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June 2010

Congress Interested in Google's, and Others' Investment in Chinese Censoring

Congress is getting interested in U.S. roles in Chinese censorship.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission is holding an extremely timely hearing on Chinese "Information Control" antics and how it relates to U.S. investment. One angle that Congress is evidently interested in is if U.S. investment in Chinese business is actually playing a role in the state-sponsored censorship rife in the nation. Rebecca MacKinnon, a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton has written about the matter on her blog, and it's worth a read because MacKinnon is actually testifying before the Commission today on the matter of Google-rival Baidu's role in censorship, along with U.S. business inputs into censoring acts. One fact MacKinnon highlights is that much of the day-to-day work of censorship has been outsourced to the business sector, and U.S. firms have been "willing to fund Chinese innovation in censorship technologies and systems without complaint or objection." If U.S. policymakers begin to get antsy about whether U.S.-based business are actively contributing to free-speech suppression inside China, who knows what twists the Google-China saga will be forced through next? But of course, it's not just Google's interests at stake here, and business in China is controversial for all sorts of other reasons -- particularly at the moment. Just the other day electronics firm Foxconn, stuck in the middle of a multiple suicide scandal (that may or may not be true), announced that it may be relocating a huge factory inside China to try to resolve the matter. But its highest profile customer, Apple, displayed what some thought as cold feet on this news.

Google says its Web search is partially blocked in China

On June 30 -- the same day Google reapplied for its license to operate a website in China -- the company indicated that its search services have become partially blocked in China after being fully or mostly accessible on most days. It posted the update on a chart that tracks the accessibility of Google services in China.

Hospital CIOs confused over e-health records rollout standards

The vast majority of hospital CIOs recently surveyed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) said they're concerned that they won't be able to demonstrate "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHR) -- and therefore won't qualify for federal reimbursements for rolling out the technology.

Ninety-four percent of the CIOs responding to the survey whose results were released Tuesday said that they're concerned they can't meet government requirements about how to report meaningful use of EHRs, and 92% said that they're concerned about a lack of clarity in the criteria used by the government.

Groups Protest AT&T Rate Hikes for Middle-mile Access

The Federal Communications Commission must move quickly to set limits on the rates that large telecom carriers charge businesses and competitors for middle-mile access because AT&T is planning significant rate hikes in July, a group of competitors, consumer groups and business customers said.

AT&T is poised to raise rates on so-called special access lines, the middle-mile connections to telecom carriers' central switching facilities, when FCC-enforced conditions on AT&T's December 2006 acquisition of BellSouth expire after Wednesday, members of the NoChokePoints Coalition said. AT&T announced that it planned to raise special access rates once the merger conditions expired in notifications filed with the FCC in 2007. The rates paid by some large-business customers could rise by 7 percent to 8 percent, said Colleen Boothby, executive director of the Ad Hoc Telecommunications Users Committee, representing several large-business telecom customers.

June 30, 2010 (The Price of Broadband Politics)

Sorry we're late; we had a late night at the library.

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2010

Today's agenda http://bit.ly/bqxyim


GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   The Price of Broadband Politics
   Why the FCC Must Clarify its Commitment to Public Service
   See also: Free Press Grades FCC Chairman's First Year
   FCC Appoints Data Officers and Releases Public Notices of Review
   Twitter Musings in Syria Elicit Groans in Washington
   Rep. Wu calls on Congress, companies to support Google
   US blocks China fiber optics deal over national security
   The McChrystal Bombshell

MORE ON BROADBAND/INTERNET
   How Schools Can and Should Fit into Our National Broadband Plans
   Closing the Digital Frontier

PRIVACY
   Social Networks Leak Your Information

CYBERSECURITY
   Senators debate terms of cybersecurity overhaul

TELEVISION
   NCTA Answers CableCARD Stance Critics
   Older Folks Watch Way More TV Than Young People, Yet Like It Far Less

CONTENT
   Stores See Google as Ally in E-Book Market

EDUCATION
   Research dispels common ed-tech myths

STORIES FROM ABROAD
   EU Criticizes Mobile Phone Roaming Charges
   Regulator rebukes Orange over network claim

