December 3, 2012 (World Conference on International Telecommunications)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012
The World Conference on International Telecommunications and a meeting of the CPB Board of Directors begin today http://benton.org/calendar/2012-12-02--P1W/
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATION
Syrian Internet Outage Raises Question “Could It Happen Here?” - analysis
Internet, phone services back online for much of Syria [links to web]
For Syria’s Rebel Movement, Skype Is a Useful and Increasingly Dangerous Tool [links to web]
Syria, WCIT, and the Future of the Internet - analysis
Public Knowledge Weighs The WCIT's Importance To Syria's Blackout Situation - press release
How Syrian Activists Can Get Around The Internet Blackout [links to web]
The Necessity of an Inclusive, Transparent and Participatory Internet
Staring down Internet freedom's foes - op-ed
AFL-CIO urges UN to drop proposed Internet regulations [links to web]
Dubai Internet conference threatens our wide Web world - editorial [links to web]
Keep the Internet free and open - editorial [links to web]
Who Should Govern the Internet? A Future Tense Event Recap.
Disruptions: Silencing the Voices of Militants on Twitter
Left media has 'issues' with Obama
Web domain seizures warrant due process - editorial [links to web]
RADIO/TELEVISION
FCC Adopts Rules to Expand Low Power Radio Service - press release
Big Changes on the FM Dial: FCC Okays More Community Radio Stations - op-ed
Partnership Offers Support for Media Entrepreneurs
Will the 9th Circuit Overrule Holding That Noncommercial Broadcasters Can Run Political Ads? - analysis [links to web]
TV Broadcasters Tell Appeals Court to Shut Down Aereo [links to web]
CEA to FCC: Deny Charter Set-Top Waiver and Come Up With Standard [links to web]
Rising sports programming costs could have consumers crying foul [links to web]
DVR Use One Factor in Networks’ Low Ratings [links to web]
OWNERSHIP
Promises To Keep
Senators Ask FCC to Hold Off on Ownership Vote [links to web]
Judge says “no fundamental right to use Facebook,” tosses antitrust case [links to web]
Apple’s ITunes Would Be One of World’s Biggest Media Companies [links to web]
MORE ON INTERNET/BROADBAND
Department of Commerce Approves Verisign-ICANN .com Registry Renewal Agreement
Draft cybersecurity executive order excludes commercial products
Convenience stores, lotteries face off over Reid’s online poker bill [links to web]
A Book by Two From Google Takes a Deep Look at the Web [links to web]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Verizon, AT&T clash with Sprint and others over spectrum caps
SoftBank and Sprint Seek FCC Consent on Wireless Deal - public notice
Chairman Genachowski Still Wants Dish Item Voted by Year's End [links to web]
The Best (and Worst) of Mobile Connectivity - research
No Shocker: Typical American Household Full of Old Cellphones [links to web]
ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
Election Tally: $3.1B Spent on TV Ads
Chicago's most-coveted talent: Obama's techies [links to web]
PRIVACY
App developers, privacy advocates work out suggestions for policy disclosure
FTC Issues Amended Rule on Identity Theft “Red Flags” - press release [links to web]
LABOR
A Cleveland Newspaper Takes Steps to Prevent Cuts [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
Sen DeMint could go from bomb-thrower to dealmaker on key Senate panel [links to web]
FTC nominee Joshua Wright to skip Google cases [links to web]
Chairman Upton Welcomes New Republicans to House Commerce Committee - press release [links to web]
FCC Chairman Genachowski is Far from Plodding, Cautious - editorial [links to web]
FTC maverick a mystery on Google case [links to web]
Commissioner Pai: The Dude Abides. - analysis [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
ITU packet inspection standard raises serious privacy concerns
EU Nations Aim to Boost Web Firms' Tax Payouts [links to web]
The misdeeds of the press were criminal [links to web]
Press vow to beef up self-regulation plan [links to web]
Search engines escape Russia’s Internet blacklist [links to web]
Yahoo Ordered to Pay $2.7 Billion by Mexican Court [links to web]
Coming in 2013 – targeted TV ads [links to web]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATION
COULD IT HAPPEN HERE?
