February 5, 2013 (Genachowski Hits the Pause Button)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013
Superstorm Sandy and Internet Freedom are on today’s agenda http://benton.org/calendar/2013-02-05/
INTERNET/BROADBAND
FCC’s McDowell: Internet Is Under Assault and Inaction Is Not an Option
Hillary Clinton Helps Silicon Valley on Her Way Out the Door
The Broadband Factor: How Connectivity Expands Economic and Community Development - op-ed
Broadband Bringing Middle America Back from the Brink
Gigabit Networks: Maybe They’re Not So Crazy After All
Coalition says broadband means new jobs in Illinois [links to web]
Amazon to collect Connecticut sales tax, ending dispute
No, free Wi-Fi isn't coming to every US city - analysis
CYBERSECURITY
Cybersecurity: how preemptive cyberwar is entering the nation's arsenal
Trade group wants U.S.-China action on cybersecurity threats [links to web]
EU Develops New Cybersecurity Rules
TELECOM
FCC Seeks Comment On Request To Refresh Record And Amend The Commission's Copper Retirement Rules - public notice
AT&T to pay Washington prisoners’ families $45 million in telephone class action settlement [links to web]
PRIVACY
Privacy groups request meeting with U.S. officials on backlash against European privacy rules
California high court backs online retailers in privacy battle
The Threat of Silence [links to web]
OWNERSHIP
FCC’s Genachowski Hits the Pause Button
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
FirstNet shroud of secrecy raising public-safety vendors' ire
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
T-Mobile: Getting it Right for Competition in the FCC Incentive Auction - press release [links to web]
TELEVISION
Parents group urges FCC to crack down on CBS over Super Bowl profanity [links to web]
ACA to FCC: End Joint Retransmission Bargaining [links to web]
CONTENT
Why Google’s settlement with French publishers is bad for the web - analysis
Why Google's Deal to Fund French Publishers Won't Come Stateside [links to web]
How social media is becoming as important a live event as the live event itself [links to web]
COMPANY NEWS
Facebook to Make Targeted Ads More Transparent For Users [links to web]
Samsung sets up new $100 million venture fund in Silicon Valley [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
The Virgin Bride [links to web]
Brazil: The Social Media Capital of the Universe [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
Sen Franken: 'I do Minnesota press only' [links to web]
Eric Schmidt, in new book: China could contribute to fracturing the Internet into pieces [links to web]
Men Who Took Silicon to Silicon Valley [links to web]
The Philosophy of Data - op-ed [links to web]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
MCDOWELL: INTERNET UNDER ASSAULT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell will testify before Congress on February 5 and plans to say that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) telecom treaty conference in Dubai in December marked the end of international consensus on keeping government hands off the Internet, instead "radically ratcheting up" even more regulation. "[I]n 2011, then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin summed it up best when he declared that his goal, and that of his allies, was to establish 'international control over the Internet' through the ITU," says Commissioner McDowell. "Last month in Dubai, Putin largely achieved his goal." Talking about the forces being applied to that "one-way ratchet, he said: "Proponents of multilateral intergovernmental control of the Internet are patient and persistent incrementalists who will never relent until their ends are achieved." Commissioner McDowell is already looking ahead, and sees the 2014 plenipotentiary meeting of the ITU as both a threat and an opportunity. "While we debate what to do next, Internet freedom's foes around the globe are working hard to exploit a treaty negotiation that dwarfs the importance of the WCIT by orders of magnitude. In 2014, the ITU will conduct what is literally a constitutional convention [that] will define the ITU's mission for years to come."
benton.org/node/144547 | Broadcasting&Cable
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ALLIANCE FOR AN AFFORDABLE INTERNET
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Dwoskin]
Taking the podium in the State Department’s Ben Franklin Room one last time before stepping down, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thanked lots of people, offered reminiscences, and announced a flurry of last-minute initiatives. “We’re all like one millisecond away from just collapsing here, because of the emotion and the feelings that are coursing through all of us,” Sec Clinton said. One of those new initiatives, the Alliance for an Affordable Internet, barely got a mention in Clinton’s speech. But it merits attention. If successful, the project -- a public-private partnership among the State Department, the World Wide Web Foundation, and tech companies such as Cisco Systems, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Intel -- could end up helping many people in poor countries get onto the Web. It could also cement long-term ties between the State Department and the companies—while opening new markets and reaching new customers for Silicon Valley. “We’re going to help the next billion people come online,” said Sec Clinton, quickly announcing the project before going on to talk about clean cook stoves for women in the developing world.
