CORRECTION: The April 20 issue of Headlines included a link to an article about former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell joining Mobile Future. The original article indicated that McDowell was leaving Cooley LLP; he is not. We regret the error.
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017
Today's Event -- Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, FCC -- https://www.benton.org/node/257649
NEWS FROM THE FCC MEETING
FCC Advances Competition, Investment in Business Data Services Market - press release
Sen Markey on BDS Decision: FCC now stands for 'Forgetting Choice and Competition' [links to Hill, The]
FCC's BDS Vote Draws Mixed Reviews [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
Public Knowledge Responds to FCC BDS Order Set to Raise Prices, Stifle Competition and Delay 5G [links to Public Knowledge]
European Union Has Issues with FCC's Business Data Services Proposal [links to Benton summary]
FCC Reinstates Pre-August 2016 Status Quo in Broadcaster Marketplace - press release
Hypocrisy at the Federal Communications Commission - Cheryl Leanza op-ed [links to Benton summary]
FCC Seeks Comment on Removing Regulatory Barriers to Broadband - press release
FCC Takes Further Steps to Expand Rural Broadband Deployment - press release [links to Benton summary]
FCC Takes Steps To Promote Wireless Broadband Deployment - press release [links to Benton summary]
AT&T Statement on Removing Barriers to Wireless Infrastructure Deployment [links to AT&T]
FCC Gives Noncommercial Stations Greater Fundraising Flexibility - press release
FCC Eases Reporting Burden for Noncommercial Broadcaster Volunteers - press release [links to Benton summary]
FCC's Clyburn: I Still Have Work to Do
Activists RickRoll FCC Chairman Ajit Pai: Never Gonna Give Up on Net Neutrality - press release
FCC Chairman Pai met with Facebook and others to discuss net neutrality changes to come
Daily Report: Silicon Valley Losing Ground in Washington [links to Benton summary]
Next on Chairman Pai’s Chopping Block: Tech Transitions [links to Public Knowledge]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Innovators in Digital Inclusion: Multnomah County Library
DC Circuit Court Remands Lifeline Reform Order to Federal Communications Commission [links to Benton summary]
The broadband split in Northern Virginia - WaPo [links to Benton summary]
Study: Home WiFi Mesh Products Work Better With a Wired Backbone [links to Multichannel News]
SECURITY/PRIVACY
President Trump blows his deadline on anti-hacking plan [links to Benton summary]
California Today: Weighing a Response on Internet Privacy [links to Benton summary]
Your cop on the privacy beat - FTC press release [links to Benton summary]
OTI Joins Fight Against Privacy Violations at the U.S. Border [links to New America]
COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY
Republicans Sell Access to Congressional Staffers, Flouting Cardinal Ethics Rule
President Trump: NY Times caught in 'big lie' over photo of Patriots at White House [links to Hill, The]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Regional Coordinators Announced for Post-Auction Transition [links to Federal Communications Commission]
Verizon lost 400,000 customers in the 6 weeks before it launched unlimited data [links to Ars Technica]
Why Verizon is losing more cellphone customers than ever [links to Washington Post]
CONTENT
Not everyone in advanced economies is using social media - Pew research [links to Benton summary]
The Rise of AR Will Recreate Your Filter Bubbles In the Real World [links to Wired]
Why it matters that Google Home can now identify you by voice [links to Washington Post]
CHILDREN & MEDIA
This Text Messaging Services Helps Inner-City Kids Recover From Trauma [links to Fast Company]
LABOR
How to close the tech-job gap for minorities and low-income earners [links to American Public Media]
ADVERTISING
Ad Industry Powers Consider Adopting Ad Blocking on a Wide Scale
Report: Google will add an ad blocker to all versions of Chrome Web browser [links to Ars Technica]
GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS
Seeking better data on Hispanics, Census Bureau may change how it asks about race - Pew research [links to Benton summary]
Can tech and government get along? [links to Bloomberg]
COMPANY NEWS
Comcast Joins IoT LoRA Alliance [links to Multichannel News]
Facebook is looking to hire a head of news products to combat fake news [links to Vox]
Op-Ed: Fox News will never be the same [links to Washington Post]
Report: Fox News executives fear ‘more to come’ [links to Hill, The]
POLICYMAKERS
House Oversight Committee Chairman Chaffetz considering early departure from Congress [links to Hill, The]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
A Communique on the G-20 Digital Economy Ministerial - Dept of Commerce press release [links to Benton summary]
Europe’s competition cop says she’ll monitor Google’s ad-blocking efforts [links to Vox]
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NEWS FROM THE FCC MEETING
FCC BDS ORDER
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
Recognizing substantial and growing competition in the market for business data services, the Federal Communications Commission eased outdated pricing rules to enable continued robust growth in the market. Business data services, known also as BDS, are dedicated connectivity used by businesses, nonprofits, and government institutions to meet their needs for secure and reliable communications. BDS is essential to the production and delivery of goods and services across the economy, from connecting bank ATM networks and retail credit-card readers to providing enterprise business networks with access to branch offices, the Internet or the cloud. Relying on more than ten years of study of the market, a massive data collection, and a robust public record garnered from numerous requests for comment, the Report and Order adopted by the FCC recognizes the strong competition present in the BDS market. Given that competition, the order finds that legacy regulation inhibits the investment required for the transition of BDS from legacy time-division multiplexing networks to high-speed Ethernet connectivity. In response, the Order modernizes regulation in significant portions of the market.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-advances-competition-investment-business-data-services-market | Federal Communications Commission | The Hill | B&C | ars technica
