June 2013

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

AGENDA
   Tech road map: Immigration first, then NSA and cybersecurity
   FCC Close to Approving SoftBank Bid for Sprint

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   Media is ruining the NSA debate - analysis
   NSA collected US e-mail records in bulk for more than two years under President Obama
   How the NSA is still harvesting your online data
   NSA muzzle should be removed from Google, Facebook, Apple, Yahoo - analysis
   Saving Government Tweets is Tougher Than You Think [links to web]

NEWS FROM THE FCC MEETING
   FCC's Clyburn Keeps FCC Wheels Turning
   FCC Modernizes and Streamlines Broadband and Voice Data Collection - press release
   FCC to Take Over National Broadband Map
   FCC Fails Once Again to Collect Data on Broadband Prices - Free Press press release [links to web]
   FCC Moves to Enable Use of 10 MHz of Spectrum for Mobile Broadband - press release
   Commissioner Rosenworcel: FCC Needs to Reach Out to Top-Market Broadcasters
   A federal wireless policy built on carrots, not sticks - op-ed
   FCC Acts to Protect Private Consumer Information on Wireless Devices - press release

CYBERSECURITY
   Pentagon Is Updating Conflict Rules in Cyberspace

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   John Malone’s Radical Plan For Broadband
   Rural America to Telecos: “We’re Still Here, Guys. Can We Get Some Reliable Service, Please?” - analysis

WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
   FCC Close to Approving SoftBank Bid for Sprint
   Hearing Recap: Equipping Carriers and Agencies in the Wireless Era
   Voice Link Sitcom Now Playing The Borscht Belt — Shows Why We Need STATE Jurisdiction Not Just FCC - analysis
   Verizon Wireless brings 4G LTE to more cities, looks to LTE-A next [links to web]

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
   FirstNet Approves Resolutions on Spectrum Lease Agreement with LA-RICS and Personnel Acquisition Strategy

ACCESSIBILITY
   House Commerce Committee Leaders Concerned Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Could be Undermining Video Relay Service for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing [links to web]

PRIVACY
   Apps for Kids Are Data Magnets; FTC Rules to Kick In

CONTENT
   Copies, Rights and Copyrights: Really Owning Your Digital Stuff - research
   These Digital Publishers Aren't Freaking Out Over Mozilla's Move [links to web]
   Apple Spells Out iTunes Radio Terms [links to web]

BROADCASTING/CABLE
   CPB reduces aid to longtime grantees [links to web]
   Aereo CEO Sees End To Cable TV Bundling [links to web]

JOURNALISM
   The New Normal for News – Have Global Media Changed Forever
   Media need internal oversight more than ever [links to web]
   Future of major newspapers about to change [links to web]

COMPANY NEWS
   After Sprint, Dish Can't Give Up the Chase

STORIES FROM ABROAD
   Iran Admits Throttling Internet To 'Preserve Calm' During Election [links to web]
   In UK, rural broadband rollout to miss deadline
   Mobile Deal in Myanmar Elicits Anger Over Religion

back to top

AGENDA

TECH AGENDA
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Steve Friess]
The gestation period of tech legislation in Washington may hit an inflection point this summer as immigration reform, cybersecurity and — in the wake of the National Security Agency surveillance program revelations — online privacy take center stage. Meanwhile, Congress will be getting used to new faces atop critical agencies. After spending years and millions of dollars building up its collective lobbying presence, Silicon Valley is showing its growing clout.
benton.org/node/154624 | Politico
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

MEDIA RUINING NSA DEBATE
[SOURCE: Fortune, AUTHOR: Dan Mitchell]
[Commentary] The revelation of the National Security Agency's collecting all our telephone metadata has supposedly sparked a "national conversation" -- a great debate taking on all the thorny issues surrounding privacy vs. security. Sadly, though, the "national conversation" has for the most part been shallow, often bordering on stupid. That's because nearly everybody has retreated to their respective camps, refusing to recognize the validity of opposed arguments or the fact that this there is no easy solution to the problem of how we should go about strengthening our security while also, to the extent possible, protecting liberty and privacy. It's also because so much of the "conversation" has taken place on Twitter, where conversations, and certainly debates, should never take place, because they are engineered to be superficial. (Twitter's great for linking to stuff and for issuing pithy one-liners; it's absolutely useless for conversation.) In defending longstanding worldviews, rather than honestly addressing the issue, people are talking past each other.
benton.org/node/154594 | Fortune
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

