Daily Digest 10/25/2021 (The Facebook Files)

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Table of Contents

Legislation

Will tech provisions make the cut in Democrats' spending bill?  |  Read below  |  Benjamin Din  |  Politico
Senate Bill Could Free Up Billions More Broadband Bucks  |  Read below  |  John Eggerton  |  Multichannel News

Oversight

Lack of Internet Access Hinders Rural America’s Education and Economic Opportunities  |  Read below  |  Letter  |  House Oversight Committee

Broadband Infrastructure

USDA to Make Up to $1.15 Billion Available to Help People Living in Rural Communities Access High-Speed Internet  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Department of Agriculture
Public-private partnerships poised to play pivotal part in fiber proliferation  |  Read below  |  Diana Goovaerts  |  Fierce
First Awards Distributed Under Economic Development Administration’s American Rescue Plan Programs  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Economic Development Administration
Benton Foundation
Equitable Internet Initiative to Accelerate Outreach, Training, and Wireless Broadband Internet Sharing  |  Read below  |  Op-Ed  |  Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Wireless/Spectrum

NTIA Releases Analysis of Responses to 5G Challenge NOI  |  Read below  |  Analysis  |  National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Public Interest Spectrum Coalition Opposes FCC “Wi-Fi Tax” Proposal in 2022 Regulatory Fees Assessment  |  Read below  |  Michael Calabrese, Amir Nasr, Harold Feld, Kathleen Burke  |  Analysis  |  Public Knowledge
CCIA Joins Internet Association, DiMA, and INCOMPAS in Filing to the FCC Opposing Wi-Fi Tax  |  Computer & Communications Industry Association
CTA Loathes Idea of FCC Collecting Fees From Unlicensed Spectrum Users  |  Radio World
Public Knowledge Files Amicus Brief Urging Court to Uphold FCC 5.9 GHz Decision  |  Public Knowledge
Remember 3G? It's going away as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile shift to 5G. What to know about 3G shutdown  |  Read below  |  Brett Molina  |  USA Today
T-Mobile delays shutdown of Sprint 3G network by three months.  |  Read below  |  Oscar Gonzalez  |  C|Net, T-Mobile
NTIA Comments on Unmanned Aircraft Systems Use of the 5 GHz Band  |  National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Platforms/Social Media

Google Charges More than Twice Its Rivals in Ad Deals, Wins 80% of Its Own Auctions, Unredacted Suit Says  |  Wall Street Journal
Twitter admits bias in algorithm for rightwing politicians and news outlets  |  Read below  |  Dan Milmo  |  Guardian, The
Texas Can Seek Files From Twitter, Facebook in Suit Over New Law that Bars Platforms from Suspending Users over Political Views  |  Bloomberg
Google sought fellow tech giants' help in stalling kids' privacy protections, states allege  |  Politico
Twitter suspends GOP Rep. Banks for misgendering trans health official  |  Hill, The
Twitter to acquire group chat app Sphere  |  C|Net
Are You Living a Double Life on Social Media?  |  Harvard Business Review
Editorial: Finally, a promising piece of tech antitrust legislation in Congress  |  Washington Post
Mark Jamison: Sens. Klobuchar and Grassley show why Congress should not pass Big Tech legislation  |  American Enterprise Institute

