November 2015

[Commentary] There was a wonderful and inspiring event in Washington (DC) last week. It was a celebration to honor the life of Charles Benton who passed away six months ago. This was just one of numerous events across the land that have paid tribute to the remarkable life of this truly extraordinary individual, but it was as impressive an event as any I have attended during my 45 years in the nation’s capital.

In addition to family, attendees included public interest movers and shakers and government officials who worked with Charles in one capacity or another over the course of his incredibly distinguished career. Those who knew Charles knew no one who worked so hard, thought so creatively, and made so many friends in the process of working toward the goals to which he was so passionately dedicated. His causes included a wide gamut of public policy, communications (of course), schools, libraries, literacy, museums, encyclopedias, film, philanthropy, the arts and art collection, and a list of civic causes too long even to list here. So often we don’t realize how richly diverse one’s life has been, nor do we understand the range of contributions he or she has made, until that person has left us and we gather at events like the one last week.

[Michael Copps leads the Media and Democracy Reform Initiative at Common Cause]

Commerce Deputy Secretary Bruce Andrews announced the Department is seeking candidates to serve on a new Digital Economy Board of Advisors, which Commerce is establishing to give government a mechanism to obtain advice from leaders in industry and civil society. The board will provide recommendations on ways to ensure that the Internet continues to thrive as an engine of growth, innovation, and free expression. Commerce is seeking candidates representing a broad cross-section of commercial, civil society, and academic sectors that make up the digital economy.

The board will consist of 15-20 members and will be appointed by Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to serve two-year terms. The new advisory board will help the Secretary to develop the Department’s Digital Economy Agenda, which aims to promote a free and open Internet, trust online, innovation, and Internet access for all Americans. The board’s responsibilities will include analyzing challenges to the free flow of information on the Internet, promoting the development of promising new digital technologies, and examining policies that impact the digital economy on topics such as broadband, cybersecurity and privacy. Those who are interested in serving on the board can nominate themselves or can be nominated by others. Applicants should submit nominations electronically by Wednesday, December 23, 2015.

Executives from public Internet companies Yelp and TripAdvisor noted a disturbing trend: Google searches on smartphones for their businesses had suddenly buried their results beneath Google’s own. It looked like a flagrant reversal of Google’s stated position on search, and a move to edge out rivals. Nope, it’s a bug, claims Google.

“The issues cited were caused by a recent code push, which we’re working quickly to fix,” a Google spokeswoman said. In the meantime, the “issues” may be diverting tons of traffic from Google’s competitors. Some, particularly Google’s longtime rival Yelp, are not pleased. “Far from a glitch, this is a pattern of behavior by Google,” said its CEO Jeremy Stoppelman.