August 10, 2016 (Election; FirstNet; Cities and poles)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2016
ELECTION 2016
How the Internet could democratize campaign spending - op-ed
Why Donald Trump might not debate Hillary Clinton - analysis [links to Benton summary]
Political interest spikes on Facebook [links to Hill, The]
Trump flops with Silicon Valley donors; Clinton falls short, too [links to Reuters]
Clinton Spending Big On Olympics Ads [links to TVNewsCheck]
Jill Stein has spent more money on TV ads than Donald Trump [links to Washington Post]
Fox News Airs More Trump Interviews Than All Other Networks Combined [links to Media Matters for America]
Three House Democrats want to investigate Trump for urging Russia to meddle in Clinton’s emails [links to Washington Post]
Letters to the editor: How the Media Covers Donald Trump [links to New York Times]
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
The $47 Billion Network That’s Already Obsolete - analysis
TELECOM/BROADBAND
Next battlefield in the “game of gigs”: Cities and poles - analysis
Replies Filed on Lifeline Reconsideration Petitions
The BDS Facts Speak for Themselves - AT&T press release [links to Benton summary]
Tired of Waiting for Corporate High-Speed Internet, Minnesota Farm Towns Build Their Own
Google Fiber re-thinks plans as it considers wireless alternative
Frontier Looks to Help Take on California’s Digital Divide
Wow cable promises gigabit Internet service in five cities by end of 2016 [links to Benton summary]
FCC Chairman Wheeler Statement On Signing Of Number Portability Contract [links to Federal Communications Commission]
Public Knowledge Files FCC Reply Comments Supporting Competitive Business Data Service Markets - press release [links to Benton summary]
How a DEA Drug Bust Handed the FCC a Case Against AT&T [links to Benton summary]
PRIVACY
Internet Researchers, Technologists Offer Suggestions on Broadband Privacy NPRM
Court: Feds must get warrant to search e-mail, even if cops find explicit material of children [links to Ars Technica]
SECURITY
Intelligence Community Wants Multilingual Text Search [links to nextgov]
New Department of Homeland Security Accelerator Seeks Wearable Tech for First Responders [links to nextgov]
CONTENT
Google Maps did not ‘delete’ Palestine — but it does impact how you see it
Virtual reality will bring us closer to the human condition [links to Revere Digital]
David Lowery vs Streaming Music [links to Bloomberg]
ADVERTISING
Ad board to Comcast: Stop claiming you have the “fastest Internet” [links to Ars Technica]
Facebook to limit ad blockers [links to Benton summary]
The biggest advertiser in the world just reminded us why Facebook wants to be TV [links to Revere Digital]
TELEVISION
Google vs. the cable guys: the big fight over the little set-top box in your home [links to Benton summary]
It’s time for Disney to tell us why it wants to sink a billion dollars into new streaming video tech [links to Revere Digital]
Your favorite TV show will never die because streaming rules the world. [links to Vox Media]
We're complaining about Olympics commercials. A lot. [links to American Public Media]
Netflix Fuels a Surge in Scripted TV Shows. Some See a Glut. [links to New York Times]
DIVERSITY
Is Pokémon Go racist? How the app may be redlining communities of color [links to Benton summary]
JOURNALISM
How not to respond to John Oliver’s ode to local newspapers [links to Washington Post]
Inside the Fox News Bunker [links to Vanity Fair]
EDUCATION
Teenagers who are frequent video game players are more likely to be able to improve their test scores, compared to social media users [links to Christian Science Monitor]
POLICYMAKERS
Jackie Joyner-Kersee Named Comcast Internet Essentials National Spokeswoman [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
US Digital Service Turns 2 [links to nextgov]
COMPANY NEWS
Charter Communications Results Boosted by Internet Revenue [links to Wall Street Journal]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Seven signs Cuban media is moving toward openness [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
Saudi Millenials Don't Use Their Phones Like We Do [links to Benton summary]
Carlos Slim, Mexico’s Richest Man, Confronts a New Foe: The State That Helped Make Him Rich [links to Benton summary]
ELECTION 2016
HOW THE INTERNET COULD DEMOCRATIZE CAMPAIGN SPENDING
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Bob Biersack]
[Commentary] The prospect of billions of dollars moving opaquely through the Internet and aimed at influencing our votes can sound ominous, especially as the Web is increasingly a tool that Americans use to communicate both personally and politically. In the broadest sense, allowing this flood of ad money feels contrary to our usual efforts to ensure that we know who is spending large sums to try to influence the makeup and actions of our government. But the world of campaign finance regulation has always been fuzzy and complex, especially as we try to balance the values of fairness and transparency with the equally fundamental principle of freedom of expression. These new advertising tools, from e-mail and websites to Facebook and YouTube and more, clearly offer both opportunities and challenges in an already fraught landscape. The legal framework that defines when political spending should be disclosed — and perhaps even restricted — have centered on the subject of the message and the scope of the spending. Messages that advocate directly for or against federal candidates, and the use of significant amounts of money to present those messages, have been triggers for disclosure and sometimes limits. But these rules were developed in a communications environment where my spending on a 30-second TV or radio ad prevented you from using that same time; a big imbalance in spending could mean some messages were everywhere while others remained unheard. The Internet might be different. My use doesn’t obviously limit yours, and the cost of participating is a lot lower than the cost of broadcast ads.
