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September 2015

RNC plans reporter 'boot camp'

After the 2012 election, the GOP decided to limit the number of debates and change their delegate rules so that candidates must win more than half the delegates in eight states to qualify for the nomination. But the new rules and a young, new reporting class means that a lot of the people tasked with covering the race are confused. So the Republican National Committee has decided to set up a boot camp for reporters to talk about the rules, delegate allocation and their ground game.

Sean Spicer, the RNC’s communications director, said the RNC has held such events in the past but usually in smaller groups by outlet. This ‘boot camp’, to be held in October in Washington, is already at capacity with some 200 reporters signed up. While Spicer said he expected to see newer reporters signing up, he was rather surprised by some of the names on the list, whom he declined to name. “It’s really interesting the caliber of reporters who have already RSVP’d who are trying to make sure they really understand what the process is about,” Spicer said.

Trump says he won't appear on Fox News

Citing unfair treatment, Donald Trump said that he is not going to appear on any Fox News shows "for the forseeable future." "@FoxNews has been treating me very unfairly & I have therefore decided that I won't be doing any more Fox shows for the foreseeable future," Trump tweeted. The Republican presidential candidate has devoted Sept 21 and 22 to blasting the network's coverage of him on Twitter, tweeting and retweeting criticism. "I am having a really hard time watching Fox News," he wrote on Sept 21.

Netflix knows the exact episode of a TV show that gets you hooked

A TV pilot may get you interested in a show, but Netflix says it's rarely the episode that gets you hooked. It's probably no surprise that Netflix has been analyzing our TV-watching habits to figure out exactly how we all get obsessed with certain series. It hasn't come to any conclusions about precisely what gets us addicted, but it's found that there tends to be an early episode in each series that, once viewers watch it, leads to a strong chance of people coming back to finish the season. That can be as early as episode two in the case of "Breaking Bad" or as late as episode eight in the case of "How I Met Your Mother". The point that Netflix looked for is the episode that, after viewing, kept 70 percent of people on board for the rest of the season, if not more.

30 Members of Congress Tell Court to Affirm FCC’s Net Neutrality Order

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is a landmark law dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access, at competitive prices, to state-of-the-art telecommunications services. To help achieve that goal, Congress adopted a broad, technology-neutral definition of “telecommunications service” regulable under Title II of the Communications Act, as amended and updated by the 1996 Act. The 1996 Act defines “telecommunications service” as “the offering of telecommunications for a fee directly to the public … regardless of the facilities used.” “Telecommunications” is in turn defined as “the transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user’s choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received.” Broadband Internet access service fits within these definitions.

When one sets aside the obfuscating argot of telecommunications lawyers and engages with the plain language of the statute in the way that Congress intended for the Federal Communications Commission and the courts to read it, it is patent that broadband Internet access service providers – both fixed and mobile – provide “telecommunications” under the terms of the 1996 Act.

First Amendment Scholars Support Network Neutrality in Court Filing

The Open Internet Rules are not subject to scrutiny under the First Amendment because they do not regulate any person’s speech. Broadband Internet access service, as the Federal Communications Commission found, is “service . . . that provides the capability to transmit data to and receive data from all . . . Internet endpoints.” That service provides a conduit for speech, and broadband Internet access service providers transmit others’ speech through that conduit. The Open Internet Rules regulate the conduct of those service providers. They cannot block or throttle lawful content, cannot charge for prioritization of some content over other, and must not unreasonably interfere with content transmission. The providers’ conduct is not speech that is restricted or compelled by the rules. Indeed, the Open Internet Rules are an instance of common carrier regulation, which is not and ought not to be subject to heightened First Amendment scrutiny.

Writers Guild, Future of Music Coalition, National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture Equate Net Neutrality with Free Speech in Court Filing

The Open Internet Order is necessary to protect the unique nature of content distribution online because it prevents Internet service providers (ISPs) from interfering with the free speech of their users. To grant ISPs the authority to act as gatekeepers of content from the Internet would stifle opportunities for creative expression and restrict the availability of content from diverse sources. By limiting the ISPs’ ability to control access to such content, the Open Internet Order “protects free expression, thus fulfilling the congressional policy that ‘the Internet offer[s] a forum for a true diversity of political discourse, unique opportunities for cultural development, and myriad avenues for intellectual activity.’”

