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February 10, 2013
Source 
telecompetitor
Author 
Andrew Burger
Coverage Type 
Lauren Frayer

Smartphone users are increasingly tapping into their devices’ mobile hotspot capabilities, but wireless carriers “are missing key opportunities to monetize personal hotspots,” according to a survey conducted by uSamp commissioned by wireless and mobility solutions provider Smith Micro Software. The percentage of smartphone users taking advantage of their devices’ mobile hotspot capabilities rose 9% since May 2012 to 62%, uSamp found. Though usage is increasing, “many consumers are still concerned with the cost, usability and lack of plan options available with smartphone hotspots,” and carriers are missing key monetization opportunities, however, Smith Micro Software says.

Survey: Carriers May be Missing Growing Mobile Hotspot Opportunity

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Related Headlines

Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
House Commerce Committee
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
10:30am
http://energycommerce.house.gov/hearing/satellite-video-101

Organizational Meeting

Senate Commerce Committee
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
2:30pm

An executive session to consider and approve the Rules and Budget Resolution for the Committee and to ratify Subcommittee assignments.

Submitted on February 8, 2013

A source close to the House Majority Whip’s office tells us that Susan Crawford will be the next chair of the Federal Communications Commission. At least, he said, once we say it, it’ll be true. Oh, who are we kidding? It was Rep Frank Underwood who told us, so it must be true. Or it will be true, right?

Obviously, the ramifications of the 2012 election are still being felt. As you know, President Barack Obama is serving his second term. Democrats maintained control of the Senate and now have 55 votes to the GOP’s 45. Republicans hold control of the House of Representatives with a 232-200 margin.

In the Senate, Headlines mainly keeps our eyes on the Commerce and Judiciary committees for developments in communications policy. The Senate Commerce Committee is led by Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) who recently announced he will not seek re-election in 2014. He has promised a “no holds barred approach” in his final Congress. As chairman and as the No. 2 member on the Senate Finance Committee, Sen Rockefeller has a lot of clout to pursue his pet issues, including those that impact the media, advertising and telecommunications industries. Among these are: Internet privacy, cybersecurity, and media violence. Sen Rockefeller will also be a leading voice in the debate over how to reduce gun violence. Within days of the Sandy Hook tragedy, he crafted a bill calling for a study of the impact of violent video games and violent programming on children. AdWeek suggests that Chairman Rockefeller could also take on updates of aging communications and telecommunications laws, especially given his recent success in getting legislation passed that will lead to the establishment of a nationwide interoperable public safety network.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) laid out his committee’s agenda late last month; it includes:

  • Immigration reform;
  • Gun violence – including how we manage the exposure of children to violence in popular media;
  • The Public’s Right To Know: Transparency that keeps the government accountable to the people. Legislative efforts to prevent classified leaks should not infringe upon our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the press;
  • Privacy: Update our privacy laws to address emerging technology and the Internet, including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and cybersecurity laws;
  • Satellite TV : reauthorize the satellite TV license; and
  • Accessibility: making books accessible to those with visual disabilities.

In the House, Headlines mainly tracks the Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee, chaired by Greg Walden (R-OR). His priority this year is for Congress to use the communications and technology sector’s success to spur economic growth and job creation.

At a hearing this week entitled, Fighting for Internet Freedom: Dubai and Beyond, Chairman Walden proposed legislation that would make it the official policy of the United States government to promote a free Internet. Congress approved a non-binding resolution last year that encouraged U.S. delegates to an international telecommunications treaty conference in Dubai to fight proposals that would result in global Internet regulation. The new draft legislation would make it formal U.S. policy to "promote a global Internet free from government control and to preserve and advance the successful multi-stakeholder model that governs the Internet." It is unclear what kind of practical impact the bill would have. A committee aide said the measure would not empower people to sue to overturn any government regulations. [Chairman Walden also wrote an op-ed for the Washington Examiner this week – see Keeping the Internet free from government shackles]

The ranking member of the Communications Subcommittee, Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA), has said she’s concerned that a Verizon challenge of the Federal Communications Commission’s open Internet/network neutrality rules could necessitate a new law to clarify the FCC’s authority to enforce such rules. Chairman Walden, however, has said no bill to give the FCC power to regulate the Internet would come out "on his watch."