[Bob Biersack is a senior fellow at the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group tracking money in U.S. politics.]
benton.org/headlines/how-internet-could-democratize-campaign-spending | Washington Post
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
FIRSTNET OBSOLETE?
[SOURCE: The Atlantic, AUTHOR: Steven Brill]
[Commentary] The prize for the most wasteful post-9/11 initiative arguably should go to FirstNet—a whole new agency set up to provide a telecommunications system exclusively for firefighters, police, and other first responders. They would communicate on bandwidth worth billions of dollars in the commercial market but now reserved by the Federal Communications Commission for FirstNet. FirstNet is in such disarray that 15 years after the problem it is supposed to solve was identified, it is years from completion—and it may never get completed at all. According to the GAO, estimates of its cost range from $12 billion to $47 billion, even as advances in digital technology seem to have eliminated the need to spend any of it.
benton.org/headlines/47-billion-network-thats-already-obsolete | Atlantic, The
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TELECOM/BROADBAND
CITIES AND POLES
[SOURCE: Brookings, AUTHOR: Blair Levin]
[Commentary] As metropolitan economies of all shapes and sizes prepare for a future with gigabit-speed broadband, one of the biggest costs to deploying a fiber network is preparing utility poles to carry a new fiber line. Since multiple cables typically attach to poles—think about cable television, telephone, etc.—a professional must reorganize them before attaching a new cable. This process, known as “make ready”, has become the next policy battleground in the fiber-dependent “game of gigs.” Why is this issue important to cities? Most mayors, in my experience, would like to ensure that all their businesses and residents have access to affordable, abundant bandwidth. The issue is that most don’t believe their cities have such broadband today. And while some might consider the city offering its own broadband service to meet that need, most look to market forces and private capital to do so. What cities need to improve local broadband is a new math: one that better balances the high costs of deployment and operations against the risk of returns that don’t match costs. Revisiting the relationship between access to poles and multiple dwelling units and the deployment of next generation networks, as I have noted before, ought to be on the agenda for the next administration. But cities don’t need to wait. They should carefully follow the pioneering efforts of Louisville and Nashville to enable more efficient pole access. Moreover, to the extent they have jurisdiction, all cities should be exploring any methods that can lower the cost of deploying and operating future-proof broadband networks.
benton.org/headlines/next-battlefield-game-gigs-cities-and-poles | Brookings
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LIFELINE COMMENTS
[SOURCE: National Exchange Carrier Association, AUTHOR: Teresa Evert]
Replies to oppositions were filed on August 8, 2016 to petitions for reconsideration of the Lifeline Reform Order. USTelecom asserted the Federal Communications Commission cannot require rolling recertification prior to implementation of the national verifier, impose port freeze requirements and should extend the effective date for implementation of the streamlined eligibility criteria and the offering of bias for the federal lifeline program. CTIA asserted the FCC should seek public input on a more economically justifiable standard and reconsider the decision to set the long-term minimum capacity standards for mobile broadband at 70 percent of the average mobile data usage per household. TracFone claimed a 12 month port freeze rule for broadband Lifeline is appropriate and Lifeline customers should have choice in how they use their Lifeline supported device. NASUCA claimed retaining standalone voice as a Lifeline-eligible service on a network designed for broadband is beneficial to both customers and carriers.
benton.org/headlines/replies-filed-lifeline-reconsideration-petitions | National Exchange Carrier Association
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MINNESOTA FARM TOWNS BUILD OWN HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
[SOURCE: YES! Magazine, AUTHOR: Ben DeJarnette]
In 2009, Winthrop (MN) population 1,400, decided it needed an Internet upgrade. Most local residents were served by companies like Mediacom, which Consumer Reports consistently ranked among the country’s worst Internet providers. Slow connection speeds made work difficult in local schools and businesses, but farmers outside of town, who increasingly rely on connectivity to do business, experienced the worst of it. Now, in this sparsely populated swath of Minnesota, a grassroots, member-owned cooperative spanning more than 700 square miles and four counties is poised to expand high-speed broadband access—without relying on federal funding. After seven years of development led by local leaders and volunteers, RS Fiber, now in its first phase of construction, is expected to deliver high-speed broadband Internet to more than 6,000 rural households by 2021. And unlike companies like Mediacom, the co-op is owned by local customers who have a say in rates and how it’s operated. Attracting investors to build a high-investment network in low-density communities wasn’t easy. To help raise seed funding, ten local governments issued bonds that covered half of the approximately $16 million required for the project’s first phase. This model got local banks interested. As long as local demand meets projections, revenue from the broadband network will more than repay government loans, and taxpayers won’t owe a dime. “That’s the win-win,” said Chris Mitchell, director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative, who has studied the project. “It’s a model in which local governments can take on the risk if they’re willing, and local banks can get a very reasonable return.”