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Arik Hesseldahl]
Syria disappeared from the Internet. Everyone knows that by now. But one fact that didn’t resonate quite as readily in the first reports is how quickly it happened. At the order of someone — presumably an official within the government of President Bashar al-Assad — an entire nation’s communications infrastructure ceased to function within about four minutes. When you remember the basic fundamental truths about the Internet — the part about how it was designed to be used in the event of a nuclear war and thus has redundancy and survivability in mind — one can’t help but wonder how such a thing could happen. It comes down to control, and creating a single, easily accessible choke point run by loyal people. Every single Internet connection in Syria is funneled through a single government agency that authorizes them all — the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment — and indeed all of them are run out of the same building. Today, the folks at Renesys, who were the first to notice Syria’s government-ordered outage (for it could be nothing other than that), have tackled the question of how readily what has happened in Syria — and in Libya and Egypt before it — could happen in other countries. Here’s its map. Countries where there’s a significant risk — speaking logistically, not necessarily politically — of a government-ordered shutdown are shown in darker green. The lighter the green, the lower the risk.
benton.org/node/140501 | Wall Street Journal
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SYRIA, WCIT, AND THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
[Commentary] War-torn Syria has disappeared from the Internet. Internet traffic destined for that country is going undelivered, and also that traffic coming from within it cannot get out to the world. The countrywide Internet outage, accompanied by localized outages of mobile and land phone networks, raised fears among some opposition activists that the government is preparing for a major offensive. In addition, the countrywide blackout crystalizes the fears of many about governments taking control of the Internet. The blackout occurs as delegations from around the world gather in Dubai for the International Telecommunication Union’s World Conference on International Telecommunications. Over the past week, we’ve seen a number of articles, op-eds and editorials warning of the possibility that the United Nations will try to take control of the Internet through the ITU gathering.
http://benton.org/node/140438
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SYRIA AND THE WCIT
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Gigi Sohn]
The events in Syria highlight the importance of the upcoming WCIT and the implications of the WCIT for free expression online. Provisions proposed by some member states would explicitly authorize governments such as Syria to disrupt Internet traffic and control Internet architecture, including traffic routing, on the grounds that such censorship is necessary to protect public order or suppress insurrection. Today, nations and organizations that oppose such acts of national censorship are free to help those within Syria circumvent these efforts to suppress speech. For months, global civil society has expressed the concern that ITRs relating to controlling the flow of Internet traffic -- advanced in the name of worthy goals such as cyber security, combating fraud, or ensuring quality of service -- have implications for free expression and the free flow of information online. Hopefully, the events in Syria occurring on the very eve of the WCIT will encourage all member states who value free expression as a fundamental human right to carefully weigh the danger to these values inherent in any ITR expressly recognizing the right of governments to disruptor control Internet traffic routing.
benton.org/node/140497 | Public Knowledge
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INCLUSIVE, TRANSPARENT AND PARTICIPATORY INTERNET
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, AUTHOR: Lawrence Strickling, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, Phillip Verveer]
On the eve of the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), we believe that it is the right time to reaffirm the U.S. Government’s commitment to the multistakeholder model as the appropriate process for addressing Internet policy and governance issues. The multistakeholder model has enabled the Internet to flourish. It has promoted freedom of expression, both online and off. It has ensured the Internet is a robust, open platform for innovation, investment, economic growth and the creation of wealth throughout the world, including in developing countries. Our commitment to the multistakeholder model is based on the fact that transparency, inclusion and participation are the 21st century standards governing discussions related to modern communications. This is a view shared by many around the world and was most recently reiterated by a statement of civil society members and groups from around the world who participated in the “Best Bits” pre-Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting held earlier this month in Baku, Azerbaijan. The U.S. Government wishes to lend its support to the spirit of the recommendations contained in the statement. We have and will continue to advocate for an Internet that is not dominated by any one player or group of players, and one that is free from bureaucratic layers that cannot keep up with the pace of change. We will work with everyone to ensure that we have a global Internet that allows all voices to be heard.
