BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017
Call for Applications - Charles Benton Junior Scholar Award - press release
BUDGET
Trump federal budget 2018: Massive cuts to the arts, science and the poor
The 19 agencies that President Trump’s budget would kill, explained
Statement from Corporation for Public Broadcasting on the President’s Budget Proposal Eliminating Funding for Public Media - press release
Statement from PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger On Proposed Cuts to Federal Funding for Public Broadcasting - press release [links to Benton summary]
Public Broadcasters Fear ‘Collapse’ if US Drops Support
The President's Attack on Public Broadcasting Puts Him at Odds with the American People - Free Press
A coal miner’s plight: Paying for public broadcasting is less than a dollar of his taxes - analysis
Mulvaney justifies budget: We can't ask a coal miner to pay for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting [links to Politico]
Can Big Bird survive President Trump? [links to Benton summary]
Trump's Budget Won't Kill Big Bird, But It May Make Him Endangered [links to Forbes]
President’s budget proposal to eliminate federal library funding 'counterproductive and short-sighted' - ALA press release [links to Benton summary]
Public Media Executives: Trump's "Foolish" Public Broadcasting Cuts Will Hurt “Small-Town America” [links to Media Matters for America]
If Trump really wants to unify American culture, he should fund public broadcasting - WaPo blog [links to Benton summary]
Major Hollywood Guilds Call Trump’s Arts Cuts ‘Damaging Message to Future Generations’ [links to Wrap, The]
What President Trump's Skinny Budget Says About Cybersecurity [links to Benton summary]
Trump’s Budget Is Awful if You’re a Worker, Great if You’re a Robot [links to Wired]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
House Commerce Democrats Offer Quintet of Tech/Broadband Bills
Rural Arizona schools, libraries to see new broadband internet access
Chairman Pai Statement On Broadband Health And The Connect2Health Task Force - press release [links to Benton summary]
Statement of Commissioner Mignon Clyburn on the Continuation of the Connect2Health Task Force - press release [links to Benton summary]
House Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Hearing: Disrupter Series: Smart Communities - press release [links to Benton summary]
SF may permit micro-trenching for fiber optic internet providers [links to Benton summary]
COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY
The Resistance Must Be Digitized - Free Press
A political scientist explains how big data is transforming politics [links to Vox]
Why does WikiLeaks keep publishing U.S. state secrets? Private contractors. [links to Washington Post]
That moment when President Trump faced the farce of his media critiques [links to Washington Post]
Blocked Immigration Ban Proves Trump’s Tweets Will Haunt His Presidency [links to Wired]
SECURITY/PRIVACY
Setting the Record Straight: What the Congressional Review Act Means for the FCC’s Broadband Privacy - Public Knowledge analysis
No, Really: Congress Is About To Hand Over Your Personal Browsing Data To Advertisers [links to Fast Company]
NCTA: Comments Confirm Privacy Rules Need Re-Do [links to Multichannel News]
Free State: FCC Should Scrap Broadband Privacy Order [links to Benton summary]
A double standard on internet privacy - AEI op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Carnegie Mellon Helped the Government Access a Terror-Linked iPhone, Apparently [links to Vice]
Trump administration to score agencies on cybersecurity [links to Benton summary]
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
T-Mobile “ghost calls” clog 911 and may have led to baby’s death [links to Benton summary]
San Diego, California Fire Chief Discusses the Vital Need for the FirstNet network [links to FirstNet]
AGENDA
FCC Agenda for Meeting On March 23, 2017 - press release [links to Benton summary]
WIRETAP
White House: Trump 'stands by' wiretapping claim [links to Hill, The]
GOVERNMENT
Trump administration to score agencies on cybersecurity [links to Benton summary]
How 'Code for Asheville' has Changed the City’s Civic Coding Dynamic [links to Government Technology]
CONTENT
Google starts flagging offensive content in search results [links to Benton summary]
I’m taking a social media break for my sanity—and so should you [links to Quartz]
ADVERTISING
US judge rejects Google email scanning settlement [links to Reuters]
Google Home is playing audio ads for Beauty and the Beast [links to Verge, The]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Report Reinforces 5G Fiber Backhaul Opportunity for Fiber Network Operators [links to telecompetitor]
TELECOM
Cox Asks Supreme Court to Hear Sprint Patent Case [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
JOURNALISM
Slate staffers, in vote to unionize, call for commitment to diversity [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
Dear TV News, You're A National Joke [links to MediaPost]
TELEVISION
LRG: Top US Pay-TV Providers Lost 795K Subscribers in 2016 [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
OWNERSHIP
FTC faces big changes with Trump [links to Benton summary]
