September 2016

Today’s Quote 09.27.2016

“Trump is more hostile to the legal and constitutional rights of the press than any major presidential candidate of the last two centuries.”
-- Richard Tofel, ProPublica

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Today's Events --

• Diversity in Tech Roundtable, WashingTECH -- https://www.benton.org/node/247439
• Cybersecurity in the Asia-Pacific: Where does it stand? Where is it headed?, New America -- https://www.benton.org/node/247141

ELECTIONS 2016
   NBC’s Holt Worked to Keep Control of Debate [links to Associated Press]
   Lester Holt Proved Debate Moderators Can Fact-Check [links to Huffington Post]
   Transcript: Here are words Trump just used to talk about 'the cyber' [links to Verge, The]
   Hundreds of tech companies are letting employees skip work on Election Day [links to Washington Post]
   FCC Has Failed to Protect Voters' Right to Know Who Is Behind Political Ads in Election 2016 - press release
   The Broadband Question
   Donald Trump and the Return of Seditious Libel - ProPublica editorial
   The person in charge of the presidential debates just took sides against reality [links to Washington Post]
   Why people who say the media hasn’t fact checked Donald Trump are wrong [links to Washington Post]
   The debate over campaign lies heats up, yet the media seem all but impotent [links to Washington Post]
   Trump launches 'Crooked Hillary' Snapchat filter for debate [links to CNNMoney]
   Race issues lead Facebook conversation before debate [links to Hill, The]
   Taxpayers Protection Alliance Wants Clinton, Trump to Talk FCC [links to Benton summary]
   Trump Campaign Manager Bashes Reporters Ahead Of First Debate [links to Benton summary]
   The three types of political astroturfing you’ll see in 2016 - WaPo analysis [links to Benton summary]
   Can virtual reality help us talk politics online? [links to Benton summary]
   Bloomberg TV to fact check debate on-screen [links to Politico]
   With E-mail List, Sen Cruz profited off Trump well before endorsing him [links to Benton summary]
   Rieder: Tough, fact-based reporting on Trump [links to USAToday]
   Vox: Trump's only significant campaign skill is manipulating the media. But he's great at it. [links to Vox]
   Poll: Most think debate moderators will help Clinton more than Trump [links to Hill, The]

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   Bridging the Digital (Veteran) Divide
    US Home Broadband and Wi-Fi Usage Forecast, 2015-2020 - iGR research
   Announcing Over $80 million in New Federal Investment and a Doubling of Participating Communities in the White House Smart Cities Initiative - WH press release
   Working to Make More Cities “Smart Cities” [links to Department of Commerce]
   Stacey Higginbotham: How to Sell the Smart City [links to Medium]
   Adelaide, Australia Joins Three US Cities in US Ignite Smart Gigabit Communities
   Google backs Internet transition plan [links to Benton summary]
   Cox raises broadband rates for second time in a year [links to Benton summary]

TELEVISION
   Liberman Broadcasting Asks FCC to Reconsider Comcast Complaint Dismissal
   Roku Talks Up Multiple App Set-Top Requirement at FCC [links to Broadcasting&Cable]

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
   Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test Planned for September 28 [links to Federal Communications Commission]
   Sen Schumer joins call for updates to mobile emergency alerts [links to Benton summary]
   Analysts: FirstNet represents real upside for tower leasing industry [links to Fierce]

WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
   CTIA, CCA disagree again over FCC's report on competition [links to Benton summary]

SECURITY/PRIVACY
   Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews Addresses Cybersecurity Across North America Summit [links to Department of Commerce]
   Messaging Apps Vary Widely When It Comes to Privacy [links to Wall Street Journal]
   New America’s Robyn Greene: Privacy isn't dead. Here's why [links to Christian Science Monitor]

DIVERSITY
   Michael Powell: Diversity: Our Best Defense [links to Multichannel News]
   Hispanics of All Ages Prefer English-Language Media, PwC Study Finds [links to Wrap, The]