MORE ONLINE
   Resistance To EHRs May Widen Healthcare Disparities
   Cisco, MobileAccess offer in-building cellular boost over copper cable

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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

THE PRICE OF BROADBAND POLITICS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] As the Federal Communications Commission proceeds with its plan to regulate broadband access, it seems likely we can expect more of this resistance from members of Congress. Political contributions from AT&T in the current election cycle reached $2.6 million by May 16, on the way to exceeding the total in each of the last three elections. Comcast has spent more than $2 million on campaign donations; Verizon has given $1.2 million. The National Cable and Telecommunications Association — the industry's collective lobbying group — has spent about $1 million more. And just in case that isn't persuasive enough of the ills of government regulation, telephone and cable companies spent $20.6 million lobbying the government in the first quarter of the year. To us, it seems obvious that the Federal Communications Commission should extend its oversight to broadband, the most important telecommunications network of our time, to guarantee open, nondiscriminatory and competitive access and to protect consumers' rights. But reason is not always a match for money in Washington. The FCC has a rough road ahead.
benton.org/node/37407 | New York Times
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FCC MUST CLARIFY COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE
[SOURCE: Media Access Project, AUTHOR: Kamilla Kovacs]
[Commentary] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski should remember one simple message as his agency clarifies its authority over Internet access services: The agency's job is to serve the public. Accordingly, the FCC's primary concern should be the needs of the nation, not those of big telecommunications or cable carriers. Yet last week, Chairman Genachowski held closed-door meetings with industry, in an effort to search in vain for a compromise on open Internet principles and other public interest protections. Despite its goal to serve the public, the FCC did not invite citizens' organizations to the table at these meetings, and did not divulge details regarding the discussions that took place. The agency should put a stop to such private meetings with industry, and must continue an open dialogue on the future of broadband directly with the American people, who are the real stakeholders in these critical decisions. Keeping the process transparent will stay true to the Obama promise of an open government.
benton.org/node/37406 | Media Access Project
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FCC LAUNCHES DATA INNOVATION INITIATIVE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Communications Commission launched the Data Innovation Initiative, the agency's latest action to modernize and streamline how it collects, uses, and disseminates data. With this launch, the FCC continues the changes that were made as part of a comprehensive reform effort that is improving the agency's fact-based, data-driven decision-making. To lead the Data Innovation Initiative, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski established a new, cross-bureau data team, led by the agency's first-ever Chief Data Officer. As part of the Data Innovation Initiative, the FCC's Wireline, Wireless, and Media Bureaus are releasing public notices seeking input on what current data collections should be eliminated, what new ones should be added, and how existing collections can be improved. The public notices will also include inventories of the Bureaus' current data collection. The notices grow out of a recent agency-wide survey led by the FCC's Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis (OSP).
Greg Elin, Associate Managing Director of New Media at the FCC will assume the newly created Chief Data Officer position. He will lead a team of Chief Data Officers from three FCC Bureaus for this initiative: Robert Alderfer, Chief Data Officer of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau; Kris Monteith, Deputy Chief and Chief Data Officer, Media Bureau; and Steven Rosenberg, Chief Data Officer, Wireline Competition Bureau. Andrew Martin, Chief Information Officer, Office of Managing Director (OMD), as well as representatives of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, the International Bureau, the Office of General Counsel, the Office of Engineering and Technology, OSP and OMD will also participate on the data team.
In addition, Michael Byrne has been appointed FCC's first Geographic Information Officer, in OSP, who will lead the FCC's work with the NTIA in creating a comprehensive national broadband map and develop practices for improving the FCC's use of geographic information.
benton.org/node/37390 | Federal Communications Commission
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CYBER STATECRAFT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Mark Landler]
When two young State Department officials took a delegation of Silicon Valley executives to Syria recently, they billed it as a chance to use the promise of technology to reach out to a country with which the United States has long had icy relations. Instead, the visit will be remembered for a series of breezy Twitter messages that the two colleagues sent home, riffing about how visitors can buy an American-style blended iced coffee at a university near Damascus and how one of them had challenged a Syrian communications minister to a cake-eating contest. The messages raised hackles on Capitol Hill, where some Republicans were already leery of the Obama administration's efforts to engage Syria. They also embarrassed the State Department, which normally conducts its dealings with Damascus behind a veil of diplomatic politesse. The two staff members, Alec J. Ross and Jared Cohen, were rapped on the knuckles for generating what two State Department officials called "stray voltage." Yet despite the youthful indiscretion, their broader goal of using technology to further diplomacy enjoys enthusiastic support from the highest levels of the department, notably Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
benton.org/node/37404 | New York Times
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US BLOCKS FIBER SALE
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Stephanie Kirchgaessner]
The Obama administration has forced a US maker of fiber optics to abandon a planned joint venture with China's Tangshan Caofeidian Investment Corporation because it believes the tie-up would threaten national security. The decision by the White House to scupper the move represents the second time in less than a year that the administration has sought to block a transaction involving a Chinese company because of security concerns. It also offers a rare glimpse into the administration's handling of sensitive acquisitions following a drought in cross-border deals during the financial crisis. Emcore, which is based in New Mexico and makes components for fibre optics and solar panels, said in a statement it had withdrawn a voluntary filing with the Committee on Foreign Investment (Cfius) after the executive branch panel said it had "regulatory concerns" over the venture. Cfius, which is chaired by the Treasury department, conducts classified investigations of deals on national security grounds.
benton.org/node/37401 | Financial Times
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MORE ON BROADBAND/INTERNET

