policies that helped the United States become a leader in LTE that we intend to build our 5G policies on the bedrock of flexible use. 5G may mean not only better broadband, but also services and applications fundamentally different from those that are possible today, including services not yet even imagined, and potentially entire new industries. My goal is to foster an environment in which the widest possible variety of new technologies can grow and flourish. The Federal Communications Commission took the first step in the fall of 2014 when it adopted a Notice of Inquiry asking about expanded wireless use of higher-frequency bands. We expect to follow up on the Notice of Inquiry and issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the use of higher-frequency bands for mobile and other uses in 2015. In addition, as an implementation of existing flexible rules, I foresee lower-frequency bands playing a role in 5G. For example, the timing of the incentive auction makes the 600 MHz band a prime candidate for deployment of a wide-area 5G coverage layer. In much the same way that 700 MHz paved the way for America's world-leading deployment of 4G, so could 600 MHz accelerate U.S. deployment of 5G. To establish an environment to drive innovations and investments in 5G technologies, we will continue to work with relevant stakeholders and coordinate closely with NTIA and other federal agencies. We will consider ways in which new technology enables new opportunities, such as two-way spectrum sharing to increase capability of government and commercial users alike. In addition, we will encourage and support other agencies' efforts to fund research on 5G and will encourage building cybersecurity protections for new 5G networks from the start.
benton.org/headlines/leading-towards-next-generation-5g-mobile-services | Federal Communications Commission
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top


KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT BEFORE YOU DO
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Daisuke Wakabayashi, Alistair Barr]
Apple and Google are racing to anticipate the needs of their users. The technology giants, whose software runs nearly all of the world’s smartphones, are adding features to deliver information before users ask for it. Their moves suggest that smartphones will evolve into devices that dispense information unprompted. The companies are tackling the technology differently, reflecting their own expertise and priorities. Apple’s Proactive Assistant, a feature of its forthcoming iOS 9 software, aims to learn how a user will behave from information stored on an iPhone. By contrast, Google Now combs data from a universe of online services and searches.
benton.org/headlines/apple-and-google-know-what-you-want-you-do | Wall Street Journal
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

CYBERSECURITY

THE HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT ISSUES A BIG WARNING ABOUT THE SENATE'S CYBER BILL
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Kaveh Waddell]
The Homeland Security Department said in an official letter that a cyberinformation-sharing bill under consideration in the Senate would be detrimental to Americans' privacy and the country's cybersecurity. The agency said a provision in the bill that authorizes the private sector to share cyberthreat information with any federal agency would "increase the complexity and difficulty of a new information sharing program" and "sweep away important privacy protections." DHS Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who signed the letter, also wrote that distributing information across many agencies would mean the "inefficiency of any information sharing program will markedly increase; developing a single, comprehensive picture of the range of cyberthreats faced daily will become more difficult."The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act passed out of the Senate Intelligence Committee nearly unanimously in March, but some lawmakers have since raised questions about its privacy protections and efficiency. Supporters on both sides of the aisle say it will facilitate cyberthreat sharing between the private sector and the government, thereby making it easier for both to detect and shut down online intrusions. The letter, a response to a request for information from Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), was sent on July 31 and released by Sen Franken's office Aug 3.
benton.org/headlines/homeland-security-department-issues-big-warning-about-senates-cyber-bill | National Journal
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

PRIVACY

PRIVACY GROUP TOUTS NEW DO NOT TRACK SYSTEM
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: David McCabe]
Privacy advocates said they have developed a way to encourage websites to honor “Do Not Track” requests that allow users to ask websites not to collect data on them. Under a proposal by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the privacy company Disconnect, websites will post a copy of their tracking policies online. If it matches EFF policies, participating ad and tracker blocking software will then make an exception for the website. In theory, this will give website owners a reason to participate in the program by displaying their ads to users who would otherwise block them. The program includes blocking software provided by Disconnect and the EFF, as well as the popular tool provided by AdBlock. Peter Eckersley, the EFF’s chief computer scientist, said that the participating blocking tools have between 50 million and 100 million users. He said that the group has also had “private conversations” with other ad blocker providers. Participating websites include analytics service Mixpanel, the publishing platform Medium and the alternative search engine DuckDuckGo. Eckersley said that the websites have “meaningful incentives” to honor Do Not Track requests for the first time.
benton.org/headlines/privacy-group-touts-new-do-not-track-system | Hill, The
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

POLICYMAKERS

BENTON WELCOMES COLIN RHINESMITH
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Benton Foundation named Dr. Colin Rhinesmith the new Benton Faculty Research Fellow. In this role, Dr Rhinesmith will conduct original Benton research as well as advise the foundation on new research opportunities. In his first project for Benton, Dr Rhinesmith is conducting a study of low-cost Internet and digital literacy training programs in low-income communities across the U.S. The goal of the study is to provide data and outcomes-based measures that can be useful to policymakers, Internet service providers, and other digital inclusion stakeholders, particularly as the Federal Communications Commission and Congress seek to reform the Universal Service Fund. Dr. Rhinesmith is also working with Benton Fellow Raphael Leung to compile research resources on the impact effects of broadband availability on vulnerable communities. A fall 2015 report will look at the need for robust broadband among low-income communities and address what the minimum services standards should be for low-income telecommunications programs.
https://www.benton.org/node/224750
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

Benton Welcomes New Benton Faculty Research Fellow Dr. Colin Rhinesmith

The Benton Foundation named Dr. Colin Rhinesmith the new Benton Faculty Research Fellow. In this role, Dr Rhinesmith will conduct original Benton research as well as advise the foundation on new research opportunities. In his first project for Benton, Dr Rhinesmith is conducting a study of low-cost Internet and digital literacy training programs in low-income communities across the U.S. The goal of the study is to provide data and outcomes-based measures that can be useful to policymakers, Internet service providers, and other digital inclusion stakeholders, particularly as the Federal Communications Commission and Congress seek to reform the Universal Service Fund. Dr. Rhinesmith is also working with Benton Fellow Raphael Leung to compile research resources on the impact effects of broadband availability on vulnerable communities. A fall 2015 report will look at the need for robust broadband among low-income communities and address what the minimum services standards should be for low-income telecommunications programs.