CONTENT
   Lawmakers announce blockchain technology caucus
   Here's What Facebook's Video Inflate-Gate Is All About [links to AdAge]
   Facebook and its Editorial Decisions [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
   Major Labels Sue Popular ‘Stream Ripping’ Website for Alleged Infringement [links to Wall Street Journal]

ADVERTISING
   In an Ad Blocking Battle, Whose Side Is Google On? [links to AdAge]
   Are presidential election TV ads effective anymore? [links to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
   The Story of the Summer: Olympic TV Advertising [links to MediaLife]

TRANSPORTATION
   Why the tech industry should care about the next Secretary of Transportation [links to Revere Digital]

GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS
   After Clinton disclosures, White House sheds more light on Obama email use

POLICYMAKERS
   What President Obama Did for Tech - analysis [links to Benton summary]

STORIES FROM ABROAD
   Why is Iceland, a nation of conservative fishermen, turning to a party of techno-utopian democrats? [links to Christian Science Monitor]

back to top

ELECTIONS 2016

FCC HAS FAILED TO PROTECT VOTERS' RIGHT TO KNOW WHO IS BEHIND POLITICAL ADS IN ELECTION 2016
[SOURCE: The Campaign Legal Center, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Sunlight Foundation and Benton Foundation filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to take immediate action against WCPO-TV of Cincinnati (OH) for failure to comply with the longstanding public file requirements of Section 315 of the Communications Act. The complaint was accompanied by a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, chastising the commission for doing “absolutely nothing” to enforce public file rules. The groups are represented by the Institute for Public Representation of Georgetown University Law Center (IPR). “The public file requirements of the Communications Act play an important role in providing transparency in our electoral system, especially post-Citizens United,” said Meredith McGehee, policy director for the Campaign Legal Center. “As the number of super PACs buying up television and radio airtime increases, the transparency of who is behind political ads is becoming increasingly murky. It is the FCC’s responsibility to ensure stations disclose information about who pays for advertisements. The FCC, in its failure to enforce laws that protect voters’ right to know, has clearly led broadcasters to freely ignore existing regulations with impunity.” The letter reminds Chairman Wheeler about the commission’s “abject failure” to resolve 11 public file complaints pending since May 2014, despite his assurance that “We take political file complaints seriously and anticipate resolving these quickly.” The letter underscores that the law is intended to protect Americans’ right to know who is behind political ads and who is trying to persuade voters.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-has-failed-protect-voters-right-know-who-behind-political-ads-election-2016 | Campaign Legal Center, The | Read the complaint | Letter to Chairman Wheeler | Broadcasting&Cable | TVNewsCheck
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

THE BROADBAND QUESTION
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Li Zhou]
An array of civil rights and tech organizations including the NAACP, New America's Open Technology Institute, the Benton Foundation and the Center for Democracy and Technology are urging NBC anchor and debate moderator Lester Holt (and the other debate moderators) to add a question about affordable broadband. “In the same ways that trains, highways, and telephones have long powered the way we do business and share ideas, internet infrastructure is our country’s economic driver for the 21st century,” they write, “With this in mind, voters must understand the presidential candidates’ plans for broadband access.” Clinton has set a goal of broadband for every household by 2020, while Trump hasn’t addressed the issue.
benton.org/headlines/broadband-question | Politico | read the letter | Free Press
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

TRUMP AND THE RETURN OF SEDITIOUS LIBEL
[SOURCE: ProPublica, AUTHOR: Richard Tofel]
[Commentary] In 2016, for the first time since at least Richard Nixon, the leader of one of our major political parties has pledged to limit press freedom by restricting criticism of his prospective rule. But Nixon’s threats were private, revealed only by his own taping system, while Donald Trump’s are very public, loud and clear. And to be fair to Nixon, he never made good on his private threats, and in the one Supreme Court case he argued personally as a lawyer, he seemed to accept modern constitutional protections for libel. In fact, Trump is more hostile to the legal and constitutional rights of the press than any major presidential candidate of the last two centuries. What he proposes is reminiscent of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 championed (to his immortal disgrace) by President John Adams. It is cold comfort—although it may be some warning to Republicans inclined to go along—that Adams was not only defeated for re-election after passage of those laws, but lost the White House to Thomas Jefferson and his close associates James Madison and James Monroe for a quarter of a century, while Adams’ Federalist Party never really recovered.
benton.org/headlines/donald-trump-and-return-seditious-libel | ProPublica
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