POLICYMAKERS
Radio Show: KDKA Morning News with Larry Richert and John Shumway -- FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Interview [links to KDKA]
COMPANY NEWS
Verizon Dropping its Email Business [links to Multichannel News]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
China outpaces India in internet access, smartphone ownership - Pew research [links to Benton summary]
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CHARLES BENTON JUNIOR SCHOLAR AWARD
[SOURCE: TPRC, AUTHOR: Press release]
TPRC (the Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy) and the Benton Foundation are pleased to announce the Charles Benton Junior Scholar Award to recognize a scholarship in the area of digital inclusion and broadband adoption. This special honor will be awarded at the TPRC Conference for the next three years beginning in 2017. Junior scholars (those currently enrolled in a degree program or no more than three years from receipt of most recent degree) are invited to submit. The Charles Benton Junior Scholar Award recipient will be presented with a $1,500 cash prize at the TPRC conference. Applicants are invited to submit any/all of the following for consideration: (1) an original empirically-based research paper pertaining to the area of digital inclusion and/or broadband adoption, (2) a policy proposal for digital inclusion and broadband adoption with a discussion of the justification, and/or (3) an essay on a topic dealing with digital inclusion and/or broadband adoption. The deadline for application is May 30, with notifications being made July 1.
benton.org/headlines/call-applications-charles-benton-junior-scholar-award | TPRC
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BUDGET
TRUMP FEDERAL BUDGET 2018
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Damian Paletta, Steven Mufson]
President Donald Trump unveiled a budget plan that calls for a sharp increase in military spending and stark cuts across much of the rest of the government including the elimination of dozens of long-standing federal programs that assist the poor, fund scientific research and aid America’s allies abroad. Trump’s first budget proposal, which he named “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again,” would increase defense spending by $54 billion and then offset that by stripping money from more than 18 other agencies. While there are major cuts in President Donald Trump's "America first" budget, including a 16% cut in funds for the Department of Commerce, the document says the White House will continue to support the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), at least as far as "representing the United States interest at multi-stakeholder forums on internet governance and digital commerce." The budget also says it "supports the commercial sector’s development of next generation wireless services by funding NTIA’s mission of evaluating and ensuring the efficient use of spectrum by Government users." The budget did not break out cuts for the Federal Communications Commission, but they are part of a category that averages close to a 10% hit. The budget would propose eliminating future federal support for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney outlined the President's budget in a conference call with reporters. Asked whether CPB's funding [$421 million] would be eliminated, Mulvaney shot back "yes" immediately, then finessed his answer a bit, but essentially only on a technicality. "No, I'm, sorry, I was too quick with that," he added. "We propose ending funding, but technically what you will see is it's elimination, but you'll see an amount of money in the budget necessary for us to unwind our involvement in CPB, but it will see a zero next to it; the policy is we're ending federal involvement with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."
benton.org/headlines/trump-federal-budget-2018-massive-cuts-arts-science-and-poor | Washington Post | B&C | B&C | B&C | WaPo
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19 AGENCIES TRUMP'S BUDGET WOULD KILL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Aaron Blake]
Some of the 19 agencies President Donald Trump's budget would kill:
Corporation for Public Broadcasting This is the agency that helps fund public broadcasters nationwide, including NPR and PBS.
National Endowment for the Arts: This is the agency that delivers grants to fund and promote various fine arts across the country. Having recently turned 50, it was launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson as a way of helping foster the arts as part of the Great Society. Its budget is $148 million.
National Endowment for the Humanities: Similar to the NEA — and with the same $148 million budget and launch date — the NEH deals with grants for education programs related to culture.
Institute of Museum and Library Services: Launched 20 years ago under President Bill Clinton, this agency is the main federal funder of local libraries and museums across the United States. It had a budget of $230 million in 2016. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-WI) has targeted it for elimination before, arguing museums and libraries should be funded by the private sector.
