BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014
Cramming on Wireless Phone Bills: A Review of Consumer Protection Practices and Gaps http://benton.org/calendar/2014-07-30/
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Sen Leahy Introduces Historic Bill To Ban NSA’s Dragnet Collection Of Americans’ Electronic Communications - Sen Leahy press release
Senate USA Freedom Act Gets Good Reviews [links to web]
US government increases funding for Tor, giving $1.8m in 2013
Microsoft: We're Fighting the Feds Over Your E-mail - op-ed [links to web]
CYBERSECURITY
House Approves Stronger Cyber Protections For Critical Infrastructure
Rep McCaul’s cybersecurity information sharing center: If you build it, will they come? - AEI op-ed [links to web]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Consumers OK with Data Limits on Wireless, But Not Wired Broadband
How data caps could reshape the economics of the Internet (again)
Rep Eshoo: Data caps are the new 'threat' online
Welcome to the Roadkill Café - Thomas Lenard op-ed on Net Neutrality
How the history of electricity explains municipal broadband - analysis
Netflix and AT&T have signed an interconnection deal
AT&T makes San Antonio the next stop for its 1 Gig fiber-based broadband service [links to web]
Acc-cen-tuate the negative?
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
The Story of Cell Phone Unlocking Reform Public Knowledge [links to web]
FCC Requests Comment on the Public Trial of Google’s TV Band Database System Registration Procedures - public notice [links to web]
FCC Commissioners: FCC Needs To Review Designated Entity Rules [links to web]
Sprint and T-Mobile Play the Waiting Game [links to web]
Sprint Is Running Out of Breath - analysis [links to web]
PRIVACY
Privacy groups call for action to stop Facebook's off site user tracking plans
CONTENT
C-SPAN is going behind the cable TV paywall [links to web]
Amazon Calls for E-Book Price Cuts Amid Hachette Dispute [links to web]
TLEVISION
FCC Chairman Wheeler Seeks Documents From Time Warner Cable
FCC Seeks Comment On Mediacom Unbundling Petition [links to web]
Small Cable Eye Ways to Unload Old TV Service [links to web]
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Neustar fights to keep number portability contract away from Ericsson's Telcordia [links to web]
LABOR
Minorities in newsrooms increase; 63 percent of newspapers have at least one woman among top-three editors
100,000 reasons it pays to be a techie today [links to web]
EDUCATION
What’s in the E-rate Order? Maximizing E-rate Dollars - Kevin Taglang analysis
POLICYMAKERS
Meet the Woman Keeping Silicon Valley in Check (FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez) [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Going Where the Money Isn’t: Wi-Fi for South African Townships - op-ed [links to web]
New Research Findings On Turkey Reveal Kurdish Media Habits [links to web]
For Liberty Global, the Next Step Is the Content [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
White House Announces $10 Billion Rural Economic Development Fund - White House press release [links to web]
Strategy for American Innovation - White House press release [links to web]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
SEN LEAHY INTRODUCES HISTORIC BILL TO BAN NSA’S DRAGNET COLLECTION OF AMERICANS’ ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
[SOURCE: US Senate, AUTHOR: Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT)]
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced legislation that would restore Americans’ privacy rights by ending the government’s dragnet collection of phone records and requiring greater oversight, transparency, and accountability with respect to domestic surveillance authorities. The updated version of the USA FREEDOM Act builds on legislation passed in the House in May, as well as the original legislation Sen Leahy introduced with Rep Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) in October 2013. The legislation bans bulk collection under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and other surveillance authorities, requires the government to narrow the scope of a search to a clearly defined “specific selection term,” adds needed transparency and reporting requirements, and provides key reforms to the FISA Court.
benton.org/node/198006 | US Senate | summary of the bill | read the bill | list of supporters | Reuters | Politico
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US GOVERNMENT INCREASES FUNDING FOR TOR, GIVING $1.8M IN 2013
[SOURCE: The Guardian, AUTHOR: Alex Hern]
Tor, the Internet anonymizer, received more than $1.8m in funding from the US government in 2013, even while the National Security Agency was reportedly trying to destroy the network. The bulk of the US funding came in the form of "pass-through" grants, money which ultimately comes from the US government distributed through some independent third-party. Formerly known as "the onion router", Tor is software which allows its users to browse the Internet anonymously. The Tor Project also received direct funding from the National Science Foundation and the US Department of State, totaling $100,325 and $256,900 respectively.