INTERNET/BROADBAND

BRIDGING THE DIGITAL (VETERAN) DIVIDE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Rep Jerry McNerney (D-CA) has introduced a bill to boost broadband access for veterans, saying they should not be left behind in the push for broadband adoption. Rep McNerney is a member of both the House Communications and Veterans Affairs subcommittees. The bill, the Improving Broadband Access for Veterans Act of 2016, would require the Federal Communications Commission to launch a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) into veterans' current access to broadband and what can be done to increase access. Boosting that access could conceivably piggyback on current Universal Service Fund subsidies since Rep McNerney's office says the NOI would focus on low income veterans and those in rural areas. "Veterans, who fight tirelessly to protect our country, face many challenges when they return home. Not having internet access makes what is already an incredibly difficult transition process even harder,” said Rep McNerney. The congressman cited a Pew Research study that found that less than half of those living below the poverty have broadband access at home. He also cited National Telecommunications & Information Administration figures showing rural adoption lags urban.
benton.org/headlines/bridging-digital-veteran-divide | Broadcasting&Cable
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

IGR REPORT
[SOURCE: iGR, AUTHOR: ]
Average monthly broadband usage in US homes is 190 gigabytes per month, according to a new report from iGR Research. More than 95% of this traffic is video. “TV has become a personal activity,” said Iain Gillott, president of iGR research. “If you have four people in a household now, that means four times the data going in.” In the past all members of a four-person home might watch the same thing on the same TV set at the same time. But today, each family member may be watching his or her own Netflix or YouTube choice. Despite a wider range of choices, however, the amount of time household members watch TV hasn’t changed much, nor does iGR expect it to. Households with higher-speed broadband connections don’t necessarily consume much more data than households with lower-speed connections. It’s a different story for households that upgrade from slow DSL connections, however. With a lower-speed broadband connection, households may only be able to view one or two simultaneous video streams, so when they upgrade to a higher-speed connection, their habits may change and data usage may increase.
benton.org/headlines/igr-report-us-home-broadband-and-wi-fi-usage-forecast-2015-2020 | iGR | telecompetitor
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

NEW INVESTMENT IN WH SMART CITIES INITIATIVE
[SOURCE: The White House, AUTHOR: Press release]
To kick off Smart Cities Week, the Obama Administration is expanding the Smart Cities initiative, with over $80 million in new Federal investments and a doubling of the number of participating cities and communities, exceeding 70 in total. These new investments and collaborations will help cities of all sizes, including in the following key areas:
Climate: The Administration is announcing nearly $15 million in new funding and two new coalitions to help cities and communities tackle energy and climate challenges. For example, one Department of Energy (DOE) campaign has already signed up 1,800 buildings representing 49 million square feet with data analytics tools that could reduce their energy footprint by 8 percent or more, on average.
Transportation: The Administration is announcing more than $15 million in new grants and planned funding to evolve the future of urban transportation, including National Science Foundation (NSF) funding for researchers in Chattanooga (TN) to test, for the first time, how an entire urban network of connected and autonomous vehicles can automatically cooperate to improve travel efficiency and operate safely during severe weather events.
Public safety: The Administration is announcing more than $10 million in new grants and planned funding for public safety, resilience, and disaster response. For example, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is funding the development of low-cost flood sensor-based tools in flood-prone areas of Texas, where predictive analytics will give first responders and local officials new capability to issue alerts and warnings, and the ability to respond more rapidly to save lives when a flood strikes.
Transforming city services: MetroLab Network is launching a new effort to help cities adopt promising innovations in social programs, like a collaboration between three counties surrounding Seattle and the University of Washington to use predictive analytics to identify precisely when city services succeed in helping homeless individuals transition into permanent housing, offering the promise of a future of personalized intervention.
benton.org/headlines/announcing-over-80-million-new-federal-investment-and-doubling-participating-communities | White House, The
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