The Facebook Files

Facebook’s Internal Chat Boards Show Politics Often at Center of Decision Making  |  Read below  |  Keach Hagey, Jeff Horwitz  |  Wall Street Journal
Facebook Increasingly Suppresses Political Movements It Deems Dangerous  |  Wall Street Journal
Facebook missed weeks of warning signs over Capitol attack, documents suggest  |  Guardian, The
Internal Alarm, Public Shrugs: Facebook’s Employees Dissect Its Election Role  |  New York Times
Facebook Faulted by Staff Over Jan. 6 Insurrection: ‘Abdication’  |  Bloomberg
Inside Facebook, Jan. 6 violence fueled anger, regret over missed warning signs  |  Washington Post
The story of Carol and Karen: Two experimental Facebook accounts show how the company helped divide America  |  USA Today
‘Carol’s Journey’: What Facebook knew about how it radicalized users  |  NBC
In India, Facebook Grapples With an Amplified Version of Its Problems  |  New York Times
Facebook Services Are Used to Spread Religious Hatred in India, Internal Documents Show  |  Wall Street Journal
The case against Mark Zuckerberg: Insiders say Facebook’s CEO chose growth over safety  |  Washington Post
Facebook says it’s winning the fight against hate speech targeting Black Americans. Its own research says otherwise.  |  USA Today
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen: shareholders would oust Zuckerberg if they could  |  Hill, The
Facebook Wrestles With Likes and Shares, the Features It Used to Define Social Networking  |  New York Times
Ben Smith | Inside the Big Facebook Leak: How journalists’ sources have become power players  |  New York Times
Frances Haugen says Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has not shown any desire to shield users from the consequences of harmful content  |  Guardian, The
New whistleblower claims Facebook allowed hate, illegal activity to go unchecked  |  Washington Post
Monika Bickert, Facebook’s vice-president of content policy, says tech firms need stronger regulation  |  Guardian, The
From Facebook friend to romance scammer: Older Americans increasingly targeted amid COVID pandemic  |  USA Today
Facebook rolls out campaign to fight misinformation ahead of Australian election  |  Guardian, The
Facebook accuses Ukrainian programmer of selling 178 million users' data, files lawsuit  |  USA Today
Facebook’s metaverse fantasy  |  Financial Times
Opinion: Facebook’s problems will follow it into the metaverse  |  Financial Times

Security

Russia Challenges Biden Again With Broad Cybersurveillance Operation  |  New York Times
Commerce Department Issued $100 Billion in Export Licenses to Suppliers of Huawei, SMIC  |  Wall Street Journal
Gov Newsom Administration Announces First Multi-year Cybersecurity Roadmap to Protect Californians’ Privacy and Security  |  California Office of Governor

Privacy

‘Asian Achievers,’ ‘Gay’: How ISPs Label Customers for Advertisers  |  Vice

TV

Why the Cable Company Is Selling TVs: It all comes down to having power over what Americans watch and how  |  New York Times

Policymakers

Chamber of Progress, Computer & Communications Industry Association urge President Biden to nominate FCC commissioner  |  Chamber of Progress
3 Open Questions Surrounding FCC Leadership Vacancies  |  Law360
Verizon's Kathy Grillo elected to serve as the new Chair of the USTelecom Board of Directors  |  USTelecom

Company News

Google pushes fiber in San Antonio, Atlanta, Des Moines, Austin  |  Fierce

Stories From Abroad

Is Netflix a threat to the cable TV industry? Evidence from Brazil  |  Telecommunications Policy
Vodafone Sues UK After Losing Bid for Hack-Proof State Hotline to Fujitsu  |  Bloomberg
Today's Top Stories

Legislation

Will tech provisions make the cut in Democrats' spending bill?

Benjamin Din  |  Politico

As Democrats attempt to shrink their social spending plan by hundreds of billions of dollars in order to reach consensus between moderates and progressives, the fate of several of its tech provisions hangs in the balance. House Democrats included a boatload of technology and telecommunications cash in the original $3.5 trillion version of their spending package, which the party is planning to pass without GOP support under a process called reconciliation. The version that cleared the House Commerce Committee would set aside $1 billion to create an expansive Federal Trade Commission privacy bureau, $10 billion to upgrade the nation’s 911 calling system, and $4 billion to bolster the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Connectivity Fund, aimed at subsidizing digital connectivity for students and library patrons.

The overall price will likely fall to around $2 trillion (or perhaps lower), given the protests of moderate Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), whose votes will be vital for passage. President Joe Biden himself is deep in the negotiating trenches to figure out which parts of the bill will stay, shrink or be cut entirely. To that end, Democratic leaders are debating whether to invest the smaller total sum in fewer priorities or retain more of the bill’s original provisions and simply shrink how much cash each one would receive.

As for those tech provisions, “They’re all still there, in the mix,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-WA). Broadband investment, in particular, is one priority some Democrats are intent on keeping in the bill“We’re going to be fighting to [hold] those provisions in place,” said Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM). “We’ll keep a watchful eye as the conversations continue to the end of the week. But these matter, and they’ll make a difference in people’s lives.” And Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) stressed he hopes the social spending plan delivers “more continuity and permanence” to the Emergency Connectivity Fund, which was initially created as a pandemic relief emergency subsidy.

