BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016 (3!!!)
Today's Event -- FCC Open Meeting October 2016 -- https://www.benton.org/node/233052 Can we talk Privacy?
AT&T/TIME WARNER
A Telecom/Broadband/TV/Wireless/(and now) Entertainment Behemoth: AT&T Buys Time Warner - analysis
AT&T’s Vision of Ultrafast Wireless Technology May Be a Mirage
AT&T bid for Time Warner looks set to trigger consolidation wave - analysis [links to Benton summary]
AT&T/Time Warner seems headed for FCC review, whether AT&T likes it or not
White House contest casts shadow over mega-deal
Clinton: AT&T deal 'raises questions and concerns' [links to Hill, The]
Sen Sander to Justice Department: Block AT&T purchase of Time Warner
Consumer Federation of America: FCC Needs to Rein In Media Oligarchs [links to Benton summary]
Some early thoughts on the AT&T/Time Warner merger - AEI op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Individualized Ads on TV Could Be One Result of AT&T-Time Warner Merger [links to New York Times]
Has DirecTV Now Become a Loss Leader to Help Sell the AT&T-Time Warner Merger? [links to Variety]
Deal or No Deal, Time Warner Is a Good (Investment) Bet [links to New York Times]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
What Do We Mean When We Say ‘Digital Equity’ and ‘Digital Inclusion’? - op-ed
Remarks of Assistant Secretary Strickling on the Self-Governing Internet - speech
Comcast sues Nashville to halt rules that help Google Fiber
Why Google Fiber is no longer rolling out to new cities
Chicago gets reprieve in Google Fiber 'pause' [links to Benton summary]
Report: US Fixed Broadband Subscribers Decline in 2Q 2016 [links to Benton summary]
ELECTIONS 2016
Clinton ally's advice: Meet with NYT publisher to try to improve coverage
State Dept months late on explaining Clinton aide's missing emails [links to Benton summary]
Hillary Clinton adviser on email server: ‘They wanted to get away with it.’ [links to Washington Post]
How Donald Trump Used Hollywood to Create ‘Donald Trump’
Study Confirms Network Evening Newscasts Have Abandoned Policy Coverage For 2016 Campaign [links to Media Matters]
The media is rigging the election by reporting WikiLeaks emails - The Hill op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Networks mostly ignore Trump hotel opening [links to Politico]
Are libel laws rigged against Trump? Yes, on purpose. [links to Washington Post]
Eight reasons Donald Trump will be remembered as the ultimate cable-news candidate [links to Washington Post]
Donald Trump the Candidate Promotes Trump the Brand on Campaign Trail [links to New York Times]
Trump TV Offers (Fledgling) Framework for Potential Media Future [links to New York Times]
One more way lobbyists could support Hillary Clinton [links to Washington Post]
Yes, your ballot selfie still might be illegal. Sorry. [links to Washington Post]
Sick of seeing political posts on Facebook? Here's how to block them [links to San Francisco Chronicle]
Video: Science of Political Deception [links to CNNMoney]
Voting by mail is fair, safe, and easy. Why don’t more states use it? [links to Vox]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Sen Blumenthal, FCC And Others Support FTC In Battle Over AT&T Data Throttling
Comcast CEO: Comcast can make money on wireless [links to Multichannel News]
Wi-Fi Alliance Touts Benefits of 802.11ad WiGig Certification [links to telecompetitor]
SECURITY/PRIVACY
Concern about FCC's planned privacy rules vote [links to Benton summary]
Pursuing Academic Freedom and Data Privacy Is a Balancing Act [links to Benton summary]
Hobbyist hackers probably caused Oct 21’s Internet meltdown, researchers say [links to Washington Post]
Here’s what you can do to prevent your smart-home devices from being hijacked [links to Vox]
Op-Ed: 4 Key Areas to Consider When Solving the Cybersecurity Talent Gap [links to nextgov]
Op-ed: How to fix an internet of broken things [links to Christian Science Monitor]
TELEVISION
Comcast signs up more cable TV subscribers, bucking the cord-cutting trend [links to Benton summary]
2017 Tech Trends: Digital Cord-Cutters Will Be a Minority [links to Wall Street Journal]
TV Viewership Falls in N.F.L. and Premier League: A Blip, or Something Worse? [links to New York Times]
Game 1 of World Series Draws Most Viewers Since 2009 [links to New York Times]
Megyn Kelly Seeks Salary North of $20 Million in Contract Talks With Fox News [links to Wall Street Journal]
