1. Monthly archive
  2. October 2016

October 2016

Federal Communications Commission
Friday, November 4, 2016
3:00-5:00 p.m.
http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2016/db1003/DA-1...

The FCC’s will illustrate how the availability of the direct video calling option can help businesses and government agencies be more accessible to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, speech-disabled or deaf-blind, by providing ways for these populations to directly contact entities in sign language using video transmissions.

This technology – which is readily obtainable, affordable and easy to implement – increases the efficiency and effectiveness of communications for individuals with disabilities, and helps to ensure the accessibility of call centers. The resulting employment opportunities afforded to members of the deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and speech-disabled community, who can serve as call center representatives, provide an added benefit of this form of communication.

To RSVP to the Showcase, or to request the opportunity to exhibit a direct video calling technology, please visit: https://www.fcc.gov/DVCShowcase.

For more information about the Showcase, please contact the FCC’s Direct Video Calling team at DVC@fcc.gov, or call 202-769-0760. For more information about direct video calling, visit http://www.fcc.gov/general/direct-video-communications.


Brookings
Thursday, Oct 06, 2016
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT
https://www.brookings.edu/events/the-economic-costs-of-internet-shutdowns/

During the Arab Spring protests, the Egyptian government’s five-day shutdown of the country’s internet cost an estimated $90 million as it crippled Egypt’s digital economy. Since then, countries around the world have increasingly employed internet shutdowns and social media blockages to stifle internal unrest and handle societal issues, but the economic effects of these measures remain relatively unknown.

On October 6, the Governance Studies program at Brookings will host an expert panel moderated by Darrell West, vice president and director of the Center for Technology Innovation, to discuss the impact of internet shutdowns on national economies. How widespread and frequent have they become? To what extent have they damaged domestic economies? And what will be the long-term consequences of a growing trend towards internet shutdowns? In conjunction with the event, Governance Studies will release a paper estimating the economic costs of such internet blackouts over the past year.

After the session, panelists will take audience questions. This event will be live webcast. Join the conversation at #InternetShutdown or follow @BrookingsGov.


Brookings
Friday, October 7, 2016
10:00 — 11:30 a.m.
http://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-attend-digital-policy-lessons

Since the Snowden leaks in 2013, the Obama administration has learned a number of lessons about balancing national security concerns with digital privacy and trade. Digital surveillance can have far-reaching consequences for U.S. technology companies selling digital good and services abroad, and the president has established a new standard for protecting the data of non-U.S. citizens. Will this hard-earned wisdom in the digital arena carry over to the next administration?

On October 7, Governance Studies at Brookings will host a panel moderated by Center for Technology and Innovation Visiting Fellow Cameron Kerry to discuss what lessons the next president should draw from the past three years. Which policymakers and agencies should advise the next president on digital issues? How should the executive branch respond to these issues and effectively integrate national security, economic growth and competitiveness, human rights, and other concerns in this area?

After the session, panelists will take audience questions.


Greater Washington DC Chapter of the Internet Society
Friday, October 7, 2016
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/iana-transition-breakfast-roundtable-discus...

Join ISOC-DC for a Roundtable breakfast discussion on the status of the IANA Transition and the implications for the future of the Internet.

The discussion will be led by Steve DelBianco, Executive Director of NetChoice and a member a member of ICANN’s CCWG (Cross Community Working Group) on Accountability, and Phil Corwin, an Attorney at Virtualaw LLC.


Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
12 pm -- 1:30 pm
https://itif.org/events/2016/10/04/fcc-sprint-broadband-privacy-rulemaki...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently considering a broad set of privacy regulations specific to broadband providers, which could result in an unfortunate departure from the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) flexible privacy framework. A recent Ninth Circuit Court decision has thrown a wrinkle into the jurisdictional boundary between the FCC and FTC, significantly heightening the need for the FCC to harmonize its approach with the FTC. What's more, the FCC’s privacy proposal has emboldened advocates to seek a wrong-headed ban on Internet service providers offering discounts in exchange for permission to use consumer data commercially. Join ITIF to discuss these latest turns in the FCC privacy debate and where policymakers should go from here.

