BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017
Today's Event -- Addressing Rural Broadband in Infrastructure Legislation: An Overview of SHLB's Rural ABC Plan -- https://www.benton.org/node/256367
COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY
Chairman Pai, Tell Us What You're Thinking About Freedom of the Press - Adrianne Furniss
House Intelligence Panel Launches Probe of President Trump Leaks
Murdoch And Trump, An Alliance Of Mutual Interest
President Trump slams NBC for revealing 2005 tax forms [links to Benton summary]
Gingrich: Person who leaked Trump tax forms ‘ought to go to jail’ [links to Hill, The]
Tucker Carlson: Real election meddler was NBC, not Russia [links to Hill, The]
Op-Ed: The Exhausting Codependence Of The Press And White House [links to MediaPost]
WIRETAP
House Intel Chairman: 'We don't have any evidence' that President Trump was wiretapped [links to Benton summary]
Sen Graham: We’ll stall DOJ nominee if FBI doesn’t comply on wiretaps [links to Hill, The]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Remarks Of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai "Bringing The Benefits Of The Digital Age To All Americans" - speech
The crucial service President Trump left out of his massive infrastructure goals, and how the FCC wants to fix it [links to Benton summary]
Better together: Broadband deployment and broadband competition - Jonathan Sallet, Brookings
Sens Capito, Klobuchar Introduce Legislation to Measure the Economic Impact of Broadband on US Economy
Common Sense Kids Action Calls for Restoring Lifeline Eligibilities [links to Benton summary]
Mayors slam AT&T for slow Internet, long phone outages [links to Ars Technica]
Public Knowledge Responds to NYC Complaint Alleging Verizon Breached Deployment Promise - press release [links to Benton summary]
SECURITY/PRIVACY
Justice Department charges Russian spies and criminal hackers in Yahoo intrusion
Twitter accounts hacked to display swastikas, support for Turkish president [links to Benton summary]
Op-Ed: It's Time for America to Protect Its Cyber Borders [links to nextgov]
Many smartphone owners don’t take steps to secure their devices - Pew research [links to Benton summary]
POLICYMAKERS
Dan Coats confirmed as nation’s new spy chief
How I Made It: Thumbtack's president left the White House for Silicon Valley [links to Los Angeles Times]
GOVERNMENT
Cameras in the Court Bill Re-Introduced in Senate [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
Let the sunshine in: Usable data, open government, and more Freedom of Information successes [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
Facebook’s Town Hall feature helps you find and contact your local government officials [links to Benton summary]
ACLU builds a new app to start conversations around policing [links to CNN]
COMMUNITY MEDIA
President Trump’s budget will probably slash public media, but the biggest losers won’t be PBS and NPR
JOURNALISM
Chuck Todd: Media must improve reporting on rural America [links to Washington Post]
Op-Ed: Sale of NJ's Airwaves Could Address Local News Crisis [links to NJ spotlight]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Sacramento (CA) Will Be First of 11 Cities Nationwide to Test 5G Wireless Connectivity [links to Government Technology]
Report: Global LTE Connections Surpass 2 Billion, North American Penetration Approaches 300M [links to telecompetitor]
CONTENT
Gamer’s Death Pushes Risks of Live Streaming Into View [links to New York Times]
OWNERSHIP
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Interview: Media Ownership Rules ‘Quite Antiquated’ [links to Benton summary]
European Commission Approves AT&T Acquisition of Time Warner [links to telecompetitor]
Us Weekly Is Sold to National Enquirer Publisher [links to Benton summary]
Why 2017 Will Be A Huge Year For Telecom And Media Mergers [links to Benton summary]
HEALTH
Health IT: HHS Should Assess the Effectiveness of Its Efforts to Enhance Patient Access to and Use of Electronic Health Information - research [links to Benton summary]
LABOR
58 tech firms sign brief against new Trump travel ban [links to USAToday]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
European Commission Approves AT&T Acquisition of Time Warner [links to telecompetitor]
Five ideas to bring the world’s next four billion people online. Which will win? [links to International Telecommunication Union]
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COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY
CHAIRMAN PAI, TELL US WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Adrianne Furniss]
[Commentary] Concerned with a “lack of full transparency,” all of the Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on March 10 asking him six questions on his views on the media and whether he will uphold the First Amendment rights of journalists and media outlets....Senate Democrats have asked Chairman Pai for a reply by Friday, March 17. As the nation's lead communications regulator, it is imperative Chairman Pai affirm his commitment to free speech and freedom of the press and publicly post his answers to the senators this week. He should also address Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)'s request and release any information related to the March meeting with President Trump. The American people have a right to know what the FCC Chairman believes about freedom of the press – if he will stand up and speak out -- and we deserve to know now.