NSA COLLECTED US E-MAIL RECORDS
[SOURCE: The Guardian, AUTHOR: Glenn Greenwald, Spencer Ackerman]
The Obama Administration for more than two years permitted the National Security Agency to continue collecting vast amounts of records detailing the e-mail and Internet usage of Americans, according to secret documents obtained by the Guardian. The documents indicate that under the program, launched in 2001, a federal judge sitting on the secret surveillance panel called the FISA court would approve a bulk collection order for internet metadata "every 90 days." A senior administration official confirmed the program, stating that it ended in 2011. The collection of these records began under the Bush administration's wide-ranging warrantless surveillance program, collectively known by the NSA codename Stellar Wind. According to a top-secret draft report by the NSA's inspector general – published for the first time today by the Guardian – the agency began "collection of bulk internet metadata" involving "communications with at least one communicant outside the United States or for which no communicant was known to be a citizen of the United States." Eventually, the NSA gained authority to "analyze communications metadata associated with United States persons and persons believed to be in the United States", according to a 2007 Justice Department memo, which is marked secret.
benton.org/node/154593 | Guardian, The
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

NSA STILL HARVESTING ONLINE DATA
[SOURCE: The Guardian, AUTHOR: Glenn Greenwald, Spencer Ackerman]
A review of top-secret NSA documents suggests that the surveillance agency still collects and sifts through large quantities of Americans' online data – despite the Obama administration's insistence that the program that began under Bush ended in 2011. Documents indicate that the amount of internet metadata harvested, viewed, processed and overseen by the Special Source Operations (SSO) directorate inside the NSA is extensive. While there is no reference to any specific program currently collecting purely domestic internet metadata in bulk, it is clear that the agency collects and analyzes significant amounts of data from US communications systems in the course of monitoring foreign targets.
benton.org/node/154592 | Guardian, The
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

NSA MUZZLE ON TECH
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Mike Cassidy]
[Commentary] The National Security Agency spying scandal and the way it runs through Silicon Valley "is the story that just won't go away.” Details -- some accurate, some not -- of the government's snooping continue to trickle out. Many of us continue to wonder just what the government has scooped up about us from our go-to social networking and search companies like Google, Facebook, Yahoo and Apple. And some of us wonder just what those companies have done to try to protect our privacy. It's the last question that has become my personal obsession. The feds and the commercial keepers of the Internet have said all the right things to make us feel better. When several news outlets were reporting that the NSA through a program called Prism was tapping directly into the servers of search engines and social media sites, executives said that was not the case. The NSA explained that it was only targeting foreign suspects and only with the authorization of a top-secret court. But does any of that put you at ease? Me neither. The problem is that it's going to be hard for Silicon Valley companies to maintain or regain that trust if the federal government continues to muzzle them.
benton.org/node/154623 | San Jose Mercury News
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

NEWS FROM THE FCC MEETING

FCC HEARING RECAP
[SOURCE: AdWeek, AUTHOR: Katy Bachman]
Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn showed during the agency's monthly meeting that she isn't just going to be a bench-warmer for nominee Tom Wheeler. With Wheeler's Senate confirmation perhaps weeks -- if not months -- away, Chairwoman Clyburn presided over a full agenda in her first meeting, which included an update on the FCC's progress in holding the all-important auction of wireless spectrum. Clyburn, the agency's first chairwoman in its 79-year history, was elevated to her role just six weeks ago. Visibly excited and always collegial, Chairwoman Clyburn opened the meeting by thanking the FCC staff and her father, Rep James Clyburn (D-SC), who showed his support by attending Clyburn's first meeting. All three of the items voted on by the three-member commission were unanimous.
With the FCC operating with only three commissioners until Wheeler and a GOP commissioner are confirmed, there has been a lot of speculation that the FCC will be restricted from moving as fast as it could on important initiatives like the spectrum auction.
Hedging the agency's bets, Chairwoman Clyburn said the incentive auction is on track to be held in 2014. Although that's a little later than the 2013 deadline former FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski had set, Chairwoman Clyburn said she was pleased that the FCC was making steady progress on several fronts. In the coming weeks, the commission plans to release more information about how it will rearrange the spectrum band following the auction, a critical detail long awaited by broadcasters who are worried about how the auction may change their business. Chairwoman Clyburn also plans to meet with the telecom officials of Mexico next week and Canada next month, to work out how the auction might impact TV stations located near border markets like Detroit. Finally, because TV broadcast participation is critical to the auction's success, the FCC plans to step up its outreach to broadcasters to encourage them to share their spectrum with other TV stations.
benton.org/node/154600 | AdWeek | Commissioner Rosenworcel
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