Democratic leaders are trying to lock down a framework and still hope to move this measure and the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill in tandem.

Senate Bill Could Free Up Billions More Broadband Bucks

John Eggerton  |  Multichannel News

The Senate has passed the bipartisan State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act, which could free up potentially hundreds of billions more for broadband buildout. States got $1.9 trillion in Congress's COVID-19 rescue legislation in 2021, specifically to deal with the loss of revenues due to COVID-19. But the Associated Press reported that more than half a trillion dollars of that had yet to be spent. The just-passed bill would expand the places all that money could go, allowing states to use up to 30% of their respective allocations not yet spent for infrastructure projects, including broadband. It would also allow 100% of unspent funds to be spent on disaster recovery, which could also implicate broadband in the case of damaged communications infrastructure.

Oversight

Lack of Internet Access Hinders Rural America’s Education and Economic Opportunities

Republican members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Committee wrote Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, requesting information regarding the status of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and their service to Americans in rural communities. A lack of competition and overreporting of access to broadband has plagued rural Americans with terrible customer service and unreliable internet access. These issues, compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, have hindered the ability of rural America to participate in online educational content and online economic opportunities. The lawmakers request the following information by Nov 4, 2021:

  1. A list of all rural broadband providers and their coverage areas.
  2. The number of complaints filed with the FCC relating to internet access, speed, customer support, or any other issue relating to broadband access.
  3. A list of the top 10 companies with the largest number of complaints filed with the FCC.
  4. A detailed explanation of what steps are taken to address complaints once they are filed with the FCC.
  5. The number of enforcement actions the FCC Enforcement Bureau has taken in 2021.
  6. The result of the enforcement actions taken in 2021.
  7. An explanation as to why the FCC considers a census block “covered” if as few as only one or two residences in the block are served.
  8. Information regarding whether the FCC still considers the minimum download speed of 25 megabits per second an acceptable metric.
  9. Detailed explanation on when the FCC will release the updated broadband maps so that rural coverage can be more accurately addressed as required by the Broadband DATA Act.
  10. An explanation of how and whether the FCC is encouraging competition in rural areas where there are fewer customers?

Broadband Infrastructure

USDA to Make Up to $1.15 Billion Available to Help People Living in Rural Communities Access High-Speed Internet

Press Release  |  Department of Agriculture

On November 24 the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin accepting applications for up to $1.15 billion in loans and grants to expand the availability of broadband in rural areas. USDA is making the funding available through the ReConnect Program. The Department plans to make available up to $200 million in ReConnect Program loans, up to $250 million in loan/grant combinations, up to $350 million in grants with a 25 percent matching requirement, and up to $350 million in grants with no matching requirement for projects in tribal and socially vulnerable communities.

To be eligible for ReConnect Program funding, an applicant must serve an area without broadband service at speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) (download) and 20 Mbps (upload), and commit to building facilities capable of providing broadband service at speeds of 100 Mbps (download and upload) to every location in its proposed service area. In making funding decisions, USDA will prioritize projects that will serve low-density rural areas with locations lacking internet access services at speeds of at least 25 Mbps (download) and 3 Mbps (upload). In making funding decisions, the USDA will also consider, among other things, the economic needs of the community to be served; the extent which a provider will offer affordable service options; a project’s commitment to strong labor standards; and whether a project is serving tribal lands or is submitted by a local government, Tribal Government, non-profit or cooperative. USDA has simplified the application process and has expanded the program significantly. For example, ReConnect will now offer 100 percent grants for certain projects on tribal lands and in socially vulnerable communities.

Public-private partnerships poised to play pivotal part in fiber proliferation

Diana Goovaerts  |  Fierce

Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) President and CEO Gary Bolton said, "It feels like the tide has changed where experienced providers are now realizing there’s a role for them to help, whether it’s a utility or a municipality or any community effort to put broadband in." Bolton noted the topic of public-private partnerships emerged unexpectedly as a key theme of FBA's Fiber Connect conference in July. But operators have recently been vocal about pursuing such arrangements even outside of conference halls. Bolton said he’s been surprised by what he characterized as a dramatic change in posture on the subject. “I was just shocked about how flexible – especially incumbents – are, where they’ve kind of changed their positioning and that they’re being much more flexible working with communities." Interest in public-private partnerships from municipalities has also picked up.