benton.org/headlines/chairman-pai-tell-us-what-youre-thinking-about-freedom-press | Benton Foundation
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HOUSE INTEL PANEL LAUNCHES PROBE OF TRUMP LEAKS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Katie Bo Williams]
The House Intelligence Committee has taken the first public step in its investigation into intelligence community leaks involving aides to President Donald Trump, pressing three agencies to provide information on spying involving 2016 campaign associates. Committee heads Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) revealed that they are pressing the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency (NSA) on aides who may have been spied on through a loophole in US surveillance law and were then subsequently “unmasked” and exposed to the media. The demand formalizes Chairman Nunes’s promise to investigate media leaks of sensitive information, and his recently expressed concern over backdoor surveillance of US persons. Chairman Nunes pointed to former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign in Feb after leaked surveillance of his phone calls to Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak revealed that he had misled Vice President Pence about a discussion of U.S. sanctions.
benton.org/headlines/house-intelligence-panel-launches-probe-president-trump-leaks | Hill, The
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MURDOCH AND TRUMP, AN ALLIANCE OF MUTUAL INTEREST
[SOURCE: NPR, AUTHOR: David Folkenflik]
The Trump era has opened with the promise of a White House foothold for media mogul Rupert Murdoch. It looks to be the kind of warm and solicitous reception in the corridors of presidential power that he has long enjoyed abroad. Murdoch has told close associates that the nation's 45th president calls to confer frequently — as often as multiple times a week — and that he has visited the White House to meet with President Trump more than once. The rapport forged by Murdoch and President Trump may prove handy for both men. Murdoch's news outlets often shine a favorable light on the new president; meanwhile, his media properties have many interests pending before the federal government. Several examples:
1) Murdoch wants the planned acquisition of the rival entertainment conglomerate Time Warner by telecommunications giant AT&T tempered by federal regulators or lawyers, if not killed. (President Trump has denounced the deal but major government intervention currently appears unlikely.) New York magazine reported that Murdoch advised President Trump ahead of his selection of the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai.
2) Murdoch, who has long had his eye on the Los Angeles Times, would like federal regulators to ease or lift restrictions that prevent the owners of television stations acquiring major newspapers in the same big city.
3) Federal prosecutors in New York City are investigating Fox News over whether it broke securities laws by masking payments to women who had alleged sexual harassment by former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes and others at the network. Executives at parent company 21st Century Fox say they are cooperating with the investigation.
benton.org/headlines/murdoch-and-trump-alliance-mutual-interest | NPR
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
PAI SPEECH
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai]
I’d like to outline some of my guiding principles as Chairman, and then discuss some specific proposals we will pursue.
1) Importance of Digital Empowerment: High-speed Internet access, or broadband, is giving rise to what I have called the democratization of entrepreneurship.
2) The Need for Ubiquitous Internet access: As Chairman, I plan to focus more time and attention than the Federal Communications Commission traditionally has on places where people feel left behind—places that Washington too often looks past.
3) The Power of Competitive Free Markets: The public interest is best served when the private sector has the incentives and freedom to invest and create. That’s why we must eliminate unnecessary barriers to investment that could stifle new discoveries and services. In particular, the government should aim to minimize regulatory uncertainty, which can deter long-term investment decisions.
4) Light-touch Regulation: I believe that a healthy respect for the free market doesn’t mean that government has no role. For example, the FCC must protect consumers and promote public safety. And it will be critical for the agency to be proactive in freeing up more wireless spectrum to allow consumers to benefit from the next generation of wireless services, known as 5G.
Let me turn to how we plan to translate these principles into policies to promote infrastructure and innovation. In the digital age, I believe our wired and wireless broadband networks are core components of our nation’s infrastructure. That’s why my position is clear: If Congress moves forward with a major infrastructure package, broadband should be included. Now, that raises the important question of how those investments should be made. And on this topic, I have a couple of ideas:
1) Any direct funding for broadband infrastructure appropriated by Congress as part of a larger infrastructure package should be administered through the FCC’s Universal Service Fund (USF) and targeted to areas that lack high-speed Internet access.
2) Congress should include in the infrastructure bill my proposal for creating Gigabit Opportunity Zones.
benton.org/headlines/remarks-fcc-chairman-ajit-pai-bringing-benefits-digital-age-all-americans | Federal Communications Commission | B&C | B&C | B&C
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BETTER TOGETHER: BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT AND BROADBAND COMPETITION
[SOURCE: Brookings, AUTHOR: Jonathan Sallet]
Who has access to broadband in America, and who reaps the benefits of broadband competition? Data from a recent Federal Communications Commission study provides insights into both important questions. First, the importance of access. For the very first time, the FCC concluded in 2015 that the disparity between urban and rural access to broadband provided the basis for direct agency action. Time has proven that conclusion right – and increasingly important. As my colleague Nicol Turner-Lee recognized immediately after the 2016 election, the Americans who lack access to broadband services – more rural, more middle income, less likely to have attended college – are the same ones who voted for change in economic policies. Second, the question of marketplace competition is important as well. It can be tempting to accept the view that, in an environment of scarce government resources and competing interests, merely ensuring broadband access from a single provider is enough – especially as an improvement on a status quo with little or no access at all. History tells a cautionary tale, though. In 1913, the U.S. Department of Justice settled an antitrust lawsuit against AT&T by essentially accepting AT&T’s monopoly in exchange for the build-out of the nation’s telephone system. AT&T worked hard to uphold its end of the bargain, but it was decades before competitive markets were free to serve consumers, stimulate innovation, and avoid unnecessary regulation. In other words, as a nation, we should embrace both expanded broadband deployment and expanded broadband competition. Without competition, the pressure from consumers for better and cheaper broadband will naturally ease, and rural America could fall even further behind.