US Presses Firms to Raise China Complaints

The Obama Administration is pressing American companies to speak up about the difficulties of operating in China, setting up potentially awkward meetings for the Chinese president as he arrives in the US for his first state visit. The Administration is urging businesses to come forward with details about cybersecurity and other challenges they face in China as President Xi Jinping visits the US. China, meanwhile, has played up the positive side of the visit and sought to stress the benefits of economic cooperation by unveiling new deals between US and Chinese companies.

The digital learning plan every educator should read

Like every state, educators in North Carolina are struggling with complex demands around digital learning. In the era of personalized learning-meets-bring-your-own-device (BYOD), and with a big push on 21st century skills, districts and education leaders can still feel pretty isolated as they work out where to go next. And conveying their needs to state legislators, who often have the power to regulate funding and set the pace for any statewide digital initiatives, can be yet another challenge.

Recently, the Friday Institute released the results of that 18-month-long effort, the North Carolina Digital Learning Plan, which outlines both recommendations and specific goals for education leaders and policymakers around digital-learning related topics, such as infrastructure and devices, professional development, instruction and assessment, and funding. The DLP is, in part, a response to two new state laws passed in the last legislative session -- that schools must transition to digital resources by 2017 and that colleges of education, teachers, and administrators would be responsible for meeting new digital competencies. The state’s department of education contracted with the Friday Institute on how to implement those goals simultaneously.

Announcing the 2015 Heroes & Villains of Human Rights and Communications Surveillance

Access recognizes the individuals and groups that have either been champions of the 13 internationally recognized principles for human rights in communications surveillance (“Heroes”), or have undermined or violated those principles (“Villains”). These principles, called the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance (or “the Principles”), have been endorsed by more than 400 civil society groups worldwide. They provide a framework for assessing whether government surveillance practices comply with international human rights obligations.

Sept 22 marks the two-year anniversary of the Principles. Our list of Heroes below represents only the tip of the iceberg of the people and organizations working to promote the Principles, and selecting an honoree for each role was difficult. Many others deserve recognition for the work that they have done over the past year, and in years prior. We’re grateful to everyone who is working to advance these Principles. As for the Villains, we call out their activities in the past year, but we hold out hope -- and offer our critique -- to help push for a more rights-respecting 2016.

September 23, 2015 (Net Neutrality Goes to Court)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

How do we define “in the public interest” in the Digital Age? See The Digital Beat

INTERNET/BROADBAND
    Obama Administration Aims to Empower Communities to Attract Broadband Investment and Promote Meaningful Use
   FCC Chairman Wheeler Statement On The Broadband Opportunity Council Report - press release [links to web]
   Dig once: The no-brainer Internet policy the White House just endorsed
   White House Invests $3.2 Million to Develop Gigabit Tech
   How Cable Can Capture the Mobile Internet - Miriam Gottfried analysis [links to web]

NETWORK NEUTRALITY
   Civil Rights Coalition Backs FCC’s Open Internet Rules in Court Filing
   Tim Wu Disputes Telecommunications Carriers’ Misrepresentation in Network Neutrality Filing
   The Women Who Won Net Neutrality - Marvin Ammori op-ed
   John Ellis Bush would roll back network neutrality if elected

OWNERSHIP
   Charter Queried on Web Video Rivalry by FCC in Time Warner Deal
   GOP Memo Cites FCC Ownership Review Rife With Missteps
   Windstream Board Adopts Shareholders Rights Plan [links to web]

UNIVERSAL SERVICE
   Georgetown Researcher Discusses Lifeline Program Evaluation Using Existing National Datasets
   House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Walden Comments on FCC Chairman Wheeler USF Announcement - press release [links to web]

SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
   How Cable Can Capture the Mobile Internet - Miriam Gottfried analysis [links to web]