benton.org/node/144530 | Bloomberg
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CONNECTIVITY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Kristin Peterson]
[Commentary] With UNESCO estimating that 90% of communities and individuals in developing areas are without access to broadband, organizations are taking notice of the impact that broadband can make. And with emerging markets leading the world in social media growth, the potential for connecting with beneficiaries and monitoring programs in real-time is undeniable. Broadband connectivity has the benefits of both immediate results and a long runway ahead, making it a very attractive option when prioritizing scarce resources. Understanding that high-quality Internet access is increasingly critical for community and economic development, Inveneo launched the Broadband for Good Initiative (BB4G) with the goal of accelerating access to high quality broadband across emerging markets and the developing world. By using radically low-cost technologies and pushing new business models and approaches, BB4G is driving delivery of broadband even deeper into peri-urban and rural areas. BB4G projects currently provide broadband access to 20% of rural Haiti, and span deployments in Micronesia, Kenya, Uganda and the West Bank of Palestine. [Peterson is co-founder and CEO of Iveneo]
benton.org/node/144529 | Huffington Post, The
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BROADBAND BRINGING BACK MIDDLE AMEERICA
[SOURCE: The Epoch Times, AUTHOR: Shar Adams]
Six years ago, the tiny rural town of Dawsonville (GA) some 60 miles north of Atlanta, was facing a dire future, but through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, a cutting-edge, fiber-optic broadband network opened doors and offered solutions. Like many regional communities, Dawsonville’s local industries were struggling, and with the national economy contracting, civic leaders wondered how the town would survive. At that time, Bruce Abraham and colleagues on the board of directors at the telecommunications agency North Georgia Network (NGN) did not know “[optic] fiber from muffins.” That all changed, however, when a government grant helped the company roll out its “big honking network.” The digital age had arrived in the tiny town, and prospects for the future suddenly looked bright. “We have raised expectations by bringing this infrastructure into the region,” Abraham said at a forum at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., in early January. Initially, it was a challenge to bring the community on board—it took a “push affect” to get it going— but “now everybody’s pulling us … and it’s a great phenomenon,” he said. The forum focused on the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), a national awards program designed to encourage access to high-speed Internet in regions across the United States.
benton.org/node/144528 | Epoch Times, The
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GIGABIT COMMUNITIES
[SOURCE: telecompetitor, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
Are gigabit networks like the ones in Kansas City and Chattanooga simply isolated experiments? Or are they just the first in what will be a broader trend? A year or so ago many people would have argued that Google’s ultra-high-speed Kansas City network and EPB’s Chattanooga network were unlikely to be replicated on any broad scale. But momentum seems to be growing behind the idea that gigabit networks could be more widely available – if the right set of conditions exists. Research released by the Fiber-to-the-Home Council suggests at least four conditions that are critical for a successful ultra-high-speed network deployment. These include a need for real stories about real benefits for communities with ultra-high-speed networks, solutions to technical and administrative issues such as how to get the right technical expertise, buy-in from a wide range of stakeholders, and, of course, financial feasibility.
benton.org/node/144527 | telecompetitor
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AMAZON, TAXES AND CONNECTICUT
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Stephen Singer]
Amazon agreed to collect Connecticut's sales tax, ending a two-year dispute over the tax that the online retailer had previously refused to charge its customers. The retailer also promised to spend $50 million to build an order-fulfillment center at an unspecified site and create hundreds of jobs. Kevin Sullivan, commissioner of Revenue Services, said that Amazon will generate about $8 million in the first year it collects the tax and $13 million to $15 million in the second year. By agreeing to collect the tax, Amazon puts pressure on other Internet businesses to pay Connecticut's 6.35 percent sales tax, Sullivan said. Amazon will begin collecting the tax on Nov. 1 at the start of the busy Christmas holiday shopping season. The company previously insisted it was not obligated to abide by the state's Internet tax law because it does not have a physical presence in Connecticut.
