February 26, 2013 (FCC Collects Comments on IP Transition)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FEBRUARY 26, 2013
The 2013 Public Knowledge Policy Symposium and How Do Government Restrictions Harm International Online Trade and Commerce? http://benton.org/calendar/2013-02-26/
INTERNET/BROADBAND
FCC Collects Comments on IP Transition
The FCC Needs a Framework for the Phone Network Transition First - editorial
House Republicans Take New Aim at Broadband Subsidies
Will online retailers be required to collect sales tax? [links to web]
Opposition to online sales tax wanes [links to web]
Gig.U tries to bring more bandwidth to 7-county Raleigh-Durham metro area [links to web]
Former Obama advisor argues Comcast is a threat to the open Internet - analysis [links to web]
CYBERSECURITY
Bound to Fail: Why Cyber Security Risk Cannot Be "Managed" Away - research
Senate Intel chairwoman: Report on China's cyber war unit ‘essentially correct’ [links to web]
You Call This An Army? The Terrifying Shortage of US Cyberwarriors - analysis [links to web]
Cybersecurity Staffing Shortages Create economic Ripple Effect [links to web]
Obama's cyber chief to discuss executive order [links to web]
Mum's the word for U.S. businesses hacked by China [links to web]
WIRLESS/SPECTRUM
Mobile device connections growing quickly [links to web]
Wireless Carriers Move to New Technology—for Voice
4 ways mobile health could save $400 Billion in health costs [links to web]
Samsung Sparks Anxiety at Google
AT&T wants to bill you for everything [links to web]
FCC becoming a leader in unintended consequences - editorial [links to web]
CONTENT
Copyright Alert System Set to Begin - press release
Lawmakers ask Facebook to remove pages ‘exploiting Newtown victims’ [links to web]
We Paid for the Research, So Let’s See It - editorial [links to web]
KIDS AND MEDIA
Apple settles lawsuit over apps aimed at kids — will pay $5 iTunes credit or cash
PRIVACY
In the Tracking Wars, It’s Browser Makers vs. Advertisers
Website tracking tags raise privacy fears
Web anonymity battle starts anew
Google to Apple Gird for FTC-Led Mobile-Privacy Crackdown
FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges Against Compete Inc - press release [links to web]
In Discussion About Internet Privacy, It Comes Down To Expectation Versus Reality [links to web]
TELEVISION
FCC Roughed Up in DC Circuit [links to web]
The Court Should Call a Double Fault - op-ed [links to web]
Aereo expands TV on-the-go service to 3 more states, launches first big ad campaign [links to web]
Harder and Harder to Measure TV Viewing [links to web]
What LG Will Do With webOS [links to web]
Netflix's Hastings Sees 'House of Cards' as Long-Term Investment [links to web]
HEALTH
4 ways mobile health could save $400 Billion in health costs [links to web]
OWNERSHIP
Shakeout in old media picks up pace [links to web]
How Will Magazine Titans Merge? Carefully [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
FCC chair Genachowski looks to stay put
For the First Time Ever, Women Could Head FTC, FCC [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
French Tax Proposal Zeroes In on Web Giants’ Data Harvest
‘Action plan’ for unified EU mobile market
Telecom chiefs attack US Internet groups
How KT Corp. Ushered in Broadband [links to web]
ESPN Sells U.K. Channels to BT [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
Survey Says: Despite Yahoo Ban, Most Tech Companies Support Work-From-Home for Employees [links to web]
The Five-Year Enforcement Shot Clock: Has the FCC Finally Begun to Acknowledge It? [links to web]
The Promise and Peril of the ‘Data-Driven Society’ [links to web]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
IP TRANSITION COMMENTS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Reply comments were being filed on the transition to all-IP networks, including AT&T's request that it be allowed to test regulation-lite, all-IP zones and USTelecom's request that given the competition from those IP services, incumbent LECs should no longer be considered dominant as providers of switched-access service. In both cases the idea is to reduce regulation in the face of a changing technology. The Internet Innovation Alliance, which comprises tech companies building and deploying broadband networks -- Corning, AT&T, Alcatel-Lucent -- not surprisingly said in its filing that AT&T should be permitted to beta test all-IP service. "To continue expanding the array of social and economic benefits for American business and consumers, the Commission should ignore the call of entities seeking to expand legacy regulations in an all-IP world," IIA says. Public Knowledge does not join the call for light touch regulation. "[T]he FCC should remember that even though the technology is changing the needs of the American people do not," said senior VP Harold Feld. "A framework that serves the interests of consumers is the best way to evaluate proposals for the future of our communications infrastructure."