CONTENT
Mossberg: The PC has become part of the furniture [links to Vox]
Apple to help viewers discover TV shows through an app [links to USAToday]
comScore to Offer OTT Ratings for Ads on Roku [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
ADVERTISING
Political Ads Found To Suppress Effectiveness of Brand Advertising [links to Benton summary]
Digital Ads to Overtake Traditional Ads in U.S. Local Markets by 2018 [links to AdAge]
NBCUniversal CEO: Doing Advanced Advertising Isn't Easy [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
TELECOM
Robocall Strike Force Update - press release [links to Benton summary]
EDUCATION
Education Groups Call for FCC Action on Huge Tech Resource
JOURNALISM
How social media creates angry, poorly informed partisans [links to Vox]
Megyn Kelly’s Pivotal Moment in a Post-Ailes Era at Fox News [links to New York Times
The mainstreaming of racism on Fox News [links to Washington Post]
Why DDoS attacks matter for journalists [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
What the news media can learn from librarians [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
CHILDREN & MEDIA
Why you should stop obsessing about your kids’ screen time [links to Benton summary]
DIVERSITY
Is The Media Partly To Blame For The CEO Gender Gap? [links to Fast Company]
LABOR
Directors Guild of America, Networks Strike New Network Staff Agreement [links to Benton summary]
Op-Ed: The gig economy has grown big, fast — and that’s a problem for workers [links to Vox]
POLICYMAKERS
NTIA Announces Members of Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee - press release [links to Benton summary]
COMPANY NEWS
Twitter to cut 9% of workforce [links to USAToday]
Apple CEO: Apple ‘Open to Acquisitions of Any Size’ [links to Multichannel News]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Pregnant Women in Rural Pakistan Have an Unusual New Ally: Voicemail [links to Vice]
AT&T/TIME WARNER
THE NEW BEHEMOTH
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Robbie McBeath]
[Commentary] On October 22, 2016, AT&T and Time Warner announced a definitive agreement under which AT&T will acquire Time Warner for $85.4 billion. If the deal is approved, AT&T would become the second-largest wireless carrier, the largest pay-TV provider, and the largest U.S. entertainment company. This blockbuster deal has huge implications for telecommunication, broadband, television, wireless, and the entertainment marketplaces. Concerns over market consolidation, vertical integration, and privacy will all be discussed in the months ahead. Here’s an overview of the deal and what to expect going forward.
https://www.benton.org/blog/telecombroadbandtvwirelessand-now-entertainm...
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WIRELESS CABLE A MIRAGE?
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brian Chen, Mark Scott]
Randall Stephenson, AT&T’s chief executive, has a vision for the future if regulators approve his company’s blockbuster bid for Time Warner. It goes like this: In a few years, your cellphone’s data connection will be so fast that you can download a television show in the blink of an eye and a movie in less than five seconds. (That compares with up to eight minutes now for a movie.) When that happens, Stephenson has suggested, you may as well just watch TV with your cellular connection and cancel your cable subscription. Yet the vision may be a mirage. That is because 5G is unlikely to be deployed in any meaningful capacity in the next decade. The technology, which is supposed to offer connectivity at least 100 times faster than what is now available, is at the center of a bitter fight between carriers and telecom equipment makers about how it should work. No resolution is expected until at least 2020, said Bengt Nordstrom, co-founder of Northstream, a telecommunications consulting firm. “Anything before that will just be window dressing,” he said. Even after companies and telecommunications groups define 5G and how it should operate, they face the high cost of installing a wireless network capable of handling the fast wireless speeds. “They take a tremendous amount of money to build,” Craig Moffett, a telecommunications analyst, said of 5G networks. “The obvious question for AT&T is, where is the money going to come from to build out 5G networks on a large scale?”