Apple and Google Know What You Want Before You Do

Apple and Google are racing to anticipate the needs of their users. The technology giants, whose software runs nearly all of the world’s smartphones, are adding features to deliver information before users ask for it.

Their moves suggest that smartphones will evolve into devices that dispense information unprompted. The companies are tackling the technology differently, reflecting their own expertise and priorities. Apple’s Proactive Assistant, a feature of its forthcoming iOS 9 software, aims to learn how a user will behave from information stored on an iPhone. By contrast, Google Now combs data from a universe of online services and searches.

Black lawmakers push for diversity in Silicon Valley

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus flew to Silicon Valley to turn up the heat on the nation's largest tech companies to hire more African-American workers.

Caucus members are meeting with executives from Apple, Google, Intel, Pandora and SAP to ask for specifics on how these companies plan to fix their troubling hiring record. Rep Barbara Lee (D-CA) is leading the tour. Joining her is caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), and Rep Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). Major technology companies are predominantly staffed and run by white and Asian men. African Americans represent 2% or less of the work force at most of these companies — and not just in technical roles.

Democrats press T-Mobile on labor issues

A group of 20 Democratic lawmakers have asked T-Mobile’s German parent company to respond to questions about the wireless provider's labor practices.

“We are writing to you to express our continued concern about the record of Deutsche Telekom’s subsidiary, T-Mobile, in its treatment of its U.S. workforce,” the lawmakers said in a letter. “Your July 14th response to the letter that we sent you on June 29th seemed to indicate that you are not taking this issue seriously, so we were seeking additional information about your familiarity with the American legal issues at stake with your politics and practices regarding labor complaints.” The lawmakers asked Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges whether he had reviewed a March decision from a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge finding that the company had engaged in labor violations. They also asked if the company had policies in place for dealing with labor law violations committed by subsidiaries in other countries. The lawmakers took issue with the company's response that there were "no indications that T-Mobile US is not treating its workers in a legal, fair and respectful manner." The letter was spearheaded by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and signed by several other House Members, including Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).

Unbundling broadband to promote competition: A “fix that fails”

[Commentary] Recently, Canada adopted regulations forcing fiber network operators to allow their competitors to resell services provided by the operators over their own infrastructures – a practice known as “unbundling.” The regulations are intended to increase competition in retail ISP markets, bringing benefits to consumers as prices fall and different services are bundled in with the connection. A simple thought experiment shows why this is rarely the actual outcome.

The problem is that the policy fails. Unbundling is doomed because it distorts the incentives both network operators and their competitors face when it comes to investing in network development. The only way to avoid such market distortions is if the regulator could set the access price to perfectly reflect all costs and risks involved in owning network infrastructure; an impossible exercise as not even regulators can foresee the technological directions that these fast-moving markets with long-lived investments will take.

[Howell is general manager for the New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation and a faculty member of Victoria Business School, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand]

Why India is cracking down on Internet pornography

India has attempted to stamp out Internet pornography – at least for a while.

The government has asked Internet service providers (ISPs) in the country to block more than 800 pornographic websites as part of an effort to prevent them from “spreading anti-social activities.” The decision, which ISPs enacted Aug 2, has renewed debate around freedom of speech and censorship in India, the world’s largest democracy. “Free and open access to porn websites has been brought under check,” said N.N. Kaul, a department of telecommunications spokesman. “We don't want them to become a social nuisance.” The ban comes after the Indian Supreme Court ruled against the outright prohibition of Internet porn. The court, responding to a petition arguing that porn access fueled crimes against women, said such a ban would violate constitutionally protected personal freedoms – but acknowledged the need for greater control over porn websites especially in terms of children’s access to them. The case is still ongoing.

Leading towards Next Generation "5G" Mobile Services

[Commentary] It is because of the success of flexible use policies that helped the United States become a leader in LTE that we intend to build our 5G policies on the bedrock of flexible use. 5G may mean not only better broadband, but also services and applications fundamentally different from those that are possible today, including services not yet even imagined, and potentially entire new industries. My goal is to foster an environment in which the widest possible variety of new technologies can grow and flourish.

The Federal Communications Commission took the first step in the fall of 2014 when it adopted a Notice of Inquiry asking about expanded wireless use of higher-frequency bands. We expect to follow up on the Notice of Inquiry and issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the use of higher-frequency bands for mobile and other uses in 2015. In addition, as an implementation of existing flexible rules, I foresee lower-frequency bands playing a role in 5G. For example, the timing of the incentive auction makes the 600 MHz band a prime candidate for deployment of a wide-area 5G coverage layer. In much the same way that 700 MHz paved the way for America's world-leading deployment of 4G, so could 600 MHz accelerate U.S. deployment of 5G. To establish an environment to drive innovations and investments in 5G technologies, we will continue to work with relevant stakeholders and coordinate closely with NTIA and other federal agencies. We will consider ways in which new technology enables new opportunities, such as two-way spectrum sharing to increase capability of government and commercial users alike. In addition, we will encourage and support other agencies' efforts to fund research on 5G and will encourage building cybersecurity protections for new 5G networks from the start.

© 1994-2026 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.