benton.org/headlines/19-agencies-president-trumps-budget-would-kill-explained | Washington Post
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CPB STATEMENT ON BUDGET PROPOSAL
[SOURCE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AUTHOR: Patricia Harrison]
Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), made the following statement regarding the President Donald Trump's proposed elimination of federal funding for public media: “There is no viable substitute for federal funding that ensures Americans have universal access to public media’s educational and informational programming and services. The elimination of federal funding to CPB would initially devastate and ultimately destroy public media’s role in early childhood education, public safety, connecting citizens to our history, and promoting civil discussions – all for Americans in both rural and urban communities. Public media is one of America’s best investments. At approximately $1.35 per citizen per year, it pays huge dividends to every American. From expanding opportunity, beginning with proven children’s educational content to providing essential news and information as well as ensuring public safety and homeland security through emergency alerts, this vital investment strengthens our communities. It is especially critical for those living in small towns and in rural and underserved areas. Viewers and listeners appreciate that public media is non-commercial and available for free to all Americans. We will work with the new Administration and Congress in raising awareness that elimination of federal funding to CPB begins the collapse of the public media system itself and the end of this essential national service.”
benton.org/headlines/statement-corporation-public-broadcasting-presidents-budget-proposal-eliminating-funding | Corporation for Public Broadcasting | B&C |
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PUBLIC BROADCASTERS FEAR 'COLLAPSE' IF US DROPS SUPPORT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Michael Grynbaum, Ben Sisario]
Public radio and television broadcasters are girding for battle after the Trump administration proposed a drastic cutback that they have long dreaded: the defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The potential elimination of about $445 million in annual funding, which helps local TV and radio stations subscribe to NPR and Public Broadcasting Service programming, could be devastating for affiliates in smaller markets that already operate on a shoestring budget. Patricia Harrison, the corporation’s president, warned in a statement on Thursday that the Trump budget proposal, if enacted, could cause “the collapse of the public media system itself.” But the power players in public broadcasting — big-city staples like WNYC in New York City — would be well-equipped to weather any cuts. Major stations typically receive only a sliver of their annual budget from the federal government, thanks to listener contributions and corporate underwriters. Podcasts and other digital offshoots have also become significant sources of revenue. Rural affiliates, however, rely more heavily on congressional largess, which can make up as much as 35 percent of their budgets. Mark Vogelzang, president of Maine Public, called the Trump proposal “the most serious threat to our federal funding” since he started in public broadcasting 37 years ago.
benton.org/headlines/public-broadcasters-fear-collapse-if-us-drops-support | New York Times
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TRUMP'S ATTACK ON PUBLIC BROADCASTING AT ODDS WITH AMERICANS
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Timothy Karr]
On March 16, the president proposed eliminating all federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a main revenue source for hundreds of local NPR and PBS stations across the country. The CPB’s $445 million cut amounts to just 0.04 percent of the $1.1 trillion of total annual discretionary spending in the president’s proposal — or approximately $1.35 per person. Seen through another lens, that $445 million amounts to little more than 2 percent of the total cost of Trump’s proposed Mexican border wall — estimated at $21.6 billion by the Department of Homeland Security. Groups like the Free Press Action Fund and millions of people across the country will fight to save the CPB. A 2017 poll rated PBS and its 350 member stations as the most-trusted nationally known institution. Survey respondents also rated the federal funding that supports PBS as taxpayer money “well spent.” Public and community media are treasured local institutions that are far more popular than Congress or this president.
benton.org/headlines/presidents-attack-public-broadcasting-puts-him-odds-american-people | Free Press
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A COAL MINER'S PLIGHT
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Glenn Kessler]
"When you start looking at places that we reduce spending, one of the questions we asked was can we really continue to ask a coal miner in West Virginia or a single mom in Detroit to pay for these programs? The answer was no. We can ask them to pay for defense, and we will, but we can’t ask them to continue to pay for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.” -- White House budget director Mick Mulvaney. Mulvaney may be the WH budget director, but these comments suggest little understanding of the taxes paid by single mothers or coal miners. Single mothers in Detroit, most of whom are living in poverty, likely pay no taxes at all and instead would be receiving funds from the U.S. government via the Earned Income Tax Credit. Coal miners also do not earn a lot of money, but in many cases may pay at least some taxes. The biggest part of the federal budget is entitlement programs — especially Social Security and Medicare — but President Trump has pledged to leave those untouched. That’s where the real money is, whereas programs like the CPB are a relative pittance.
