October 16, 2017 (Richard Wilbur)
Richard Wilbur, Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Winner
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2017
Today's Event -- FCC Disability Advisory Committee -- https://www.benton.org/node/264499
COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY
Press Freedom Groups Urge Chairman Pai to Renounce Trump's Attacks on Broadcasters - press release
After Trump tweets threat to free press, FCC’s GOP commissioners remain silent - Tom Wheeler op-ed
FCC Chairman Pai Should Condemn Trump's Attacks on Free Speech - Free Press press release [links to Benton summary]
FCC Chair Ajit Pai's Silence on President Trump Tweets Speaks Volumes [links to Benton summary]
FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel: Media licenses won’t be revoked over President Trump [links to CNN]
CNN host: If President Obama threatened broadcasting licenses, there would be 'torches in the street' [links to Hill, The]
President Trump Says NBC May Be Worse Than CNN [links to Benton summary]
PEN America: NFL owners need to play defense to protect free speech [links to Washington Post]
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
Could we reverse a hacked presidential election? [links to Vox]
Facebook isn’t changing its business because of Russia [links to Benton summary]
Twitter deleted data potentially crucial to Russia probes [links to Benton summary]
Center to Combat State-Sponsored ‘Fake News’ Launched [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
Mark Penn: You Can’t Buy the Presidency for $100,000 [links to Wall Street Journal]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Rosenworcel Testimony at US Senate Commerce Committee NH Field Hearing on "Expanding Broadband Infrastructure in the Granite State" - speech
ISPs don’t want to tell the FCC exactly where they offer Internet service
Digital Inclusion Playbook - press release [links to Benton summary]
Tennessee Electrical Co-Ops Eager to Bridge Rural Broadband Gap [links to Benton summary]
Boston Creates $35,000 Digital Equity Fund - press release [links to Benton summary]
Report Finds Fastest, Slowest US Broadband States and Cities [links to Benton summary]
If any economic activity meets the definition of interstate commerce, it’s the internet - AEI op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Two Dedicated Activists Provide Crucial Support for Team Internet - Free Press press release [links to Benton summary]
Asymmetric Absurdity in Communications Law and Regulation [links to Scott Cleland]
This High School Dropout Is Lighting up NYC's Dark Fiber [links to Vice]
SECURITY/PRIVACY
Severe flaw in WPA2 protocol leaves Wi-Fi traffic open to eavesdropping [links to Ars Technica]
41 percent of Android phones are vulnerable to 'devastating' Wi-Fi attack [links to Vox]
Privacy is a competitive advantage: Technology companies may have to say whether they are data peddlers or data stewards [links to Financial Times]
IRS temporarily suspends contract with Equifax [links to Politico]
Hackers have turned Politifact’s website into a trap for your PC [links to Washington Post]
The Department of Commerce Celebrates National Cyber Security Awareness Month [links to Department of Commerce]
SURVEILLANCE
FBI director warns against restricting controversial NSA surveillance program
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Hurricane Maria Communications Status Report for Oct. 15 [links to Federal Communications Commission]
Hurricane Maria Communications Status Report for Oct. 13 [links to Federal Communications Commission]
EMT Leader: FirstNet’s “Legacy” Will be Serving Rural Communities [links to FirstNet]
OWNERSHIP
‘The ravages of cord-cutting’: AT&T’s race against time to save its TV business
Merger of American media giants can increase partisan reporting - The Hill op-ed
Knives Are Out for Sinclair-Tribune Deal [links to Benton summary]
As the World Tweets, Social Media Chiefs Remain Tight-Lipped - analysis [links to Benton summary]
What Tech Backlash? Google, Facebook Still Rank High in Polls [links to Benton summary]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
How Apple and Android took over the smartphone market [links to Marketplace]
America’s Wireless: 59th in the World in LTE; 2nd in ‘Most Expensive’ Data Prices; 40% Is Overcharged due to “Whamming” [links to Huffington Post]
Broadcasters Emerging as Winner in FCC Reauthorization Process So Far
FCC Accepts Latest Batch Of Auction License Applications [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
Prepared Remarks By Pai Advisor Rachael Bender At The 6th Annual Americas Spectrum Management Conference - speech [links to Benton summary]
Remarks of FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly Before The 6th Annual Americas Spectrum Management Conference - speech [links to Benton summary]
Rural Youth Technology Survey: Technology Alone Will Not Prevent Rural Flight [links to Benton summary]
JOURNALISM
US withdrawal from UNESCO is blow for press freedom - CPJ press release
NYT issues social media warning: 'Our journalists must not express partisan opinions' [links to Benton summary]
Op-Ed: Fighting ‘the Gawker effect’ in the wake of Weinstein [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
ADVERTISING
How Facebook’s Ad System Works [links to New York Times]
CHILDREN & MEDIA
How 'Sesame Street' can help children cope with traumatic experiences [links to CNN]
Nearly half of US teens prefer Snapchat over other social media [links to Vox]
DIVERSITY
#WomenBoycottTwitter to show support for those harassed on the social media platform [links to Los Angeles Times]
Hispanic lawmakers press tech for details on representation in Silicon Valley [links to Hill, The]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
CBO Scores the Connected Government Act - research [links to Benton summary]
Op-Ed: Can we trust government to correct our cognitive biases? [links to Washington Post]
President Trump's Tech Office Wants More Short-Term Talent [links to Benton summary]
LOBBYING
Amazon Turns on the Charm Amid Criticism From Right and Left [links to New York Times]
POSITION AVAILABLE
