BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016
Today's Events
FCC MEETING & NEWS
Chairman Wheeler urges President-elect Trump to protect consumers, not corporations
Sens Markey, Wyden Put Hold on FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel
FCC's Wheeler: No Decision on Departure Date
Broadband Coalition Hails BDS Revamp No-Vote [links to Benton summary]
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
President Obama rails against fake news
Viral Fake Election News Outperformed Real News On Facebook In Final Months Of The US Election
How tech and media can fight fake news - CJR op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Fake News on Facebook? In Foreign Elections, That’s Not New. [links to Benton summary]
Fake news giant: I feel bad about putting Trump in the White House [links to Hill, The]
Facebook is well aware that it can influence elections [links to CNN]
Edward Snowden: Falling For Facebook Fake News Is A ‘Sad Indictment Of Our Democracy’ [links to Huffington Post]
What the New York City media can teach us about Donald Trump [links to Washington Post]
The Trump White House Will Be Gunning For The Press; It's Time To Finally Fight Back [links to Media Maters for America]
TRUMP TRANSITION
Journalist Says Steve Bannon Had A 'Years-Long Plan' To Take Down Hillary Clinton [links to NPR]
President-elect Trump’s FCC Expected to Relax Media Ownership Limits [links to Benton summary]
Trump's victory could spell the end of the FCC's net neutrality regulations [links to Los Angeles Times]
Rallying cry for media under Trump: Make FOIA Great Again [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
How Will President-elect Trump Deal with FOIA? - Vice analysis [links to Benton summary]
Trump election likely to drive new tech investment priorities [links to Benton summary]
What Silicon Valley Wants From The Trump White House [links to Benton summary]
Trump Says Transition’s Going ‘Smoothly,’ Disputing Disarray Reports [links to New York Times]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
America's Libraries: Powering Broadband Adoption, Access, and Use - ALA analysis
Libraries bolster opportunity — new briefs show how libraries support policy priorities of new administration - ALA press release [links to Benton summary]
Parkland, affordable housing, the Internet of Things-- it’s all someone’s ‘infrastructure’ [links to Benton summary]
USTelecom, NTCA Ask FCC for More A-CAM Universal Service Funding [links to Benton summary]
Google Is Building A Web For The Rest Of The World, Slow Connections And All [links to Fast Company]
Internet diffusion and regime type: Temporal patterns in technology adoption - Telecommunications Policy research [links to Benton summary]
LRG: Cable Broadband Dominates Again in Q3 [links to Multichannel News]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
SpaceX just took another step toward delivering superfast Internet from space
SECURITY/PRIVACY
In two weeks, it will be easier for Uncle Sam to search your computer
Sens Introduce Bill to Delay Expansion of FBI Hacking Powers [links to Benton summary]
iPhone Secretly Send Call History To Apple, Security Firm Says [links to Benton summary]
Sen Warner As Ranking Democrat on Senate Intelligence Committee Could Aid Encryption [links to nextgov]
Could the Fear of Weaponizing Internet of Things Devices Lead to New Agency? [links to nextgov]
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION
Facebook’s new Community Help tool lets users offer and find help during emergency crises [links to Verge, The]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
What's New in Civic Tech: Government Portals on Facebook, Spreading City-Startup Partnerships [links to Government Technology]
Vice President-elect Mike Pence has his own e-mail controversy in Indiana [links to Benton summary]
Jesse Jackson to President Obama: Pardon Hillary Clinton [links to Hill, The]
AT&T/TIME WARNER
Satellite Dishes That Power Time Warner Imperil AT&T Deal
OWNERSHIP
D.C. Court Gets Latest FCC Media Ownership Appeal [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
MMTC, NABOB Join Court Challenge to FCC Quadrennial Review [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
Verizon acquires SocialRadar to buff up MapQuest’s location data [links to TechCrunch]
Op-Ed: Silicon Valley is now the media capital of the world [links to Vox]
Stop arguing with Comcast and let this bot negotiate for you [links to Verge, The]
TELECOM
FCC Signs Robocall Agreement With Canadian Regulator - press release [links to Benton summary]
CONTENT
How Tech Is Helping (And Hindering) Criminal Justice Reform [links to Fast Company]
TELEVISION
An Open Letter to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai on ATSC 3.0 - TVNewsCheck press release [links to Benton summary]
POLICYMAKERS
National intelligence chief James Clapper resigns
JOURNALISM
A journalist’s solo mission to cover native peoples across the globe [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
Bloomberg to End Its Daily Politics Show [links to New York Times]
LABOR
Gig Work, Online Selling and Home Sharing - Pew research