benton.org/node/144551 | Associated Press
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FREE WI-FI
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
[Commentary] It all originated from one Washington Post report with the less-shouty headline "Tech, telecom giants take sides as FCC proposes large public Wi-Fi networks." The report had some bold, inaccurate claims, notably this one: "If all goes as planned, free access to the Web would be available in just about every metropolitan area and in many rural areas." Isn't this just the White Spaces proposal that's been around for a few years and has never once been pitched as "free Wi-Fi for all"? White Spaces may well be an important step toward expanding Internet access, but it isn't going to bring free Wi-Fi to every major US city. It seemed no one was asking the most obvious question: who would build Wi-Fi everywhere and give it away for free? "It would cost money, so I don't see a path toward ubiquitous free Wi-Fi that is at an acceptable quality level," said wireless engineer Steven Crowley. Citywide Wi-Fi networks would have to be built by someone with deep pockets and likely a profit motive—there's no reason to think someone would build the network and then just leave it. Congestion can happen on any network, but that doesn't mean no one is managing it.
benton.org/node/144560 | Ars Technica
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CYBERSECURITY
CYBERWAR IN NATION’S ARSENAL
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Mark Clayton]
A formal, three-year legal and policy review of US cyberweapons that concluded last fall has effectively cleared their use alongside other weapons systems in the US arsenal, a stamp of approval that propels the fledgling US Cyber Command toward a fully operational role within the nation's military structure, cyberwar experts say. Cyberweapons have been available to the US military since at least the first Gulf War against Iraq, but when, how, and under what conditions they could or should be deployed has been subject to vigorous debate among military and civilian policymakers. Now it appears cyberweapons and cyberwarfare have nudged up alongside other legally approved military theaters and techniques, including space warfare and electronic war as well as the use of drones, sabotage, and special operations. In particular, cyberweapons were approved in the review for "preemptive" attacks if authorized by the president and if an imminent attack on the US warranted it.
benton.org/node/144564 | Christian Science Monitor, The
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EU CYBERSECURITY RULES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: ]
The European Union will propose new cybersecurity rules Feb 7, requiring search engines, energy providers, banks and other companies to report disruptions to government authorities. Transit hubs, stock exchanges and a host of other entities would be covered by the proposal, which has been seen by The Wall Street Journal and which the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, drafted after a decade of failed voluntary measures. The proposals still must be reviewed by the European parliament and the leaders of the EU's 27 national governments before becoming law. Such proposals are generally amended but ultimately approved, a process that normally takes roughly two years. The proposal requires all EU countries to establish competent authorities to monitor online security and set up Computer Emergency Response Teams. Many of the countries already have such an authority. That would encourage countries to share information and improve resilience.
benton.org/node/144562 | Wall Street Journal
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TELECOM
FCC SEEKS COMMENT ON REQUEST TO REFRESH RECORD AND AMEND THE COMMISSION’S COPPER RETIREMENT RULES
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
On January 25, 2013, Mpower Communications Corp., U.S. TelePacific Corp. (together, TelePacific); ACN Communications Services, Inc.; Level 3 Communications, LLC; TDS Metrocom, LLC and Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI) requested that the Federal Communications Commission “refresh the record” and make certain changes to its copper retirement rules. Interested parties may file comments on or before March 5, 2013 and reply comments on or before March 20, 2013. Pleadings are to reference WC Docket No. 12-353 and RM-11358.
benton.org/node/144549 | Federal Communications Commission
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PRIVACY
PRIVACY GROUPS REQUEST MEETING
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jennifer Martinez]
More than a dozen privacy advocates requested a meeting with top-ranking U.S. administration officials to discuss supporting the European Union's effort to strengthen its online privacy laws, saying the initiative aligns with President Obama's views on the issue. The privacy groups say the EU's proposed privacy rules touch on several of the principles included in the privacy framework rolled out by President Obama last year, which was backed by consumer groups. However, EU officials are feeling pressure from the U.S. government and industry representatives to scale back their proposed regulations, the privacy advocates said in a letter to U.S. officials. "We expect leadership from those who represent the United States overseas and we expect that the views of American consumers and privacy advocates, not simply business leaders, will be conveyed to your counterparts," the letter reads. The letter was sent to Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank and William Kennard, U.S. ambassador to the European Union.