benton.org/node/140494 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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INTERNET FREEDOM’S FOES
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell]
[Commentary] On December 3, representatives from 193 countries are convening in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, to renegotiate a treaty that could give an arm of the United Nations new powers over the Internet. Despite increased scrutiny of these talks, many countries seem more determined than ever to turn the supremely bad idea of establishing international regulation of the Net into reality. American diplomats will have to navigate a torrent of formal proposals that would curtail Internet freedom, limit consumers’ choices and increase costs for all Net users. How the negotiations end will shape the future of the Net, as well as the prospects for global freedom and prosperity. The purpose of the Dubai talks, known as the World Conference on International Telecommunications, is to re-examine a 1988 treaty that loosened rules covering telephone and computer communications. The regulatory framework adopted in 1988 took a “hands off” approach to emerging technologies, such as what later became the Internet. As a result, the Internet is now the greatest deregulatory success story of all time. For instance, in 1995, shortly after it was privatized, only 16 million people used the Net. That number has spiked to more than 2.5 billion today with upward of a half million people becoming first-time Internet users each day. If, however, some key regimes have their way, such soaring positive trend lines will flatten. A successful WCIT would produce a treaty that not only eschews expanded regulation of any aspect of the Internet but also commits to free markets, freedom of speech, competition and deregulation. The people of every nation, but especially tomorrow’s first-time Net users in the developing world, deserve no less. After the December WCIT, new talks commence in May. Defenders of Internet freedom should never let their guard down, for freedom’s foes are patient and persistent incrementalists. To be continued …
benton.org/node/140493 | Politico
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WHO SHOULD GOVERN THE INTERNET
[SOURCE: Slate, AUTHOR: Torie Bosch]
You may have heard that at a summit next week, the International Telecommunications Union, a U.N. agency, will attempt to wrest control of the Internet. At a Future Tense event on Internet governance this morning, held at the New America Foundation in Washington, the rumor was soundly spanked by a host of experts. In reality, they said, the upcoming World Conference on International Communications in Dubai will likely just lead to … more conversation. But maybe there’s a silver lining to all of this bipartisan fear-mongering (or, as Open Technology Institute Director Sascha Meinrath termed it, “the uber-geek [equivalent of] Red Dawn”): “Suddenly everybody’s interested in global governance of the Internet,” said Syracuse University professor Milton Mueller. “If it was necessary to lie to people and tell them the ITU was going to take over the Internet, maybe it’s a good thing.” Indeed, Temple University law professor David Post, author of the amazingly titled book In Search of Jefferson's Moose: Notes on the State of Cyberspace, observed that right now, it feels a bit like six months before the SOPA protests blew up: We are on the verge of Internet governance issues crossing over into mainstream discussion.
benton.org/node/140488 | Slate
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MILITANTS ON TWITTER
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Nick Bilton]
Twitter, perhaps more than any other social media outlet, has become one of the most powerful tools to promote democracy in the Middle East. The service, which helped Arab Spring protesters in their drive for a new order in the region, is now under attack over aiding and abetting terrorist organizations. Along with six other Republican lawmakers, Rep Ted Poe (R-TX), a judge turned Congressman, sent a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, demanding that Twitter ban two militant groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, that are on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations. “Failure to block access arms them with the ability to freely spread their violent propaganda and mobilize in their war on Israel,” he said in a statement to news outlets, adding: “The FBI and Twitter must recognize sooner rather than later that social media is a tool for the terrorists.” The demand is based on laws saying that any person or group offering material support — contributing cash, weapons and other tangible aid, including “service” and “expert advice or assistance” — to terrorist organizations is essentially working with them. But some might argue that running AK-47s and rocket launchers to terrorists, and using Twitter, which allows groups to post 140-character missives online, are two very different things.
benton.org/node/140521 | New York Times
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OBAMA AND THE MEDIA
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Dylan Byers]
For the better part of four years, progressive media has had President Barack Obama’s back. Now that he’s won re-election, it is faced with a choice: Should the left continue always to play the loyal attack dog against the GOP, blaming the opposition at all hours of the news cycle for intransigence? Or, should it redirect some of that energy on the President, holding him to his promises and encouraging him to be a more outspoken champion of liberal causes? Already, there are rumblings of change. In the days and weeks following Obama’s victory, progressive voices, primarily in print media, have made efforts to push the President on key parts of the unfinished liberal agenda - including climate change, drone strikes, troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the closing of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, civil liberties and gun control. In conversations with POLITICO, some of the left’s most influential voices in media said that, with the concerns of re-election over, they intend to be more critical of the President’s performance and more aggressive in urging him to pursue a progressive agenda as the clock ticks on his last four years in office.
benton.org/node/140520 | Politico
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RADIO/TELEVISION
LPFM DECISION
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Fifth Order on Reconsideration and Sixth Report and Order that expands low power radio opportunities for diverse media voices nationwide. Processing approximately 6,000 FM translator applications and setting the rules of the road for LPFM are the last steps necessary before opening a window for community groups to seek new low power FM licenses starting in October of 2013. The Orders follow the FCC’s Fourth Report and Order and Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted on March 19, 2012.