FTC “Sharing Economy” Report Explores Evolving Internet And App-Based Services - press release [links to Benton summary]
AOL lays off 500 employees in a restructuring with focus on mobile, data and video [links to Vox]
DIVERSITY
To increase diversity in tech, we need to rethink what 'tech' is - The Hill op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Stereotype Study Confirms That People Still Think Women Don't Tweet About Tech [links to Vice]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
ITU Telecom World Leadership Summit Focuses on Collaboration in Digital Economy [links to International Telecommunication Union]
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FCC MEETING & NEWS
WHEELER URGES TRUMP TO PROTECT CONSUMERS, NOT CORPORATIONS
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
As Republicans prepare to take over the Federal Communications Commission, outgoing Chairman Tom Wheeler defended his Democratic majority’s decisions and said he hopes the FCC will continue to protect consumers under President Donald Trump. Chairman Wheeler said: "Certain of my colleagues identified the items on today's proposed agenda as controversial and asked that they not be considered today. I hope that this doesn't mean that these issues won't be quickly addressed after the transfer of leadership of this agency. It is unfortunate that hospitals and small businesses in search of competitive alternatives will be denied that opportunity. They deserve better from this commission. It is truly disappointing that 1.4 million Americans living in rural areas without LTE service will continue to be so deprived. They deserve better from this commission. And it is tragic that 1.3 million Americans who are blind and millions more who are visually impaired will not be able to enjoy expanded video description. They deserve better from this commission. All of these matters are so-called 'controversial' because they are opposed principally by the largest incumbent firms in the sector. As the deferred items reflect, when so-called controversy is the result of choosing between the broader common good or those incumbents preferring the status quo, I believe the public interest should prevail." “Taking a fast, fair and open internet away from the public would be a real mistake,” a somber and steely-eyed Chairman Wheeler told reporters after the FCC’s monthly meeting. “Taking away network privacy that consumers enjoy as a result of our decision would be a real mistake.”
benton.org/headlines/chairman-wheeler-urges-president-elect-trump-protect-consumers-not-corporations | Ars Technica | The Hill | Vice
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SENS MARKEY, WYDEN PUT HOLD ON ROSENWORCEL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
There are now a pair of holds on a Senate vote on the nomination of Jessica Rosenworcel, and they are from members of her own party. Any senator can block a nomination by issuing such a hold. A spokesperson for the Senate Commerce Committee Republican majority identified the holds as being placed by Sens Ed Markey (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). “Bipartisan technology legislation passed by the Commerce Committee should not face further delay from the Senate Minority Leader over a nominee Senate Democrats are now blocking," they said. Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had vowed that a mobile broadband spectrum bill would not get a vote while Commissioner Rosenworcel's renomination vote was not scheduled for a vote in the full Senate. Looks now like Minority Leader Reid may have to talk to his own party about that. Other communications bills in the Senate Commerce Committee have also backed up behind that Minority Leader Reid pledge, apparently. A spokesperson for Sen Markey's office confirmed the holds and explained them this way: "Sen. Markey wants a commissioner who is unequivocally committed to pro-consumer and pro-competition policies. Recent actions from Commissioner Rosenworcel on the proposed set-top box rule and other items have called that commitment into question." Commissioner Rosenworcel was widely believed to have had ongoing reservations about the set-top box proposal's impact on copyright and contracts, reservations not shared by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.
benton.org/headlines/sens-markey-wyden-put-hold-fcc-commissioner-rosenworcel | Broadcasting&Cable | Washington Post
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WHEELER: NO DECISION ON DEPARTURE DATE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler says he has not decided his departure date. That came in a press conference following an abbreviated FCC meeting—the business took about a minute—following the dropping of virtually all the agenda items after Republicans asked him to stand down from "controversial" votes. Chairman Wheeler would not say whether he would stay on, as a commissioner, past when a new chairman was named to make the commission 2-2 until a successor were confirmed for Democratic Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel if she is not reconfirmed in the lame duck Congress and has to leave at the end of December.
