May 2018

Commissioner Clyburn Says She Can Achieve More by Leaving the Agency

A Q&A with FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.

Commission Mignon Clyburn won’t call the Federal Communication Commission broken. But she believes it is “out of focus.” “The agency appears to be just looking through a lens that is industry-centered,” Commissioner Clyburn said. “When you are monofocal—not at least bifocal in looking at [both] the consumer needs and industry needs—then you can get it wrong. I think that pendulum is tilted too far in the other way.”\

Rep Ro Khanna (D-CA) Has a Plan to Regulate Tech

A Q&A with Rep Ro Khanna (D-CA).

Rep Khanna represents much of Silicon Valley, but he’s not just a cheerleader for the hometown industry. He supports tougher antitrust review of tech mergers, for one thing. Rep Khanna is also trying to draft an “Internet Bill of Rights,” principles that he hopes can later form the basis of legislation. On his list: the right to know what data tech companies have about you; the right to limit the use of your data; the right to consent when the data is transferred; and the right to move your data.

Are Google and Facebook Undermining Europe's Privacy Rules?

Less than a month before tough new European privacy rules take effect, there are growing concerns from regulators, publishers, and privacy watchdogs about the ways that two internet giants—Google and Facebook—plan to implement the regulations. The critics say the companies are squelching the promise of the new rules, and will leave European internet users no better off. In a blog, a top EU regulator warned of “attempts to game the system,” which could lead to a “travesty of at least the spirit of the new regulation, which aims to restore a sense of trust and control over what happens to our

Allied Progress Campaigns Against Sinclair-Tribune in Iowa

Allied Progress, which is opposed to the Sinclair-Tribune deal, says it has placed a six-figure TV ad buy in Iowa to try to get viewers to pressure House Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to hold hearings on the proposed merger. The group says Grassley has done nothing to scrutinize the merger despite the companies "many controversies." The ad says that "those choosing to compete in the state’s cherished Iowa Caucuses may be forced to face much more than a field of other candidates if the Sinclair-Tribune merger succeeds."

Facebook begins asking if every post you see is hate speech (Ars Technica)

Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Tue, 05/01/2018 - 12:34

Delaware Is Dead Set on Putting Your State’s Broadband to Shame

Delaware is a national leader in broadband adoption and speed. However, the state is not resting on its laurels, and the chief information officer has a plan to bring broadband connectivity to rural areas using high-speed wireless technologies. “My hope is in the next 24 months, we’re going to eradicate this rural broadband issue,” said James Collins, state chief information officer. “We’ve made a conscious decision that we don’t think it’s the government’s business to be in competition with the private sector as it relates to broadband and other things,” Collins explained.

Few Americans see nation’s political debate as ‘respectful’ (Pew Research Center)

Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Tue, 05/01/2018 - 12:27

The Hill to end attendance at WHCA dinner without 'major reforms' (Hill, The)

Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Tue, 05/01/2018 - 12:24

Facebook will allow users to opt out of letting Facebook collect their browsing history

Facebook users will soon be able to opt out of one of Facebook’s key data gathering practices: Its collection and use of people’s web browsing history, which the company uses to sell targeted ads. As part of an upcoming feature called “clear history,” users can delete their browsing data from Facebook‘s servers, or ask the company not to collect it to begin with. Your browsing data could still be retained in an anonymous, aggregated set for companies that use Facebook for analytics purposes, but it wouldn’t be tied to your profile or used for targeting, a spokesperson confirmed.

USF Funds Transfer to the US Treasury

Effective immediately, as of May 2018, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) will accept payments to and distribute funds from the US Treasury. This is not a change to USAC’s administration of the Universal Service Fund (USF).

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