TELEVISION
   NCTA: FCC Regulations Lag Competitive Market [links to web]

SECURITY/PRIVACY
   RAND Report Stresses Importance of Agreement to Avoid Cyber Conflict [links to web]
   A Tricky Path to Quantum-Safe Encryption
   On the Paradox of the Simple Privacy Policy - analysis [links to web]

EDUCATION
   Smart Libraries Will Power the Transition to Personalized Learning - op-ed
   Statement of FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel on the Digital Learning Equity Act - press release [links to web]

JOURNALISM
   Understanding what audiences want from local news - Philip Napoli op-ed

ELECTION 2016
    John Ellis Bush: I will work to repeal the so-called network neutrality rule forced on the Federal Communications Commission by the White House - WSJ op-ed [links to web]
   John Ellis Bush would roll back network neutrality if elected
   Report: Nightly newscasts have covered Hillary Clinton e-mail story as much as her candidacy [links to web]
   Why Media’s Donald Trump Addiction Is Costing His Rivals Big Bucks [links to web]
   Which Republican is winning the reality TV primary? [links to web]

CONTENT
   The Plot Twist: E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From Dead [links to web]

FCC REFORM
   Remarks of FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly Before the Prosperity Caucus - speech

POLICYMAKERS
   Michigan PSC Commissioner Talberg Appointed to Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service - public notice [links to web]
   The Women Who Won Net Neutrality - Marvin Ammori op-ed

STORIES FROM ABROAD
   EU-US Data Sharing Deal Can't Be Trusted, Top Court Aide Says
   Xi Jinping Pledges to Work With US to Stop Cybercrimes [links to web]
   Chinese President Xi defends China's right to regulate the Internet
   Broadband: A Vital Driver of Sustainable Development - ITU press release [links to web]
   European Lawmakers Scold US for Levying Charges of Digital Protectionism [links to web]

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INTERNET/BROADBAND

DIG ONCE: THE NO-BRAINER INTERNET POLICY THE WHITE HOUSE JUST ENDORSED
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
The Broadband Opportunity Council Report calls for federal agencies to develop new rules and to streamline the way they give out funding for building Internet infrastructure and online services. While these commitments promise to upgrade the country's Internet infrastructure, the biggest step promotes a policy aimed at enhancing competition among Internet providers. Known as "dig once," the idea helps lower the cost of laying down new high-speed Internet cables by making it unnecessary to tear up the streets every time a company wants to reach new homes with its underground network. Dig-once policies recommend laying a single tube in the ground through which all Internet wires can go. Once it's there, any company that wants to add fiber can just route their cables through that existing conduit -- cutting the cost of broadband deployment by up to 90 percent, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Making it easier and less expensive to offer new Internet service could potentially result in lower Internet prices and improved speeds. "'Dig Once' policies promote broadband competition, reduce costs for broadband providers and decrease road-related costs from repeated excavation," the report reads.
benton.org/headlines/dig-once-no-brainer-internet-policy-white-house-just-endorsed | Washington Post
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WHITE HOUSE INVESTS $3.2 MILLION TO DEVELOP GIGABIT TECH
[SOURCE: Chattanooga Times Fr
ee Press, AUTHOR: ]
The National Science Foundation has designated part of a $3.2 million grant to help the Mozilla Foundation, makers of the Firefox browser, expand the nonprofit's gigabit technology work in Chattanooga (TN), Kansas City (MO), and three yet-to-be-named cities. Mozilla began working in Chattanooga in earnest in 2012, with a hackathon designed to explore ways to take advantage of the city's gigabit speeds, which are about 250 times faster than regular Internet. The additional money will allow the group's local office, called Hive Chattanooga, to build apps, improve education efforts and pursue workforce development, according to a news release. By building apps that take advantage of gigabit speeds, Mozilla hopes to demonstrate the need for such networks, which are most faster than most consumers currently require to engage in basic online tasks.
benton.org/headlines/white-house-invests-32-million-develop-gigabit-tech | Chattanooga Times free Press
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NETWORK NEUTRALITY