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FCC REINSTATES PRE-AUGUST 2016 STATUS QUO IN BROADCASTER MARKETPLACE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission voted to reinstate the so-called “UHF discount” until the Commission can address its national television ownership rule more holistically, in a proceeding to be launched later in 2017. The action effectively returns the marketplace to the status quo that existed prior to August 2016, whereby stations broadcasting in the UHF spectrum are permitted to count 50 percent of the television households in their market when determining compliance with the 39 percent national cap. The FCC now concludes that the UHF discount and national television ownership cap are inextricably linked and that the Commission’s previous decision erred by getting rid of the UHF discount without simultaneously considering whether the cap itself should be modified. The Commission plans to take up both the question of the 39 percent cap and the UHF discount later in 2017. Until then, the action taken today reinstates the pre-August 2016 status quo in the marketplace.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-reinstates-pre-august-2016-status-quo-broadcaster-marketplace | Federal Communications Commission | The Hill | B&C
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FCC SEEKS COMMENT ON REMOVING REGULATORY BARRIERS TO BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
As part of its effort to expand the availability and affordability of next-generation networks, the Federal Communications Commission began seeking public comment on a series of steps to remove regulatory barriers to wireline broadband infrastructure deployment. In the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Notice of Inquiry and Request for Comment adopted April 20, the FCC seeks comment on reforms that will help accelerate deployment of nextgeneration
networks and services by removing barriers to infrastructure investment at the federal, state, and local level. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would seek comment on the following:
Pole attachment reforms to make it easier for broadband providers to attach the wires necessary for next-generation networks
Expediting the process for local exchange carriers to retire copper networks and provide notice of network changes
The Notice of Inquiry seeks comment on using the FCC’s preemption authority to prospectively prohibit the enforcement of state and local laws that pose barriers to broadband deployment.
The Request for Comment seeks input on when carriers must obtain FCC permission to alter or discontinue a service.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-seeks-comment-removing-regulatory-barriers-broadband | Federal Communications Commission | B&C
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FCC GIVES NONCOM STATIONS GREATER FUNDRAISING FLEXIBILITY
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission today voted to relax its third-party fundraising restrictions to permit many noncommercial television and radio stations to air limited fundraisers for the benefit of other non-profit organizations. Noncommercial educational broadcasters (NCEs) – such as public and religious broadcasters – have long been free to solicit funds to support their own operations, including through program-length fundraising events. However, until now, such broadcasters could only conduct on-air fundraising for third parties if they received an FCC waiver or the fundraising activity did not alter or suspend regular programming. Historically, waivers were temporary and given only after a crisis or natural disaster. Today’s action relaxes these rules to permit NCEs to devote up to one percent of their annual airtime to fundraising for third-party organizations that qualify as tax-exempt non-profits under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, without having to first seek a waiver from the FCC.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-gives-noncommercial-stations-greater-fundraising-flexibility | Federal Communications Commission | Report and Order | Pai Statement | Clyburn Statement | O'Rielly Statement
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FCC'S CLYBURN: I STILL HAVE WORK TO DO
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn of the Federal Communications Commission signaled she was not heading for the exit in June. That came in a post-FCC meeting interview in which she sang her answer to the question of whether she would be leaving after June 30. "I've got work to do. I've got a job, baby," she warbled, attempting to channel the Isley Brothers. Her term expires, but she could serve another 18 months because FCC commissioners don't have to leave until the end of the Congress a year after the one in which their term expires. There have been rumblings that she could decide to call it quits given the Republican-majority commission. If she did leave, the FCC would lack a quorum. That would mean President Donald Trump would have to move more swiftly to fill empty FCC seats.
benton.org/headlines/fccs-clyburn-i-still-have-work-do | Broadcasting&Cable
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ACTIVISTS RICKROLL FCC CHAIRMAN
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Press release]
On April 20, several activists “RickRolled” the Federal Communications Commission’s open meeting to protest FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s plans to undermine network neutrality. Singing and dancing along to a recording of the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up," the activists disrupted the agency’s monthly meeting and were escorted from FCC headquarters. “We’re never gonna give up fighting for our online rights,” said Free Press Field Director Mary Alice Crim. “Today’s protest was a reminder to Chairman Pai and his boss Donald Trump that people everywhere love the internet. We will do anything and everything to oppose his efforts to destroy the open internet. More than 4 million took a stand for Net Neutrality in 2015, and we aren’t going to take this sitting down today.”