benton.org/headlines/atts-vision-ultrafast-wireless-technology-may-be-mirage | New York Times
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ATT/TIME WARNER SEEMS HEADED FOR FCC REVIEW
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
Some news organizations have reported that Time Warner has only one Federal Communications Commission license, for a TV station in Atlanta, and that the AT&T/Time Warner merger wouldn't be reviewed by the FCC if Time Warner sells that TV station to a third party. That is not correct, however. Time Warner programmers such as HBO, CNN, and Turner Broadcasting System also have dozens of FCC licenses that let them upload video to satellites used by pay-TV companies. These licenses are crucial for distributing video to cable TV providers. It isn't only satellite TV companies like Dish or the AT&T-owned DirecTV that use satellites to send programmers' video to consumers' homes—even cable companies like Comcast use what's called a "headend in the sky" to receive and distribute video. The FCC's list of active satellite Earth station licenses shows that CNN America has 36 such licenses covering operations at specific locations. HBO and HBO Latin America have a combined seven licenses, and Turner Broadcasting System has 14 licenses. That's 57 licenses that could trigger an FCC review. Licenses for some of the same locations were part of the FCC's review of Time Warner's merger with AOL in 2001. AT&T would love to avoid an FCC review, which in the past has killed deals such as AT&T/T-Mobile and Comcast/Time Warner Cable.
benton.org/headlines/atttime-warner-seems-headed-fcc-review-whether-att-likes-it-or-not | Ars Technica
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WH CONTEST CASTS SHADOW OVER MEGA-DEAL
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: David McCabe]
Presidential politics are casting a shadow over the biggest media acquisition of 2016. The outcome of the White House race could help determine the fate of the proposed $85 billion sale of Time Warner to telecommunications behemoth AT&T, an unusual situation for a massive sale. “It’s such an interesting thing about this deal, is the fact that it was announced when it was announced,” said Craig Aaron, president of Free Press, which argues the deal would be bad for consumers. “I think this would be a highly controversial deal whenever it happened, but the fact that it’s happening two weeks out from the election and will be decided by … appointees who nobody knows who they are yet, makes this a much more political fight than maybe it would have been if it had happened at another time.” Neither of the presidential hopefuls has spoken kindly of the proposal.
benton.org/headlines/white-house-contest-casts-shadow-over-mega-deal | Hill, The
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SANDERS TO DOJ: BLOCK AT&T PURCHASE OF TIME WARNER
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jordainn Carney]
Sen Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is demanding the Department of Justice block a deal for AT&T to purchase Time Warner, arguing acquisition would negatively affect Americans. The former Democratic presidential candidate sent a letter to Renata Hesse, the acting assistant attorney general of DOJ's antitrust division, warning that the proposed $85 billion sale of Time Warner to telecommunications behemoth AT&T would mean a "gross concentration of power." “This merger represents a gross concentration of power that runs counter to the public good and should be blocked," Sen Sanders wrote. He said that he believes the sale, which must be approved by federal regulators, would lead to less diversity and news content, and could mean higher prices and fewer choices for consumers. "The media and telecommunications landscape is changing. It is important that public policy concerns guide these changes, so that we may preserve our democratic discourse and open competitive markets for speech and commerce,” Sen Sanders wrote. "That is the function of antitrust laws," he added. "I ask you to enforce them and block the merger."
benton.org/headlines/sen-sander-justice-department-block-att-purchase-time-warner | The Hill
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
WHAT DO WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY ‘DIGITAL EQUITY’ AND ‘DIGITAL INCLUSION’?
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Angela Siefer]
[Commentary] In May 2016, digital inclusion practitioners, advocates, academics, Internet service providers, and policymakers gathered in Kansas City at Net Inclusion: The National Digital Inclusion Summit and a funny thing happened on our way to the library: we discovered we were speaking different languages. We were gathered to discuss current and potential local, state, and federal policies aimed at increasing digital equity. But we realized there were a number of working definitions of ‘digital equity’ and ‘digital inclusion’ being used by summit attendees. In the weeks since meeting face-to-face in KC, a working group of us affiliated with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance began meeting online in an attempt to reach consensus definitions for these terms. After many discussions the working group came to think of “digital equity” as the goal – and “digital inclusion” as the strategy to reach the goal.
[Angela Siefer is the Director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance]
https://www.benton.org/blog/what-do-we-mean-when-we-say-digital-equity-a...