benton.org/headlines/better-together-broadband-deployment-and-broadband-competition | Brookings
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SENS CAPITO, KLOBUCHAR PUSH FOR BROADBAND STUDY
[SOURCE: US Senate, AUTHOR: Sen Shelley Moore Capitol (R-WV)]
Sens Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), co-chairs of the Senate Broadband Caucus, have introduced bipartisan legislation to measure the economic impact of broadband on the US economy. While the federal government measures the economic impact of many industries, it does not produce current, reliable statistics on the economic impact of broadband on the US economy. Accurate, reliable data on the economic impact of broadband is a valuable tool for policymakers and business leaders and many research institutions, state broadband offices, and trade associations have highlighted the need for this data. The Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act would require the Bureau of Economic Analysis to conduct a study of the effects of broadband deployment and adoption on the US economy. In conducting this analysis, the Secretary will consider job creation, business headcount, online commerce, income, education and distance learning, telehealth, telework, agriculture, population growth, population density, broadband speed, and geography. The Secretary may consult representatives of business, including rural and urban internet service providers and telecommunications infrastructure providers; state, local, and Tribal government agencies; and consumer and community organizations.
benton.org/headlines/sens-capito-klobuchar-introduce-legislation-measure-economic-impact-broadband-us-economy | US Senate | The Hill
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SECURITY/PRIVACY
DOJ CHARGES RUSSIAN SPIES IN YAHOO INTRUSION
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ellen Nakashima]
The Justice Department announced the indictments of two Russian spies and two criminal hackers in connection with the heist of 500 million Yahoo user accounts in 2014, marking the first US criminal cyber charges ever against Russian government officials. The indictments target two members of the Russian intelligence agency FSB, and two hackers hired by the Russians. The charges include hacking, wire fraud, trade secret theft and economic espionage, according to officials. The indictments are part of the largest hacking case brought by the United States. The charges are unrelated to the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the FBI’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. But the move reflects the US government’s increasing desire to hold foreign governments accountable for malicious acts in cyberspace.
benton.org/headlines/justice-department-charges-russian-spies-and-criminal-hackers-yahoo-intrusion | Washington Post | LA Times
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POLICYMAKERS
Dan Coats confirmed as nation’s new spy chief
COATS CONFIRMED AS NATION'S NEW SPY CHIEF
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Karoun Demirjian]
Former Indiana Republican Sen Dan Coats was confirmed as the country’s top spy chief, taking over as Congress demands more information from the intelligence community about alleged contacts between the president’s advisers and Russian officials. The Senate voted 85 to 12 to confirm Coats as the director of national intelligence, a role in which Coats pledged to work closely with members of Congress to facilitate their various probes into allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 elections for the purpose of aiding President Trump’s chances of victory. Coats promised to provide lawmakers access to the intelligence community’s findings during his confirmation hearing in Feb before the members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. But just hours before the Senate voted to confirm him March 15, leaders of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence raised concerns that their access to documents about the Russia investigation was being limited at the very office Coats is taking over.
benton.org/headlines/dan-coats-confirmed-nations-new-spy-chief | Washington Post
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COMMUNITY MEDIA
TRUMP BUDGET AND PUBLIC MEDIA
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Callum Borchers]
President Trump's impending budget proposal is expected to include deep cuts to public media, among other things, which would surely delight Republican lawmakers who have been trying, on and off, to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for five decades. If Republican lawmakers are hoping to cripple political coverage by NPR and PBS, however, stopping the flow of taxpayer dollars to the CPB might not have the desired effect. NPR relies on the corporation for less than 1 percent of its revenue, and PBS depends on the agency for less than 7 percent, according to data from 2014, the most recent year for which audited financial statements for all three entities were available. Because the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has low overhead costs, it distributes almost all of the taxpayer money it receives, in the form of grants. From its $445 million appropriation in 2014, the corporation paid out $441.7 million, or 99.3 percent. Defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would primarily affect local public broadcasters, not PBS and NPR. The CPB noted this when the wrote, "The federal investment in public media is vital seed money — especially for stations located in rural America, and those serving underserved populations where the appropriation counts for 40 to 50 percent of their budget. The loss of this seed money would have a devastating effect. These stations would have to raise approximately 200 percent more in private donations to replace the federal investment." In other words, defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would mean hurting the local TV and radio stations that a whole lot of Republican voters watch and listen to.
benton.org/headlines/president-trumps-budget-will-probably-slash-public-media-biggest-losers-wont-be-pbs-and | Washington Post
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