First Awards Distributed Under Economic Development Administration’s American Rescue Plan Programs

The US Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration has begun awarding its historic $3 billion in American Rescue Plan funds to assist communities nationwide in their efforts to build back better by accelerating the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and building local economies that will be resilient to future economic shocks. EDA awarded $24 million in grants to states and territories across the nation for statewide planning efforts to boost economic development, enhance US competitiveness, combat the climate crisis, and recover from the pandemic. EDA will fund a variety of activities among which the State may choose one or more to fund, including supporting statewide broadband data collection and mapping efforts and developing statewide broadband deployment and technical assistance plans.

All 59 states and territories have been invited to apply for a $1 million grant through EDA’s Statewide Planning program—one of six programs EDA developed to equitably distribute its $3 billion in American Rescue Plan funding. These are the first EDA American Rescue Plan grants announced; the remainder being disbursed in the coming weeks and months. First awards are to: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Equitable Internet Initiative to Accelerate Outreach, Training, and Wireless Broadband Internet Sharing

Amid significant poverty and a lack of robust infrastructure, 40 percent of Detroit residents struggle to access reliable broadband service. Fortunately, organizations like the Detroit Community Technology Project (DCTP) exist to challenge the status quo. DCTP’s mission is “to use and create technology rooted in community needs that strengthens neighbors’ connection to each other, and to the planet.” Through Project OVERCOME, DCTP and its partners at Grace in Action Collectives are targeting the digital divide in one southwest Detroit neighborhood, an area that is home to many low-income immigrants and Black and Brown families. The DCTP team is bringing community-owned communications infrastructure to the region and working to ensure that improved internet access leads to better health outcomes, greater job readiness, and overall economic growth. With a goal to provide reliable, affordable broadband service combined with high levels of customer support, DCTP has partnered with technology company 123NET, which will deploy fiber into the Detroit neighborhood before hanging aerial fiber lines directly to residential homes. Customer installations will be completed by trusted and trained local residents, who also are building a new fixed wireless network by connecting additional homes and businesses with point-to-point radios and adding outdoor public hotspots.

Spectrum/Wireless

NTIA Releases Analysis of Responses to 5G Challenge NOI

Earlier in 2021, NTIA issued a 5G Challenge Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on behalf of the Department of Defense, requesting information on how to use Prize Challenges to accelerate the development of the open 5G ecosystem and support Department of Defense missions. NTIA received 51 responses to the NOI, and NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences is releasing an analysis of those responses to inform future collaborations between the Department of Defense and NTIA, including the potential of an initial 5G Challenge in 2022. The purpose of 5G Challenges would be to support open interfaces, interoperability, and modularity – accelerating market forces that promote vendor diversity. Open and interoperable 5G networks will encourage new market participation, allowing innovative companies to develop plug-and-play 5G components and integrated systems. Organizations would be able to optimize their network’s operational efficiency by mixing and matching components from multiple vendors.

Public Interest Spectrum Coalition Opposes FCC “Wi-Fi Tax” Proposal in 2022 Regulatory Fees Assessment

Michael Calabrese, Amir Nasr, Harold Feld, Kathleen Burke  |  Analysis  |  Public Knowledge

Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (including Public Knowledge, New America, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Access Humboldt, Center for Rural Strategies, Tribal Digital Village, the Institute for Local Self Reliance, and the Schools, Health, Libraries & Broadband Coalition) filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission in response to the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on regulatory fees for 2021. The filing outlines why the Commission should reject its flawed and confusing proposal to require unlicensed spectrum users to pay regulatory fees.

The Communications Act requires the FCC to annually assess regulatory fees on those it regulates to offset the cost of operating the agency. Congress sets the FCC’s budget annually, which then triggers the assessment and collection of regulatory fees. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has repeatedly asked the FCC to assess fees against “users of unlicensed spectrum,” or at least “Big Tech,” as doing so, it asserts, would spread the fees across a larger group of payors, reducing the fees paid by broadcasters and others. As part of the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to assess the 2022 Regulatory Fees, the FCC—for the first time—explicitly seeks comment on this proposal. “Unlicensed spectrum” is used by practically every consumer and industry for Wi-Fi routers, Bluetooth-enabled devices (like fitness trackers and portable speakers), baby monitors, garage door openers, and any other device that does not require an express, exclusive license from the FCC to operate. A regulatory fee assessed on “unlicensed spectrum users” would mean a fee on users of any Wi-Fi and other unlicensed-enabled devices.

