April 2013

Google Fiber—On the Silicon Prairie, the Silicon Hills, and now the Silicon Slopes

The Google Fiber team is in Provo, Utah, where Mayor John Curtis just announced that we intend to make Provo our third Google Fiber City.

Utah is already home to hundreds of tech companies and startups, and many of them are based in Provo. In fact, the Provo area ranks second in the nation in patent growth, and is consistently ranked as one of the top places to live and do business in the U.S. We believe the future of the Internet will be built on gigabit speeds, and we’re sure the businesses and residents of Provo already have some good ideas for what they’d build with a gig. In order to bring Fiber to Provo, we’ve signed an agreement to purchase iProvo, an existing fiber-optic network owned by the city. As a part of the acquisition, we would commit to upgrade the network to gigabit technology and finish network construction so that every home along the existing iProvo network would have the opportunity to connect to Google Fiber. Our agreement with Provo isn’t approved yet—it’s pending a vote by the City Council scheduled for next Tuesday, April 23. We intend to begin the network upgrades as soon as the closing conditions are satisfied and the deal is closed.

From 3G Wireline to NG Wireline: Towards a Policy of Bandwidth Abundance

Speaking at the Broadband Communities Summit, Gig.U Executive Director Blair Levin talked about moving the Washington debate about tax hikes and budget cuts to the Silicon Valley frame – how do we make everything faster, cheaper and better. Unlike in wireless, where one can envision 5G, 6G and other incremental wireless generations, we have known for some time what the end state, or the NG wireline network, would be. It is a fiber-‐based conduit with upgrades made possible not by new conduit but by electronics at the edge and advances in software.

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Angela Simpson at Broadband Communities Summit

Speaking at the Broadband Communities Summit, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Angela Simpson shared her views about the importance of broadband to economic development; and information about the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), which is the broadband grant program the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in the Department of Commerce is currently administering and how BTOP projects are advancing the goals of economic development and job creation. And she emphasized that while infrastructure is important, digital literacy also has a key role to play. Finally, she shared some lessons learned from BTOP and some ideas for next steps.

House Commerce Committee approves Internet freedom bill

The House Commerce Committee unanimously approved legislation to support Internet freedom. Republican committee leaders agreed to change the language of the bill after Democrats expressed concern that it could undermine existing polices, including the Federal Communications Commission's network neutrality regulations.

To address the Democrats' concerns, Republicans struck the phrase making it formal U.S. policy to "promote a global Internet free from government control." Democrats worried that a person or company could have used the language to sue to overturn regulations or laws. In addition to the network neutrality rules, Democrats warned the language threatened efforts to combat online copyright infringement, child pornography and cyberattacks. The bill approved by the committee states only that it is U.S. policy "to preserve and advance the successful multistakeholder model that governs the Internet.” Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), the top Democrats on the committee and communications subcommittee, respectively, applauded the Republicans for revising the legislation.

CISPA critics bolstered by Obama veto threat

While opposition to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) has not been on the same level as last year’s grassroots groundswell against the anti-piracy bill Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), opponents of the bill got a boost when the Obama administration said the President would veto the bill in its current form.

CISPA is designed to make it easier for private companies to share cyberthreat information with the government, and is expected to go for a vote on the House floor this week. But opponents of the measure say the bill would let the government access users’ personal information without a warrant and overrides the existing privacy policies in place at Web firms. Social media users also are mobilizing following comments from bill co-sponsor Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) at a House Rules Committee hearing that characterized the main critics of the bill as “people on the Internet [...] you know, a 14-year-old tweeter in the basement.” He went on to say that once the bill is explained properly that most people agree with its provisions. Thousands of Twitter users have been sending messages to Rogers on the social network with their ages (and, in some cases, the position of their workplaces in relation to the ground) as a way to demonstrate that there are more opponents to the bill than he may think. Rogers’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reaction. The congressman’s official Twitter account has sent a message linking to a list of “19 Privacy Improvements” that have been made to the bill since fall 2011.