Given this split leadership, it is doubtful that we’ll see any major stand-alone telecommunications legislation over the next two years. Recent press reports seem to confirm:

When gridlock stalls action in Congress, attention turns to the Administration for possible action. As we transition into the second Obama term, the question now is who will fill key leadership roles and get things done. The Commerce Department is taking a lead role in developing a code of conduct to provide transparency in how companies providing applications and interactive services for mobile devices handle personal data. Since June 2012, the Department of Commerce has been run by Rebecca Blank who has been Acting Secretary since John Bryson resigned for health reasons. Press reports point to President Obama tapping Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, who led fundraising for his 2008 campaign, as his next commerce secretary. Pritzker would bring a business background to the administration, helping Obama fulfill what he has said is a goal to add private sector experience in his Cabinet. The Chicago businesswoman has developed a skyscraper in her hometown, worked as president of a commercial real estate and luxury senior housing company, and served as chairwoman for a credit-reporting company. Priztker’s net worth as of September was estimated at $1.8 billion, according to Forbes magazine’s list of the 400 richest Americans.

The Federal Trade Commission is also a lead agency in crafting and enforcing online privacy rules. On February 15, current FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz will step down. The departure has been widely rumored for months. Two other Democrats on the commission, Julie Brill and Edith Ramirez, are among several leading candidates to fill the chairmanship. Aside from Commissioner Brill and Ramirez, the list of potential new chairmen includes the director of the FTC’s Bureau of Economics, Howard A. Shelanski, Justice Department lawyer Leslie C. Overton and University of Colorado Law School Dean Philip J. Weiser. The transition to a new chairman — whether from within the commission or from outside — will create at least a temporary partisan split, with two Democrats, two Republicans and one seat empty until President Obama can gain confirmation for a nominee. Such 2 to 2 divides on the five-member commission are not uncommon during transitions, but they can make it difficult to chart a forceful path for the FTC.

At the FCC, Chairman Julius Genachowski has not (repeat NOT) announced any plans to leave the agency – but that hasn’t stopped either speculation about or lobbying to fill his still-occupied seat. Last month, Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn suggested advocates not focus too much on WHO the next FCC chair may be, but focus more on the qualities the ideal candidate should possess. She suggested that next FCC chair should:

  • Be Comfortable as a Regulator
  • Understand the Role of Congress
  • Seek Greater Public Input
  • Be Dedicated to the Institution's Role as Defender of the Public Interest

Also last month, the Women's Media Center, co-founded by Jane Fonda, urged President Obama to nominate a woman as the next FCC chair. "In its nearly 80-year history, the FCC has never had a female chair. Appointing a woman is not just a symbolic step. The next FCC chair should promote diversity and increase competition in telecommunications and in media," said WMC President Julie Burton.

In a February 5 Washington Post op-ed, Katrina vanden Heuvel wrote that the President should pick former White House aide Susan Crawford to lead the FCC (were you wondering how’d we get back here?). No, we’re not sure if she has the backing of the fictional Rep Underwood of Netflix’s House of Cards, but her name does continue to surface on the lips of public interest advocates. Crawford is a leading telecommunications policy expert and longtime champion of network neutrality. She promotes a reasonably priced, globally competitive, ubiquitous communications infrastructure that enables American competition and innovation. Above all, she is committed to making high-speed Internet access a universal, affordable resource. Crawford, vanden Heuvel writes, is ideally qualified. In addition to her deep knowledge and expertise in this issue, she understands the landscape, players, and technology well, without being entrenched in the culture of big business. She knows that democratic freedom of information is at stake — and she knows that the FCC has the power to fix it.

She offers a new vision for the future of broadband. Crawford would preempt the unfair and uncompetitive state laws that infringe on the rights of local communities to expand broadband access. To support local efforts to build out fiber-optic networks, she proposes creating an infrastructure bank that would provide long-term, low-interest financing. And to ensure that every American has access to high-quality Internet, she advocates subsidies to increase competitive offerings.

Will it happen? Well, over 700 people have already signed a We The People petition to make it so. And an interview with Susan Crawford airs this weekend on Moyers & Company. But most observers thinks she has no chance – not unless Frank Underwood gives the OK.

We’ll be back with Valentine’s Day wished next week, but ‘til then, we’ll see you in the Headlines.

