Government as cyber-bully
[Commentry] The tactic that won a conviction in the tragic MySpace suicide case is a misuse of Internet regulations.
December 2008
College May Become Unaffordable for Most in US
The rising cost of college — even before the recession — threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the annual report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Over all, the report found, published college tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, adjusted for inflation, while median family income rose 147 percent. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade, and students from lower-income families, on average, get smaller grants from the colleges they attend than students from more affluent families. "If we go on this way for another 25 years, we won't have an affordable system of higher education," said Patrick M. Callan, president of the center, a nonpartisan organization that promotes access to higher education. "When we come out of the recession," Mr. Callan added, "we're really going to be in jeopardy, because the educational gap between our work force and the rest of the world will make it very hard to be competitive. Already, we're one of the few countries where 25- to 34-year-olds are less educated than older workers."
Diverse group calls for national broadband policy
On Tuesday, a diverse group of 55 signatories (including the benton Foundation) released a call to action for a national broadband strategy aimed at making broadband deployment and adoption a priority for the Obama administration. The document, endorsed by parties as varied as AT&T, Verizon, Google, Free Press and municipal broadband players, seeks to find a middle ground on which all broadband players can stand and endorse the push to make broadband ubiquitous in the US. According to organizer Jim Baller, this is the first step in a process that will include a major event in the spring of 2009 to continue to focus on the need for broadband deployment and adoption. Past "a comprehensive national broadband strategy," the groups called for 1) Open access to the Internet "to the maximum feasible extent" for all users, service providers, content providers, and application providers. 2) Rights for network operators to manage their networks "responsibly, pursuant to clear and workable guidelines and standards." 3) A competitive Internet and broadband marketplace, to the greatest extent possible. 4) Broadband network performance, capacity, and connections that US citizens need to compete successfully in the global marketplace.
Will Obama's FCC Push For Internet Access For All?
Broadband, high-speed Internet access, is likely to be a top priority for the Federal Communications Commission as Barack Obama becomes President. For years, FCC critics have been demanding a national broadband strategy -- an official policy on universal Internet access or, at the very least, government incentives to encourage more competition among Internet service providers. On Capitol Hill on Tuesday, a coalition of organizations unveiled recommendations for a comprehensive national broadband strategy. Ben Scott, the policy director for Free Press, says Americans are currently paying more for less. Because of that, the U.S. has fallen out of the top 10 countries in the world when it comes to the percentage of households using broadband, Scott says. Just over half of American homes have it, which puts the U.S. behind Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden, Korea, Finland, Luxembourg, Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France and Germany. "If you look overseas," Scott says, "most of the world's leading nations have half a dozen or more different companies offering a similar broadband product. They're competing on price. They're competing on speed. They're competing on the attractiveness of the services they offer on top of their broadband package." Moreover, about 10 percent of Americans still have no access to broadband at all. Many of those people live in rural areas. Scott says, "We need to have a similar 21st century highway bill where we invest in our broadband infrastructure." But he also notes such a plan would require unprecedented leadership from the White House, Congress and, most of all, the FCC — because it's likely to face vigorous opposition from cable and telecom companies.
A Public Interest Agenda for Media and Technology
A comprehensive look at the key media and telecommunications policies President-elect Barack Obama and Congress should implement next year. This document builds upon the proposals detailed in Obama's technology innovation agenda by offering concrete recommendations for legislative and regulatory action.
Free Press highlights four public interest priorities:
1) Protect an Open Internet: The Obama administration should move swiftly to put Net Neutrality into law by urging Congress to pass Net Neutrality legislation. Obama's FCC should adopt Net Neutrality rules that pertain to all wireless and wireline networks; add a fifth principle of nondiscrimination to the Internet Policy Statement; establish an expedited complaint process; and require extensive disclosure for all network management practices.
2) Promote Universal, Affordable Broadband: Next year, the new administration should lay the groundwork in Congress for new telecommunications law that recognizes the growing convergence of communications platforms. The next FCC should set new speed standards for broadband; collect meaningful data on deployment; transition the Universal Service Fund toward broadband; and open inquiries to stimulate broadband competition.
3) Increase Diversity in Media Ownership: The road to media ownership reform begins by reversing the Bush administration's pro-consolidation policies. Obama's FCC should also investigate the impact of concentration on localism and diversity; advance a new minority tax certificate program; and increase competition among cable operators and content providers.