benton.org/headlines/fccs-wheeler-no-decision-departure-date | Broadcasting&Cable
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ELECTIONS & MEDIA
OBAMA RAILS AGAINST FAKE NEWS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jordan Fabian]
President Barack Obama denounced the the spread of fake news online, suggesting it’s helped undermine the US political process. “If we are not serious about facts and what’s true and what’s not ... if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems," President Obama said during a news conference in Germany. The president’s comments amplify reports that viral fake news influenced the 2016 presidential election, adding to pressure on social media sites like Facebook to address the criticism that they didn’t do enough to address the issue. President Obama argued that phenomenon can have an affect on voter attitudes toward candidates, particularly “in an age where there is so much active misinformation, and it’s packaged very well, and it looks the same when you see it on a Facebook page or turn on your television.” “If everything seems to be the same and no distinctions are made, then we won’t know what to protect,” President Obama said. “We won’t know what to fight for."
benton.org/headlines/president-obama-rails-against-fake-news | Hill, The
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VIRAL FAKE ELECTION NEWS OUTPERFORMED REAL NEWS ON FACEBOOK
[SOURCE: BuzzFeed, AUTHOR: Craig Silverman]
In the final three months of the US presidential campaign, the top-performing fake election news stories on Facebook generated more engagement than the top stories from major news outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, NBC News, and others, a BuzzFeed News analysis has found. During these critical months of the campaign, 20 top-performing false election stories from hoax sites and hyperpartisan blogs generated 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook. Within the same time period, the 20 best-performing election stories from 19 major news websites generated a total of 7,367,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook. Up until those last three months of the campaign, the top election content from major outlets had easily outpaced that of fake election news on Facebook. Then, as the election drew closer, engagement for fake content on Facebook skyrocketed and surpassed that of the content from major news outlets.
benton.org/headlines/viral-fake-election-news-outperformed-real-news-facebook-final-months-us-election | BuzzFeed
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
AMERICA'S LIBRARIES: POWERING BROADBAND ADOPTION, ACCESS, AND USE
[SOURCE: American Library Association, AUTHOR: ]
Libraries maximize trusted expert staff and technology infrastructure to boost Americans’ awareness of the benefi ts of broadband adoption and the digital skills needed to thrive online.
Libraries and librarians help with home broadband adoption. Look at HUD’s ConnectHome as a recent policy initiative. More generally, libraries and librarians bring a wealth of expertise and resources to advance federal, state and local broadband adoption and use initiatives.
Federal policymakers should promote investment and growth through initiatives that strengthen existing Wi-Fi spectrum designations, free up new frequencies for Wi-Fi, and establish transparent and predictable rules for Wi-Fi spectrum.
Federal and state policies must further the promise of E-rate modernization, as well as promote competition that enables local choice among broadband providers to meet growing digital demands.
Libraries need strong open Internet rules to serve our communities
benton.org/headlines/americas-libraries-powering-broadband-adoption-access-and-use | American Library Association
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
SPACEX JUST TOOK ANOTHER STEP TOWARD DELIVERING SUPERFAST INTERNET FROM SPACE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
SpaceX has asked the government for permission to test what could someday be a massive network of satellites that will beam Internet service down to Earth. The application, filed Nov 16 to the Federal Communications Commission, proposes a fleet of what will eventually include more than 4,400 satellites, covering the United States and the rest of the globe. SpaceX needs regulatory approval from the FCC to use the wireless airwaves that would power this network. Orbiting more than 700 miles up, the satellites could provide speeds as fast as 1 gigabit per second, per user, according to a technical attachment to the filing. That's as much bandwidth as some premium Internet providers offer entire households. SpaceX would start by launching 800 satellites, the filing said. “The system is designed to provide a wide range of broadband and communications services for residential, commercial, institutional, governmental and professional users worldwide,” according to the technical attachment. “Once fully deployed, the SpaceX System will pass over virtually all parts of the Earth’s surface and therefore, in principle, have the ability to provide ubiquitous global service.”
