BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 (7)
Understanding Demand for Broadband: Willingness to Pay for Bandwidth and Latency https://www.benton.org/calendar/2017-10-19
COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY
Attorney General Sessions declines 'blanket' assurance to not jail journalists
Democratic Senators want hearing on Pai's Response to President Trump's NBC threat
President Trump: Mainstream Media Out to 'Bring Down' Administration
Poll: Republicans Back Power to Pull News Media 'Licenses' [links to Benton summary]
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
Sens Klobuchar, Warner Announce Legislation to Prevent Foreign Interference in Future Elections, Improve Transparency of Online Political Ads - press release
Facebook admits Russia agents used Messenger to disrupt US presidential election [links to Benton summary]
Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing States [links to Bloomberg]
Despite backlash over political ads, Facebook's role in elections will only grow
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Network Neutrality and Beyond: The Long Road Ahead - op-ed
Why Community Anchor Institutions Should Care About the Connect America Fund - op-ed
Republican fight against municipal broadband heats up in Michigan
Google Fiber launches signups in Louisville [links to Google]
OWNERSHIP
Sinclair May Sell TV Stations for Up to $1 Billion to Satisfy FCC
FCC Pauses 180-Day Transaction Shot Clock In The Tribune-Sinclair Proceeding To Allow For Additional Comment - public notice [links to Benton summary]
MMTC Pitches FCC Commissioners Rosenworcel, Clyburn on Backing Main Studio Rule Sunset [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
DIVERSITY
Square and Pinterest's newly released employment data reveals a lack of diversity in top ranks [links to Vox]
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
California Senators Press FCC on Wireless Alert Geotargeting
Hurricane Maria Communications Status Report for Oct. 18 [links to Federal Communications Commission]
SECURITY/PRIVACY
It’s surprisingly easy for anyone to buy ads that track location and app usage, study says
How these librarians are changing how we think about digital privacy
Child advocacy and privacy groups to FTC: smartwatches can endanger kids [links to Benton summary]
The Equifax data breach is the national wake-up moment we expected [links to Brookings]
Pentagon chief asks Congress to not hinder cyber defense [links to Reuters]
Microsoft Cloud Can Now Host Classified Pentagon Data [links to nextgov]
CONTENT
The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online - research
Twitter's Latest Rules for Fighting Hate and Abuse [links to Wired]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Remarks of Commissioner O'Rielly Before the New Jersey Wireless Association - speech [links to Benton summary]
JOURNALISM
In President Trump’s first 100 days, news stories citing his tweets were more likely to be negative - Pew research [links to Benton summary]
‘Cease and desist’: Journalism’s strained relationship with police [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
NYT: Pioneering Virtual Reality and New Video Technologies in Journalism [links to New York Times]
TELEVISION
At Long Last, Nielsen Will Publicly Share Ratings for Netflix Shows [links to AdWeek]
KIDS AND MEDIA
10 reasons why your kid isn't ready for a smartphone [links to USAToday]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
AI Experts Want to End 'Black Box' algorithms in Government [links to Wired]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
European Union Says Privacy Shield is Working [links to Benton summary]
Community radio faces dangerous hazards in Mexico [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
MORE ONLINE
The federal lawmakers who regulate Amazon are begging the company to move to their home states [links to Benton summary]
COMMUNICATIONS & DEMOCRACY
AG SESSIONS DECLINES 'BLANKET' ASSURANCE TO NOT JAIL JOURNALISTS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Mallory Shelbourne]
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Oct 18 said he could not make a “blanket commitment” to not putting journalists in jail. During testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) asked AG Sessions if he could pledge to not place “reporters in jail for doing their jobs.” “Well, I don’t know that I can make a blanket commitment to that effect. But I will say this, we have not taken any aggressive action against the media at this point,” Sessions replied. “But we have matters that involve the most serious national security issues that put our country at risk and we will utilize the authorities that we have legally and constitutionally if we have to.” “We always try to find an alternative way, as you probably know, Sen. Klobuchar, to directly confronting media persons, but that’s not a total blanket protection,” Sessions said.