benton.org/node/144521 | Hill, The | Broadcasting&Cable
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CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RULING
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Maura Dolan]
Internet retailers of music and other downloadable products may seek personal identifying information from consumers that ordinary stores in California are barred from asking for, the California Supreme Court ruled. By a 4-3 vote, the state high court said Apple, which sells music on its iTunes site, and similar retailers were not covered by a consumer law that prevents California businesses from collecting personal information from credit card users. "While it is clear that the Legislature enacted the Credit Card Act to protect consumer privacy, it is also clear that the Legislature did not intend to achieve privacy protection without regard to exposing consumers and retailers to undue risk of fraud," Justice Goodwin Liu wrote for the majority. The Credit Card Act prevents California retailers from recording any personal identifying information as a condition of accepting a credit card. In exempting Apple and similar online businesses from the law, the court said Internet retailers do not have the same safeguards against fraud as traditional stores. "Unlike a brick-and-mortar retailer, an online retailer cannot visually inspect the credit card, the signature on the back of the card or the customer's photo identification," Judge Liu wrote.
benton.org/node/144566 | Los Angeles Times | San Jose Mercury News
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OWNERSHIP
PENDING MEDIA OWNERSHIP ORDER
[SOURCE: AdWeek, AUTHOR: Katy Bachman]
More than two months after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski circulated an order proposing to lift the ban on owning a newspaper and radio station in a market, the commission is still deadlocked. It’s not a surprise, really. No other proceeding gives an FCC chair more headaches -- not to mention court challenges -- than media ownership rules. As it stands, Chairman Genachowski doesn’t have the decisive 4-1 or 5-0 vote he is seeking to avoid the possibility of more legal wrangling. Ironically, the FCC chairman is getting the most push back from his own party. At the center of the firestorm is whether or not the FCC should go ahead with loosening ownership regulations without first completing an analysis of the impact on minority ownership as required by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in July 2011. The FCC’s report showing that minority ownership remains disproportionately low didn’t cut it for many advocates, including Commissioners Mignon Clyburn (who convinced the FCC to open up a comment period on the report) and Jessica Rosenworcel. Advocacy groups and minority organizations, including Democratic lawmakers who have threatened a resolution of disapproval if the rules are loosened, also turned up the heat, putting pressure on the FCC to hold off on a vote until the study is conducted.
benton.org/node/144561 | AdWeek
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
FIRSTNET BOARD MEETING
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Tammy Parker]
The board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will hold its next meeting on Feb. 12, giving it a chance to respond publicly to a barrage of complaints regarding the board's perceived lack of transparency and responsiveness. FirstNet is charged with building the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN), which will use LTE technology in the 700 MHz band. Next week's meeting, which will be open to the public, will be held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Radio Building in Boulder (CO). In a statement sure to raise the ire of those who already feel FirstNet is being too secretive, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which oversees FirstNet, issued a statement disclosing that some of the Boulder meeting may be closed "to preserve the confidentiality of commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential, to discuss personnel matters, or to discuss legal matters" affecting FirstNet.
benton.org/node/144523 | Fierce
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CONTENT
GOOGLE SETTLEMENT IN FRANCE
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Mathew Ingram]
After much diplomatic maneuvering and a series of face-saving gestures on both sides, Google finally signed an agreement with French newspaper publishers that puts to rest a long-standing legal battle over Google’s behavior in excerpting stories on Google News, which the French have argued is copyright infringement. But while the search giant may be relieved to put the whole kerfuffle behind it, there’s an argument to be made that it has actually done more harm than good — not only to its own interests, but to the interests of the open web as well. Veteran tech blogger Lauren Weinstein describes this risk well in a recent blog post, in which he calls what the government of France is doing “extortion,” and warns of the long-term risk of Google acceding to such demands that it pay for the simple act of linking and excerpting content.
benton.org/node/144520 | GigaOm
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