CISPA amendment could address top privacy concern

One of privacy advocates' top concerns with a cybersecurity bill could be addressed in an amendment that is circulating among stakeholders. The proposed amendment to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) would ensure that the Homeland Security Department (DHS), a civilian agency, would be the first recipient of cyber threat data from companies.

The amendment would mark a significant concession by the sponsors of CISPA, House Intelligence Committee leaders Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD). The two lawmakers are said to be working on the amendment with House Homeland Security Committee leaders Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS). The amendment was filed just before the House Rules Committee met on April 16 to determine which amendments to CISPA would be voted for on the floor. A copy of the amendment — which does not include any lawmakers' names — has been circulating among stakeholders and on the Hill. The amendment is designed so that companies would only be able to receive the liability protection from future lawsuits granted under the bill if they share malicious source code and other online threats with DHS first. DHS would be able to pass on that threat data to relevant agencies. Companies would still be able to share cyber threat data with the National Security Agency and other departments under existing information-sharing efforts.

Mike Rogers: CISPA Cybersecurity Bill Opponents Are Teens In Their Basements

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) said that most opponents to his controversial cybersecurity bill are teenagers in their basements.

The bipartisan Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) aims to defend U.S. industries and corporate networks from cyberattacks by foreign governments, terrorist groups and other criminals. CISPA backers in the House of Representatives laid out their rationale during a hearing Tuesday afternoon when Rogers, the chief sponsor, invoked his 14-year-old nephew to describe the bill's opponents. "The very companies that you say are uncomfortable with this support this bill," Rep Rogers said. "The Silicon Valley CEOs support this bill. The people who are in the business of prosperity on the Internet think this is the right approach." "People on the Internet -- if you're, you know, a 14-year-old tweeter in your basement … I took my nephew, I had to work with him a lot on this bill because he didn't understand the mechanics of it," he continued. "I hear that a lot. Once you understand the threat and you understand the mechanics of how it works and you understand that people are not monitoring your content of your emails, most people go, 'got it.'"

Sen Reid Seeks to Expedite Online Sales Tax Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is setting up online sales tax legislation for a possible vote on the Senate floor after the chamber completes work on gun legislation. On April 16, Sen Reid began the process of moving an online sales tax bill to the Senate floor on an expedited basis, without going through the committee process. A Senate Democratic aide said the move makes the bill a candidate for a vote after gun legislation, although he cautioned that debate over gun control could drag out and delay an online sales tax vote until May. Another Senate aide said that no final decisions have been made.

Republican Gun Bill Includes Media Violence Research

Sens Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have introduced alternative gun control legislation that would call for yet another set of studies on the impact of violent media--specifically video games--on real-world violence.

The "Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act," which the legislators were pitching as an alternative to a Democrat-backed bill currently before the Senate, would direct the National Institute of Justice and the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on the "sources and causes of mass shootings including psychological factors, the impact of violent video games, and other factors," as well as the availability of mental health resources, exposure to bullying, parental awareness and other environmental factors.

Facebook flexes political muscle with provision in immigration bill

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg generated international attention last week for his entry into Washington politics. In launching a new political group, he positioned himself as a leading advocate to help aspiring entrepreneurs and other ambitious immigrants achieve the American dream. Yet behind the scenes on Capitol Hill, Facebook lobbyists were engaged in another form of politics: pressing to insert a few new words helpful to Facebook’s business interests into a sprawling legislative proposal. The deft maneuvering came during the drafting of the new bipartisan Senate immigration proposal being released this week. It underscores the rising clout of a young company that is following the road paved by such technology forebears as Microsoft and Google, moving from indifference toward Washington to persistent, sophisticated engagement. The payoff on the immigration provision could be substantial, allowing Facebook and other technology companies to avoid a requirement that they make a “good-faith” effort to recruit Americans for jobs before hiring from overseas. Facebook could also sidestep proposed rules that would force it to pay much higher wages to many foreign workers.

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