February 8, 2013 (Broadband Meters; Blizzards; Big Data)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2013

A quick look at next week’s agenda http://benton.org/calendar/2013-02-10--P1W/


EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
   East Coast Blizzard Another Test for FCC’s New Cellphone Alert System

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   FCC Releases New Data on Internet Access Services - research
   More bad news about broadband caps: Many meters are inaccurate
   About Those Faulty Broadband Meters: None of Them Are Used to Track Usage Limits - analysis [links to web]
   What Broadband Speed Can Do - and Can’t

TELEVISION
   FCC Commissioner Pai: We Can't Expect to Substitute Broadband for Broadcast
   FCC Commissioner Pai Proposes Forbearing Video Regulations

CONTENT
   Gov Christie Conditionally Backs New Jersey Internet Gambling
   Reappearing on YouTube: Illegal Movie Uploads
   After activist Aaron Swartz's death, a tough slog for Aaron’s Law [links to web]
   Why Information Providers Need To Be Open To Sharing in Their Business Models - research [links to web]
   Google must extend payments across Europe for use of content [links to web]
   Facebook Glitch Deep-Sixes the Web [links to web]
   Warner Music Group Buys EMI Assets for $765 Million [links to web]
   Stations, BMI Resolve Rate Differences [links to web]
   Another blog post that won’t make any money [links to web]
   Digital magazine sales still tiny overall, but titles like Reader’s Digest see huge growth [links to web]

PRIVACY
   Is Big Data to Barack Obama what Big Oil was to George W. Bush? - analysis
   Why big data matters and data-ism doesn’t - analysis [links to web]
   Lawmakers renew push to bar bosses from asking for Facebook passwords [links to web]
   Microsoft is attacking Gmail for tactics it uses itself - analysis [links to web]

TELEVISION
   Netflix or Heinz Ketchup? - op-ed
   Stations, BMI Resolve Rate Differences [links to web]

ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
   Non-political nonprofit's spending spikes in election years [links to web]

SPECTRUM/WIRLESS
   Churches, NFL Fight to Save the Cordless Microphone [links to web]
   Cleland: Government Is Major Spectrum Hoarder [links to web]
   Rep. Mike Honda on Proposed FDA Office of Wireless Health [links to web]

CYBERSECURITY
   President Obama Said Near Issuing Executive Order on Cybersecurity
   Prospects for Comprehensive Cyber Reform are Questionable
   All future attacks on US will include cyber element, says Sec Panetta [links to web]
   Why you should care about cyber espionage - analysis [links to web]
   Tech associations raise concerns with EU's proposed cybersecurity rules [links to web]

TELECOM
   Rural Call Completion - public notice

LABOR
   Hewlett Directs Its Suppliers in China to Limit Student Labor

PATENTS
   Court to Consider When Software Can Be Patented
   Judge invalidates 13 Motorola Mobility patent claims in Microsoft case [links to web]

LOBBYING
   Leading Rural Telecommunications Associations Agree to Unify - press release [links to web]

POLICYMAKERS
   Obama Is Said Nearing Choice of Pritzker for Commerce [links to web]

COMMUNITY MEDIA
   Why NBC shut down EveryBlock
   What the USPS decision means for media [links to web]

GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS
   The Information Revolution Gets Political - analysis
   Congress’ Plan to Stop Exporting Technology to Repressive Regimes
   Justice Sotomayor no longer backs television cameras in Supreme Court [links to web]

MORE ONLINE
   Help America’s Businesses by Becoming a Presidential Innovation Fellow - press release [links to web]
   Safer Internet Day 2013 Focuses on Online Rights and Responsibilities - press release [links to web]

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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

CELLPHONE ALERT SYSTEM
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ina Fried]
Once again, those on the East Coast are getting a new kind of message on their cellphones alerting them to severe weather. As was the case with Hurricane Sandy, local officials are using a relatively new wireless alert system to blast messages to those in the area where the storm is headed. Though similar to a text message, the alerts are actually a special kind of notification that the Federal Communications Commission has enabled for carriers that choose to participate. It’s a modern-day update to the emergency alert system that has been used for decades on broadcast television and radio. It allows local, state and federal officials to send alerts about anything from severe weather to a terrorist attack. Though similar to text messages, the emergency alerts are actually shorter (a maximum of 90 characters) and come with a special alert tone designed to distinguish them from other messages. According to the guidelines, the messages are to be used only for presidential alerts, Amber alerts or imminent threats.
benton.org/node/144770 | Wall Street Journal
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