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STRICKLING ON SELF-GOVERNING INTERNET
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, AUTHOR: Lawrence Strickling]
We have finally fulfilled the promise the United States made nearly two decades ago to privatize the Internet domain name system. We took the final steps with the expiration of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions contract with Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) as of October 1 and last week by modifying our cooperative agreement with Verisign to remove National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA's) role in authorizing changes to the authoritative root zone file. I know many of you understand the significance of this historic moment in the evolution of the Internet. But I think it is also important to understand it in the context of the development of the multistakeholder approach to Internet governance and policymaking. This transition is a powerful testament to the strength of the multistakeholder model and what it can achieve. After the community completed the IANA transition plan, there were those who tried to delay or block the transition at the eleventh hour. Of course, there will always be those who are not happy with the outcome. But if you believe in the process, you must respect the process. However, you do not show respect for the multistakeholder process when you wait until the process is over and the community has reached consensus and then propose major changes in the plan without ever asking the community to consider such an option. You do not show respect for the multistakeholder process when you do not participate for two years and then afterward say you object to the outcome.
benton.org/headlines/remarks-assistant-secretary-strickling-self-governing-internet | National Telecommunications and Information Administration | The Hill
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COMCAST SUES NASHVILLE TO HALT RULES THAT HELP GOOGLE FIBER
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
Comcast sued the Nashville (TN) metro government and mayor to stop a new ordinance designed to give Google Fiber faster access to utility poles. Comcast's complaint in US District Court in Nashville is similar to one already filed by AT&T in Sept. Both Internet service providers are trying to invalidate a One Touch Make Ready ordinance that lets new ISPs make all of the necessary wire adjustments on utility poles themselves instead of having to wait for incumbent providers like AT&T and Comcast to send work crews to move their own wires. The ordinance was passed largely to benefit Google Fiber, which is offering service in Nashville but says that it hasn't been able to deploy faster because it is waiting to get access to thousands of poles. Nearly all the Nashville utility poles are owned either by the municipal Nashville Electric Service or AT&T. Because Comcast has wires on many of the poles, it has some control over how quickly Google Fiber can expand its network. When Google Fiber wants to attach wires to a new pole, it needs to wait for ISPs like Comcast to move their wires to make room for Google Fiber's.
benton.org/headlines/comcast-sues-nashville-halt-rules-help-google-fiber | Ars Technica
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WHY GOOGLE FIBER IS NO LONGER ROLLING OUT TO NEW CITIES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
After rolling out its Fiber product in about a dozen cities, Google is hitting pause on its project to deploy superfast Internet across the country. The news may come as a disappointment to those who were hoping the search giant would bring competition and faster speeds to their area. So, what happened? Here are a few explanations:
Financial pressure from higher-ups: Like many of its siblings in the broader Alphabet family, Google Fiber is likely feeling the heat from top executives who are trying to show investors that their money is being well spent.
Not enough demand: Just like Google Glass — the company's ill-fated attempt to build an augmented-reality visor — Google Fiber may be just a little ahead of its time.
Big incumbents made Google's job harder: Google had an unenviable task in many of its chosen cities: It had to compete with large, established broadband providers who were already there or could benefit from regulations that raised the bar for new entrants.
Providing bundled TV is expensive: There was another major cost Google had to account for when offering its Fiber service. Americans love their double- or triple-play bundles, which reduce the cost of buying Internet from traditional providers.
Wireless broadband is the future: Even as Google Fiber pays lots of money to lay down cables and secure access to TV programming, a different type of technology is coming down the pike: wireless fiber.
benton.org/headlines/why-google-fiber-no-longer-rolling-out-new-cities | Washington Post
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ELECTIONS 2016
CLINTON ALLY ADVICE: MEET WITH NYT PUBLISHER TO IMPROVE COVERAGE
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Kelsey Sutton]
In July 2015, Hillary Clinton ally Neera Tanden, who is head of the progressive think tank the Center for American Progress, passed along advice that Hillary Clinton should try to set up a meeting with The New York Times publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., to get more favorable coverage from the newspaper. In the e-mail, which was released Oct 26 as part of the WikiLeaks’ ongoing release of e-mails from Clinton campaign manager John Podesta, Tanden said that former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg used the tactic to “[change] the coverage moderately.” Tanden said in the e-mail that the advice came from “Howard,” presumably a reference to former New York City Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson, a longtime Democratic strategist who is now a senior adviser to Bloomberg. “[W]hen Bloomberg was having problems w the times he called Arthur Schulzberger (sic) and asked for coffee,” Tanden wrote in an e-mail to Podesta, dated July 9, 2015 and labeled as “Howard’s advice” in the subject line. “He made the case that they were treating him like a billionaire dilettante instead of Third term mayor. It changed the coverage moderately but also aired the issues in the newsroom so people were more conscious of it." Tanden added this caveat: “But Arthur is a pretty big wuss so he’s not going to do a lot more than that.”