FCC MODERNIZES AND STREAMLINES BROADBAND AND VOICE DATA COLLECTION
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted to change its collection of data about broadband and voice service in the US, taking measures to streamline and reduce the burden on providers. The new collection will improve and expand broadband and voice data, while simplifying the process for providers by:
Increasing consistency through creating a single, uniform format for deployment data, and replacing the current separate state-by-state voluntary collections under differing methodologies
Reducing the burden on providers by eliminating certain data collections, including the requirement to file speed data in tiers
Collecting fixed broadband deployment data by census block, and mobile broadband and mobile voice network coverage areas using a standard geographic information system software format
Obtaining mobile broadband deployment data by technology, minimum advertised speed, and spectrum band to help assess competition in the mobile wireless marketplace and mobile broadband availability to consumers
Receiving emergency contact information to expedite agency disaster response
Collecting company identification information to facilitate merger reviews, assess competition, and combat waste, fraud and abuse in universal service
Exploring development of an application that providers could use to automate their data-gathering, which would further reduce the burden of collection and improve the quality of the data
Filing of this data is expected to begin in September 2014, reflecting the first six months of 2014.
benton.org/node/154597 | Federal Communications Commission | Chairwoman Clyburn | Commissioner Rosenworcel | Commissioner Pai
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

FCC AND THE NATIONAL BROADBAND MAP
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission effectively took over the job of maintaining the National Broadband Map, but for now will not add broadband pricing information to the info it collects from broadband providers as part of that effort. "The changes we make today will ensure that the Commission, other government agencies, and the public will continue to have access to the National Broadband Map," said acting FCC chairwoman Mignon Clyburn. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration had been maintaining the map, which is meant to show where broadband is and isn't available, but the grant to the states to supply the information that went into the map is running out in 2014. The order, which was approved unanimously, changes the FCC collection to include deployment. The FCC currently collects data mostly on subscriptions and customers, while NTIA has been collecting info on deployment. But Chairwoman Clyburn made it clear that pricing data collection was still on the table -- it was raised in two separate NPRMs that remain open. "While this Report and Order does not collect pricing or more granular subscription data as some parties have requested, it leaves the door open to do so," she said
benton.org/node/154615 | Broadcasting&Cable
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

FCC MOVES TO ENABLE USE OF 10 MHZ OF SPECTRUM FOR MOBILE BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Report and Order opening 10 megahertz of spectrum in the bands 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz (H Block) for commercial licensing. By enabling 10 megahertz of spectrum to be used for mobile broadband, the Report and Order furthers the FCC’s efforts to ensure that the Nation’s wireless networks have the capacity, speed and ubiquity to keep pace with consumers’ expectations and ever rising demand for mobile services. It is also a step towards meeting its obligation under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Spectrum Act) to license 65 megahertz, including the 10 megahertz in the H Block, by February 2015. The Report and Order pairs the two bands that comprise the H Block, and establishes that the paired bands will be licensed on an Economic Area basis and auctioned through a system of competitive bidding. In addition, the Report and Order sets technical rules to help ensure that operations in the H Block do not cause harmful interference to PCS downlink operations, consistent with a requirement in the Spectrum Act. Finally, the Report and Order adopts flexible use regulatory, licensing, and operating rules for H Block licensees.
benton.org/node/154598 | Federal Communications Commission | Fierce | telecompetitor
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

REACHING OUT TO BROADCASTERS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission member Jessica Rosenworcel said that the FCC should hold a series of public hearings and reach out to broadcasters in the top 30 markets in order to make sure its incentive auction process is as transparent as possible and that outreach is targeted to where the mobile broadband need is greatest. She also reiterated her desire that the FCC produce a band plan by the end of the third quarter. While the FCC wants a variable band plan in which stations and wireless companies could be using the same or adjacent channels in different markets, broadcasters have called for more separation to prevent potential interference.
benton.org/node/154614 | Broadcasting&Cable | Commissioner Rosenworcel
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