benton.org/node/198003 | Guardian, The
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CYBERSECURITY
HOUSE APPROVES STRONGER CYBER PROTECTIONS FOR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Rebecca Carroll]
Two bills to strengthen cybersecurity in the systems that underlie the nation’s energy, water and food supplies passed the House, along with a measure to improve the federal government's cyber workforce. A bill (H.R. 3696) introduced by Rep Michael McCaul (R-TX) seeks to strengthen the Department of Homeland Security's ability to protect 16 critical sectors -- including defense, health, energy and food -- by establishing partnerships with the private sector and enhancing programs already in place. Other legislation passed by the House included a bill (H.R. 2952) introduced by Rep Patrick Meehan (R-PA) to improve critical-infrastructure security technology and a bill (H.R. 3107) from Rep Yvette Clarke (D-NY) to bolster DHS’ cyber workforce.
benton.org/node/197997 | nextgov
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
DATA CAPS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Gautham Nagesh]
Consumers are OK with caps on how much data they can download on their wireless devices every month, but are much more concerned about limits on their home Internet usage. The Government Accountability Office conducted focus groups in four cities for its report on Internet usage-based pricing, or charging consumers based on how much data they use. While consumers were generally accepting of the data limits on wireless usage, they showed "strong negative reactions" to the idea of capping the amount of data they can use on their wired broadband connections at home, citing the importance of unlimited bandwidth to their lives and fear that broadband providers could use data caps as a way to increase the amount they charge for Internet service. In a finding that could bolster regulators' push for transparency from broadband providers, the GAO found that consumers were largely confused about how much data they use, and that many could opt for a less-expensive data plan without fear of exceeding their monthly data cap.
benton.org/node/198110 | Wall Street Journal
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HOW DATA CAPS COULD RESHAPE THE ECONOMICS OF THE INTERNET (AGAIN)
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
[Commentary]The Government Accountability Office is out with a new preliminary report on data caps, in response to a request by Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA). Among its findings? Broadband companies can take advantage of usage-based pricing to "generate more revenues" for their business, but ordinary consumers are often befuddled by the rules, potentially leading to over-payment. GAO interviews with ordinary consumers revealed that most people have little to no idea how much data they actually use, despite some ISPs' offer of tools to help customers track their intake. Many incorrectly assumed, for instance, that online shopping requires a lot of data. Others believe that "leaving social media applications running in the background used large amounts of data."
benton.org/node/198001 | Washington Post
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REP ESHOO: DATA CAPS ARE THE NEW 'THREAT' ONLINE
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Kate Tummarello]
Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA) is pushing the Federal Communications Commission to consider “data caps” as it rewrites its controversial network neutrality rules. In a letter to the FCC, Rep Eshoo, the top Democrat on the House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, shared the preliminary findings of a Government Accountability Office study about data caps, which she described as “a new threat to the free and open Internet.” According to Rep Eshoo, the FCC should consider these data cap practices as it rewrites its net neutrality rules, which kept Internet providers from slowing or blocking access to certain websites before they were struck down by a federal court earlier in 2014.
benton.org/node/198055 | Hill, The
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WELCOME TO THE ROADKILL CAFÉ
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Thomas Lenard]
[Commentary] The middle ground is not as safe as it might seem. The three options available to the Federal Communications Commission in the open Internet debate can broadly be characterized as light, medium and heavy regulation. At least two of the three main provisions of the FCC's "medium" regulation proposal have the potential to be quite harmful. The first involves "transparency." Mandated price disclosure helps facilitate cartel behavior. Second is the prohibition against "commercially unreasonable" practices. The commercially unreasonable standard, particularly in combination with the detailed disclosure requirements, risks generating a steady stream of complaints from interested parties. [Lenard is president and senior fellow of the Technology Policy Institute]
benton.org/node/198018 | Hill, The
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HOW THE HISTORY OF ELECTRICITY EXPLAINS MUNICIPAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
[Commentary] In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt launched the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Rural Electrification Administration, among a number of other offices meant to provide power to those who'd been passed over by the privately owned utilities because those areas weren't as profitable. TVA in particular worked with cities like Chattanooga to provide affordable energy. To supporters of publicly owned broadband networks, the TVA's circumvention of commercially owned electric utilities to support public utility projects helps justify the rise of municipal Internet today -- despite the protests of incumbents both then and now.