Fifth Order on Reconsideration. A number of parties filed petitions for reconsideration of the Fourth Report and Order, challenging the per-market and/or the national caps on translator applications that will be processed. The Fifth Order on Reconsideration: (1) establishes a national limit of 70 applications so long as no more than 50 of them are inside of the Appendix A markets; (2) increases the per-market cap in 156 larger markets from one application to up to three applications for each market, subject to certain conditions; and (3) clarifies the application of the per-market cap in “embedded” markets.
Sixth Report and Order. The Sixth Report and Order lays the groundwork for introduction of LPFM stations into major urban markets for the first time. It establishes, as mandated by the Local Community Radio Act, a second-adjacent channel spacing waiver standard and an interference-remediation scheme to ensure that operations of stations with these waivers will not cause interference to other stations. The Order also creates separate third-adjacent channel interference remediation regimes for short-spaced and fully-spaced LPFM stations. Finally, the rules address the potential for predicted interference to FM translator input signals from LPFM stations operating on third-adjacent channels. The Sixth Report and Order additionally makes a number of rule changes to better promote the core localism and diversity goals of LPFM service.
benton.org/node/140487 | Federal Communications Commission | Report and Order | B&C
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MORE COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS
[SOURCE: The Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Rep Mike Doyle (D-PA)]
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission is about to make a little-watched decision that could have a tremendous impact on the way people in the United States get news. After over a decade of Congressional obstruction, the FCC will finally vote to create thousands of new local radio stations across the United States. As a result of a bill I sponsored, the Local Community Radio Act, the FCC is issuing rules that will allow community groups and organizations to apply for licenses to operate noncommercial low-power FM (LPFM) radio stations on certain unoccupied parts of the dial. This means that if you've ever dreamed of starting a radio station, you just might have your chance soon. It also means that millions of Americans will have more choices on the FM radio dial and more access to local news and entertainment. This year's election cycle illustrated just how important it is for us to have more access to information about our own communities. Although we heard non-stop reporting on the presidential race for months, local and state political campaigns received a lot less coverage. Many people went to the polls on November 6 with little knowledge about their candidates for state attorney general, state representative, or school board. Yet those voters will be greatly impacted by the decisions their local and state representatives will make once in office. In places where noncommercial radio is already available, listeners really know the difference. This FCC action has the potential to dramatically expand the range of voices on FM radio and provide better coverage of community issues at a time of substantial media consolidation. It will give many radio listeners a real choice of content and perspective, and will empower local radio in many communities across the country.
benton.org/node/140485 | Huffington Post, The
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MATTER VENTURES
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Jensen]
Can the nascent entrepreneurial ideas bouncing around Silicon Valley help reinvent public media? Matter Ventures, a start-up accelerator that will provide four months of financial and logistical support for budding media entrepreneurs, will be unveiled Dec 3 by its partners: KQED, a public television and radio station operator; the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; and the Public Radio Exchange, known as PRX. KQED, based in San Francisco, and the Knight Foundation are each investing $1.25 million in the initial $2.5 million fund and will have an equity stake in any projects that become viable businesses. PRX, based in Cambridge, Mass., is contributing strategic and management support. The project was announced a year ago as a PRX endeavor to be financed by Knight, before KQED became an investor. While the partners would love to find the next Google, KQED, which just had two years of record-setting revenue, does not expect to get rich from the venture, John Boland, KQED’s president, said.
benton.org/node/140539 | New York Times | Matter Ventures
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OWNERSHIP
PROMISES TO KEEP
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Michael Copps]
[Commentary] When Barack Obama ran for his first term, he was already clearly on-record stating his opposition to further media industry consolidation and his support for reasserting the public interest. President Obama is less than half-way through his Presidency. I believe he understands that some of the issues he cares about have not yet had a fair hearing. I am not ready to believe that he will close the door on this issue that goes to the very ability of our media to nourish and sustain the kind of informed civic dialogue on which the course of American self-government depends. But, just to be sure, let’s remind him—and the Commission—how important We, the People, believe this is.
http://benton.org/node/140512
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MORE ON INTERNET/BROADBAND
VERISIGN-ICANN DECISION
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
The U.S. Department of Commerce on November 29, 2012, approved renewal of the .com Registry Agreement between Verisign, Inc., and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Through this agreement, Verisign will manage the registry for the .com top level domain for six more years. “I'm pleased the Department of Commerce was able to find that renewal of the agreement is in the public interest,” said Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator. “Consumers will benefit from Verisign's removal of the automatic price increases. At the same time, the agreement protects the security and stability of the Internet by allowing Verisign to take cost-based price increases where justified.”