benton.org/headlines/clinton-allys-advice-meet-nyt-publisher-try-improve-coverage | Politico
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HOW TRUMP USED HOLLYWOOD TO CREATE 'DONALD TRUMP'
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Katie Rogers]
Most politicians have a public record of speeches and votes on issues of the day, but Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has left a different type of record: a near-constant presence in TV shows, movies, documentaries, pageants and even professional wrestling events over 30 years. His first television appearance seems to have been an uncredited 1981 cameo on the sitcom “The Jeffersons.” Since then, Trump has seized on opportunities to create a recurring character over three decades: a larger-than-life New York billionaire named Donald Trump. His cameos have included numerous TV shows (“The Nanny,” “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Sex and the City”) and movies (“Home Alone 2,” “Zoolander” and Woody Allen’s “Celebrity.”). Including his many interviews on late-night talk shows, appearances on beauty pageant and professional wrestling shows, and a recurring role on his reality program “The Apprentice,” his credits have numbered in the hundreds, according to the Internet Movie Database. His memorable cameos have been collected in at least one YouTube supercut.
benton.org/headlines/how-donald-trump-used-hollywood-create-donald-trump | New York Times
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
SEN BLUMENTHAL, FCC, AND OTHER SUPPORT FTC IN BATTLE OVER AT&T DATA THROTTLING
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wendy Davis]
The Federal Trade Commission is drawing support in its battle with AT&T from other policymakers, including Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and the Federal Communications Commission, as well as privacy experts and advocacy groups. Sen Blumenthal, the FCC and others are asking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a recent decision dismissing an enforcement action against AT&T. The FTC alleged in an October 2014 complaint that AT&T duped more than 3.5 million people by selling them unlimited data plans, but slowing their connections after they exceeded monthly allotments ranging from 3 GB to 5 GB. AT&T countered that the FTC lacks authority to bring an enforcement action against common carriers. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit recently sided with AT&T, ruling that the FTC can't sue common carriers -- even when the lawsuit centers on a non-common carrier service. (Mobile broadband wasn't considered a common carrier service when the FTC brought the case.) Earlier in Oct, the FTC sought a new hearing in front of at least 11 of the 9th Circuit's judges. Sen Blumenthal argues in a proposed friend-of-the-court brief that the panel's ruling creates "a wide hole in FTC jurisdiction that undermines the agency’s ability to remedy deceptive acts committed by the growing range of companies that engage in common-carrier activity as well as non-common-carrier activity."
benton.org/headlines/sen-blumenthal-fcc-and-others-support-ftc-battle-over-att-data-throttling | MediaPost
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EDUCATION
EDUCATION GROUPS CALL FOR FCC ACTION ON HUGE TECH RESOURCE
[SOURCE: Education Week, AUTHOR: Leo Doran]
Possibly billions of dollars’ worth of a public educational telecommunications resource has languished unused and unlicensed within the federal government for decades, some estimates show. If it were managed more effectively, experts say, the resource could be used to essentially eliminate the "homework gap," the divide that exists between students who have access to high-quality learning technologies in school and at home and those who don't. Eleven education groups—including the National Association of State Boards of Education, the National Education Association, the Consortium for School Networking, and the International Society for Technology in Education—jointly filed documents eight years ago petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to give educators access to the unlicensed remnants of the Educational Broadband Service, or EBS. Although the FCC has been formally deliberating over what to do with the unlicensed spectrum since at least 2008, the agency has yet to issue a ruling, and the proceeding remains open—indefinitely.
benton.org/headlines/education-groups-call-fcc-action-huge-tech-resource | Education Week
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