NEW BROADBAND DATA FROM FCC
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
This report summarizes information about Internet access connections over 200 kilobits per second (kbps) in at least one direction in service in the United States on December 31, 2011, as collected by FCC Form 477. Form 477 gathers standardized information about subscribership to Internet access services in the fifty states, District of Columbia, and inhabited insular areas (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands). The information is reported by telephone companies, cable system operators, terrestrial wireless service providers, satellite service providers, and other facilities-based providers of advanced telecommunications capability. This is the seventh report to include details about subscribership differences among census tracts and counties, as well as subscribership differences among the states. Notable developments between December 2010 and December 2011 include:
Internet connections overall are growing. The number of connections over 200 kbps in at least one direction increased by 27% year-over-year to 230 million.
Growth is particularly high in mobile Internet subscriptions, but fixed-location connections also continue to increase. The number of mobile subscriptions grew to 142 million – up 46% from December 2010. The number of fixed-location connections increased by 4% year-over-year, to 88 million.
Both fixed and mobile services are shifting to higher speeds. The share of fixed connections with download speeds at or above 3 Mbps and upload speeds at or above 768 kbps increased from 53% to 58% of total fixed connections. Among mobile wireless subscriptions, the share increased from 11% to 22%.
Despite the strong growth of total mobile connections, fixed connections continued to dominate among those connections with higher download and upload speeds.
benton.org/node/144741 | Federal Communications Commission
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BROADBAND CAPS
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
For the 64 percent of Americans whose internet service provider imposes a broadband cap, and for those lucky enough to have a meter, some bad news. The president of the firm who audits many of the country’s broadband meters says that he can’t certify the measurements produced by five out of seven of his clients’ meters because they don’t count your bits correctly. Peter Sevcik, president of NetForecast, told GigaOM that seven clients have hired his firm to audit their broadband meters over the last few years, but of those seven only one — Comcast — has published a report on the NetForecast certification. Sevcik is only willing to certify one other client in a public report. The other five clients — which Sevcik would not name — have meters that Sevcik views as inaccurate, although not all of them have publicly rolled out their meters. And not all of those clients impose a broadband cap. Sevcik usually expects accuracy on the meters of between plus or minus one percent, but so far these don’t measure up.
benton.org/node/144740 | GigaOm
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WHAT BROADBAND SPEED CAN DO
[SOURCE: Verizon, AUTHOR: Link Hoewing]
[Commentary] A decade ago, Verizon laid the groundwork for gigabit networks when we first started architecting FiOS, our top-rated fiber-to-the-home service. We committed over $23 billion to deploy a fiber network that would one day deliver Gigabit speeds. At the time, 10 Mbps was considered ridiculously fast, and when we introduced FiOS with a top speed of 30 Mbps (much faster than anything available at the time), our technicians actually had to tweak customer PCs to make sure they could handle that speed. But offering a high speed connection to the home does not tell the full story when it comes to delivering the best possible and most capable broadband service. A high number of bits-per-second-connection alone isn't sufficient, because other factors aside from speed affect the quality and capability of a connection. Internet traffic usually has to “hop” through many points in the “network of networks” to reach its final destination. As a result, latency (or the lag in how long it takes for packets to reach a destination) and jitter (how “smoothly” packets arrive at their destination) matter a lot when it comes to quality and performance. So do a number of network architecture issues, like the development and adoption of video delivery protocols. Bandwidth doesn’t cure all problems, and sometimes even with lots of bandwidth, other factors can significantly affect how well services work.
benton.org/node/144726 | Verizon
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TELEVISION

PAI ON BROADBAND, BROADCAST
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission member Ajit Pai said that if the FCC proceeds to count some joint sales agreements (JSAs) toward local TV station ownership caps, it would be an "unforced error," and that the commission must treat broadband as a complement, not replacement, for broadcast. Commissioner Pai wants the FCC to loosen the local ownership rules, so said he found it "amazing" that the proposal currently on the table would tighten them by adding the JSAs and possibly shared-service agreements. Those proposals remain on the table rather than in the outbox, however, as the FCC continues to vet comments from parties citing potential impact of deregulation on minority and women ownership. The item has yet to be voted and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski appears in no hurry to push a vote. Commissioner Pai pointed to a JSA between two stations in his home state of Kansas where a Univision affiliate, an Entravision station, was able to create the only Spanish-language newscast in the state, and another in Missouri between Nexstar and Mission that allowed for expanded news coverage, he said. He said JSAs were particularly important for smaller markets -- the ones where they would most likely be prevented by a new FCC rule -- where station revenue is a fraction of that in larger markets.
benton.org/node/144766 | Broadcasting&Cable | Commissioner Pai
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PAI ON VIDEO REGULATION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The video marketplace is transforming into an Internet-based system and the Federal Communications Commission should transform as well, including considering not applying video regulations to multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) on a case-by-case basis, as it currently forbears regulation in the telecom space. That was one of the messages of FCC Commissioner Aji Pai to an audience of broadcast and cable execs and others at a Media Institute luncheon. Commissioner Pai talked of the massive changes in viewership and distribution over the past four decades -- he just turned 40. Commissioner Pai suggested that while folks now wanted their TV whenever and wherever they wanted it, regulations should be rather less ubiquitous, and pointed to an example from the cable side. While he said he recognized that there would not be a major rewrite of the 1992 Cable Act, which established many of those cable-related regulations, he did suggest a more surgical strike was possible.
benton.org/node/144765 | Broadcasting&Cable | Commissioner Pai | TVNewsCheck
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CONTENT