benton.org/node/146280 | Broadcasting&Cable
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PK ON THE IP TRANSITION
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Jodie Griffin]
[Commentary] As the debate surrounding the technological transition of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to an all-IP network continues, it’s becoming fairly obvious that the guardians of the phone network need to handle this transition by establishing fundamental principles to guide our country’s policies moving forward. Public Knowledge filed reply comments with the Federal Communications Commission urging the FCC to do just that. Already, many different stakeholders have submitted specific requests to the FCC to either keep or eliminate particular rules. Even at this early stage, we’re seeing unanticipated complications pop up, like Federal Aviation Administration service providers’ reliance on the traditional network, concerns for alarm systems that are geared to work on the existing infrastructure, and the need for the new IP-based phone networks to continue to improve access for users with hearing disabilities. There will likely be many other examples of uses that depend upon the current network infrastructure in particular ways that have until now flown under the radar, and we must be ready with a framework that can handle those surprises. A single, principled framework would also help the Commission evaluate the proposals of all of the many parties in a deliberate, coherent way. That way, instead of just arbitrating between the wish lists of the many companies involved in this transition, the Commission can actually move forward based on affirmative principles that reflect the fundamental values of our national communications policies.
benton.org/node/146279 | Public Knowledge
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BROADBAND STIMULUS HEARING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
House Republicans were not big fans of the Obama Administration's broadband stimulus grants and loans, and a new Congress has not changed anything. That includes an ongoing investigation into overbuilding claims levied by Mediacom, according to committee staffers. According to the majority staff memo for the Feb. 27 oversight hearing on broadband stimulus funding, the House Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is currently investigating allegations by Mediacom that the Lake County (MN) government is using $66 million to overbuild Mediacom, and was able to do so by submitting inaccurate information. A representative of the project was not available for comment at presstime. Of course, Republicans were critical in general of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), but the House Communications Subcommittee leadership, which is holding an oversight hearing on the funding this week, was particularly focused on the chances for overbuilding, waste, fraud and abuse in the $7 billion program.
benton.org/node/146276 | Broadcasting&Cable
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CYBERSECURITY
BOUND TO FAIL
[SOURCE: Brookings, AUTHOR: Ralph Langner, Perry Pederson]
Rather than a much-needed initiative to break the legislative deadlock on the subject in Congress, President Obama’s new executive order for improving critical infrastructure cyber security is a recipe for continued failure. In essence, the executive order puts the emphasis on establishing a framework for risk management and relies on voluntary participation of the private sector that owns and operates the majority of U.S. critical infrastructure. Both approaches have been attempted for more than a decade without measurable success. A fundamental reason for this failure is the reliance on the concept of risk management, which frames the whole problem in business logic. Business logic ultimately gives the private sector every reason to argue the always hypothetical risk away, rather than solving the factual problem of insanely vulnerable cyber systems that control the nation’s most critical installations.
benton.org/node/146233 | Brookings
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WIRLESS/SPECTRUM
SAMSUNG, GOOGLE AND ANDROID
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amir Efrati]
Samsung Electronics and Google together have stemmed Apple's dominance in smartphones, but there is new tension in their partnership. Google executives worry that Samsung has become so big—the South Korean company sells about 40% of the gadgets that use Google's Android software—that it could flex its muscle to renegotiate their arrangement and eat into Google's lucrative mobile-ad business, people familiar with the matter said. Now, as top executives from the world's mobile industry gather in Barcelona, Google is meeting with other companies in hopes that their Android devices can keep Samsung's leverage in check by providing legitimate competition, the people said. The Internet-search company is hoping new Android devices from manufacturers such as HTC and Hewlett-Packard can challenge Samsung, they said.
benton.org/node/146273 | Wall Street Journal
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UPGRADING VOICE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Thomas Gryta]
U.S. wireless carriers are working on a new way to deliver voice calls to make their networks more efficient. While carriers have spent tens of billions of dollars developing and marketing their data networks, wireless voice calls still use technology rolled out more than 10 years ago. Older networks were built for voice traffic with a data pipe running through it, but newer networks are for data only. To maximize efficiency, carriers aim to eliminate the dedicated voice channels needed by older technology and clear the airwaves for the latest standard, called long-term evolution, or LTE. To do this, companies are taking on the multiyear process of converting voice calls into Internet traffic so the same airwaves can be used for voice or data. Replacing traditional voice service with voice over LTE will take time, as complex kinks are worked out, network equipment is installed and, eventually, phones are made with the necessary hardware. VoLTE, as the new technology is known, offers greater efficiency because once-dedicated voice space can also run data when not being used for voice calls, something the current technology doesn't allow.
