July 2009

Bright Lights, Big Internet

[Commentary] The Internet, over the past decade, has slowly become the de facto heart of American culture: the public space in which our most influential conversations transpire, in which our new celebrities are discovered and touted, in which fans are won and careers made. Wherever young creatives physically reside today, in their endeavors they are increasingly moving online: posting their photos, writing, videos and music, building a "presence" in the hope of winning an audience. Monetary rewards on the Internet are still scarce, it is true, but the cost of living is cheap and, more important, the opportunities for attention are plentiful. Every month more YouTube sensations emerge, more bloggers ink big book deals, more bands blow up through music Web sites and MySpace, and every day more young people seek their "big break" in the virtual megalopolis rather than in (or as well as in) the physical one. The experience of moving online actually bears quite a few similarities to becoming a New Yorker. Disorienting and seemingly endless, the Internet conversation moves at lightning speed and according to unstated social rules that can bewilder outsiders. Also, like New Yorkers, residents of the Internet do not suffer fools, or mince words in belittling them, as anyone who has contributed a redundant post to Metafilter, or an earnest comment to Gawker, can attest. Believe it or not, the Internet is a tougher town than New York; fewer people make it here, but no one there seems to make it for long.

[Bill Wasik is a senior editor at Harper's]

Telecom Groups Protest Broadband Mapping Data Requests

The National Cable and Telecommunications Association, the wireless association CTIA, USTelecom, the Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance, and COMPTEL, a group of competitor phone companies, are protesting guidelines from the Commerce Department about the $7.2 billion broadband stimulus. In a draft letter addressed to Lawrence Strickling, the department's Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information the groups say the Commerce Department is seeking "granular data" that is "highly sensitive from competition, network security and public safety standpoints." The economic stimulus law funds an Internet mapping project to produce statewide maps about broadband availability in various areas. The problem with the mapping project, according to the draft letter, is that the Commerce Department wants the entities collecting the information to provide sensitive or hard-to-acquire company data that eventually could be obtained by competitors. Strickling met Wednesday morning with executives of the telecom associations crafting the letter to go over their concerns. Participants said it was a cordial discussion, where Strickling appeared willing to address their worries.

Virginia State Officials Confident of Chances for Broadband Grants

Virginia Deputy Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson said Monday that the second version of Virginia's innovative, multi-platform broadband map would be publicly released on Friday. The timing means that Virginians who apply for federal broadband funds will have a data-driven competitive edge against other applicants. "We're going to make sure we [Virginians]—no offense to anyone—win," Jackson said at the Virginia Summit on Broadband Access, held Monday at Piedmont Virginia Community College. The new map had been scheduled to be released Monday, but was held for "some fine-tuning." The map is scheduled to be launched on Friday, on wired DOT virginia Dot gov. Visitors will have access to broadband coverage data, census block information, population, and more. "We want to make sure you're competitive," she said.

Nevada Names Connected Nation as Its Designated Eligible Entity for Broadband Mapping

Nevada Gov Jim Gibbons (R) has notified the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that Connected Nation will serve as the state's designated eligible entity under the State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. Connected Nation's designation coincides with Gov. Gibbons' creation of the Nevada Broadband Task Force, which is charged with identifying and removing barriers to broadband access and identifying opportunities for increased broadband applications and adoption in unserved and underserved areas of Nevada. As the designated eligible entity, Connected Nation will serve as a resource to the Nevada Broadband Task Force as the group begins to address barriers to broadband access. This relationship will include extensive broadband mapping, as well as support for other broadband stimulus grant applications that the state or broadband providers may choose to make. As a first step to support Nevada's broadband providers in making applications for broadband infrastructure grants during the first round of funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Connected Nation -- using ArcGIS technology in partnership with ESRI -- has released a statewide map depicting rural and remote areas in Nevada that will be eligible for infrastructure grant funding.

City libraries shut out of broadband stimulus money?