benton.org/headlines/coal-miners-plight-paying-public-broadcasting-less-dollar-his-taxes | Washington Post
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
5 TECH/BROADBAND BILLS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
House Commerce Committee Democrats have introduced a quintet of tech-related, particularly broadband-related, bills that would, among other things, help displaced workers get broadband for re-training, address the "homework gap," better target broadband subsidies, and boost tribal access. The 21st Century Worker Opportunity Act by Rep Debbie Dingell (D-MI) would give workers "displaced by automation" a credit toward broadband service for job retraining and distance learning; The Innovation Corps Act of 2017 by Rep Doris Matsui (D-CA) would provide grants for that retraining and forgive a portion of debt of recent grads who would help with that retraining; The Wi-Fi Capable Mobile Devices Act by Rep Peter Welch (D-VT) would allow low-income students to use a parent's Lifeline connection for homework by accessing it through a Wi-Fi connection using unlicensed spectrum; The Rural Wireless Act by Rep Dave Loebsack (D-IA) would require the Federal Communications Commission to use "more reliable" data when determining where to spend on increased deployment; and The Tribal Digital Access Act by Rep Raul Ruiz (D-CA) would add "Indian Country" to the definition of areas eligible for Universal Service Fund Lifeline support. It remains to be seen how far the bills get in a Congress controlled by Republicans with their own ideas about how to deploy broadband and spend federal subsidy dollars.
benton.org/headlines/house-commerce-democrats-offer-quintet-techbroadband-bills | Broadcasting&Cable | The Hill
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RURAL AZ SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES TO SEE NEW BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS
[SOURCE: Phoenix Business Journal, AUTHOR: Hayley Ringle]
Hundreds of rural K-12 school districts, charter schools and libraries across Arizona could receive new or expanded internet access thanks to a new initiative and federal funding. The Arizona Corporation Commission unanimously approved changes March 14 to the Arizona Universal Service Fund rules to provide money for this program to connect Arizona’s rural schools to the internet. The ACC vote paves the way for a partnership between the Corporation Commission, the Governor’s Office, the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the non-profit EducationSuperHighway. The group will draw down $100 million in federal e-rate funds to pay for infrastructure that will provide broadband to rural schools and libraries. The Arizona Universal Service Fund will provide $8 million in state match funding. An additional $5 million is needed, and that amount is included in the governor’s budget proposal.
benton.org/headlines/rural-arizona-schools-libraries-see-new-broadband-internet-access | Phoenix Business Journal | Arizona Broadband Initiative | AZ Department of Education
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COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY
THE RESISTANCE MUST BE DIGITIZED
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Joseph Torres, Malkia Cyril]
[Commentary] Over the past two months, millions of people have taken to the streets to challenge our nation’s authoritarian new president. From the women’s marches that took place across the country and around the world to the mass protests against the Muslim ban and immigration raids, people are resisting the neo-fascist agenda President Trump is unleashing on our nation. A primary reason why millions have been able to mobilize so quickly is because they have the ability to use the open internet to communicate to the masses and organize a resistance. That’s why protecting the Net Neutrality rules that keep the internet open is more critical than ever. As authoritarianism rises, digital free speech can ensure our opposition to authoritarianism also rises. But unfettered access to an open internet, and our ability to flex our digital muscles to advocate for the health and well being of our communities, could soon come to an end. In January, Trump appointed Ajit Pai as the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. In so doing he found someone who shares his disdain for popular democracy, privacy rights, the truth and the poor. And it appears his disdain also extends to the press. But the same communities Pai is targeting are fighting back to demand affordable internet access and to protect the Net Neutrality rules that ensure we can continue to organize and speak for ourselves online. As Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors once wrote: "It is because of Net Neutrality rules that the internet is the only communication channel left where Black voices can speak and be heard, produce and consume, on our own terms." This is why we must resist — and to ensure that the resistance will be digitized.
benton.org/headlines/resistance-must-be-digitized | Free Press
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SECURITY/PRIVACY
WHAT CRA MEANS FOR FCC BROADBAND PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Dallas Harris]
One significant threat to the public interest under the new administration that is receiving increased attention is broadband privacy for consumers. The Congressional Review Act (“CRA” for you Washington types), is a little known bill passed in 1996 that allows Congress to completely get rid of rules passed by an federal agency within 60 days of being published in the Federal Register or submitted to Congress, whichever is later. Once Congress uses the CRA on a rule, it is like the rule never existed. In legal speak, the rule has no force or effect...The practical truth is, if the CRA is passed, consumers will be left with no one to enforce their privacy rights. Congress should be in the business of protecting consumers, not eliminating protections, especially given the recent news showing the technological advances in monitoring Americans and the importance of data security rules to strong cybersecurity protections. It’s time for Congressional leaders to reassure Americans that their sensitive, personal information will be properly protected. The FCC broadband privacy rules were a strong step in that direction. They should not be repealed, and if they are, at a minimum Congressional leaders should be clear about how they will be legally replaced without weakening protections.
benton.org/headlines/setting-record-straight-what-congressional-review-act-means-fccs-broadband-privacy | Public Knowledge
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