1. Monthly archive
  2. October 2017

October 2017

President Trump’s FCC could make ‘fake news’ harder to combat

[Commentary] Many Democrats have decried this Federal Communications Commission decision benefiting Sinclair, a conservative broadcaster with ties to Breitbart News. And while some conservatives are cheering the deal, the implications of FCC actions are troubling for most. The nonsensical decision to reinstitute the UHF discount will also open the door for NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox to buy local TV stations reaching more than 70 percent of US homes. Anyone who understands how these big media companies operate can see the danger. By owning local stations, the New York-based media networks could dictate local news coverage. With the planned elimination of the local studio rule, they will have a green light to do so.

Before approving the Sinclair merger, the FCC has a duty to engage in a comprehensive and open media-ownership proceeding — one that seeks public comment and input from Congress. Anything less raises questions about impartiality and jeopardizes the integrity of the commission. Eliminating ownership rules that have served us well for more than 30 years is a momentous change. The American people must play a role in that decision.

[Christopher Ruddy is chief executive of Newsmax Media.]

FirstNet Will Deal Directly With Tribal Nations

FirstNet, the broadband first-responder network, has made it clear that its connection with tribal governments in Indian Country will be a direct one. In a new tribal consultation policy, FirstNet said it will be honoring tribal sovereignty and encouraged those nations to talk directly with FirstNet, rather than having to go with the representatives designated by state governors, once a state governor has made their decision about participation. Governors in all 50 states got their respective state plans from NirstNet in September, and have until Dec. 28 to opt in or out of the plan.So far 27 states have opted in.

Those who opt for different network approach--Verizon, for example, is pitching an alternative, must make sure they are interoperable with First Net. But Tribal Nations can make their own designations independent of states. FirstNet will engage with the tribes up until a governor's decision, but after that will deal directly with the tribes, whatever that decision, including to make sure their coverage needs and concerns are being met. The tribes are being treated like federal entities, which can also make their own FirstNet decisions independent of state participation.

The Sinclair-Tribune Merger and the Future of Media Ownership

Institute for Technology Law and Policy and Institute for Public Representation
Georgetown Law
Benton Foundation
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
12 noon -- 2 pm
http://www.georgetowntech.org/rsvp

Join a panel of experts for a debate on the proposed merger of Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media Company, and a broader policy discussion of whether media ownership rules matter in the age of the internet.

Debaters

  • John Hane, Pillsbury Law, counsel to Sinclair Broadcast Group
  • David Goodfriend, The Goodfriend Group

Panel

  • Moderator: Gigi Sohn, Distinguished Fellow, Institute for Technology Law & Policy at Georgetown Law
  • Rebecca Hanson, Senior Vice President / Strategy and Policy, Sinclair Broadcast Group
  • Eddie Lazarus, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Tribune Corporation
  • Andy Schwartzman, Benton Senior Counselor, Georgetown Institute for Public Representation Technology and Communications Practice Group
  • Carmen Scurato, Director for Policy and Legal Affairs, National Hispanic Media Coalition
  • Jim Winston, President, National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters

This widely-attended event is designed to comply with Congressional ethics rules. Members of the public and Congressional staff are welcome. Lunch will be provided.


Amazon, Facebook and Google beef up lobbying spending

Facebook, Google and Amazon bolstered their lobbying spending in the past three months as Washington has taken a closer look at the market power of some of America's biggest tech companies. Facebook spent $2.85 million lobbying the federal government in the third quarter, up 41 percent from the same period in 2016, according to disclosure reports made public Oct 20. Part of that amount was dedicated to lobbying officials in Congress and the White House on “online advertising, content and platform transparency efforts.”

The lobbying comes as the social network, along with Google and Twitter, faces a new bipartisan push on Capitol Hill that would force Internet companies to disclose more information about political ads sold and distributed on their platforms. Google’s X lab, the company's testing ground for its most ambitious projects, is now hiring its first outside lobbyists, too. Of any corporation in or out of the tech industry, Google spent the second-highest amount. AT&T topped everyone, at $4.43 million.

FBI Couldn't Access Nearly 7,000 Devices Because of Encryption

The FBI hasn’t been able to retrieve data from more than half of the mobile devices it tried to access in less than a year, said FBI Director Christopher Wray, turning up the heat on a debate between technology companies and law enforcement officials trying to recover encrypted communications.

In the first 11 months of the fiscal year, federal agents were unable to access the content of more than 6,900 mobile devices, Wray said. “To put it mildly, this is a huge, huge problem,” Wray said. “It impacts investigations across the board — narcotics, human trafficking, counterterrorism, counterintelligence, gangs, organized crime, child exploitation.” The FBI and other law enforcement officials have long complained about being unable to unlock and recover evidence from cellphones and other devices seized from suspects even if they have a warrant, while technology companies have insisted they must protect customers’ digital privacy.

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