INTERNET GAMBLING IN NEW JERSEY
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Alexandra Beron]
Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) gave his conditional support to Internet gambling, laying the ground for the state to become one of the first in the country to allow online wagering. Sending back a bill that would legalize Internet gambling, Gov Christie told the state assembly that after weighing benefits of job creation and economic development against risks of addiction, corruption and improper influence, he would back a slightly revised version of the measure. The revised version of the bill is likely to be passed without trouble, according to the bill's main sponsor, State Sen. Raymond Lesniak. It would allow struggling Atlantic City casinos to operate online gambling websites that could be used by people physically located in New Jersey. The bill also would permit a kind of reciprocity with other states with legal online gambling, potentially opening the sites to more users. Christie's conditional approval of Internet gambling will help preliminary discussions with other states about forming compacts with New Jersey to go forward, Sen Lesniak predicted. Christie's revised bill includes minor changes, including more funding for gambling addiction treatment and restrictions on state employees obtaining gambling licenses. He also is seeking a 10-year limit on the legalization measure, meaning it would need to be renewed then. Gov Christie also proposed a 15% tax on Internet gambling revenues, up from the 10% originally proposed by the legislature.
benton.org/node/144769 | Wall Street Journal
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ILLEGAL MOVIE UPLOADS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amir Efrati]
Google’s YouTube has a familiar problem: Plenty of illegally uploaded movies are finding their way onto the website. Hundreds of full-length feature films including blockbusters from Walt Disney and Sony's Columbia and Tristar studios have been illegally uploaded to the world's most popular video site, generating hundreds of millions of views over the past year. Why the movie studios didn't block the films by using a special YouTube program—called Content ID—for identifying their copyrighted content is a mystery. On Feb 7, after inquiries by The Wall Street Journal, Disney used Content ID to successfully block some of the classic animated films that have been on YouTube for as long as a year, including "Peter Pan," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and "Fantasia." Representatives of Disney, Sony, MGM Studios and Warner Bros. declined to comment on the situation or why they haven't blocked the films using Content ID. A YouTube spokeswoman said the site "invested heavily in copyright and content management tools to give rights holders control of their content on YouTube" and that more than 4,000 media companies use Content ID. The site is continually improving the technology behind Content ID, she said, adding that to date it has identified more than 200 million copyrighted videos that were uploaded.
benton.org/node/144776 | Wall Street Journal
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PRIVACY

BIG DATA/BIG OIL
[SOURCE: Quartz, AUTHOR: Jacob Albert]
When the White House unveiled its new privacy bill of rights, almost exactly one year ago, the event was heralded by one consumer advocate as “the clearest articulation of the right to privacy by a US president in history.” But attention quickly shifted to the bill’s limitations. Users could opt out of targeted ads, but this alone wouldn’t end ad tracking. The bill relied too heavily on voluntary commitments by advertisers like Google and Facebook. And though the bill was strong on “rights,” it lacked details on implementation and enforcement. Now, one year later, as Europe reviews its own wide-ranging privacy legislation for implementation, Silicon Valley is sending hordes of lobbyists across the Atlantic. Two requirements in the proposed EU laws stick like thorns in the side of the American data collection industry: one, that tech firms receive prior approval (i.e., informed consent) from users before collecting their personal data, and two, that the refusal of data tracking be an accessible and irreversible option. Silicon Valley, which has built a thriving global business around targeted ads and data brokering, is understandably antsy. Jeff Chester, who directs the Center for Digital Democracy, argued recently that the Obama Administration is “working to protect the US data lobby.” He told Quartz, “One of the US’s few growth areas is stealing people’s data. So the US is arguing that the EU should not enact strong baseline rules requiring citizens to provide affirmative consent for such critical uses as profiling and [instead] adopt its weak, industry-friendly approach based primarily on self-regulation.”
benton.org/node/144730 | Quartz
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TELEVISION