benton.org/node/146383 | Wall Street Journal
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CONTENT
COPYRIGHT ALERT SYSTEM
[SOURCE: Center for Copyright Information, AUTHOR: Jill Lesser]
February 25 marks the beginning of the implementation phase of the Copyright Alert System (CAS). Implementation marks the culmination of many months of work on this groundbreaking and collaborative effort to curb online piracy and promote the lawful use of digital music, movies and TV shows. The CAS marks a new way to reach consumers who may be engaging in peer-to-peer (P2P) piracy and I am excited that our new website features information on the CAS, the Independent Review Process, copyright, P2P networks, and numerous consumer oriented legal sources for music, movies and television shows. We hope this cooperative, multi-stakeholder approach will serve as a model for addressing important issues facing all who participate in the digital entertainment ecosystem. From content creators and owners to distributors to consumers, we all benefit from a better understanding of the choices available and the rights and responsibilities that come with using digital content, thereby helping to drive investment in content creation and innovative services that offer exciting ways to enjoy music, video and all digital content. Over the course of the next several days our participating ISPs will begin rolling out the system. Practically speaking, this means our content partners will begin sending notices of alleged P2P copyright infringement to ISPs, and the ISPs will begin forwarding those notices in the form of Copyright Alerts to consumers. Most consumers will never receive Alerts under the program. Consumers whose accounts have been used to share copyrighted content over P2P networks illegally (or without authority) will receive Alerts that are meant to educate rather than punish, and direct them to legal alternatives. And for those consumers who believe they received Alerts in error, an easy to use process will be in place for them to seek independent review of the Alerts they received.
benton.org/node/146237 | Center for Copyright Information | The Verge | The Hill
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KIDS AND MEDIA
APPLE SETTLEMENT
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Jeff John Roberts]
Did your kid rack up charges on Apple’s app store without your permission? You may be in luck: the company says it will pay to settle a lawsuit over so-called “bait apps,” which are games that can be downloaded for free but then charge for “game currency” like virtual goods or play money. Under the terms of the settlement, Apple will offer a $5 iTunes credit to those who claim that a minor bought in-game items without their knowledge or permission. If the amount in question is more than $5, Apple will offer a credit for that amount. If the amount in question is over $30, an Apple user can claim a cash refund.
benton.org/node/146267 | GigaOm
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PRIVACY
BROWSER MAKERS VS ADVERTISERS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Somini Sengupta]
Last fall, Microsoft announced that its newest Web browser would allow users to signal whether or not they would like to see targeted advertisements. That was seen in some circles as a clash of corporate titans: a salvo from Microsoft against Google, which is its main rival in the browser market and which has a thriving targeted advertising business. This past weekend brought a provocative move from Mozilla. It said it would offer a tool to block third-party tracking cookies altogether on its new version of the Firefox browser. The theater of battle just widened, pitting the advertising industry against browser builders. The Interactive Advertising Bureau, an industry group, fired back immediately.
benton.org/node/146395 | New York Times
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WEBSITE TRACKING
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Duncan Robinson]
More than half of the tracking devices on any major website are not deployed by the site’s owner, a new survey has shown, in results that raise privacy, security and regulatory headaches for online publishers. Tracking devices such as cookies are increasingly vital for online businesses and are used to determine everything from how long visitors spend on a website, to what adverts they see and even – in some cases – what they pay for a product. They work by installing data on to a visitor’s browser, which is then used to track the user as they move around the web. The majority of tracking devices – 55 percent – used by major websites were put there by third parties, rather than the site’s publisher, meaning that a user’s data can be spread between up to 10 different companies, according to a survey by Evidon, which monitors tracking devices online, based on a panel of 7.5 million internet users, who let the company monitor their browsing habits.
benton.org/node/146393 | Financial Times
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WEB ANONYMITY
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jennifer Martinez]
One of the Internet’s founding fathers is set this week to revive a heated cybersecurity debate over whether to preserve anonymity and the use of pseudonyms in online chat forums and social networks like Twitter. Vint Cerf, Google’s chief Internet evangelist, is expected to make the case for keeping people’s identity anonymous — particularly on certain Web services — when he delivers the keynote address at the RSA cybersecurity conference. Tension over the issue has been building for years between free speech advocates and those who say tougher steps are needed to boost cybersecurity on the Internet. “The ability to speak anonymously [online] is critical to the ability to speak freely, to speak on the matters of public policy,” said Harold Feld, senior vice president of consumer interest group Public Knowledge and a former member of the U.S. delegation during the U.N. conference.