CIVIL RIGHTS COALITION BACKS FCC’S OPEN INTERNET RULES IN COURT
[SOURCE: Open Internet Civil Rights Coalition, AUTHOR: Andrew Jay Schwartzman]
The Open Internet Civil Rights Coalition (OICRC) supports the Federal Communications Commission’s legal decision as well as its policy choice to reclassify mobile broadband Internet access as a telecommunications service. Absent full application of open Internet rules to mobile services, communities of color will be less able to rely on mobile devices to make childcare arrangements, receive health advice, access social services, participate in political debate, find employment, and engage with friends and family.
There is a broad consensus among civil rights groups about the importance of open Internet rules. Although one group, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC), has submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of Petitioners, MMTC does not disagree with the need for open Internet rules, including rules addressing paid prioritization, and did not dispute below that the FCC had the power to reclassify broadband Internet service under Title II. Instead it argued only that would have been a wiser policy choice to adopt such rules under the authority of Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act. However, no party before this Court, including MMTC, has attempted to show that the rules MMTC supported could be adopted without employing Title II powers. To the extent that MMTC believes that open Internet rules will deter capital investment, the FCC has reasonably determined otherwise. MMTC is simply wrong in claiming that reclassification leads to “price regulation,” and ignores the fact that the Commission has forborne from such rules. Its policy concerns about extending Title II to mobile broadband are similarly unfounded. They are also inconsistent, as MMTC cannot reconcile its belief of the benefits of open Internet rules for fixed broadband (albeit under Section 706) with its opposition to such rules for wireless.
benton.org/headlines/civil-rights-coalition-backs-fccs-open-internet-rules-court-filing | Open Internet Civil Rights Coalition
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WU DISPUTES CARRIERS’ CLAIM
[SOURCE: Tim Wu, AUTHOR: Andrew Jay Schwartzman]
Professor Tim Wu submitted a brief to expose an important and serious misrepresentation contained in the telecommunications carriers’ challenge to the Federal Communications Commission’s Open Internet Order. USTelecom argues that Congress, when it passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, specifically and unambiguously intended that broadband Internet service be an “information service.” It bases that argument on the premise that there existed a “long-settled regulatory understanding” as to that effect. The premise is both incorrect and gives a misleading impression of the FCC’s historic practice. What Congress codified in its adoption of the “basic/enhanced” regime were evolving categories used by the Commission to make policy based on both technological and competitive considerations. Over the course of the decades from the FCC’s first “Computer Proceeding” onward the FCC routinely reexamined and reclassified services in light of changing market conditions and technical realities. Congress blessed the FCC's methodology for classifying services, which it has now applied in the case on net neutrality.
benton.org/headlines/tim-wu-disputes-telecommunications-carriers-misrepresentation-network-neutrality-filing | Tim Wu
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THE WOMEN WHO WON NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Slate, AUTHOR: Marvin Ammori]
[Commentary] Over the course of a year -- from January 2014 to March 2015 -- millions of Americans, hundreds of businesses, and dozens of policymakers weighed in at the Federal Communications Commission in favor of network neutrality. Because the victory at the FCC is so important for economic policy and was so shocking a political victory, many news organizations have profiled those responsible. Over the past months, in addition to me, many men have received credit -- including Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, President Barack Obama, HBO host John Oliver, and Tumblr CEO David Karp. While these men (and others, especially in the nonprofit community) played critical roles, none deserves more credit than the frequently overlooked women who helped lead the fight. Even if we guys managed to hog the credit afterward, a disproportionate number of women in the public interest, tech, and government communities had the guts and brains to lead the public to victory. They canceled annual vacations, worked around the clock, didn’t see friends and family as often as anyone would want -- and ran a brilliant campaign. They should be recognized.
[Marvin Ammori is a Future Tense fellow at New America, a practicing lawyer, and a visiting scholar at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet Society]
benton.org/headlines/women-who-won-net-neutrality | Slate
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JOHN ELLIS BUSH WOULD ROLL BACK NETWORK NEUTRALITY IF ELECTED
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Mario Trujillo]
GOP Presidential candidate Jeb Bush unveiled policy proposals that call for rolling back major Obama Administration rules, including network neutrality. Bush’s proposal laments the rules for subjecting Internet service providers -- such as Verizon, AT&T or Comcast -- to “antiquated ‘common carrier’ regulations,” a frequent criticism. “Rather than enhancing consumer welfare, these rules prohibit one group of companies (Internet Service Providers) from charging another group of companies (content companies) the full cost for using their services,” according to the policy proposal. The fight over the regulations is pitting Internet activists and major tech companies such as Netflix against large service providers such as AT&T. However, Bush framed his proposal as protecting some small broadband providers who asserted the rules “caused them to cut back on investments to upgrade and expand their networks.” “Agencies today make far more laws than legislators. But unlike courts and legislators, regulators conduct their deliberations in relative obscurity, often outside of the public’s view and effectively accountable to no one, not even the president,” according to Bush’s proposal. In addition, he would put a new regulatory freeze on agencies until one of his appointees approved new rules. He would also set a regulation budget, requiring offsets if new regulations bring costs. He would also pass an executive order outlining principles regulators should follow, including a preference for state action and “honest” cost-benefit analysis.
benton.org/headlines/john-ellis-bush-would-roll-back-network-neutrality-if-elected | Hill, The
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OWNERSHIP

