Daily Digest 11/26/2019 (Bill to Close the Homework Gap)

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Table of Contents

Internet & Broadband

Rep Meng Introduces Legislation to Close the Nation's Homework Gap  |  Read below  |  Rep Meng (D-NY)  |  Press Release  |  US House of Representatives
Fixed Wireless 101: What Rivals Need to Know  |  Multichannel News
Charter Looking to Follow Comcast’s Residential-Router-as-Hotspot Model  |  Multichannel News

Broadcasting & Ownership

Broadcast Ownership Deregulation Could Be Headed to Supreme Court  |  Read below  |  John Eggerton  |  Broadcasting&Cable
Texas Attorney General Announces Settlement Agreement with T-Mobile on Sprint Merger  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Texas Attorney General
Nevada Attorney General Ford Negotiates Settlement for T-Mobile-Sprint Merger Prioritizing NV Jobs  |  Nevada Attorney General
Congressional Black Caucus Takes Issue with Comcast Discrimination Suit Challenge  |  Broadcasting&Cable
FCC Approves Tweaked Multi-Billion-Dollar Apollo Purchase of Cox, Northwest Stations  |  Broadcasting&Cable
Standard Media Buys Nine Stations for $59.2M  |  Multichannel News
Department of Justice Files Motion to Terminate Paramount Consent Decrees  |  Department of Justice

Data & Privacy

Senate Democratic privacy principles: Endgame or game over for a bipartisan bill?  |  Read below  |  Analysis  |  Brookings Institution
Over 15 groups call for a full Congressional investigation into Amazon's 'surveillance empire' as Sens demand answers  |  Fight for the Future
Facebook and Twitter say hundreds of users accidentally gave improper access to personal data through third-party apps  |  CNBC

Platforms

Responding to Tim Berners-Lee: What’s a Digital Bill of Rights Without Enforcement?  |  Wired
Sacha Baron Cohen: The ‘Silicon Six’ spread propaganda. It’s time to regulate social media sites.  |  Washington Post
Analysis: Sacha Baron Cohen is the latest powerful voice to misunderstand Section 230  |  Vox
Facebook unveils market research app that pays users to take surveys  |  Facebook
Sen Markey Demands Answers from Facebook on Gun-Permitting Scam by Company “Concealed Online”  |  US Senate
WeChat keeps banning Chinese Americans for talking about Hong Kong  |  Vox

Security

Analysis: The US is racking up tactical victories in Huawei fight  |  Washington Post

Elections & Media

Cable News Readies for 2020 Presidential Election Ratings Bump  |  AdWeek
Billionaires dominate 2020 ad spend  |  Axios

Wireless

Ericsson Mobility Report: 5G Device Availability to Include More Spectrum Bands, Every Major Vendor in 2020  |  Ericsson
At launch, AT&T’s real 5G will only be as fast as its fake 5G  |  Ars Technica
LightShed Partners say the time is now for agency action on the L-band to help enhance 5G deployments  |  Fierce

Telecommunications

Chairman Pai Warns of SHAKEN/STIR Caller ID Mandate  |  Multichannel News

Content

E-books at libraries are a huge hit, leading to long waits, reader hacks and worried publishers  |  Washington Post

Advertising

Senator Markey Queries YouTube on Apparent Gap in Advertising Policies to Protect Children  |  US Senate

Government & Communications

Sen Menendez requests State Dept investigation into Trump Administration officials' use of unsecure devices  |  US Senate
NYC wants a chief algorithm officer to counter bias, build transparency  |  Ars Technica

Labor

Google is accused of union busting after firing four employees  |  Vox
Musicians plan to remove their music from Amazon to protest its ties with ICE  |  Vox

Stories From Abroad

First target of Singapore’s ‘fake news’ law is Facebook post that alleged a failed state investment in Salt Bae  |  Washington Post
Today's Top Stories

Rep Meng Introduces Legislation to Close the Nation's Homework Gap

Rep Meng (D-NY)  |  Press Release  |  US House of Representatives

Rep Grace Meng (D-NY) announced the introduction of the Closing the Homework Gap Through Mobile Hotspots Act, which would create a $100 million grant program for schools, libraries, US territories, and federally recognized Indian Tribes to purchase mobile hotspots to help close the nation’s homework gap. They would use the funds to create mobile hotspot programs for students to have internet access to complete their homework. As many as 12 million students in the US lack broadband at home.

“Every child deserves their best chance at pursuing an education. But it breaks my heart knowing that millions of kids, every night, are unable to finish their homework simply because they are without internet access. Before the internet became ubiquitous, students completed their homework with pencil and paper—today, that is no longer case,” said Rep Meng. “We cannot allow this to go on. My bill is simple and does not require investing funds in developing new technologies to close the 'homework gap;' instead, it builds on and expands existing infrastructures. Mobile hotspot devices already exist, and with my bill, we can get them to more students who need them. Essentially, students can 'check-out' these mobile hotspots from their schools or local libraries – just as they do for books. I encourage all my colleagues in the House to support my bill – and help break down barriers to education.”

Broadcast Ownership Deregulation Could Be Headed to Supreme Court

John Eggerton  |  Broadcasting&Cable

Don’t be surprised if the Federal Communications Commission and National Association of Broadcasters ask the US Supreme Court to weigh in on broadcast ownership deregulation. That comes after the full 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to hear the FCC’s appeal, supported by NAB as an intervenor, of a lower court decision to throw out most of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's deregulation order. That order included eliminating the newspaper-broadcast and radio-TV cross-ownership rules.

If the FCC and Justice Department do not appeal, NAB would be unlikely to do so. Broadcasters could go it alone, but he said as far as he knew the court has never picked up a case sought by an intervenor supporting the government when the government itself didn’t seek the appeal. Chairman Pai said Nov 22 the FCC was considering its options but had made no decision. Given his view of the 3rd Circuit, and with deregulatory-minded former US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh now on the high court, Chairman Pai might like his chances.

Texas Attorney General Announces Settlement Agreement with T-Mobile on Sprint Merger

Press Release  |  Texas Attorney General

TX Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that his office reached a settlement with T-Mobile resolving the state’s antitrust claims against the proposed merger of mobile wireless telecommunications service providers Sprint and T-Mobile. The agreement is designed to prevent the New T-Mobile from increasing prices for wireless services on Texans for five years after the merger is complete. The agreement also commits the New T-Mobile to build out a 5G network throughout Texas, including rural areas, during the next six years. Terms of the agreement include requirements that the New T-Mobile:

  • Give all Texas customers access to the same or better unlimited talk, text, and data rate plans as those offered by T-Mobile as of the date of the agreement for the next five years;
  • Give all Texas customers access to T-Mobile limited data rate plans at a cost far below what is currently offered in the industry; 
  • Commit to provide 5G wireless broadband coverage to areas where most Texans live, including most Texans living in rural portions of the state within the next three years and to expand that 5G coverage dramatically within the next six years;
  • Offer Texas residents that are currently employed by Sprint and T-Mobile substantially similar employment with the New T-Mobile. 

Senate Democratic privacy principles: Endgame or game over for a bipartisan bill?

Analysis  |  Brookings Institution

The week of Nov 18, Senate Democratic leaders released a set of privacy principles that help to frame the debate on federal privacy legislation. The substance of the principles is at high-level of generality but stakes some notable ground in the privacy debate:

  • An emphasis on addressing how companies collect, use, and share personal data
  • A shoutout for civil rights
  • Strong enforcement at several levels
  • A private right of action without federal preemption

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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 Robbie McBeath (rmcbeath AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.


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