NETFLIX OR HEINZ KETCHUP?
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Michael Powell]
[Commentary] I have a hunch that Netflix's faith in binge television underappreciates the joy that can be derived from expectation. Television is the original social network. Consumers love great television, but they also love talking about television. Sharing with friends the thrill of the last episode, debating what will happen next, working to enlist friends to watch the same shows that you love. Giving consumers the choice of having it all in one big bite means different viewers are in many different places in the book, making it hard to discuss without spoiling the plot. The intervals between first-run programming provide a space for communion and that tantalizing sense of anticipation. "I can't wait for the next show to start" may not actually be a consumer complaint as much as an expression of the emotion that anticipation brings. Only time will tell. It's great to have Netflix add its support to original programming, but it's perilous to think this initial foray mean the death of icons like HBO (Game of Thrones), Showtime (Homeland), AMC (Breaking Bad and Mad Men). Making high quality programming is both hard and expensive. These brands have been in the business a long time. They have the experience, the writers, the talent pool, director relationships and budgets to continuously turn out great stories and get them distributed. [Powell is CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association]
benton.org/node/144732 | Huffington Post, The
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CYBERSECURITY

CYBERSECURITY ORDER SOON
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Eric Engleman, Michael Riley]
President Barack Obama will issue an executive order aimed at bolstering U.S. cybersecurity as soon as next week, according to two former White House officials briefed on the administration’s plans. The executive order, expected to be released after Obama’s Feb. 12 State of the Union address, sets up a voluntary program of cybersecurity standards for companies operating vital U.S. infrastructure, according to the former officials, who asked to not be named because the order hasn’t been issued yet. The order directs federal agencies to consider incorporating cybersecurity standards into existing regulations, according to the officials. It directs the government to share more information about computer threats with the private sector and issue more security clearances allowing industry representatives to receive classified information, the officials said.
benton.org/node/144779 | Bloomberg
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PROSPECTS FOR COMPREHENSIVE CYBER REFORM ARE QUESTIONABLE
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Aliya Sternstein]
Congress is unlikely to pass a comprehensive cybersecurity reform bill this year, largely because public concern about computer hacking doesn’t sway elections, a recently-departed House Homeland Security Committee senior aide said. That prospect is likely to change only after an event involving major property damage, casualties and a direct connection to malicious network activity, said Kevin Gronberg, who as former senior counsel to the committee, helped draft key cybersecurity legislation that failed in 2012. “As of yet, cyber still does not win votes,” said Gronberg, who stepped down after the 2012 election. “It will always be one of those issues that politicians will be able to push aside [in favor of] the issue of the day -- such as sequestration,” he said. “That's how these Congress members keep their jobs." Gronberg, now a private consultant, said.
benton.org/node/144778 | nextgov
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TELECOM

RURAL CALL COMPLETION
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
The Federal Communications Commission is seeking comment on rules to help address problems in the completion of long-distance telephone calls to rural customers. Retail long-distance providers, such as wireless providers, cable companies, interexchange carriers (IXCs), local exchange carriers (LECs), and providers of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, often employ intermediate providers to carry long-distance calls to their destination. Some of these intermediate providers offering wholesale call delivery services may be failing to deliver a significant number of calls to rural telephone company customers, and evidence indicates that the retail long-distance providers may not be adequately examining the resultant rural call completion performance.
benton.org/node/144739 | Federal Communications Commission
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LABOR

HP TO LIMIT STUDENT LABOR
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Keith Bradsher, David Barboza]
Hewlett-Packard, one of the world’s largest makers of computers and other electronics, is imposing new limits on the employment of students and temporary agency workers at factories across China. The move, following recent efforts by Apple to increase scrutiny of student workers, reflects a significant shift in how electronics companies view problematic labor practices in China. Many factories in China have long relied on high school students, vocational school students and temporary workers to cope with periodic surges in orders as factory labor becomes increasingly scarce. Students complain of being ordered by school administrators to put in very long hours on short notice at jobs with no relevance to their studies; local governments sometimes order schools to provide labor, and the factories pay school administrators a bonus.
benton.org/node/144777 | New York Times
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PATENTS