benton.org/node/146392 | Hill, The
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MOBILE PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Olga Kharif]
As the government clamps down on alleged privacy violations by mobile applications, Google, Apple and legions of software developers are girding for fines and rules that analysts say threaten to stifle growth. The Federal Trade Commission, which this month fined Path Inc., a social-networking site, $800,000 for unauthorized collection of user data, is investigating a rising number of mobile apps for privacy violations. California Attorney General Kamala Harris is stepping up scrutiny of app makers, and congressional lawmakers are planning legislation that would require programmers to bolster disclosure and data protection. Developers rely on tools that track users’ whereabouts, surfing habits and buying preferences to pack their apps with ads and features. Yet, with vast amounts of personal data bought and sold over the Web, user privacy is at risk. Therein lies a conundrum: More fines and tighter rules to protect consumers could boost costs for small companies whose apps are fueling demand for mobile advertising, tablets and smartphones.
benton.org/node/146390 | Bloomberg
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POLICYMAKERS
GENACHOWSKI’S PLANS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Emily Heil]
Speculation has long been swirling around who might replace Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski. But hold the phone — all that sturm and drang may be for naught. It looks like he’s staying put for a bit. Yes, technically, Genachowski’s term expires June 30. But by law, he can remain until Congress leaves town at the end of 2014. Signs that he’s sticking around include a planned appearance at the National Association of Broadcasters conference in April, and his continued interest in the FCC’s plan to buy back television licenses and auction the spectrum to wireless providers, something we’re told Chairman Genachowski feels ownership of.
benton.org/node/146270 | Washington Post
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
FRANCE AND TAXING DATA HARVEST
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Pfanner]
France is considering a proposal to tax the collection of personal data on the Internet. Google and Facebook know that John Doe “likes” wine, is shopping for a Volkswagen and often e-mails Jane Doe. The new idea would require the companies to pay for gathering that information. Nicolas Colin, one of the authors of a report in which the idea of taxing data collection was floated in January, said the immediate goal would be to promote sound practices for data collection and protection. While the report does not specify how much revenue the tax would yield, Mr. Colin said it would probably be minimal. Like other European countries, France has been frustrated by its inability to raise significant tax revenue from the billions of dollars in sales and profits that Internet companies, many of them American, generate in Europe every year. And despite so-called austerity measures, budget deficits remain large. “Every government needs revenues,” Mr. Colin, a government auditor and technology entrepreneur, said in an interview. “If they can’t get them from the most profitable companies, then they have to get them from the rest of us — individual taxpayers and smaller, struggling companies.”
benton.org/node/146246 | New York Times
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UNIFIED EU MOBILE MARKET
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Daniel Thomas]
Europe’s top telecoms regulator has pledged to use European Union treaty powers to force through plans to create a single market for mobile services across the region as part of attempts to drag the industry from “near collapse.” In a speech to a closed meeting with ministers and telecoms industry chief executives at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Neelie Kroes, Europe’s digital commissioner, will outline an “action plan” to put the region “at the heart of the mobile industry it established and once dominated.” She has identified €27 billion of investment needed to create a modern mobile telecoms market. he plan includes improving operators’ access to the spectrum they need for mobile services, as well as €50 million of funding for research to deliver “5G” mobile technology by 2020. In a strongly worded statement, Kroes will say that Europe’s mobile networks need to be dragged from “today’s near collapse to sustainability”, with plans to push through the creation of a single telecoms market across the region.
benton.org/node/146382 | Financial Times
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ATTACK ON US INTERNET GROUPS
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Daniel Thomas, Paul Taylor]
In unusually aggressive comments, European telecoms operators have attacked US technology and internet groups over monopolistic practices, as well as the industry regulators for ignoring their call for consolidation. In speeches at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, executives from the large regional telecoms groups have criticized groups that use of their networks without contributing to investment, highlighting concerns over competition and privacy. While such complaints are not new, the ferocity of the speeches made by the heads of Europe’s telecom operators highlight the pressure they are under from economic woes, intense competition and mounting investment costs.
benton.org/node/146380 | Financial Times
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