CHARTER QUERIED ON WEB VIDEO RIVALRY BY FCC IN TIME WARNER DEAL
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Todd Shields]
Regulators reviewing Charter’s proposed $55.1 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable want to know more about how the cable company has reacted to competition from streaming video innovators such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. The Federal Communications Commission, in a request released Sept 22, asked Charter for documents about its customer gains or losses to Web video and whether it’s slowed or blocked access to rival services. The questions show the FCC is concerned about whether cable companies that provide access to the Internet may squelch streaming video that competes with their traditional channel lineup. Comcast in April abandoned its planned merger with Time Warner Cable after regulators said the combined company could thwart online video. The FCC also asked for similar information from Time Warner Cable and asked for responses by Oct 13.
benton.org/headlines/charter-queried-web-video-rivalry-fcc-time-warner-deal | Bloomberg
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GOP MEMO CITES FCC OWNERSHIP REVIEW RIFE WITH MISSTEPS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The House Communications Subcommittee has teed up a bunch of broadcast media ownership issues for potential discussion at its Sept. 25 hearing. In the Republican majority staff memo for the hearing the staffers said the purpose was to look at the relevance of broadcast ownership rules in today's media world. The memo talks about a Federal Communications Commission ownership review process "rife with missteps and setbacks," most having to do with a series of court challenges, remands, and regulatory responses dating back a dozen years under Chairmen of both parties. These resulted in a Congressionally-mandated 2014 quadrennial rule review that will be a couple years overdue if it is completed as promised in 2016, and a 2010 review for which an order was never released. Among the issues in that quadrennial review elaborated on in the memo, which could also be issues for discussion in the hearing, are the FCC's newspaper-broadcast crossownership rules, local TV ownership limits, local radio ownership limits, the national TV station ownership cap (which was set at 39 percent by Congress so is out of the FCC's hands), crossownership limits, joint sales agreements (the FCC made most of those attributable as ownership in a March 2014 order, but some Republicans want to grandfather JSA's prior to that), and the minority tax certificate. There is no guarantee that all those, or even most, will be addressed in the hearing, but it shows the scope of issues Republicans are targeting.
benton.org/headlines/gop-memo-cites-fcc-ownership-review-rife-missteps | Broadcasting&Cable
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UNIVERSAL SERVICE