benton.org/node/140480 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration | Bloomberg | CNNMoney
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DRAFT CYBERSECURITY EXECUTIVE ORDER
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Tony Romm]
A new draft of the White House's cybersecurity executive order maintains the Administration's effort to improve the digital defenses of critical infrastructure — but it includes a number of changes, following several Administration meetings with stakeholders. The Nov. 21 draft obtained by POLITICO grants more time to the feds to devise and implement a voluntary system to protect power plants, water systems and other forms of critical infrastructure from crippling attacks. Yet it makes clear that commercial products won't fall into that category. It further calls on the feds to figure out how to incentivize companies to agree to abide by new security standards. And it leaves it to agencies to figure out whether cybersecurity should factor into the federal procurement process. In general, the latest draft order follows the same contours as another draft that leaked at the end of September —improving cybersecurity practices at critical infrastructure, and pursuing new information-sharing capabilities. But the new version appears to specify in clearer terms that NIST would lead the way in developing a so-called Cybersecurity Framework, to identify gaps in the country's digital defenses and set forward standards and methodologies to address the risks. In the latest proposal, agencies have more time — 240 days, rather than 180 days — to put forward their initial draft of that framework, but still have a year after that to publish the final guidance. And the new version emphasizes the framework should be developed through "open public review and comment," and reviewed every three years. The September draft, shared among top deputies, had called on federal agencies to report on ways to make any new voluntary measures mandatory. The new draft preserves the section, and it asks agencies to evaluate if their current cybersecurity authorities are sufficient or duplicative. It also tasks the Pentagon and other agencies to determine whether the government procurement process — a multi-billion-dollar industry — should grant preferences to vendors adhering to strong cybersecurity standards. And it includes a key, highly desired carve-out for commercial IT: It makes clear those products cannot be designated as critical infrastructure at the greatest risk, which is an exception that industry had sought in legislation. The new draft further requires the Commerce and Treasury Departments to devise recommendations on how to incentivize companies to participate — a key sticking point for the Obama Administration, which has said it can only provide the best incentives to businesses through an act of Congress.
benton.org/node/140478 | Politico
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
SPECTRUM CAPS
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Phil Goldstein]
In comments to the Federal Communications Commission, AT&T and Verizon Wireless argued against rules that would reduce how much spectrum carriers can hold in certain markets. Meanwhile, smaller carriers pushed for proposals that would limit the spectrum holdings of the nation's two largest carriers. The FCC is considering changes to its so-called spectrum-screen, which it uses when reviewing spectrum transactions. If a carrier acquires too much spectrum and violates the screen, the deal is more closely scrutinized. Currently, the screen is different for each proposed transaction. The FCC voted in late September to open up a review of its rules.
Verizon said in its comments that the FCC should build on the strengths of the current system by including a "safe harbor providing certainty for transactions that do not exceed the screen, while enabling more detailed review of markets triggered by the screen for potential competitive harm." Verizon said the FCC should reject a spectrum cap "which is an inherently inflexible tool ill-suited to the dynamic spectrum market, and which can block spectrum transactions that are clearly pro-consumer."
AT&T said the FCC should update the screen "to include all of the available spectrum that is 'suitable' for mobile wireless services," and specifically include spectrum that Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR) controls when it makes that consideration. AT&T also wants the FCC to "reaffirm that the 'safe harbor' provided by the screen is truly safe," meaning that the FCC "will not entertain spectrum aggregation-related challenges to any proposed spectrum acquisition that does not exceed the safe harbor level." The FCC also needs to update its screen to reflect the realities of the market, and the screen should reflect that it is "simply not realistic to assume that any holding of more than a third of the available spectrum in any market may create a risk of market foreclosure."
In contrast, Sprint said Verizon and AT&T have aggregated around 75 percent of the spectrum for wireless below 1 GHz, and that the FCC should treat this spectrum differently. Sprint said the FCC "should adopt a cap for spectrum below 1 GHz that would apply prospectively to both commission spectrum auctions and secondary market transactions, including the incentive auction the commission will be conducting for broadcast TV spectrum.
benton.org/node/140475 | Fierce
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SOFTBANK AND SPRINT SEEK FCC CONSENT ON WIRELESS DEAL
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
SoftBank and Sprint have filed applications seeking Federal Communications Commission consent to the transfer of control of various wireless licenses and leases, domestic section 214 authority, international section 214 authorizations, earth station authorizations, interests in submarine cable licenses, and cable television relay service station licenses held by Sprint and its subsidiaries, and by Clearwire to SoftBank. Additionally, Sprint and SoftBank, have filed a petition requesting a declaratory ruling that it is in the public interest for the foreign shareholders to hold foreign ownership and voting rights in Sprint and its post-transaction direct and indirect licensee subsidiaries in excess of the 25 percent foreign ownership benchmarks in section 310(b)(4) of the Communications Act. The Applicants assert that the proposed transaction will benefit consumers by promoting greater wireless competition and broadband innovation and deployment. The Applicants also contend that, because SoftBank and Sprint are not competitors, and SoftBank has no attributable interests in any other U.S wireless carriers, its acquisition of a controlling interest in Sprint will not have adverse competitive effects or other public interest harms.
