April 2017

COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY

TRUMP'S FAKE WAR ON THE FAKE NEWS
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Ben Schreckinger, Hadas Gold]
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump called the press “dishonest” and “scum.” He defended Russian strongman Vladimir Putin against charges of murdering journalists and vowed to somehow “open up our libel laws” to weaken the First Amendment. Since taking office, he has dismissed unfavorable coverage as “fake news” and described the mainstream media as “the enemy of the American people.” But behind that theatrical assault, the Trump White House has turned into a kind of playground for the press. We interviewed more than three dozen members of the White House press corps, along with White House staff and outside allies, about the first whirlwind weeks of Trump’s presidency. Rather than a historically toxic relationship, they described a historic gap between the public perception and the private reality. “He built his career by being media-friendly. The last 18 months have been something of an aberration in his approach,” said Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, a Trump confidant who has known the president for 20 years. “I’ve always said he’s just creating a negotiating position by calling the press the enemy of the people. I don’t think he believes that deep down.”
benton.org/headlines/president-trumps-fake-war-fake-news | Politico
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TRUMP'S OBSESSION WITH CABLE TV
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ashley Parker, Robert Costa]
For President Donald Trump — a reality TV star who parlayed his blustery-yet-knowing on-air persona into a winning political brand — television is often the guiding force of his day, both weapon and scalpel, megaphone and news feed. And the president’s obsession with the tube — as a governing tool, a metric for staff evaluation, and a two-way conduit with lawmakers and aides — has upended the traditional rhythms of the White House, influencing many spheres, including policy, his burgeoning relationship with Congress, and whether he taps out a late-night or early-morning tweet. Those Trump tweet-storms, which contain some of his most controversial utterances, are usually prompted by something he has seen on television just moments before. The president, advisers said, also uses details gleaned from cable news as a starting point for policy discussions or a request for more information, and appears on TV himself when he wants to appeal directly to the public.
benton.org/headlines/everyone-tunes-inside-trumps-obsession-cable-tv | Washington Post
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

ADOPTION AND ACCESSIBILITY OF BROADBAND-ENABLED HEALTH CARE SOLUTIONS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
Broadband networks are increasingly important to our national well-being and everyday lives. As such, we must maximize their availability and ensure that all Americans can take advantage of the variety of services that broadband enables, including 21st century health care. In this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission seeks information on how it can help enable the adoption and accessibility of broadband-enabled health care solutions, especially in rural and other underserved areas of the country. We expect to use this information to identify actions that the FCC can take to promote this important goal. This Public Notice seeks comment, data, and information on a broad range of regulatory, policy, technical, and infrastructure issues related to the emerging broadband-enabled health and care ecosystem. Commenters should address the agency’s authority on all issues raised in this Notice. The comment, data, and information requested are intended to provide the Commission with a broader understanding and perspective on the current state of broadband health technology and other related issues; and it will also inform the Connect2Health Task Force's work and recommendations.
Comments due May 24, 2017; reply comments due June 8, 2017. [GN Docket No. 16-46]
benton.org/headlines/fcc-seeks-comment-accelerating-broadband-health-tech-availability | Federal Communications Commission
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FREEDOMPOP LIFELINE DATABASE MAKES LEMONADE OUT OF LEMONS
[SOURCE: telecompetitor, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
Just a few months after having its credentials for participation in the Federal Communications Commission’s low-income Lifeline program revoked, FreedomPop has found a new Lifeline-related revenue stream: The company is licensing a database system originally developed for its own use to service providers approved to offer Lifeline service. FreedomPop CEO Steve Stokols said the FreedomPop Lifeline database took about a year to develop and offers fraud prevention capabilities, as well as providing leads for service providers pursuing Lifeline business. According to Stokols, former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler encouraged FreedomPop to participate in the Lifeline program, which is what drove the company to develop a system that essentially provides the functionality that the FCC verification database was intended to provide. Current FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has different views on Lifeline than his predecessor, however. Chairman Pai didn’t support 2016’s Lifeline reforms, and one of his first moves as chairman was to reject nine Lifeline service provider approvals made at the federal level under Wheeler’s chairmanship – including FreedomPop’s. Subsequently, Chairman Pai shifted responsibility for Lifeline service provider approvals back to the states. As a result, according to Stokols, “the approval process is basically shut down.” Stokols estimated that it would take five years and a lot of legal fees to get Lifeline approvals on a state-by-state basis.
benton.org/headlines/freedompop-lifeline-database-makes-lemonade-out-lemons | telecompetitor
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DIVERSITY

FCC TO CREATE ADVISORY PANEL ON DIVERSITY
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Harper Neidig]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will soon have a committee to advise the agency on promoting diversity in the communications industry, Chairman Ajit Pai announced April 24. “Every American should have the opportunity to participate in the communications marketplace, no matter their race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation,” Chairman Pai said. “This Committee will be charged with providing recommendations to the FCC on empowering all Americans,” Pai added. “For example, the Committee could help the FCC promote diversity in the communications industry by assisting in the establishment of an incubator program and could identify ways to combat digital redlining," the concern that minority or poorer communities are covered by worse telecommunication infrastructure. The agency will solicit suggestions from the public on who should sit on the panel, which will be called the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment. The FCC has implemented similar initiatives in the past, but they appear to have fizzled out. The agency’s Advisory Committee for Diversity in the Digital Age, for instance, has not had a meeting since 2013.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-create-advisory-panel-diversity | Hill, The | Pai Statement | Clyburn Statement | B&C
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POLICYMAKERS

FOX AND FRIENDS ANCHOR TO BE STATE SPOKESPERSON
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Joe Concha]
Fox News anchor Heather Nauert has been hired by the State Department to be its spokesperson. Nauert, 47, has been a news anchor on “Fox & Friends” since 2012 and has been with Fox News and local New York Fox affiliate Fox 5 for most of the past 20 years, save for a two-year stint at ABC News from 2005-2007. “The Department of State is pleased to welcome Heather Nauert as the new State Department spokesperson,” a State Department announcement said. “Nauert comes to the department with more than 15 years of experience as an anchor and correspondent covering both foreign and domestic news and events, including the 9/11 terror attacks, the war in Iraq, and the genocide in Darfur, Sudan."
benton.org/headlines/fox-friends-anchor-be-state-spokesperson | Hill, The
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April 2017

This App Lets Iranians Swipe Past Political Propaganda

Google pushes fake news, hate-speech workshops (and YouTube) on UK teens

Distribution of 2015 Cable Royalty Funds

April 25, 2017 (Accelerating Broadband Health Tech Availability)

Senate confirms Trump's agriculture secretary, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue

Conservative media figures disappointed with Trump meeting

US Embassies Post Article Extolling Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

Op-ed: Only 5 percent of Senate staffers are black. Congress needs the ‘Rooney Rule.’

Writers Guild Members Vote for Strike Authorization With 96% Support

On National Telephone Day, we remember those brick-like cellphones