SCHOOLS AND BROADBAND
[SOURCE: TMCnet.com, AUTHOR: John Windhausen Jr]
[Commentary] The United States is finally on track to develop a national broadband policy. Unfortunately, there are very few public resources available to carry it out. In this environment of limited government funding, the bang-for-the-buck question becomes paramount: What broadband policies will deliver the greatest value? While many focus on unserved and underserved areas, an equally important priority is to ensure that our community anchor institutions ­ our libraries, schools, and health care entities ­ have sufficient broadband capacity. Why is providing broadband to community anchor institutions so important? Community anchor institutions provide vital, essential services to some of the most vulnerable and at-risk populations, including disabled, unemployed, low-income and rural Americans. Public libraries make wired and wireless broadband connections available to the public at no charge so that people can submit job applications, apply for e-government benefits, and complete school homework assignments. Primary and secondary schools as well as higher education institutions use broadband connections for distance learning, multimedia teaching applications, and data-intensive research. Hospitals and rural health clinics need high-capacity broadband to exchange diagnostic information and medical records, and to provide remote monitoring of out-patients. Unfortunately, the private sector often cannot satisfy the broadband needs of anchor institutions.
benton.org/node/37405 | TMCnet.com
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CLOSING THE DIGITAL FRONTIER
[SOURCE: The Atlantic, AUTHOR: Michael Hirschorn]
The era of the Web browser's dominance is coming to a close. And the Internet's founding ideology -- that information wants to be free, and that attempts to constrain it are not only hopeless but immoral -- suddenly seems naive and stale in the new age of apps, smart phones, and pricing plans. What will this mean for the future of the media -- and of the Web itself? The high-flown ideology of Manifest Destiny was, in short, a cover for a massive land grab (not to mention the slaughter of the Indians). The same is happening online. Now, instead of farmers versus ranchers, we have Apple versus Google. In retrospect, for all the talk of an unencumbered sphere, of a unified planetary soul, the colonization and exploitation of the Web was a foregone conclusion. The only question now is who will own it.
benton.org/node/37373 | Atlantic, The
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PRIVACY

SOCIAL NETWORKS LEAK YOUR INFORMATION
[SOURCE: ComputerWorld, AUTHOR: Sharon Gaudin]
A study out this week from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) shows that mobile social networks are giving data about users' physical locations to tracking sites and other social networking services. Researchers reported that all 20 sites that were studied leaked some kind of private information to third-party tracking sites. "This initial look at mobile online social networks raises some serious concerns, but there is more work to be done," said Craig Wills, professor of computer science at WPI and co-author of the study. "The fact that third-party sites now seem to have the capacity to build a comprehensive and dynamic portrait of mobile online social network users argues for a comprehensive way to capture the entire gamut of privacy controls into a single, unified, simple, easy-to-understand framework, so that users can make informed choices about their online privacy and feel confident that they are sharing their personal, private information only with those they choose to share it with." In the study, the researchers looked at the practices of 13 mobile online social networks, including Brightkite, Flickr, Foursquare, Gowalla and Urbanspoon. They also studied seven traditional online social networks, such as Facebook , LinkedIn, MySpace and Twitter , which allow users to access their sites using mobile devices.
benton.org/node/37370 | ComputerWorld
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CYBERSECURITY