CARROTS, NOT STICKS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel]
[Commentary] Our challenge is to use what spectrum we have more efficiently. The single most effective thing we can do to meet the escalating demand for commercial spectrum is rethink the way the federal government uses spectrum. We need a policy built on carrots, not sticks. We need to develop a series of incentives to serve as the catalyst for freeing more federal spectrum for commercial use. Across the board, we need to find ways to reward federal authorities for efficient use of their spectrum. They could be straightforward and financial -- under which a certain portion of the revenue from the commercial auction of their previously held spectrum would be reserved for the federal entity releasing the spectrum. They could also involve revenue from leasing for shared access during a period of transition to cleared rights. As part of this effort, we also should develop a valuation of all spectrum used by federal authorities, in order to provide a consistent way to reward efficiency. In short, we will create more commercial wireless opportunity and make smarter use of a scarce resource if federal authorities see benefit in commercial reallocation -- and not just loss.
benton.org/node/154591 | Hill, The
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

FCC ACTS TO PROTECT PRIVATE CONSUMER INFORMATION ON WIRELESS DEVICES
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission clarified its customer proprietary network information (CPNI) policies in response to changes in technology and market practices in recent years. The Declaratory Ruling rests on a simple and fundamentally fair principle: when a telecommunications carrier collects CPNI using its control of its customers’ mobile devices, and the carrier or its designee has access to or control over the information, the carrier is responsible for safeguarding that information. Specifically, the Declaratory Ruling makes clear that when mobile carriers use their control of customers’ devices to collect information about customers’ use of the network, including using preinstalled apps, and the carrier or its designee has access to or control over the information, carriers are required to protect that information in the same way they are required to protect CPNI on the network. This sensitive information can include phone numbers that a customer has called and received calls from, the durations of calls, and the phone’s location at the beginning and end of each call. Carriers are allowed to collect this information and to use it to improve their networks and for customer support. Carriers’ collection of this information can benefit consumers by enabling a carrier to detect a weak signal, a dropped call, or trouble with particular phone models. But if carriers collect CPNI in this manner, today’s ruling makes clear that they must protect it. The Declaratory Ruling does not impose any requirements on non-carrier, third-party developers of applications that consumers may install on their own. The ruling also does not adopt or propose any new rules regarding how carriers may use CPNI or how they must protect it.
benton.org/node/154595 | Federal Communications Commission
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

CYBERSECURITY

UPDATING CYBERWARFARE RULES
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Thom Shanker]
The Pentagon is updating its classified rules for warfare in cyberspace for the first time in seven years, an acknowledgment of the growing threat posed by computer-network attacks — and the need for the United States to improve its defenses and increase the nimbleness of its response, said Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s top military officer. Gen Dempsey also said that, globally, new regulations were needed to govern actions by the world community in cyberspace. He said that the Chinese did not believe that hacking American systems violated any rules, since no rules existed. Discussing efforts to improve the Pentagon’s tools for digital defense and offense, General Dempsey said the military must be “able to operate at network speed, rather than what I call swivel-chair speed.” “Cyber has escalated from an issue of moderate concern to one of the most serious threats to our national security,” he said. “We now live in a world of weaponized bits and bytes, where an entire country can be disrupted by the click of mouse.” Under a presidential directive, the Pentagon developed “emergency procedures to guide our response to imminent, significant cyberthreats,” and is “updating our rules of engagement — the first update for cyber in seven years,” he said. This effort has resulted in the creation of what General Dempsey called an interagency “playbook for cyber.” During a speech at the Brookings Institution, a policy research center, General Dempsey said these new “standing rules of engagement” for military actions remained in draft form, and had not yet been approved.
benton.org/node/154622 | New York Times
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