WHEN CAN SOFTWARE BE PATENTED
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ashby Jones]
A federal appeals court in Washington (DC) will hear arguments over a fundamental question that has vexed the technology industry for nearly two decades: When is a piece of software patentable? The issue has created a curious split in the technology sector. On one side lie technology giants such as Google, Facebook, and Intuit which largely believe the Patent & Trademark Office has issued too many software patents in recent years and would like to see courts apply a more exacting standard when reviewing them. On the other lies a collection of big and small technology companies and patent holders, including International Business Machines, which contend that tighter standards on software patents could hinder innovation. "It's a huge case for the patent-law community," said Matthew Moore, a patent lawyer at Latham & Watkins LLP who isn't involved in the case. "Because we're talking about software, the decision could affect an enormous number of companies."
benton.org/node/144773 | Wall Street Journal
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COMMUNITY MEDIA

EVERYBLOCK
[SOURCE: Crain’s Chicago Business, AUTHOR: John Pletz]
EveryBlock, a hyperlocal Chicago neighborhood news site that was bought by MSNBC, pulled the plug without warning. Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and chief digital officer of NBC News, told Poynter that EveryBlock was "a wonderful scrappy business," but said it "wasn't a strategic fit with our growth strategy and — like most hyperlocal businesses — was struggling with the business model.” EveryBlock's hyperlocal site, which posted everything from purse snatchings to zoning permits, was a pioneering use of the web to cover news at the micro level. It was founded by Adrian Holavaty in 2007 and sold to MSNBC two years later.
benton.org/node/144762 | Crain’s Chicago Business | NYTimes | paidContent
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GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

INFORMATION REVOLUTION
[SOURCE: Project Syndicate, AUTHOR: Joseph Nye]
Beneath the Arab political revolutions lies a deeper and longer process of radical change that is sometimes called the information revolution. We cannot yet fully grasp its implications, but it is fundamentally transforming the nature of power in the twenty-first century, in which all states exist in an environment that even the most powerful authorities cannot control as they did in the past. Governments have always worried about the flow and control of information, and our age is hardly the first to be strongly affected by dramatic changes in information technology. Gutenberg’s printing press was important to the origins of the Protestant Reformation and the ensuing wars in Europe. Today, however, a much larger part of the population, both within and among countries, has access to the power that comes from information. Governments and large states still have more resources than information-empowered private actors, but the stage on which they play is more crowded. How will the ensuing drama unfold? Who will win, and who will lose? It will take decades, not a single season, to answer such questions. As events in Egypt and elsewhere have shown, we are only just beginning to comprehend the effects of the information revolution on power in this century.
benton.org/node/144719 | Project Syndicate
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CONGRESS' PLAN TO STOP EXPORTING TECHNOLOGY TO REPRESSIVE REGIMES
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
When a U.S. company wants to export military technology, it has to go through a rigorous approval process in Washington. That’s because, of course, if it ends up in the wrong hands, the technology could interfere with U.S. foreign policy, destabilize conflict-prone regions, or worse. Now one member of Congress wants to apply the same scrutiny to technology that “can be used for potentially illicit activities” such as Internet censorship. Unveiled this week by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the Global Online Freedom Act of 2013 would, among other things, make it illegal for firms to export equipment that could facilitate digital monitoring. The latest measure resembles previous efforts at curbing online surveillance, but analysts say there’s a danger in the proposed law: The export controls cast too wide a net and could sweep up innocent companies by accident. Smith’s bill takes aim at firms that have been implicated in repressive governments’ domestic espionage. As monitoring schemes have become more complex, Western companies have become involved in selling goods and services to these governments.
benton.org/node/144771 | National Journal
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February 8, 2013
Source 
Bloomberg
Author 
Eric Engleman
Michael Riley
Coverage Type 
Lauren Frayer

President Barack Obama will issue an executive order aimed at bolstering U.S. cybersecurity as soon as next week, according to two former White House officials briefed on the administration’s plans.

The executive order, expected to be released after Obama’s Feb. 12 State of the Union address, sets up a voluntary program of cybersecurity standards for companies operating vital U.S. infrastructure, according to the former officials, who asked to not be named because the order hasn’t been issued yet. The order directs federal agencies to consider incorporating cybersecurity standards into existing regulations, according to the officials. It directs the government to share more information about computer threats with the private sector and issue more security clearances allowing industry representatives to receive classified information, the officials said.