Millions of Americans are turning to the Internet to look for new jobs. But in many parts of the United States, public libraries are the only free provider of that crucial combo: a computer plus Internet access. This means that low-income job seekers depend on them when searching for employment. Oddly, as library development directors look for funds to beef up their networks, they're not finding the support they expected from the White House's $7.2 billion broadband stimulus package. The first round of stimulus grants "in effect de-prioritizes libraries and discourages them from applying for funding," complains the American Library Association in a letter sent to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. "The ability of our libraries to meet community needs is in jeopardy—especially when library use has heavily increased across the country in these difficult economic times."

Congress: File sharing leaks sensitive data

Sensitive files like Secret Service safehouse locations, military rosters, and IRS tax returns can still be found on file-sharing networks, according to a report to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In many cases, that's because federal government employees or contractors installed peer-to-peer software on their computers without paying attention to which documents would be shared, Robert Boback, the chief executive of Tiversa, told the panel. Boback said his company found the Secret Service's evacuation plans for the first lady and motorcade routes. That led some politicians to announce that new federal laws were necessary to stop inadvertent file sharing.

More Top Staff Announcements at FCC

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced more senior staff: Media Bureau Chief William Lake and Wireline Competition Bureau Chief Sharon Gillett; Media Bureau Deputy Chiefs Robert Ratcliffe and Kris Monteith and Enforcement Bureau Deputy Chief Suzanne Tetreault; Office of Communications Business Opportunities OCBO Director Thomas Reed, OCBO Senior Deputy Director Carolyn Fleming Williams, and Associate General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer Mark Lloyd.

Media Bureau

Chief, Media Bureau, William Lake: Mr. Lake most recently served as the head of the DTV task force at the FCC. Previously, Mr. Lake was a partner at WilmerHale in Washington, D.C., where he led the communications regulatory practice for many years. In government, Mr. Lake has previously held positions at the Department of State, EPA, and the Council on Environmental Quality. He began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable John M. Harlan of the U.S Supreme Court and the Honorable Henry J. Friendly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Deputy Chief, Media Bureau, Robert Ratcliffe: Mr. Ratcliffe most recently served as the Acting Chief of the Media Bureau. Previously, he was a Deputy Chief of the Enforcement Bureau, where he was responsible for media enforcement matters. Prior to his assignment to the Enforcement Bureau, Mr. Ratcliffe spent more than 20 years in various positions in the Media Bureau and its predecessors, including Deputy Chief of the Bureau, senior legal advisor to the Bureau Chief and Assistant Chief of the Video Services Division and the Policy and Rules Division. He also served as interim legal advisor on media issues to former Chairman Alfred Sikes in 1989. Mr. Ratcliffe began his career at the FCC in the original Cable Television Bureau, where he served as Chief of the Policy Review and Development Division and the Research Division before the bureau was combined with the Broadcast Bureau in the early 1980s.

Deputy Chief, Media Bureau, Kris Monteith: Ms. Monteith has been at the FCC for 12 years, most recently as Chief of the Enforcement Bureau and Deputy Bureau Chief for Outreach and Intergovernmental Affairs in the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Ms. Monteith previously served as Chief of the Policy Division of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Deputy Chief of the former Common Carrier Bureau's Competitive Pricing Division, the Designated Federal Official to the North American Numbering Council, and as a Senior Attorney in the then-Common Carrier Bureau's Network Services Division. Before joining the Commission in 1997, Ms. Monteith was in private practice with the law firms of McDermott, Will & Emery and Keller and Heckman. Ms. Monteith's appointment will become effective August 10, 2009.

Enforcement Bureau

Deputy Chief, Enforcement Bureau, Suzanne Tetreault: Ms. Tetreault is currently serving as Acting Deputy Chief of the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, overseeing the work of the Disabilities Rights Office and Consumer Policy Division. Since 1991, Ms. Tetreault has held a variety of positions at the Commission, including Chief of Staff of the Enforcement Bureau, Acting Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau, and Deputy Associate General Counsel. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Tetreault worked at the Federal Trade Commission, and practiced antitrust and communications law with Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. Ms. Tetreault will serve as Acting Chief beginning August 10, 2009.