AUSTRALIAN CITY JOINS 3 US CITIES IN US IGNITE SMART GB COMMUNITIES
[SOURCE: telecompetitor, AUTHOR: Andrew Burger]
Three US and one Australian city joined the US Ignite Smart Gigabit Communities Program, the federal public-private non-profit partnership announced Sept 26. Adelaide, Australia became Smart Gigabit Communities’ first international partner, joining Albuquerque (NM), Salisbury (NC), and Washington (DC). An initial set of 15 US communities joined in the launch of the Smart Gigabit Communities initiative in June with the goal of creating a network that encompasses gigabit networks and smart city technology. Each Smart Gigabit Community will develop two advanced technology solutions that include gigabit network or gigabit public services applications. Those will be shared with other participants.
benton.org/headlines/adelaide-australia-joins-three-us-cities-us-ignite-smart-gigabit-communities | telecompetitor | US Ignite
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

TELEVISION

LIBERMAN ASKS FCC TO RECONSIDER COMCAST COMPLAINT DISMISSAL
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Liberman Broadcasting, parent of Spanish-language network Estrella TV, has asked the Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau to reconsider its decision to reject Liberman's program carriage complaint against Comcast for lack of standing, saying to read a TV broadcast station out of the definition of video programming vendor is illegal. On Aug. 26, the FCC's Media Bureau said the broadcasters' retransmission issues with Comcast did not equate to program carriage under the FCC rules because it was not a video programming vendor under those rules and so did not have standing to bring the complaint. But in a Petition for Reconsideration filed Sept. 26, Liberman said the bureau had ignored the plain language of the law when it concluded it was not a video programming vendor--"programming ...provided by a television broadcast station." Liberman says that error alone justifies reconsideration. Additionally, Liberman said it had supplied enough evidence for a prima facie case against Comcast. The FCC said it had not. Liberman also said that the bureau had erred in not considering distribution of Estrella TV outside its broadcast footprint.
benton.org/headlines/liberman-broadcasting-asks-fcc-reconsider-comcast-complaint-dismissal | Multichannel News
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

CONTENT

LAWMAKERS ANNOUNCE BLOCKCHAIN TECH CAUCUS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Ali Breland]
Lawmakers announced the creation of a caucus focused on blockchain technologies like Bitcoin. “The blockchain has boundless potential," Rep Jared Polis (D-CO) said in a statement detailing the new Congressional Blockchain Caucus. "From cryptocurrencies to supply chains to banking to property titling, blockchain-based solutions have the ability to decentralize cybersecurity and revolutionize many industries.” Blockchain systems, most synonymous with Bitcoin, function as digital ledgers of transactions. Transactions are recorded on the ledger and are publicly but anonymously available for verification in the case of Bitcoin. Private banks are experimenting with technology for proprietary use to cut down costs and expedite transactions. Bitcoin and other blockchain-based currencies have been associated with libertarian hopes of anonymous digital payments and criminals on dark websites like the Silk Road, who used the currency to purchase contraband anonymously. Blockchain technologies have been creeping toward the mainstream recently, however.
benton.org/headlines/lawmakers-announce-blockchain-technology-caucus | Hill, The
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

OBAMA’S EMAIL
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Gregory Korte]
President Barack Obama uses email as part of a specialized system allowing him to send and receive messages from only a limited number of high-ranking administration officials, the White House said. "There are some common-sense security measures that have put in place to protect the president's e-mail. I think for obvious reasons, we don't discuss a lot of those measures publicly," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. "But the fact that it's not easy to predict exactly what the president's e-mail address is, is in fact one of those measures." The White House has acknowledged Obama's email use since the earliest days of his presidency, saying he uses it to keep in touch with a small circle of friends and senior officials. But the subject reemerged following revelations that President Obama used a pseudonym in his emails to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
benton.org/headlines/after-clinton-disclosures-white-house-sheds-more-light-obama-email-use | USAToday
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top