Clinical Teaching Fellowship/Staff Attorney Position in Communications and Technology Law [links to Institute for Public Representation at Georgetown Law]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
The World Once Laughed at North Korean Cyberpower. No More. [links to New York Times]
After privacy complaints, OnePlus will scale back data collection on its devices [links to Vox]
COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY
PRESS FREEDOM GROUPS URGE PAI TO RENOUNCE TRUMPS ATTACKS ON BROADCASTERS
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Press release]
On Oct 13, 20 press freedom, media justice, labor and civil liberties groups submitted a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai urging him to publicly condemn President Donald Trump's threats to challenge the broadcast licenses of news media outlets he dislikes. Signers of the letter also include former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and former FCC commissioners Michael J. Copps and Gloria Tristani. "As an independent agency charged with protecting the public interest and overseeing the public airwaves, the FCC must resist any attempts to co-opt the broadcast-licensing process to suit the president’s whims,” reads the letter, which was signed by Color of Change, Committee to Protect Journalists, the Communications Workers of America, Free Press, Freedom of the Press Foundation, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, PEN America and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, among others.
benton.org/headlines/press-freedom-groups-urge-chairman-pai-renounce-trumps-attacks-broadcasters | Free Press | read the letter
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AFTER TRUMP TWEETS THREAT TO FREE PRESS, FCC GOP COMMISSIONERS REMAIN SILENT
[SOURCE: Brookings, AUTHOR: Tom Wheeler]
[Commentary] By their silence, the Republicans at the Federal Communications Commission have joined in the president’s strategy to get into the head of every television station news editor and station manager in the country. If, because the FCC failed to make clear that the government can’t bully them, even one broadcaster thinks twice about a story and its effect on their license, then the Constitution has been abridged and the FCC is complicit. By their inaction, the Republican FCC commissioners have already violated their oath to uphold the Constitution. That sacred document is clear: The government is not to suppress ideas and opinion. There is no ambiguity in the First Amendment. The commissioners owe it to the American public and the Constitution they swore to uphold to issue an immediate and clear statement that speech is a protected right, and that it has no role in the matter of broadcast licenses. While they’re at it, they should also issue an apology to the citizens of the United States that they took over two days to get around to telling America the truth.
[Tom Wheeler is the former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission 2013-2017].
benton.org/headlines/after-trump-tweets-threat-free-press-fccs-gop-commissioners-remain-silent | Brookings
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
ROSENWORCEL TESTIMONY AT SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE FIELD HEARING
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel]
I think it’s time for a National Broadband Map that offers an honest picture of wired and wireless broadband across the country. Too often the Federal Communications Commission cobbles together data for each individual rulemaking and report without a comprehensive and updated snapshot of where service is and is not. We can build this map in Washington, but it would be great if we had a clearer picture on the ground. I’m a big believer in the wisdom of crowds, so I think we should put it to the public. If you’ve not been able to get service, or live in an area that lacks it, help us make a map and write me at broadbandfail@fcc.gov. I’ve set this account up to take in your ideas. I will share every one of them with the agency Chairman—and put on pressure to do something about it. For decades, the FCC has led the world with its auction models for the distribution of spectrum licenses. We’ve made a lot of progress powering the mobile devices that so many of us rely on every day. But take a drive along some rural roads and you will know there is room for improvement. It’s one reason why the AIRWAVES Act from Sen Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Sen Cory Gardner (R-CO) is so important. It helps identify more licensed and unlicensed spectrum that can be brought to market to improve wireless broadband. On top of that, it sets up a fund whereby auction revenues will help support wireless broadband infrastructure in rural America. It’s the kind of creative effort that would in time lead to more coverage on a broadband map and also help bridge the Homework Gap.
benton.org/headlines/rosenworcel-testimony-us-senate-commerce-committee-nh-field-hearing-expanding-broadband | Federal Communications Commission
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ISPS DONT WANT TO TELL THE FCC EXACTLY WHERE THEY OFFER SERVICE
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
The Federal Communications Commission is considering whether it should collect more accurate data about broadband deployment in the US, but cable and telecommunication lobby groups are urging the FCC to maintain the status quo. Currently, the FCC's "Form 477" data collection program requires Internet service providers to identify the census blocks in which they provide residential or business Internet service and the maximum speeds offered in each block. ISPs are also supposed to identify the census blocks that are near enough to their networks that they could provide service within a reasonable timeframe. Broadband lobby groups are urging the FCC to maintain the census block-level reporting, saying that reporting whether they can offer service at individual homes would be too burdensome on ISPs. ISPs have sometimes mistakenly told people moving to a new home that broadband service is available at their new address when, in fact, it is not. If the lobby groups succeed in blocking any change, this situation could persist.