benton.org/headlines/tired-waiting-corporate-high-speed-internet-minnesota-farm-towns-build-their-own | YES! Magazine
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GOOGLE FIBER RE-THINKS PLANS AS IT CONSIDERS WIRELESS ALTERNATIVE
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
Google Fiber was planning to install fiber lines in San Jose (CA) starting in July, but has delayed the project while it considers a wireless alternative. Google Fiber recently announced plans to purchase Webpass, a company that uses point-to-point wireless technology to offer speeds up to 1Gbps, the same as Google's fiber-to-the-home network. San Jose may not be the only city where Google Fiber re-thinks current plans as a result of its newfound wireless capabilities. The Webpass purchase is expected to be completed this summer. "Google Fiber is already up and running in seven other major cities, outside California, but a source familiar with the project says the company is putting additional fiber locations on the back burner to reassess the technology and explore a cheaper alternative—wireless service that does not require expensive, capital-intensive and time-consuming installation of fiber cables under the ground," the Mercury News reported. "The source said Google is now focusing more on aerial installation." Google Fiber has been talking with San Jose city officials about a deployment for more than two years. Webpass's wireless technology is better suited to multi-unit residential buildings than single-family homes. But it could speed Google Fiber deployment, which has also stalled in other cities where Google must negotiate access to utility poles owned by the incumbent ISPs against which it's trying to compete. The Webpass network relies on antennas and receivers placed on top of high buildings.
benton.org/headlines/google-fiber-re-thinks-plans-it-considers-wireless-alternative | Ars Technica
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FRONTIER LOOKS TO HELP TAKE ON CALIFORNIA'S DIGITAL DIVIDE
[SOURCE: CED Magazine, AUTHOR: ]
Frontier Communications reported it has an aspirational goal of 200,000 new broadband adoptions among low-income households in California over the next two years. As part of that, the company says it is awarding $3 million in grants to community-based organizations that work toward closing the state’s digital divide. Frontier also is donating 50,000 laptops that’ll be distributed by those organizations to participating low-income households. “Frontier’s public benefits contributions to California are exemplary of the way companies can help close the digital divide and provide to all residents the 21st Century civil right of high-speed Internet access,” says Sunne Wright McPeak, president and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund. California Public Utilities Commission Commissioner Catherine J.K. Sandoval stresses that affordable high-speed Internet is “an economic and social imperative." "I applaud the efforts by Frontier and CETF to work with local agencies to take real steps to increase access to affordable Internet service and help Californians narrow the digital divide," Sandoval adds. Frontier Affordable Broadband for qualified low-income households offers speeds up to 7 Mbps/1 Mbps for $13.99 per month. The service is available in a package with landline telephone to customers who qualify for the California LifeLine program.
benton.org/headlines/frontier-looks-help-take-californias-digital-divide | CED Magazine
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PRIVACY
PRIVACY PROCEEDING
[SOURCE: National Exchange Carrier Association, AUTHOR: Teresa Evert]
Internet researchers and technologists sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Wheeler and the FCC Commissioners on August 6, 2016 to express concern with certain portions of the broadband privacy NPRM. They attached proposed language to section 64.7002(a) that they claim seeks to exempt researchers and technologists who are engaged in internet research, balancing consumer privacy with the benefits of technical research that fundamentally depends on data-sharing agreements between BIAS providers and internet researchers.
benton.org/headlines/internet-researchers-technologists-offer-suggestions-broadband-privacy-nprm | National Exchange Carrier Association
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CONTENT
GOOGLE MAPS DID NOT 'DELETE' PALESTINE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Caitlin Dewey]
Users view Google Maps more than a billion times each week: It’s one of the world’s largest sources of geographic data and the first place many of us turn when we need to locate something. So it makes sense that, when a Gaza City-based journalism group claimed that the nation of Palestine had literally been wiped from Google’s maps, readers were, well — indignant. Dozens of Middle-Eastern news outlets have covered the “backlash,” and tens of thousands have Facebook-shared and tweeted it. The only problem? Google Maps didn’t delete Palestine on July 25, as claimed. It hasn’t changed its labeling of the region at all. If you search “Palestine” in Google Maps, you’ll get the same result you would have gotten five months ago, when a guy named Zak Martin began a Change.org petition on the subject: The map view defaults to a demarcated, but unlabeled, region stretching from Hebron in the south to Jenin in the north, and from Jerusalem to the Jordanian border. Even if the current outrage is misplaced, it does raise some interesting questions about the power of mapping technologies like Google’s. In their attempts to dispassionately document the physical world online, tech companies often end up shaping our understanding of it, too. That’s not something that we tend to think about often, but it does become pretty obvious when a map changes/is said to have changed, or when we compare different maps against each other. Some Palestinians have said, for instance, that they’re switching to Microsoft’s Bing Maps, because those do label Palestine as its own discrete place. Apple Maps, meanwhile, neither labels the territory nor differentiates it at all from the Israeli state.
benton.org/headlines/google-maps-did-not-delete-palestine-it-does-impact-how-you-see-it | Washington Post
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