CYBERSECURITY BILL
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Gautham Nagesh]
A debate is emerging in the Senate over key aspects of recently introduced cybersecurity legislation, including which agency should be in charge of protecting the country's civilian networks and how much authority the president should have in the event of a cyberattack. The turf battle over cybersecurity is longstanding, but with more than twenty cybersecurity bills in front of Congress, it is beginning to pick up steam; Senate leadership has indicated it hopes to pass a law by the end of 2010. In particular, three bills introduced in the Senate have prompted a back-and-forth over which agency — and committee — should have oversight over civilian cybersecurity.
benton.org/node/37399 | Hill, The
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TELEVISION

CABLECARD CRITICS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Responding to comments filed by Public Knowledge, the Consumer Electronics Association and others in the Federal Communications Commission's set-top proceeding about CableCARDS, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association says it is not out to sabotage its customers who use retail set-tops. The cable group said that it continues to support the 1% of its customers who use the retail boxes but that there was no reason to adopt CEA's suggestion that the cable operator provide more technical support for those retail boxes. "If a leased device is not working, operators can support it, fix it, or replace it free of charge," said NCTA in its comments. "If a retail device is not working, cable operators will ensure that the CableCARD is working, but the retail equipment is otherwise the responsibility of the customer and the device manufacturer." Public Knowledge argued that bundled service deals including leased boxes undercut the retail market, but NCTA said that discount bundles "have benefited consumers with considerable savings, and disassembling package discounts would undermine the very transactional economies that help keep discounts deep."
benton.org/node/37397 | Broadcasting&Cable
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STORIES FROM ABROAD

ROAMING IN EUROPE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Kevin O'Brien]
Mobile phone operators in Europe are charging close to the highest roaming fees allowed, three years after price caps were first imposed, according to data released Tuesday by the European Commission. The findings raise the likelihood that the commission will recommend next year that the European Union's price caps be extended, rather than be allowed to expire. "Three years since the rules came in, most operators propose retail prices that hover around the maximum legal caps," the Union's commissioner for telecommunications, Neelie Kroes, said in a statement. "More competition on the E.U. roaming market would provide better choice and even better rates to consumers." In an update on the effects of the retail price caps, which went into effect in July 2007, the Union said that they had lowered the cost of making a cross-border mobile roaming call by more than 70 percent since 2005, and the cost of a text message by 60 percent. According to the commission, consumers in the 27-country bloc paid on average 38 euro cents, or 46 U.S. cents, per minute at the end of 2009 in roaming fees, on top of their usual calling charges, to make a call while outside their home countries, and 17 cents to receive a call. That means mobile operators, which had opposed the price controls as intrusive, have kept rates close to the legal limit of 43 cents per minute for making a call, 19 cents to receive one, and 11 cents per SMS.
benton.org/node/37402 | New York Times | CongressDaily
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ORANGE AD CLAIMS
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Tim Bradshaw]
Orange misled customers with claims that it had the largest 3G network in the UK, the advertising regulator has ruled. The decision is likely to prevent any mobile operator from making similar assertions in their advertising in future, because each measures their coverage in different ways. Mobile network quality has become a hot topic as smartphones such as Apple's iPhone proliferate. A regional press advertisement for Orange mobile broadband, run in October last year, said: "The Orange 3G network covers more people in the UK than any other operator." This statistic was repeated in subsequent ads, but is no longer part of Orange's marketing. Three, the network owned by Hutchison Whampoa, challenged the claim, insisting that their network covered the largest population.
benton.org/node/37400 | Financial Times
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The Price of Broadband Politics

[Commentary] As the Federal Communications Commission proceeds with its plan to regulate broadband access, it seems likely we can expect more of this resistance from members of Congress.