benton.org/headlines/attorney-general-sessions-declines-blanket-assurance-not-jail-journalists | Hill, The | B&C
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DEMOCRATIC SENS WANT HEARING ON PAI RESPONSE TO TRUMP NBC THREAT
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Harper Neidig]
Democratic members of the Senate Commerce Committee are calling for an oversight hearing for the Federal Communications Commission following President Donald Trump’s threats against media outlets' broadcast licenses recently. The Sens sent a letter to the committee’s top members, calling out FCC Chairman Ajit Pai for waiting so long to address the president’s statements. “The FCC Chairman’s failure to quickly respond and denounce these threats is shocking and raises questions about the ability of the FCC to truly act independently under Chairman Pai’s leadership,” the letter reads. The group was led by Sens Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tom Udall (D-NM) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH). “It is imperative that FCC Chairman Pai and his fellow Commissioners address this Committee and respond to the President’s stated desire for regulatory abuse of his perceived critics through the FCC."
benton.org/headlines/democratic-sens-want-hearing-pais-response-president-trumps-nbc-threat | Hill, The | read the letter | B&C
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PRESIDENT TRUMP ON MAINSTREAM MEDIA
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
President Donald Trump has, if possible, ratcheted up his media attacks, making it crystal clear Oct 18 he thinks the mainstream media are indeed enemies of the people, bent on destroying him and willing to stop at nothing. That came in an e-mail circulating a new "Mainstream Media Accountability Survey" on the news media, one of several the Trump Pence campaign fundraising committee has conducted in concert with the Republican National Committee. "I’ve said it before and I will say it again: the Mainstream Media is out to bring down my Administration," the President said in the e-mail. "It’s a 24/7 barrage of hit jobs, fake stories, and absolute hatred for everything we stand for as a movement. They don’t care about the truth. They don’t care about what’s right. They only care about propping up the liberal Democrats they worship and destroying anyone who wants to put America First. There is nothing they won’t do to stop us." The new survey focuses on four specific news outlets, CNN, NBC, co-owned MSNBC and Fox News, asking whether each can be trusted to report fairly on his presidency. The President has been highly critical of CNN and NBC News, and generally positive toward Fox.
benton.org/headlines/president-trump-mainstream-media-out-bring-down-administration | Broadcasting&Cable
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ELECTIONS & MEDIA
KLOBUCHAR, WARNER ONLINE POLITICAL AD BILL
[SOURCE: US Senate, AUTHOR: Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)]
In 2016 Russians bought online political ads designed to influence our election and divide Americans. The content and purchaser(s) of those online advertisements are a mystery to the public because of outdated laws that have failed to keep up with evolving technology. The Honest Ads Act would help prevent foreign actors from influencing our elections by ensuring that political ads sold online are covered by the same rules as ads sold on TV, radio, and satellite. On Oct 19, Sens Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mark Waner (D-VA) will announce the introduction of bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Sen John McCain (R-AZ) to prevent foreign interference in future elections and improve transparency of online political ads.
benton.org/headlines/sens-klobuchar-warner-announce-legislation-prevent-foreign-interference-future-elections | US Senate | The Hill
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FACEBOOK AND ELECTIONS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: David Pierson]
As the political world looks to apply the lessons of Donald Trump’s victory to future campaigns, one of the few clear conclusions is that Facebook played an outsized role in propelling the candidate to his improbable win. The company’s ability to affordably target hyper-specific audiences with little to no transparency gives it a distinct advantage over other forms of media, researchers and political operatives believe. Political ads on Facebook have fueled controversy. They spread Russian propaganda and reportedly helped the Trump team suppress black support for Hillary Clinton and aided a conservative political action committee in targeting swing voters with scaremongering anti-refugee ads. Yet the backlash is unlikely to dissuade future campaigns from deploying one of Facebook’s most potent tools. Even the threat of new regulation governing the disclosure rules for political ads on social media can’t stunt the company’s stock price, which continues to reach new heights. If anything, the controversies appear to be functioning like a giant advertisement for the effectiveness of Facebook’s political advertising business. “I don’t lose sleep over Facebook’s business. I lose sleep over the future of democracy,” said Siva Vaidhyanathan, a professor of media studies at the University of Virginia.