4) Renew Public Media: President-elect Obama should urge Congress to substantially increase funding for all levels of public media; create a long-term funding strategy that protects public media from undue political interference and supports the digital transition; and promote new Low Power FM stations and existing PEG channels.
An Action Plan for America: Using Technology and Innovation to Address our Nation's Critical Challenges
Persuasive research indicates that connecting our nation to broadband will bring remarkable economic, social, cultural, personal, and other benefits to our citizens. Citing this research, a bipartisan chorus of America's leaders has for years advocated the deployment across our nation of robust and affordable broadband access to the Internet. Taken together, the rhetoric and research tell a compelling story; that in the Digital Age, universal, affordable, and robust broadband is the key to our nation's citizens reaching for - and achieving - the American Dream. Yet, America has failed to deploy universal, affordable, and robust broadband. This troubling trend will not reverse itself soon. America's global competitors are executing well-conceived and -financed national strategies to dramatically increase their competitive advantage in broadband over the United States, which has no national broadband strategy. Without strong federal leadership on the deployment of universal, affordable, and robust broadband, the broadband- enabled, Digital Age "American Dream" that other nations' citizens are already beginning to enjoy remains to Americans just a dream. Failing to deploy universal, affordable, and robust broadband denies a wealth of tangible economic and quality-of-life benefits to our citizens.
Emanuel says infrastructure money a priority for Obama
President-elect Obama's chief of staff-designate said Tuesday that billions of dollars in infrastructure building and repair will be a key component of Obama's economic recovery act. "A lot of people say, you know, 'It doesn't happen, it takes too long,' " Emanuel said. "There's now a consensus that we've for a long time had to deny our investments in our critical needs ... be that refurbished schools, our water treatment facilities, our roads, our bridges, our mass-transit systems, our 21st century infrastructure, universal broadband, medical ID ... [I]f we did [invest in those projects], we would be a more productive economy. And that was shared by governors of both parties." He continued, "We need to rebuild America, we need to build those critical areas today to do it and an Economic Recovery Act has to do that." Emanuel said the first half of the meeting between the president-elect and the governors dealt with the need for infrastructure funding and the positive impact it could have on the economy. The "ballpark" amount used for the discussions was about $136 billion.
Digital Divide, Minority Media Ownership Should be Obama Priorities, Groups Say
On Tuesday, five Hispanic organizations called on President-elect Obama to make enhancing minority access to digital opportunities and media ownership an early priority of his new administration. In a joint statement sent to the transition team, the ASPIRA Association, Inc., Latinos in Science and Technology Association (LISTA), Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc. (IPR/HE), and National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) outlined actions the new president must take, including affordable high-speed access, creation of minority media ownership opportunities through DTV sublicensing, and capacity set-asides on all multi-channel video platforms for national non-profit minority controlled broadcasters.
Richardson to head Commerce
President-elect Obama is set to announce Gov Bill Richardson (D-NM) as his secretary of Commerce at a Wednesday press conference in Chicago. The Department of Commerce's mission is to foster, serve, and promote the Nation's economic development and technological advancement. The Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information heads the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the President's principal adviser on telecommunications and information policy issues, and in this role frequently works with other Executive Branch agencies to develop and present the Administration's position on these issues. Traditionally, the commerce secretary slot has gone to business executives, especially those who provided financial backing for the president's election bid. The current secretary, Carlos M. Gutierrez, had been chief executive of cereal giant Kellogg Co. President George W. Bush's first commerce secretary, Don Evans, was an oil-services company executive and one of the leaders of then-Gov Bush's campaign team in 2000.
'Help Wanted' ad names next FCC chair's priorities
With numerous and diverse groups pushing for President-elect Barack Obama to adopt open media principles, many are anxiously awaiting his choice for chair of the Federal Communications Commission, expecting it to signal what kind of media approach the new administration will take. The media reform group Free Press is highlighting the significance of the selection in a new ad campaign and appeal for public input on what the next chair's top priorities should be. The group's "Help Wanted" ad reads: "The American people seek a new leader at the Federal Communications Commission to take media and technology policy into the 21st century... Applicant must be willing to hold long and unruly public hearings and enjoy arcane telecom banter. Wardrobe malfunctions, NASCAR wreckage and fleeting expletives are discouraged."