benton.org/node/198061 | Washington Post
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NETFLIX AND AT&T HAVE SIGNED AN INTERCONNECTION DEAL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
AT&T has become the latest company to sign a deal with Netflix to ensure that the company's streaming videos get to consumers without lagging or delay. Netflix said that the two companies had reached an agreement on interconnection in May. "We're now beginning to turn up the connections, a process that should be complete in the coming days," the company said.
benton.org/node/198058 | Washington Post
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ACC-CEN-TUATE THE NEGATIVE?
[SOURCE: Federal Trade Commission, AUTHOR: Lesley Fair]
The Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA) is a new law that makes it illegal to charge a consumer for goods or services sold in an Internet transaction through any negative option method -- including trial conversions, continuity plans, or automatic renewals -- unless the business:
clearly and conspicuously discloses all materials terms of the transaction before getting consumers’ billing information;
gets consumers’ express informed consent before charging their accounts; and
offers simple ways for people to stop the recurring charges.
benton.org/node/198005 | Federal Trade Commission
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PRIVACY
PRIVACY GROUPS CALL FOR ACTION TO STOP FACEBOOK'S OFF SITE USER TRACKING PLANS
[SOURCE: IDG News Service, AUTHOR: Loek Essers]
United States and European Union privacy and consumer groups called on privacy regulators to stop Facebook's plans to gather the Internet browsing patterns of its users while they visit other sites. The groups, gathered in the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD), asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) to stop Facebook collecting the web browsing activities of Internet users in order to target advertising. The groups also called on the FTC to examine whether Facebook's change in business practices violates a 2012 consent order between it and the FTC in a case involving the company's repeated sharing of information its users had asked to keep private
benton.org/node/197993 | IDG News Service | The Hill
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TLEVISION
FCC CHAIRMAN WHEELER SEEKS DOCUMENTS FROM TIME WARNER CABLE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler told Time Warner Cable CEO Rob Marcus in no uncertain terms that he has "strong concern" that TWC’s actions "have created the inability of consumers in the Los Angeles area to watch televised games of the Los Angeles Dodgers." Chairman Wheeler vowed that the FCC would "intervene as appropriate" to bring "necessary relief to consumers." He has given TWC 10 days to provide some relevant documents, including copies of documents, and an explanation of the impasse.
benton.org/node/198051 | Broadcasting&Cable | The Hill | The Wrap | B&C
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LABOR
MINORITIES IN NEWSROOMS INCREASE; 63 PERCENT OF NEWSPAPERS HAVE AT LEAST ONE WOMAN AMONG TOP-THREE EDITORS
[SOURCE: American Society of News Editors, AUTHOR: ]
The number of minority journalists in daily-newspaper newsrooms increased by a couple of hundred in 2013 even as newsroom employment declined by 3.2 percent, according to the annual census by the American Society of News Editors and the Center for Advanced Social Research. The 2014 census also found that 63 percent of the news organizations surveyed have at least one woman among their top three editors. The percent of minority leaders is lower, with 15 percent of participating organizations saying at least one of their top three editors is a person of color.
benton.org/node/197989 | American Society of News Editors
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EDUCATION
WHAT’S IN THE E-RATE ORDER? MAXIMIZING E-RATE DOLLARS
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
[Commentary] Maximizing the benefit of each dollar spent on telecommunications services for schools and libraries and minimizing the contribution burden on consumers and businesses is a major goal adopted by the Federal Communications Commission in its July 2014 E-rate order. The FCC is aiming to drive down costs for the services and equipment needed to deliver high-speed broadband connectivity to and within schools and libraries. The FCC changed E-rate rules to increase pricing transparency, encourage consortium purchasing and amend its lowest corresponding price (LCP) rule to clarify that potential service providers must offer eligible schools, libraries and consortia the LCP.
http://benton.org/node/197986
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