benton.org/headlines/despite-backlash-over-political-ads-facebooks-role-elections-will-only-grow | Los Angeles Times
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
NET NEUTRALITY AND BEYOND
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Michael Copps]
[Commentary] If we cannot get net neutrality right, we can forget about the transformative democratic potential of the net. Network neutrality is the necessary, but not the sufficient, foundation of an open internet. And anything less than a truly open internet would be a tragic denial of the awesome potential of digital technology to transform our lives. We should be in a golden age of media. We might have gotten to such a golden age had we not allowed the consolidators to kill independent media, not encouraged Wall Street expectations to smother Main Street needs, not permitted commercialization to supersede real news and information, and not let our US government default on its public interest responsibilities. I believe more and more people in your country and mine, regardless of party persuasions, are becoming concerned about this. You and I in both our great nations must harness this concern and turn it into policy. No one is going to do this for us. We can have that golden age, we need that golden age, and we will get there not separately, but together. It will be a tough climb, but a climb worth making. Let’s put on our mountain-climbing boots and get on with it.
[Former-FCC Commissioner Michael Copps joined Common Cause to lead its Media and Democracy Reform Initiative.]
https://www.benton.org/blog/network-neutrality-and-beyond-long-road-ahead
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ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS AND THE CONNECT AMERICA FUND
[SOURCE: Schools Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition, AUTHOR: Carol Mattey]
[Commentary] Anchor institutions like schools, libraries and health care providers play an important role in bringing connectivity to their local communities. But advances in telemedicine and education will not be fully realized if rural consumers do not have adequate broadband service at home. School aged children will struggle if they cannot do their homework. Individuals with medical conditions that require active monitoring – diabetes, congestive heart failure and more – need broadband at home to transmit critical medical data in real time to medical professionals. That is why local government officials and anchor institutions should be paying attention to the implementation of the Connect America Fund, now and in the years ahead. The FCC is working to hold an auction in 2018 to award nearly $2 billion in funding over the next decade from Phase II of the Connect America Fund to service providers to extend fixed broadband to unserved residential and small business locations, and a separate auction to award $4.53 billion in funding over a decade from Phase II of the Mobility Fund to mobile wireless providers to extend LTE service to rural America. Any entity willing to provide the requisite level of service set by the FCC and meet other requirements can bid in those auctions for the subsidy. Local leaders should ask: is it possible to utilize funding in a more coordinated way from E-rate, the Rural Healthcare program, and the Connect America Fund to build a business case to serve the entire community? What efficiencies might be gained from building an integrated broadband network for the entire community? Are the service providers that currently participate in any of these FCC’s universal service programs planning to bid in these upcoming Connect America Fund auctions? Who else might bid?
[Carol Mattey is the principal of Mattey Consulting LLC, which provides strategic and public policy advisory services to broadband providers, governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and other entities active in the telecommunications arena]
benton.org/headlines/why-community-anchor-institutions-should-care-about-connect-america-fund | Schools Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition
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GOP FIGHT AGAINST MUNI BROADBAND HEATS UP IN MI
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
A state lawmaker in Michigan wants to prevent cities and towns from using any government funding to provide Internet service. Michigan state Rep Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton) submitted a bill that says cities and towns "shall not use any federal, state, or local funds or loans to pay for the cost of providing qualified Internet service." State Rep Hoitenga's bill does say that a city or town "may enter into an agreement with one or more private parties to provide qualified Internet service," as long as no government funds are used. Even with that exception, the bill could discourage cities and towns from pursuing public-private partnerships, according to an analysis by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's Community Broadband Networks project.