Wireline Competition Bureau

Chief of Wireline Competition Bureau, Sharon Gillett: Ms. Gillett is the Director of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and previously served as the head of the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable. Ms. Gillett was at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1995-2006, where she engaged in academic research, program management, and teaching focused on Internet and telecommunications policy and technology, with a particular focus on broadband. Before joining MIT, Ms. Gillett was a software engineer and manager at Thinking Machines Corp. and BBN Communications Corp., where she worked on ARPANET computer networking technology. Ms. Gillett will become Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau on August 28, 2009.

Director, Office of Communications Business Opportunities, Thomas Reed: Mr. Reed most recently was Of Counsel at K&L Gates LLP in Washington, DC, where his practice focused on a broad range of issues including commercial litigation, corporate governance, investment management, and civil rights. At K&L, Mr. Reed specialized in regulatory issues affecting women and minority-owned businesses. He has worked extensively with some of the nation's largest organizations that advocate for women and minority-owned business and is a regular commentator on disadvantaged business enterprise certification procedures. He has also served as Legal Counsel to the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. Before joining K&L, Mr. Reed was a Senior Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Senior Deputy Director, Office of Communications Business Opportunities, Carolyn Fleming Williams: Carolyn Fleming-Williams most recently served as Director of the Office of Communications Business Opportunities, FCC. During her 15-year tenure with the Commission, she has also served as a Senior Attorney-Advisor with the Media Bureau. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Fleming-Williams served as corporate counsel with the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT). She was also an associate attorney with the law firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, now K&L Gates LLP. Prior to joining K&L, she was an Honors Attorney with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She has also served as President of DC Habitat for Humanity and as a Fairfax County Commissioner for Civil Service.

Associate General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer, Mark Lloyd: Mr. Lloyd was most recently the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights/ Education Fund, where he oversaw media and telecom initiatives. Mr. Lloyd also has been an adjunct professor of public policy at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute and a visiting scholar at MIT, teaching communications policy. Previously Mr. Lloyd has been a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, the General Counsel of the Benton Foundation, and an attorney at Dow, Lohnes & Albertson. Before becoming a communications lawyer, Mr. Lloyd had a distinguished career as a broadcast journalist, including work at NBC and CNN.

Many Tribes, One Family

Commissioner Michael Copps spoke at the Indian Telecommunications Initiative in Rapid City (SD) on July 28. American Indians, he recalled a friend saying, are "many tribes, one family." He said that's a good way to think about our country -- all in it together. Bringing that family together is our challenge. It's not something that can be finished at a two or three day conference. But it is something that can be launched and he offered some principles to guide the work: 1) Public participation in crafting a National Broadband Plan due to Congress in February. 2) Planning isn't enough -- we need implementation: bringing telecommunications to Indian Country and reforming universal service programs. 3) Partnerships are how, coursing back throughout history, we have overcome our greatest challenges and how we built our essential infrastructure. 4) Americans everywhere are much better served if their media is local and diverse and competitive rather than centrally-owned, centrally-managed and centrally-programmed by Madison Avenue advertisers.

ED issues rules on ed-tech stimulus funds

The Department of Education has issued new guidance to help states and school systems use ed-tech stimulus funding to drive lasting education reforms and improve student achievement. The guidance is critical, largely because, as the report states, the funding "will likely not be available at the same level beyond September 30, 2011." Therefore, states must be prudent and efficient, making sure to "focus these funds on short-terms investment with the potential for long-term benefits, rather than make ongoing commitments that they might not be able to sustain once [stimulus] funds are expended." The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides a total of $650 million in additional funding for the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program for fiscal years 2009 and 2010. These ed-tech stimulus dollars are a one-time source of funds that supplement the approximately $265 million in EETT funding made available under regular FY2009 appropriations.

Congress allocates more for e-gov fund than ever before

The House and Senate appropriations committees allocated more funding for the e-government fund in fiscal 2010 than in the previous seven years combined. In the Financial Services bill, the House's version includes $33 million for the General Services Administration, which manages the fund for the Office of Management and Budget. The Senate's version includes $35 million. Both houses of Congress want to approve GSA's spending plan for the fund.

Benton

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