President Obama Said Near Issuing Executive Order on Cybersecurity

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February 8, 2013
Source 
nextgov
Author 
Aliya Sternstein
Coverage Type 
Lauren Frayer

Congress is unlikely to pass a comprehensive cybersecurity reform bill this year, largely because public concern about computer hacking doesn’t sway elections, a recently-departed House Homeland Security Committee senior aide said.

That prospect is likely to change only after an event involving major property damage, casualties and a direct connection to malicious network activity, said Kevin Gronberg, who as former senior counsel to the committee, helped draft key cybersecurity legislation that failed in 2012. “As of yet, cyber still does not win votes,” said Gronberg, who stepped down after the 2012 election. “It will always be one of those issues that politicians will be able to push aside [in favor of] the issue of the day -- such as sequestration,” he said. “That's how these Congress members keep their jobs." Gronberg, now a private consultant, said.

Prospects for Comprehensive Cyber Reform are Questionable

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February 8, 2013
Source 
New York Times
Author 
David Barboza
Keith Bradsher
Coverage Type 
Lauren Frayer

Hewlett-Packard, one of the world’s largest makers of computers and other electronics, is imposing new limits on the employment of students and temporary agency workers at factories across China.

The move, following recent efforts by Apple to increase scrutiny of student workers, reflects a significant shift in how electronics companies view problematic labor practices in China. Many factories in China have long relied on high school students, vocational school students and temporary workers to cope with periodic surges in orders as factory labor becomes increasingly scarce. Students complain of being ordered by school administrators to put in very long hours on short notice at jobs with no relevance to their studies; local governments sometimes order schools to provide labor, and the factories pay school administrators a bonus.

Hewlett Directs Its Suppliers in China to Limit Student Labor

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February 8, 2013
Source 
Wall Street Journal
Author 
Amir Efrati
Coverage Type 
Lauren Frayer

Google’s YouTube has a familiar problem: Plenty of illegally uploaded movies are finding their way onto the website. Hundreds of full-length feature films including blockbusters from Walt Disney and Sony's Columbia and Tristar studios have been illegally uploaded to the world's most popular video site, generating hundreds of millions of views over the past year. Why the movie studios didn't block the films by using a special YouTube program—called Content ID—for identifying their copyrighted content is a mystery.

On Feb 7, after inquiries by The Wall Street Journal, Disney used Content ID to successfully block some of the classic animated films that have been on YouTube for as long as a year, including "Peter Pan," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and "Fantasia." Representatives of Disney, Sony, MGM Studios and Warner Bros. declined to comment on the situation or why they haven't blocked the films using Content ID. A YouTube spokeswoman said the site "invested heavily in copyright and content management tools to give rights holders control of their content on YouTube" and that more than 4,000 media companies use Content ID. The site is continually improving the technology behind Content ID, she said, adding that to date it has identified more than 200 million copyrighted videos that were uploaded.

Reappearing on YouTube: Illegal Movie Uploads

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February 8, 2013
Source 
Wall Street Journal
Author 
Danny Yadron
Coverage Type 
Lauren Frayer

Megachurches, Broadway producers and the National Football League have formed an unlikely alliance in a Washington lobbying fight. Their battle cry: Save the wireless microphone.

Regulators are eager to open more of the nation's airwaves to mobile-phone carriers and superfast Wi-Fi technologies. The problem is that some of the space coveted by big technology companies such as Google Inc. is already used to amplify the voices of preachers, divas and referees. Cordless mics, it turns out, aren't using just any old airwaves, but part of the spectrum best suited for carrying large amounts of data. Such fights are likely to crop up more frequently in the next few years as government officials try to divvy up a finite amount of spectrum to meet the seemingly unlimited demands of Americans leading cordless lives. The government is preparing to auction off valuable airwaves used by some broadcast-television stations, and mobile-phone carriers are in line to get much of that space. But regulators also need to determine how much spectrum, potentially worth billions of dollars, to leave unsold for use by consumer technologies such as microphones or new Wi-Fi services that companies might offer Internet users. In meetings with the Federal Communications Commission, microphone makers have argued that some proposals could wreak havoc on staples of American culture, such as Bruce Springsteen concerts.

Churches, NFL Fight to Save the Cordless Microphone

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