INTERNET/BROADBAND

RADICAL PLAN FOR BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Martin Peers, Shalini Ramachandran]
If Liberty Media Chairman John Malone has his way, Netflix would pay broadband providers for the cost of the bandwidth it uses. And with Malone re-emerging as a power player in the U.S. cable industry, and extending his presence in European cable through his company Liberty Global, he may be able to act on his vision. In remarks to Liberty’s annual meeting two weeks ago, which garnered little attention, Malone laid out his vision for a “world of the future” where consumers could buy “tiers” of broadband connectivity bundled to “various levels” of access to “over the top” video services, sold at a discount. As part of that, “Reed has to bear in his economic model some of the cost of the capacity that he’s burning,” a reference to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.
benton.org/node/154608 | Wall Street Journal
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

NATIONAL RURAL ASSEMBLY
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Martyn Griffen]
[Commentary] From Sunday, June 23 to Wednesday, June 26, 2013 participants representing more than 500 local, regional, and national advocacy organizations gathered outside of DC to participate in the National Rural Assembly. The Assembly works to build a stronger, more vibrant rural America and during the conference attendees discussed rural policies regarding health care, education, community development, and broadband deployment. The Rural Broadband Policy Group, a working group of the National Rural Assembly has compiled numerous stories from rural Americans about their experiences accessing and using broadband Internet. These stories are available to listen and read at the Rural Broadband Tales portal of PlaceStories.com, and provide a stark contrast to the pleasant picture of broadband access that telcom executives have been painting recently.
benton.org/node/154620 | Public Knowledge
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

WIRELESS/SPECTRUM

SOFTBANK-SPRINT APPROVAL TODAY?
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: John Paczkowski]
Mignon Clyburn, the Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, told her fellow commissioners to prepare to vote on SoftBank’s proposed takeover of Sprint Nextel. The deal would see SoftBank purchase 78 percent of Sprint and Sprint acquire the remaining shares of mobile-broadband provider Clearwire that it doesn’t already own. The vote could come as early as June 28. Apparently, vote is likely to end in approval for the transaction without any mandated spectrum divestitures.
benton.org/node/154625 | Wall Street Journal | The Hill
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

SPECTRUM HEARING RECAP
[SOURCE: House of Representatives Commerce Committee, AUTHOR: Press release]
The House Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), held a hearing on “Equipping Carriers and Agencies in the Wireless Era.” The subcommittee heard from government and private sector witnesses as members continue to discuss ways to meet the needs of wireless carriers and federal agencies in a time of limited spectrum and financial resources. Last Congress, Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (R-CA) created a working group, led by Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Doris Matsui (R-CA) that focused on federal spectrum use. At the hearing, House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA) asked Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Eshoo to hold monthly meetings with the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to ensure efforts to upgrade government systems and repurpose spectrum for commercial use stay on track.
The Verge reports that many members of the subcommittee sharply criticized the military and the NTIA for being too slow in opening up government-controlled wireless spectrum to consumers and private companies. An effort to have federal government agencies auction-off their spectrum to companies or share it has been in the works since 2004, but has been slow to see results, visibly angering lawmakers. "It has been slow so far, more like dial-up I'd say, rather than broadband," said Billy Long (R-MO).
At one point, Rep Eshoo unleashed a barrage of accusatory questions at Teri Takai, the US Defense Department's chief information officer, asking why the Defense Department had not yet published at estimate of what it would cost to shift some of its systems to using less spectrum, thereby freeing up more for public use. "I have to say that the 'same old, same old' that has prevailed for years, simple is not going to be accepted around here. It just can't be," Rep Eshoo said. Takai said that the reason the agency had not done a cost-estimate for what it would take the Defense Department to give up the 1755 to 1780 spectrum band because it still needed "some direction" from the NTIA on how a spectrum auction would work. "Do you sit down and talk to each other?" Rep Eshoo asked Takai, point blank. "Why wouldn't the two of you sit down and talk about it. Why am I even having to ask this question again?...This is frustrating." But Takai also pointed out that the Defense Department had serious concerns about giving up, sharing, or otherwise "re-allocating" its spectrum because it currently uses much of it for military communications. "It causes us interference problems because we'd run on a smaller band," Takai said, adding that when it came to combat pilots in the Air Force and other armed services, "it would limit the number of training missions we could fly at the same time." But lawmakers did manage to move the spectrum sharing program forward during the hearing, if only slightly. Christopher Guttman-McCabe, executive vice president of CTIA, a wireless industry lobbying group, came to the hearing with a proposed "roadmap" that pegged the cost of the government giving up the coveted 1755 to 1780 spectrum band as $4.7 billion, and the time frame as 2015. Lawmakers told CTIA to give copies to Takai and the Defense Department.
benton.org/node/154616 | House of Representatives Commerce Committee | The Verge | NTIA
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