Political contributions from AT&T in the current election cycle reached $2.6 million by May 16, on the way to exceeding the total in each of the last three elections. Comcast has spent more than $2 million on campaign donations; Verizon has given $1.2 million. The National Cable and Telecommunications Association — the industry's collective lobbying group — has spent about $1 million more. And just in case that isn't persuasive enough of the ills of government regulation, telephone and cable companies spent $20.6 million lobbying the government in the first quarter of the year.

To us, it seems obvious that the Federal Communications Commission should extend its oversight to broadband, the most important telecommunications network of our time, to guarantee open, nondiscriminatory and competitive access and to protect consumers' rights. But reason is not always a match for money in Washington. The FCC has a rough road ahead.

Why the FCC Must Clarify its Commitment to Public Service

[Commentary] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski should remember one simple message as his agency clarifies its authority over Internet access services: The agency's job is to serve the public.

Accordingly, the FCC's primary concern should be the needs of the nation, not those of big telecommunications or cable carriers. Yet last week, Chairman Genachowski held closed-door meetings with industry, in an effort to search in vain for a compromise on open Internet principles and other public interest protections. Despite its goal to serve the public, the FCC did not invite citizens' organizations to the table at these meetings, and did not divulge details regarding the discussions that took place. The agency should put a stop to such private meetings with industry, and must continue an open dialogue on the future of broadband directly with the American people, who are the real stakeholders in these critical decisions. Keeping the process transparent will stay true to the Obama promise of an open government.

How Schools Can and Should Fit into Our National Broadband Plans

[Commentary] The United States is finally on track to develop a national broadband policy. Unfortunately, there are very few public resources available to carry it out. In this environment of limited government funding, the bang-for-the-buck question becomes paramount: What broadband policies will deliver the greatest value? While many focus on unserved and underserved areas, an equally important priority is to ensure that our community anchor institutions - our libraries, schools, and health care entities - have sufficient broadband capacity. Why is providing broadband to community anchor institutions so important? Community anchor institutions provide vital, essential services to some of the most vulnerable and at-risk populations, including disabled, unemployed, low-income and rural Americans. Public libraries make wired and wireless broadband connections available to the public at no charge so that people can submit job applications, apply for e-government benefits, and complete school homework assignments. Primary and secondary schools as well as higher education institutions use broadband connections for distance learning, multimedia teaching applications, and data-intensive research. Hospitals and rural health clinics need high-capacity broadband to exchange diagnostic information and medical records, and to provide remote monitoring of out-patients. Unfortunately, the private sector often cannot satisfy the broadband needs of anchor institutions.

Twitter Musings in Syria Elicit Groans in Washington

When two young State Department officials took a delegation of Silicon Valley executives to Syria recently, they billed it as a chance to use the promise of technology to reach out to a country with which the United States has long had icy relations. Instead, the visit will be remembered for a series of breezy Twitter messages that the two colleagues sent home, riffing about how visitors can buy an American-style blended iced coffee at a university near Damascus and how one of them had challenged a Syrian communications minister to a cake-eating contest.

The messages raised hackles on Capitol Hill, where some Republicans were already leery of the Obama administration's efforts to engage Syria. They also embarrassed the State Department, which normally conducts its dealings with Damascus behind a veil of diplomatic politesse. The two staff members, Alec J. Ross and Jared Cohen, were rapped on the knuckles for generating what two State Department officials called "stray voltage." Yet despite the youthful indiscretion, their broader goal of using technology to further diplomacy enjoys enthusiastic support from the highest levels of the department, notably Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Stores See Google as Ally in E-Book Market

Later this summer, Google plans to introduce its long-awaited push into electronic books, called Google Editions.

The company has revealed little about the venture thus far, describing it generally as an effort to sell digital books that will be readable within a Web browser and accessible from any Internet-connected computing device. Now one element of Google Editions is coming into sharper focus. Google is on the verge of completing a deal with the American Booksellers Association, the trade group for independent bookstores, to make Google Editions the primary source of e-books on the Web sites of hundreds of independent booksellers around the country, according to representatives of Google and the association. The partnership could help beloved bookstores like Powell's Books in Portland, Ore.; Kepler's Books in Menlo Park, Calif.; and St. Mark's Bookshop in New York. To court the growing audience of people who prefer reading on screens rather than paper, these small stores have until now been forced to compete against the likes of Amazon, Apple and Sony.

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