benton.org/headlines/spacex-just-took-another-step-toward-delivering-superfast-internet-space | Washington Post | The Guardian
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SECURITY/PRIVACY
IN TWO WEEKS, IT WILL BE EASIER FOR UNCLE SAME TO SEARCH YOUR COMPUTER
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: David Kravets]
Beginning December 1, the US surveillance state will expand—all without a congressional vote. Earlier in 2016, a new Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure was amended after three years of study by an unelected advisory committee. It was signed by the US Supreme Court and allows judges to sign warrants to allow the authorities to hack into computers outside a judge's jurisdiction. Rule 41 also grants judges the power to use one warrant to search multiple computers anywhere instead of requiring warrants for each computer. Absent the rule, federal judges may only authorize electronic searches within their own judicial district. While this may seem bureaucratic or like a technicality, in practice the new rule will have a big impact on investigating cybercrime, according to the Justice Department. Evidence has been suppressed in some child pornography prosecutions because a Virginia magistrate allowed the FBI to seize and operate the Tor-hidden site Playpen for 13 days. Investigators also deployed malware that disrupted Tor's privacy protections and revealed more than 1,000 true IP addresses, which led to 137 prosecutions nationwide. In a few of those prosecutions, judges tossed cases because of the jurisdiction rule that Rule 41 now cures.
benton.org/headlines/two-weeks-it-will-be-easier-uncle-sam-search-your-computer | Ars Technica
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AT&T/TIME WARNER
SATELLITE DISHES THAT POWER TIME WARNER IMPERIL ATT DEAL
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Todd Shields, Scott Moritz]
Behind the Time Warner campus in Atlanta (GA), more than a dozen massive dishes silently stream CNN newscasts, Cartoon Network shows and Turner Sports games to satellites in outer space. They’re a vital link in the media giant’s global news and entertainment business. But they operate under licenses from the Federal Communications Commission, which means they also could be the biggest threat to Time Warner’s aspirations to merge with AT&T. Time Warner has dozens of FCC licenses. Transferring them to AT&T would trigger a review by the agency, and the company is looking for ways to avoid that, according to a person familiar with the situation. Otherwise, the $85.4 billion deal could be exposed to an agency that’s been a graveyard for mergers. In theory, Time Warner could sell its dishes to an unaffiliated third party and enter into a contract with them for the same services -- but in that case, the buyer would need to ask the FCC for a license to provide services in the same location over the same airwaves, said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, senior counselor at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington. It’s possible the FCC would accept the application without a fuss, Schwartzman said. But, he said, FCC officials also might say, “Wait a minute! We’re not stupid -- you are evading this review.”
benton.org/headlines/satellite-dishes-power-time-warner-imperil-att-deal | Bloomberg
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POLICYMAKERS
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE CHIEF JAMES CLAPPER RESIGNS
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Martin Matishak, Bryan Bender]
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said that he has submitted his resignation to President Barack Obama and will not stay on past the transition to Donald Trump. Director Clapper offered the news during his opening statement in a rare open hearing of the House Intelligence Committee after the panel's Ranking Member, Rep Adam Schiff (D-CA), said he had heard rumors that the spy chief might stay on into the Trump Administration That's not going to happen, Director Clapper said. "I submitted my letter of resignation last night, which felt pretty good," he said. "I got 64 days left, and I think I'd have a hard time with my wife anything past that." Director Clapper, a retired Air Force lieutenant general who took on the intelligence director role in 2010, had long said he would be done after 2016. He will finish out his term at noon on Jan. 20, his office said afterward.
benton.org/headlines/national-intelligence-chief-james-clapper-resigns | Politico | Washington Post
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LABOR
GIG WORK, ONLINE SELLING AND HOME SHARING
[SOURCE: Pew Research Center, AUTHOR: Aaron Smith]
From neighborhood handymen to freelance computer programmers, Americans have long taken on piecemeal work in lieu of (or in addition to) traditional salaried employment. But today a variety of apps and online platforms are making it easier than ever for people to connect with customers who might like to hire them to do any number of jobs – from performing various types of online tasks to driving for ride-hailing services or cleaning someone’s home. These platforms also allow users to earn money in a range of other ways, such as sharing their possessions with others or selling their used goods or personal creations. the context of gig employment, nearly one-in-ten Americans (8%) have earned money in the last year using digital platforms to take on a job or task. Meanwhile, nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) have earned money in the last year by selling something online, while 1% have rented out their properties on a home-sharing site. Adding up everyone who has performed at least one of these three activities, some 24% of American adults have earned money in the “platform economy” over the last year. The extra income they make is a luxury for some, but a necessity for others.
benton.org/headlines/gig-work-online-selling-and-home-sharing | Pew Research Center | The Hill
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