October 2016

BROADBAND

BROADBAND RESEARCH AGENDA
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Obama Administration is getting plenty of input on what information it should be collecting to help guide its mission of promoting universal broadband deployment, adoption and competition.
Comments were due Oct 11 on the National Telecommunications & Information Administration and National Science Foundation joint National Broadband Research Agenda, one of the September 2015 recommendations of the Broadband Opportunity Council (BOC), which was created in March 2015 by President Obama and co-chaired by the Commerce Department (NTIA is an arm of Commerce) and the Department of Agriculture, both of which oversaw billions in stimulus funds for broadband buildouts. The Benton Foundation, American Library Association, Media Mobilizing Project, New America’s Open Technology Institute, and Public Knowledge, said that the research must take into account the specific needs of seniors, low-income families, persons with disabilities, people living in rural areas, all population groups they argue are usually ignored when developing new broadband policies. They also want the research to look at how to reach vulnerable communities during the IP transition, when some may be "left without robust access." Mobile Future, representing wireless broadband providers, wants the research to focus on "existing regulatory and financial barriers to infrastructure deployment" as part of an effort to eliminate them. Their goal is reasonable costs and processes for rolling out 5G networks, so they want the government to study the impact of fees for rights of way, for example, or delays in processing applications, connecting to polls or accessing municipal infrastructure.
benton.org/headlines/obama-administration-gets-earful-broadband-research-agenda | Multichannel News
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BROADBAND RESEARCH AGENDA II
[SOURCE: Technology Policy Institute, AUTHOR: Amy Smorodin]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and National Science Foundation’s request for comments on a broadband research agenda is an important step towards a coherent, data-driven national policy, states Technology Policy Institute President Scott Wallsten in comments filed with the agencies. Research on broadband adoption and programs should focus on what could drive consumer demand among the unconnected, experimentation in programs, and independent evaluation on the effectiveness of current policies. Broadband subsidy programs “have tended to focus on supply, with little regard to how people use the Internet or what will attract them to it,” explains Wallsten. For example, recent reforms made to the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program failed to acknowledge the results of pilot programs, which suggested subsidies “have little effect on adoption. It is crucial that we understand more about the nature of demand if we are to encourage the remaining non-adopters to join the network.” Agencies must be able to experiment to determine what programs or actions may or may not increase adoption. “Experimentation should extend beyond adoption issues, as well,” explained Wallsten. “Research can also focus on ways of distributing subsidies and grants in ways that yield the most benefits.” Research should also focus on independent evaluation of existing programs and determining ways of building evaluation into new programs. “Evaluation should focus on long-term programs that have not yet received any attention, such as broadband subsidies distributed by the Rural Utilities Service, and others that are now ripe for evaluation, such as the Connect America Fund.”
benton.org/headlines/data-experimentation-and-evaluation-needed-inform-broadband-policy | Technology Policy Institute | read the comments
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BROADBAND AND POSTAL USE
[SOURCE: Government Accountability Office, AUTHOR: Lori Rectanus]
Broadband use has in recent years been associated with reduced use of FirstClass Mail. Continued declines as a result of broadband, however, are uncertain. Broadband access to various Internet services, especially online bill paying, is associated with reduced use of transaction mail, a subset of First-Class Mail. GAO analysis of the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) Household Diary Survey (HDS) data from 2007-2014 found that households using broadband to access Internet services tended to send less transaction mail than other households, controlling for age, income, and education. However, GAO found that in recent years broadband use may not have had a statistically significant effect on correspondence mail, a subset of First-Class Mail that includes letters and greeting cards. GAO found that rural households tend to visit post offices more regardless of broadband use.
benton.org/headlines/information-how-broadband-affects-postal-use-and-communications-options-rural-residents | Government Accountability Office
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ELECTION 2016