Remember 3G? It's going away as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile shift to 5G. What to know about 3G shutdown

Brett Molina  |  USA Today

As the shift toward 5G wireless connectivity continues, we're getting closer to the end of 3G. In 2002, Verizon was the first to launch a 3G network in the U.S., during a time when the BlackBerry was the top smartphone to own and we were five years away from the arrival of the iPhone. At that time, we were mainly using our phones for texting, taking pictures, and calling people. Almost 20 years later, our smartphones now allow us to carry a miniature computer in our pocket, capable of email, photos, social media, watching TV, gaming, video calls – you name it. Those added features mean having wireless networks to support them. As AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile usher in the 5G era, they're also about to end their support for 3G. Here's what the farewell to 3G means for you.

T-Mobile delays shutdown of Sprint 3G network by three months.

Oscar Gonzalez  |  C|Net, T-Mobile

T-Mobile continues to update its network to 5G, but Sprint's 3G network has a few more months before it's taken offline. The carrier originally planned to shut down its antiquated network on Jan. 1, but it appears one of the company's partners needs more time with Sprint's 3G network. The 3G network will stay up until Mach 31, 2022, T-Mobile said. The company says the three-month extension is due to some of its partners that "haven't followed through on their responsibility to help their customers through this shift." T-Mobile didn't say which partner, but we lookin' at you, DISH. Dish has taken issue with the Jan. 1 deadline. Dish owns Boost Mobile, which still makes use of Sprint's 3G network for its customers. The company said Boost customers could lose their service on that date, and Dish chairman, Charlie Ergen, said T-Mobile has "become the Grinch."

Platforms/Social Media

Twitter admits bias in algorithm for rightwing politicians and news outlets

Dan Milmo  |  Guardian, The

Twitter has admitted it amplifies more tweets from rightwing politicians and news outlets than content from leftwing sources. The company examined tweets from elected officials in seven countries – the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and Japan. It also studied whether political content from news organisations was amplified on Twitter, focusing primarily on US news sources such as Fox News, the New York Times and BuzzFeed. The study compared Twitter’s “Home” timeline – the default way its 200 million users are served tweets, in which an algorithm tailors what users see – with the traditional chronological timeline where the most recent tweets are ranked first. The research found that in six out of seven countries, apart from Germany, tweets from rightwing politicians received more amplification from the algorithm than those from the left; right-leaning news organisations were more amplified than those on the left; and generally politicians’ tweets were more amplified by an algorithmic timeline than by the chronological timeline. Twitter found a “statistically significant difference favouring the political right wing” in all the countries except Germany. Under the research, a value of 0% meant tweets reached the same number of users on the algorithm-tailored timeline as on its chronological counterpart, whereas a value of 100% meant tweets achieved double the reach. On this basis, the most powerful discrepancy between right and left was in Canada (Liberals 43%; Conservatives 167%), followed by the UK (Labour 112%; Conservatives 176%). Even excluding top government officials, the results were similar. Twitter said it wasn’t clear why its Home timeline produced these results and indicated that it may now need to change its algorithm.

The Facebook Files

Facebook’s Internal Chat Boards Show Politics Often at Center of Decision Making

Keach Hagey, Jeff Horwitz  |  Wall Street Journal

Many Republicans say Facebook discriminates against conservatives. But internal communications at the company show that employees and their bosses have hotly debated whether and how to restrain right-wing publishers, with more-senior employees often providing a check on agitation from the rank and file. The documents, which don’t capture all of the employee messaging, didn’t mention equivalent debates over left-wing publications. Other documents also reveal that Facebook’s management team has been so intently focused on avoiding charges of bias that it regularly places political considerations at the center of its decision making. Facebook employees, as seen in a large quantity of internal message-board conversations, have agitated consistently for the company to act against far-right sites. In many cases, they have framed their arguments around Facebook’s enforcement of its own rules, alleging that Facebook is giving the right-wing publishers a pass to avoid PR blowback. As one employee put it in an internal communication: “We’re scared of political backlash if we enforce our policies without exemptions.”

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Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org) and Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.


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