Speakers

Doug Brake
Telecommunications Policy Analyst
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Moderator

Neil ChilsonNeil Chilson
Attorney-Advisor to Commissioner Ohlhausen
Federal Trade Commission

Nancy LibinNancy Libin
Partner
Jenner & Block LLP

Nicol Turner-LeeNicol Turner-Lee
Vice President and Chief Research & Policy Officer
MMTC


FCC: EAS Test Will Help Refine Second-Language Alerts

When asked by reporters about reports from state Emergency Alert System (EAS) coordinators that some of the emergency alerts sent out during the recent national test of the EAS system did not go through in Spanish, Admiral David Simpson, chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau, said that illustrated the value of the test. The FCC was conducting the test in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with a focus on FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) that disseminates the alerts to the various participants. "That's exactly the kind of thing we wanted to test," Simpson told reporters following the test. "We believe this will give us the data necessary to refine the transmission of that second-language version of the same alert."

Asked whether he thought the test was more successful than one in 2011, Simpson said it was hard to compare given the work it took to achieve that first test. But he did say that the recent test had "built upon" that foundation. "We were in a better place to capture results, not just from broadcasters themselves but from disability rights organizations as well as communities in general." He said if it was better, it was only because the previous test had laid the table for them. Simpson said that over 22,000 stations had reported back with info on the test (as required), and the FCC was massaging the data along with FEMA, stakeholders and state commissions.

Verizon’s fiber plan called “haphazard,” leaves many with subpar DSL in NJ

Verizon’s plan to deploy fiber to 900 homes and fix problems with its DSL network in South New Jersey is “haphazard” and fails to “address the systemic problems” faced by Verizon customers, an independent government agency said. The New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel, a watchdog agency that advocates on behalf of utility customers, wants state utility regulators to move forward with an investigation into Verizon’s plan to fix service problems. Division of Rate Counsel Director Stefanie Brand made the agency’s position clear in a letter to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU).

The BPU has been considering whether to launch an investigation of Verizon as requested by 17 cities and towns who say the company “has, through neglect, abandoned and retired its copper landline infrastructure in most of South Jersey.” Verizon attempted to prevent a formal investigation by submitting a plan to improve service on September 19, but Rate Counsel argued that the BPU should investigate instead of simply taking Verizon’s word that it will fix the problems.

Trump’s many, many threats to sue the press since launching his campaign

[Commentary] Donald Trump's Outright Contempt for journalists and press freedom is well known—but in the past month he has outdone himself. In the span of a long weekend in mid-September, Trump threatened to sue The New York Times, his staff had a Vice reporter arrested outside a campaign event, and he blamed the New York terrorist bombings on “freedom of the press.” The weekend of Sept 30, Trump struck again. After the Times’ huge scoop detailing how he took an almost billion-dollar loss on his 1995 taxes, Trump’s lawyer threatened “prompt initiation of appropriate legal action” against the Times once more. By my count, it is at least the 11th time Trump has threatened to sue a news organization or journalist during his campaign for president.

[Trevor Timm is the executive director of Freedom of the Press Foundation.]

Developing a Thriving and Inclusive Digital-First Economy

[Commentary] We are in the midst of a transition from an economy with a growing digital component, to an economy where digital issues are of first and foremost importance. Four months ago the Digital Economy Board of Advisors (DEBA) was charged with an ambitious agenda to advise the Department of Commerce on how to navigate and respond to this transition. We are honored to co-chair this accomplished group of leading technologists, business leaders, social sector executives and expert policy makers. This past week the Board convened for its second public meeting at the Mozilla offices in Mountain View (CA) to review the outputs of our work to date. Each of the working groups presented their initial discussion drafts, meant to create a space for broader conversation with the Board and to invite additional input from a variety of voices. Through our discussions insights emerged around several key issues, including encouraging the Department of Commerce to engage with the tech sector to:

Develop innovative models that better connect people to high-quality, minimal-time, and low-cost training programs for the most high-demand skills
Foster solutions that encourage and facilitate the growth and usage of digital platforms among SMEs
Protect the benefits that such platforms hold for businesses in the global marketplace
Develop more accurate measures for the impact of emerging digital activities on the economy.

[Zoë Baird is CEO and President of the Markle Foundation. Mitchell Baker is Executive Chairwoman of the Mozilla Foundation. Both Co-Chair the Digital Economy Board of Advisors.]

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