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  2. September 2018

September 2018

President Trump: Justice Department should investigate anonymous op-ed author

President Donald Trump called for the Justice Department to investigate the anonymous author of an op-ed depicting a “resistance” inside the government and said he is considering taking legal action against the New York Times for publishing it. The column, published online Sept 5, was written by someone the Times identified only as a senior official in the Trump administration. “We’re going to take a look at what he had, what he gave, what he’s talking about, also where he is right now,” President Trump told reporters.

"Impostor texts" and other campaign issues with peer-to-peer texting

Voters are quickly becoming accustomed to the barrage of conversational, sometimes annoying and mostly unregulated text messages sent by political campaigns, often asking whether they can “count on your vote” while offering quick reminders on elections and initiatives. Peer-to-peer texting platforms can be a useful political tactic. They allow campaigns to get in touch with tens of millions of people, and the method was partially pioneered by Sen Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) campaign.

Sen Harris grilled Sheryl Sandberg about Facebook's struggle with hate speech

In one particularly revealing line of questioning during the Sept 5 Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Sen Kamala Harris (D-CA) asked Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg how Facebook makes money and whether the company’s hate-speech policies are truly aimed to protect vulnerable communities that are often the subject of prejudice and animus. Her point was that there’s a real question as to whether Facebook, a company whose first responsibility is to its shareholders, is adequately poised to address false news, hate speech, or any other harmful—and highly engaging—content that users generate.

FTC Prepares to Wade in to Digital-Age Competition

The week of Sept 10, the Federal Trade Commission launches a months-long series of hearings on antitrust and competition policy that could change how the government treats some tech companies in the digital age. It will be the latest spotlight on the hot-button issue of the disparate regulatory treatment of social media sites and Internet service providers.

Verizon’s troubles with AOL taught it a lesson: Consumers care about privacy

Tim Armstrong, a top Verizon executive, may be on the way out after struggling to turn the telecommunication company into a competitor to Google and Facebook, the Internet's preeminent digital advertising titans. Armstrong, the former AOL chief executive who joined Verizon when it purchased his company in 2015, is currently in charge of Oath, the Verizon subsidiary that contains AOL and Yahoo. Underscoring the story is the revelation that Verizon's digital advertising efforts have largely stalled.

Sponsor 

Mountain Connect

Date 
Mon, 09/24/2018 - 17:00 to Wed, 09/26/2018 - 22:45

Creative and collaborative community examples throughout the Midwest as well as highlighting the network infrastructure and economic achievement in Fairlawn.  Three conference tracks:

  • Community Development 
  • Intelligent Communities
  • Emerging Technologies

Sponsor 

Broadband USA

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Department of Commerce

Date 
Wed, 09/19/2018 - 19:00

New, emerging and innovative wireless technologies currently being tested and/or deployed to address rural broadband challenges

Speakers

  • Mathis Shinnick,Chief Executive Officer, OptiPulse, Inc. & John Joseph, Founder, Inventor and President, OptiPulse, Inc.
  • Therese Jones, Senior Director of Policy, Satellite Industry Association
  • Keith Walker, Chief Executive Officer, AER Wireless
  • Dr. Sisso El-Hamamsy, Chief Executive Officer, Mage Networks

A Platform for Political Theater

On September 5, 2018, lawmakers on Capitol Hill hosted two hearings with the heads of Facebook and Twitter. In the morning, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence at the hearing on Foreign Influence Operations’ Use of Social Media Platforms.

Universal Broadband Won’t Save Us

It is frequently asserted that universal broadband access is an efficient means for people to secure not just access to the web but also education, jobs, and health care. But beneath this narrative’s egalitarian veneer, and politicians’ bromides about the virtue of participating in the “digital economy,” rest many of the canards about bootstrapping that helped cause these inequities in the first place.

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