SEN THUNE FLIP FLOPS ON TRUMP
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Amber Phillips]
On October 8, Sen John Thune (R-SD), Senate Commerce Committee Chairman, was the highest-ranking Republican to call for Donald Trump to quit the presidential race. On Oct 11, Sen Thune said he'll probably vote for him. A reasonable reading of this situation is that Trump has managed to stop the bleeding among Republicans tempted to ditch him — whether by a stronger-than-expected debate performance, or by making life hard for Republicans who did bail. There could be a few reasons high-profile Republicans such as Sen Thune have reversed their decision to jump ship. The first is obvious: the ticking clock. Sen Thune still thinks Trump should go, he told Steva, but said it may be too late.
benton.org/headlines/sen-thune-wanted-donald-trump-gone-now-it-looks-hell-vote-him | Washington Post
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FACEBOOK AND VOTER REGISTRATION
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Niraj Chokshi]
A 17-word Facebook reminder contributed to substantial increases in online voter registration across the country, according to top election officials. At least nine secretaries of state have credited the social network’s voter registration reminder, displayed for four days in September, with boosting sign-ups, in some cases by considerable amounts. Data from nine other states show that registrations rose drastically on the first day of the campaign compared with the day before. “Facebook clearly moved the needle in a significant way,” said Alex Padilla, California’s secretary of state. In California, 123,279 people registered to vote or updated their registrations on Friday, Sept. 23, the first day that Facebook users were presented with the reminder. That was the fourth-highest daily total in the history of the state’s online registration site. Facebook’s effort is notable not just for boosting voter registration, but also for the kinds of voters it may have helped to enlist. While Facebook could not provide demographic breakdowns of the users who registered, the social network is more popular among female internet users than male users, and the same is true for young users compared with older users. Both groups — women and younger adults — tend to lean Democratic.
benton.org/headlines/facebook-helped-drive-voter-registration-surge-election-officials-say | New York Times | read the research
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COMCAST CENSORSHIP
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Reid Wilson]
Comcast has blocked versions of an advertisement backing a hike in Oregon’s corporate tax, which the cable giant opposes, from appearing on its video-on-demand service. The versions that raised red flags specifically mention Comcast as one of the out-of-state corporations that would have to pay higher taxes as a result of Measure 97, which would raise income taxes on corporations across the state. New versions of all three advertisements initially flagged by Comcast are back on air and do not mention the cable giant, but the initial decision has rankled supporters of the tax. “It’s ridiculous. I’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s very unusual,” said John Coghlan, the consultant who bought ads for the measure. Coghland received an email from Comcast that the ads wouldn’t be allowed after he made the purchase on Comcast’s video-on-demand service. “The spot was flagged on our end and placed on HOLD while we escalate it for review for compliance with our guidelines,” the Comcast representative told Coghlan. Coghlan said the guidelines were never made available to the campaign. Comcast has donated $465,000 to the campaign against Measure 97.
benton.org/headlines/comcast-middle-oregon-fight-over-taxes-and-censorship | Hill, The
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM

5G AND RURAL AREAS
[SOURCE: telecompetitor, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
5G wireless technology could be an important technology for mid-sized and rural markets, as news about US Cellular 5G testing illustrates. The company said it had collaborated with Nokia to test 5G and demonstrate 5G in a fixed wireless configuration. US Cellular and Nokia plan additional collaborative work and are focusing on indoor and outdoor environments using spectrum in the 28 GHz band. The companies used the spectrum through an experimental license from the Federal Communications Commission. At least one other tier two broadband provider – C Spire – also has tested 5G in a fixed configuration. That testing also used Nokia equipment in the 28 GHz band. The 28 GHz band is one of several that the FCC hopes to make available for 5G use. And it is the band that the FCC has proposed auctioning on a county by county basis – a plan that could make it economically feasible for small carriers to acquire spectrum whenever a 5G auction is held.
benton.org/headlines/us-cellular-5g-tests-show-technologys-potential-rural-markets | telecompetitor
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October 2016

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