GEORGETOWN RESEARCHER DISCUSSES LIFELINE PROGRAM EVALUATION USING EXISTING NATIONAL DATASETS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Olga Ukhaneva]
On Sept 16, Olga Ukhaneva, a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgetown Center for Businesses and Public Policy met with Jay Schwartz, Acting Deputy Division Chief of Telecommunications, Access Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau to discuss how the Federal Communications Commission could incorporate evaluation of the Lifeline program. Dr Ukhaneva proposed that the FCC could use existing datasets, such as the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) administered by the Centers for Disease Control, to identify eligible criteria that are effective at targeting consumers who need financial assistance to get and maintain access to telecommunications services. The FCC could also use the NHIS to evaluate program efficiency and estimate number of households who gained access to telephone/broadband because of the subsidy.
benton.org/headlines/georgetown-researcher-discusses-lifeline-program-evaluation-using-existing-national | Federal Communications Commission
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SECURITY/PRIVACY

A TRICKY PATH TO QUANTUM-SAFE ENCRYPTION
[SOURCE: Quanta Magazine, AUTHOR: Natalie Wolchover]
Quantum computers, once seen as a remote theoretical possibility, are now widely expected to work within five to 30 years. By exploiting the probabilistic rules of quantum physics, the devices could decrypt most of the world’s “secure” data, from National Security Agency secrets to bank records to e-mail passwords. Aware of this looming threat, cryptographers have been racing to develop “quantum-resistant” schemes efficient enough for widespread use. But last October, cryptographers at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), Britain’s electronic surveillance agency, posted an enigmatic paper online that called into question the security of some of the most efficient lattice-based schemes. The findings hinted that vulnerabilities had crept in during a decade-long push for ever-greater efficiency. As cryptographers simplified the underlying lattices on which their schemes were based, they rendered the schemes more susceptible to attack. Building on the GCHQ claims, two teams of cryptanalysts have spent the past year determining which lattice-based schemes can be broken by quantum computers, and which are safe -- for now.
benton.org/headlines/tricky-path-quantum-safe-encryption | Quanta Magazine
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EDUCATION

SMART LIBRARIES WILL POWER THE TRANSITION TO PERSONALIZED LEARNING
[SOURCE: edSurge, AUTHOR: David Kim, Jeffrey Pomerantz]
[Commentary] As tomorrow’s libraries gather insights on how materials are used, faculty will, in turn, receive real-time analytics about student engagement with materials and time-on-task. We can correlate students’ grades with use of the library and evaluate the content and usage patterns that lead to student performance. This is the sort of student-level data that is increasingly being used in course dashboards, to provide aggregated data about student progress. The availability of this data provides powerful levers to personalize learning for students, to support faculty in improving student outcomes, and to enable institutions of higher education to communicate their value.
[David Kim is Founder and CEO of Ace Learning. Jeffrey Pomerantz is the author of a forthcoming book about metadata for MIT Press, and was formerly a tenured Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]
benton.org/headlines/smart-libraries-will-power-transition-personalized-learning | EdSurge
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JOURNALISM

UNDERSTANDING WHAT AUDIENCES WANT FROM LOCAL NEWS
[SOURCE: Columbia Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Philip Napoli]
[Commentary] My colleagues and I at Rutgers University’s Media + the Public Interest Initiative have been collaborating with local news outlets in New Jersey on the task of understanding how those audiences see the news and information ecosystem, and what they want from local news organizations. Thus far we have conducted focus groups in three New Jersey communities: Newark, New Brunswick, and Morristown. Given the extent to which similar findings emerged across all three communities, we think they may represent broader insights about the nature of the contemporary local news audience:
‘Outside’ news sources are seen as unreliable: Our focus group participants were universally critical of the local news coverage offered by sources from outside of their communities.
A desire for more ‘follow-up’ reporting: Our focus group participants were very consistent in their desire for more “follow-up” reporting -- that is, reporting that revisits events and issues to determine if and how they are being resolved, in order to hold local governments, service providers, and leaders accountable for their actions (or inaction).
The self-reliant news consumer: Participants consistently expressed an understanding -- and acceptance -- of how the contemporary news environment works, particularly in terms of the increasing responsibility (or “burden” as some referred to it) that falls on the individual news consumer to stay informed.
The infrequency of citizen journalism: When we asked participants to discuss if and how they engage in activities related to sharing and producing news and information for their communities, we were struck by how brief these conversations were.
Interpersonal networks are still important: Finally, we found it striking the extent to which, even in this era of seemingly abundant news and information sources, mobile access, and social media, interpersonal networks still play an important role the way we share and receive local news and information.
[Philip M. Napoli is a professor of Journalism & Media Studies at Rutgers University in New Brunswick(NJ) where he is also the principal investigator for the News Measures Research Project]
benton.org/headlines/understanding-what-audiences-want-local-news | Columbia Journalism Review
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FCC REFORM