benton.org/headlines/isps-dont-want-tell-fcc-exactly-where-they-offer-internet-service | Ars Technica | Fierce
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SURVEILLANCE
FBI DIRECTOR WARNS AGAINST RESTRICTING CONTROVERSIAL NSA SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Devlin Barrett]
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that changing the rules of a soon-to-expire surveillance program could create new barriers to preventing terrorist attacks, similar to those that existed before 2001. In defending his agency’s information-sharing program with the National Security Agency — which civil liberties groups have criticized as a threat to privacy — Wray said his agents get just a small piece of the NSA’s intelligence gathering. “The FBI only receives collection for a very small percentage of what the NSA does. It’s about 4.3 percent of the targets under NSA collection. But that 4.3 percent is unbelievably valuable to our mission,’’ Wray said. He did not say how large that database is. “Any material change to the FBI’s use of 702 would severely inhibit our ability to keep the American people safe,’’ he said.
benton.org/headlines/fbi-director-warns-against-restricting-controversial-nsa-surveillance-program | Washington Post
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OWNERSHIP
ATTS RACE AGAINST TIME TO SAVE ITS TV BIZ
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
AT&T's push to acquire DirecTV in 2015 looked like brilliance at first. Having captured most of the low-hanging fruit in the telephone and wireless markets already, AT&T's expansion into the television industry promised much more room for growth. By offering DirecTV directly to consumers, AT&T might gain new customers, hang onto old ones and take advantage of viewing data for advertising purposes. But almost from the beginning, the deal's potential seemed limited by the growing number of consumers who have been abandoning traditional television services. With more Americans embracing online alternatives, AT&T may have inherited in DirecTV — and its 20 million subscribers — a brewing long-term headache that can be solved only by either preventing or compensating for the effects of cord-cutting. Now, it seems, that problem may be more acute than we thought.
benton.org/headlines/ravages-cord-cutting-atts-race-against-time-save-its-tv-business | Washington Post
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SINCLAIR MERGER CAN INCREASE PARTISAN REPORTING
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: David Wade]
[Commentary] I worry that as we focus on Russian bots on Twitter influencing elections, we’re ignoring a bigger threat to democracy and the political process right here at home: the proposed merger of Sinclair Broadcast Group with Tribune Media Company. Imagine what could happen to politics if Sinclair becomes the dominant local news gatekeeper. With their time tested tactic of depopulating local news of trusted anchors, “disappearing” reliable “gatekeepers” the way Pol Pot eliminated dissenters, there wouldn’t even be news voices in key markets with the stature to help primary and caucus voters distinguish between truth and tall tales. Just think of the election eve surprises that a Sinclair broadcast could offer before the Iowa caucuses. There’s no shortage today of people and platforms aiming to divide Americans. They don’t just reside in the Kremlin. Think twice before greenlighting a merger that would enable even more “trumpization” of American politics.
[David Wade was national press secretary for the 2004 John Kerry campaign and served as spokesman for vice presidential nominee Joseph Biden for the 2008 Barack Obama campaign. He is founder of the strategic communications firm Green Light Strategies.]
benton.org/headlines/merger-american-media-giants-can-increase-partisan-reporting | Hill, The
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
BROADCASTERS EMERGING AS WINNER IN FCC REAUTHORIZATION PROCESS SO FAR
[SOURCE: Morning Consult, AUTHOR: Mariam Baksh]
Democratic Representatives of the House Commerce Committee, a panel considering the first reauthorization of the Federal Communications Commission in 27 years, are finding some common cause with their Senate Republican counterparts in efforts likely to help the broadcasting industry. The Democratic Representatives and Senate Commerce Committee Republicans both support some version of the Viewer Protection Act, introduced by House Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ).The House bill would create a $1 billion fund to facilitate broadcasters’ move to other channels — in a process known as repacking — after they gave up their low-band spectrum for an FCC auction offered to wireless carriers that want to use those airwaves for next-generation services. Pallone’s legislation also calls for $90 million that would go specifically toward educating viewers on the transition. Across the Capitol, several Senate Commerce Committee Republicans support legislation similar to the Viewer Protection Act.
benton.org/headlines/broadcasters-emerging-winner-fcc-reauthorization-process-so-far | Morning Consult
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JOURNALISM
US WITHDRAWAL FROM UNESCO IS BLOW FOR PRESS FREEDOM
[SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists, AUTHOR: Courtney Radsch]
The US government's decision to withdraw from the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which has a mandate to promote "the free flow of ideas by word and image [and] to foster free, independent, and pluralistic media in print, broadcast and online," will make the world less safe for journalists. As the lead UN agency responsible for implementing the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, support for UNESCO is intrinsically linked to ensuring that journalists can work without fear of reprisal. The joint statement called for the U.S. government to reverse its decision and instead commit to increasing UNESCO's effectiveness and impact.
benton.org/headlines/us-withdrawal-unesco-blow-press-freedom | Committee to Protect Journalists | read the joint statement | Broadcasting&Cable
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