The FCC seeks public comment on the applications. Petitions to deny are due January 4; Oppositions are due January 22; and Replies are due February 1, 2013.
benton.org/node/140466 | Federal Communications Commission
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MOBILITY CONNECTIVITY
[SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project, AUTHOR: Aaron Smith]
Some 85% of American adults now own a cell phone, and these mobile devices now play a central role in many aspects of their owners’ lives according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. For many cell owners, their phone is an essential utility that they check frequently, keep close at all times, and would have trouble functioning without:
67% of cell owners find themselves checking their phone for messages, alerts, or calls—even when they don’t notice their phone ringing or vibrating. Some 18% of cell owners say that they do this “frequently."
44% of cell owners have slept with their phone next to their bed because they wanted to make sure they didn’t miss any calls, text messages, or other updates during the night.
29% of cell owners describe their cell phone as “something they can’t imagine living without."
Despite this connection to their devices, most cell owners don’t worry too much (or get many complaints from their friends) about spending too much time with their phones:
11% of cell owners say that they themselves sometimes worry that they are spending too much time with their phone.
12% of cell owners say that people they know tell them that they are spending too much time using their phone.
Indeed, many cell owners hear complaints from friends that they don’t devote enough time to monitoring their mobile communications:
39% of cell owners say that people they know have complained because they don’t respond promptly to phone calls or text messages.
33% of cell owners say that people they know have complained because they don’t check their phone frequently enough.
benton.org/node/140453 | Pew Internet & American Life Project
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ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
$3.1 BILLION SPENT ON TV ADS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Jon Lafayette]
Election year spending poured $3.1 billion into the broadcast television business, according to an analysis of Kantar Media's CMAG data by Marci Ryvicker, senior analyst at Wells Fargo. About $2.9 billion was spent on local TV ads. The rest went to network and national spots. In October alone, there was $1.27 billion spent. The biggest contributor to spending was the presidential race, which contributed 41.8% of the ad dollars. Another 21.9% was spent in support of ballot initiatives. The markets that got the most political ad dollars were Los Angeles, Washington, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Denver.
benton.org/node/140461 | Broadcasting&Cable
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PRIVACY
APPS AND POLICY DISCLOSURE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Hayley Tsukayama]
Did you know which apps are looking at your contacts list? Your calendar? Your location? Even when apps provide information on what data they access, the notifications are often so cumbersome to read that users skip right over them. To curb that problem, app developers and privacy advocates have collaborated to come up with ways to better display privacy policy information and cut through the long, legal liability documents. The App Developers Alliance (ADA), Consumer Action, World Privacy Forum and American Civil Liberties Union will present mock-ups of screens that offer quick-scan information on what data app developers collect and that who else has access to that data. The groups will present their proposal Nov 30 in Washington at a National Telecommunications and Information Administration meeting on app privacy and transparency. Jon Potter, president of the App Developers Alliance, said that it’s in developers’ best interests to let people know what data the apps use. “App developers have no interest in fighting with consumers,” Potter said. “We want them to be comfortable with using apps.”
benton.org/node/140469 | Washington Post
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
ITU PACKET INSPECTION STANDARD
[SOURCE: IDG News Service, AUTHOR: Mikael Ricknäs]
The United Nations telecommunications standards organization has approved a standard for deep packet inspection (DPI) that raises serious concerns about privacy, the Center for Democracy and Technology said. That ITU-T is showing an interest in deep packet inspection suggests some governments hope for a world where even encrypted communications may not be safe from prying eyes, according to the CDT. The adoption of the standard -- officially known as "Requirements for Deep Packet Inspection in Next Generation Networks" or "Y.2770" -- happened last week during the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), which is held every four years and defines what the ITU-T should focus on. The biggest concern is that the standard holds very little in reserve when it comes to privacy invasion, wrote CDT.
benton.org/node/140451 | IDG News Service
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