benton.org/headlines/activists-rickroll-fcc-chairman-ajit-pai-never-gonna-give-net-neutrality | Free Press | The Hill
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PAI MET WITH FACEBOOK AND OTHERS TO DISCUSS NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Vox, AUTHOR: Tony Romm]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai visited executives at Facebook, Oracle, Intel and other tech giants in Silicon Valley on April 17, as he considers how he might rethink and replace the agency’s hotly contested network neutrality rules. Speaking to reporters April 20, Chairman Pai stressed he’s been “consistent” in his view that he “favor[s] a free and open internet and that I oppose Title II,” a reference to the portion of law that Democrats tapped in order to subject the likes of AT&T, Comcast and Verizon to utility-like regulation. “Outside of the context of any pending proceeding, I’ve been simply soliciting thoughts on how to secure the online consumer protections that people have talked about,” Chairman Pai said. A spokesman for Chairman Pai did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the meeting. Chairman Pai himself did not provide further information about his consultations when asked at a press conference following a series of votes April 20 that relaxed regulations on the telecom industry.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-chairman-pai-met-facebook-and-others-discuss-net-neutrality-changes-come | Vox
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
MULTNOMAH COUNTY LIBRARY
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Angela Siefer]
Like most public libraries across the United States, Multnomah County Library (MCL) has long provided access to public computers, the Internet (through Wi-Fi), and personalized training to the community it serves. MCL has leveraged grants and partnerships to provide tailored services to community members with low technology literacy and few resources. The library is a primary partner in a collaborative, regional digital inclusion effort that includes:1) documenting community needs, 2) increasing access to low-cost devices and broadband service, and 3) delivering training where it’s needed most. In recent years, the library has focused increasingly on technology-related service in languages other than English, including Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese and Chinese. Multnomah County Library is the largest provider of free broadband access, equipment, and training in the greater Portland area. MCL will host approximately two million free Wi-Fi and public access computing sessions this year. The library also offers about 1,900 classes, open labs, and individual tutoring sessions each year to help people get online, use their devices, and build digital literacy skills.
benton.org/headlines/innovators-digital-inclusion-multnomah-county-library | Benton Foundation
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COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY
GOP SELL ACCESS TO CONGRESSIONAL STAFFERS
[SOURCE: The Intercept, AUTHOR: Lee Fang, Nick Surgey]
Congressional Republicans are baldly enticing donors with the promise of meetings with senior legislative staff, effectively placing access to congressional employees up for sale to professional influence peddlers and other well-heeled interests. Documents show that the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee are both telling donors that in exchange for campaign contributions, they will receive invitations to special events to meet with congressional staff including chiefs of staff, leadership staffers, and committee staffers. While selling donors access to senators and representatives and their campaign staff is nothing new, the open effort to sell access to their legislative staff — the taxpayer-funded government employees who work behind the scenes to write legislation, handle investigations, and organize committee hearings — appears to be in violation of ethics rules that prohibit campaigns from using House and Senate resources in any way. Congressional ethics rules flatly forbid Capitol Hill employees from engaging in fundraising activities as part of their official duties. Any explicit fundraising work must be done strictly as a volunteer, and there must be a clear firewall separating government work from campaign work. It’s arguably the last fig leaf left when it comes to giving the appearance that campaign contributions are not directly linked to official acts.
benton.org/headlines/republicans-sell-access-congressional-staffers-flouting-cardinal-ethics-rule | Intercept, The
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ADVERTISING
AD INDUSTRY POWERS CONSIDER ADOPTING AD BLOCKING ON A WIDE SCALE
[SOURCE: AdvertisingAge, AUTHOR: George Slefo]
The biggest players in advertising and tech are mapping out a strategy to kill off the digital ads that have been deemed as the absolute worst by consumers. The most likely approach is the adoption of a "technology" -- the term "ad blocker" has baggage among many of the participants in talks on the subject -- that would prevent browsers such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge from displaying autoplaying video ads with sound, pop-up ads and ads that quickly flash or change colors. The discussions are taking place among members of the industry's Coalition for Better Ads, including Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, WPP's ad-buying giant GroupM, Facebook, Thomson Reuters, The Washington Post, the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Association of National Advertisers, according to Stu Ingis, counsel to the coalition and attorney at Venable LLP. "The end game here is to remove these types of ads which are undercutting the consumer internet experience," Ingis said. "Truthfully, those ads can potentially and seriously undercut the broader internet ecosystem." A "blocking mechanism" or "technology" to prevent such ads from appearing will be put into place before the end of 2017, Ingis predicted.
benton.org/headlines/ad-industry-powers-consider-adopting-ad-blocking-wide-scale | AdvertisingAge
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