REMARKS OF FCC COMMISSIONER MICHAEL O'RIELLY BEFORE THE PROSPERITY CAUCUS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly]
I thought I would use this valuable platform to talk about a couple of issues relevant to the communications worlds that you may find of interest:
Economic Freedom: Federal Communications Commission staff should not advocate for local governments, like cities and towns, to enter the marketplace by creating communications services to directly compete with private companies. Such a practice should be characterized for what it is: borderline socialism. Championing economic freedom is my guiding principle when it comes to overseeing the communications industry.
Cost-Benefit Analysis: The FCC is unwilling to conduct and consider proper cost-benefit analysis. Many of you are in the economic field in one capacity or another, and the FCC desperately needs to be challenged on all of its cost-benefit analysis assumptions and underlying work. Whether it is you or someone you know, please be willing to consider taking up the mantle and critiquing the FCC’s work, either as a whole or on an individual item basis. In addition, we need private economists to file their own analyses in our proceedings.
FCC Economists: We have a lot more lawyers than economists. While the FCC has a number of economists and probably even some this crowd might find philosophically acceptable, staffing levels are regularly found to be insufficient for FCC tasks, a sure sign of misplaced priorities.
benton.org/headlines/remarks-fcc-commissioner-michael-orielly-prosperity-caucus | Federal Communications Commission
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
EU-US DATA SHARING
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Stephanie Bodoni]
Advocate General Yves Bot, an adviser to the European Union’s top court, warned that American spies have almost unfettered access to information about European users of Facebook and other social media thanks to an illegal trans-Atlantic pact on data-transfers. Secret US orders forcing technology companies to hand over personal data linked to EU citizens can’t continue under an “invalid” data-transfer accord struck 15 years ago, Bot said in a non-binding opinion. The EU court follows such advice in a majority of cases. EU citizens “who are Facebook users are not informed that their personal data will be generally accessible to the United States security agencies,” said Bot. National data privacy watchdogs have the power, “where appropriate,” to suspend the transfer of such data to servers located in the US, including in the case concerning the data of European Facebook users, he said. The EU Court of Justice should scrap the 2000 Safe Harbor decision because it doesn’t protect citizens from the 28-nation bloc enough from an “unwarranted interference” with their rights and a “large-scale collection of personal data,” he said.
benton.org/headlines/eu-us-data-sharing-deal-cant-be-trusted-top-court-aide-says | Bloomberg
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XI DEFENDS CHINA'S RIGHT TO REGULATE THE INTERNET
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Cory Bennett]
Chinese President Xi Jinping pushed back against concerns that new Chinese regulations and restrictions are meant to censor online speech and keep foreign businesses out of the country. “We welcome all foreign companies in China and will respect and protect their lawful rights and interests provided that they abide by the laws and regulations of China and do nothing to undermine China’s national interests and interests of Chinese consumers,” President Xi said. Businesses and nonprofits have watched warily in recent years as China has moved to further control the flow of digital information and pass a national security law that requires certain technologies to be “secure and controllable.” Ahead of his first official state visit in Washington later during the week of Sept 21, President Xi maintained China’s right to regulate its own Internet. “Rule of law also applies to the Internet, with the need to safeguard a country’s sovereignty, security and development interests as relevant as in the real world,” he said. "Freedom and order must be upheld side by side in both cyberspace and the physical world,” Xi continued. “Freedom is the purpose of order, and order the guarantee of freedom. We need to fully respect netizens’ rights to express themselves, while at the same time, ensure a sound cyberspace order to better protect the lawful rights and interests of all netizens.”
benton.org/headlines/chinese-president-xi-defends-chinas-right-regulate-internet | Hill, The
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