benton.org/headlines/republican-fight-against-municipal-broadband-heats-michigan | Ars Technica
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OWNERSHIP
SINCLAIR MAY SELL TV STATIONS FOR UP TO $1B TO SATISFY FCC
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Alex Sherman, Todd Shields, Anousha Sakoui]
Apparently, Sinclair Broadcast Group received bids for as many as 10 television stations that could fetch up to $1 billion as it takes steps to win approval of its proposed merger with Tribune Media. Preliminary bids for the stations were submitted the week of Oct 9. Sinclair may sell some or all of the outlets, all in different markets, apparently. The process could be delayed by uncertainty over whether President Donald Trump’s appointees will change rules limiting media ownership and how the administration will enforce antitrust laws. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has told an opponent of the Sinclair-Tribune deal that the agency may review media ownership rules before ruling on the $3.9 billion transaction.
benton.org/headlines/sinclair-may-sell-tv-stations-1-billion-satisfy-fcc | Bloomberg
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CONTENT
The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online - research
TRUTH AND MISINFORMATION ONLINE
[SOURCE: Pew Research Center, AUTHOR: Janna Anderson, Lee Raine]
Experts are evenly split on whether the coming decade will see a reduction in false and misleading narratives online. Those forecasting improvement place their hopes in technological fixes and in societal solutions. Others think the dark side of human nature is aided more than stifled by technology.
benton.org/headlines/future-truth-and-misinformation-online | Pew Research Center
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PRIVACY
TRACKING LOCATION AND APP USAGE
[SOURCE: Vox, AUTHOR: Shannon Liao]
Researchers at the University of Washington have found a way to track a person’s location and app use through serving ads on mobile apps. The result opens the door for significant privacy invasions through the app-based advertising system. The researchers obtained the information by purchasing a series of ads targeted to specific locations and apps, then checking which mobile subscribers fit the targeting. In experiments conducted on Android devices, the team was able to pinpoint a person’s location within eight meters through a targeted ad. They tested ads on 10 different apps, including Grindr, Imgur, Words with Friends, and Talkatone, all using widely available ad networks. By serving ad content to a user’s apps, the ad buyers could learn what apps the user has installed. That information could be sensitive, revealing a user’s sexual orientation or religious affiliation. Researchers could also find out when a user went to a specific place. After targeting ads to a specific location, the ad network would notify them within 10 minutes of when the user arrived.
benton.org/headlines/its-surprisingly-easy-anyone-buy-ads-track-location-and-app-usage-study-says | Vox
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LIBRARIES AND PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Eoin O’Carroll]
A group of privacy advocates want to help you protect your digital privacy using a public institution built for the analog age: your local public library. In August, New York University and the Library Freedom Project – an organization that trains librarians on using privacy tools to protect intellectual freedom – received a $250,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency. Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers. According to the Library Freedom Project’s website, the group aims to create what it calls “a privacy-centric paradigm shift in libraries and the communities they serve.” As society’s sole public space dedicated to collecting and sharing information, public libraries have long been a flashpoint for conflicts over censorship, surveillance, and secrecy. The digital age has accelerated these conflicts, placing librarians squarely between the government’s and corporations’ desire to pursue their interests and the public’s desire to learn how to seek information in private.
benton.org/headlines/how-these-librarians-are-changing-how-we-think-about-digital-privacy | Christian Science Monitor
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
CA SENS PRESS FCC ON WIRELESS ALERT GEOTARGETING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
In the wake of the devastating and deadly California wildfires, Sens Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) have written the Federal Communications Commission with their concerns that wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) lack potentially lifesaving precise geotargeting, and are urging the FCC to implement that requirement ASAP. The FCC in 2016 proposed rules, which FCC Chairman Ajit Pai voted for as a commissioner, that would require wireless carriers to provide precise geotargeting of WEA warnings, but Sens Feinstein and Harris wrote Pai that they were disappointed the FCC has never voted a final order, and that it provided "a temporary waiver of the existing, imprecise geotargeting requirements for certain carriers." They ask if the chairman intends to proceed with the rulemaking and if so, will he do it expeditiously, and if not, why not. They also want to know whether the FCC has gotten feedback from emergency services in Northern California about whether the WEA system is meeting their needs, referring to news stories that suggested it was not, and whether it has sought the same info from hurricane-it areas.
benton.org/headlines/california-sens-press-fcc-wireless-alert-geotargeting | Broadcasting&Cable
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