VOICE LINK GOES TO THE CATSKILLS
[SOURCE: Tales of the Sausage Factory, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
[Commentary] New York is extremely lucky that it has not joined the Chump Parade and totally deregulated its telecom sector, although apparently it has such a proposal on the table. I say this because New York now faces one of those quintessential local problems that is much, much better handled at the state level than on the federal level. It involves Verizon’s Voice Link product. As regular readers know, That Darn Voice Link is the summer replacement series for Game of Sprint – the Sprint/Softbank/DISH/CLWR drama which is now winding down. The plot for That Darn Voice Link is fairly straightforward. Scrappy little Voice Link, the daughter of the highly successful Verizon Wireless family, must get along with curmudgeonly old Uncle Copper while learning the family business and replacing Uncle Copper as the landline substitute. Will Voice Link provide a valuable alternative service? Or is Voice Link not yet ready for her big debut? Hijinks ensue! In this week’s episode, Voice Link may have been selling herself a little too aggressively to some problem customers up in the Catskills. The State Attorney General thinks Voice Link crossed the line, but Voice Link insists she was just being helpful. So is Voice Link going to get in trouble? Will the Federal Communications Commission get involved? Will this hurt Voice Link’s big debut on Fire Island?
benton.org/node/154621 | Tales of the Sausage Factory
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

FIRSTNET MEETING RECAP
[SOURCE: First Responder Network Authority, AUTHOR: Press release]
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) voted to approve an agreement with Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System Authority (LA-RICS) allowing the project to lease access to FirstNet’s spectrum. The agreement is the first such agreement between FirstNet and one of the seven public safety Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grantees, whose funding was partially suspended following enactment of the law creating FirstNet. The agreement between FirstNet and LA-RICS is the first step in the process towards lifting the project’s suspension. Next, LA-RICS must submit a request to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to lift the suspension. FirstNet will then submit a letter in support of that action. NTIA has the final decision as to whether to allow to the project to resume construction.
The Board also approved a resolution today that maps out a personnel acquisition strategy for FirstNet to meet its short-term specialized staffing needs. This strategy will continue to be used to assist with FirstNet's immediate, critical work on technical issues, outreach and business planning as FirstNet works to hire full-time employees to fill many of these roles. The strategy is intended to provide best value to Federal taxpayers by competitively selecting well qualified vendors and personnel, and incorporating strong competitive elements to control costs and risks. The Department of Commerce, which is the contracting authority for FirstNet, will review the strategy and associated documents. FirstNet expects to announce the contract opportunities in the next several weeks.
benton.org/node/154613 | First Responder Network Authority
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

PRIVACY

APPS FOR KIDS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jeremy Singer-Vine, Anton Troianovski]
A Wall Street Journal examination of 40 popular and free child-friendly apps on Google's Android and Apple's iOS systems found that nearly half transmitted to other companies a device ID number, a primary tool for tracking users from app to app. Some 70% passed along information about how the app was used, in some cases including the buttons clicked and in what order. Some three years after the Journal first tested data collection and sharing in smartphone apps—and discovered the majority of apps tested sending details to third parties without users' awareness—the makers of widely used software continue to gather and profit from people's personal information. Data transmissions related to child-friendly apps will be subject to greater government scrutiny after July 1, when the Federal Trade Commission's new rules on children's online privacy take effect. The rules, which were adopted in December and outline how the FTC enforces the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, expand the types of information considered "personal" and, hence, protected.
benton.org/node/154619 | Wall Street Journal
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

CONTENT

COPIES, RIGHTS AND COPYRIGHTS
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Sherwin Siy]
A look at the conflict between the owner of a copy of a work—like you, when you buy a paperback—and the owner of the copyright in that work – the author, or the author’s publisher. It’s often an invisible conflict, because to us, the basic boundaries in that relationship are so customary as to be obvious: the copyright holder gets to prevent the book being copied, and the owner of the copy gets to use that copy any other way she wants. But things get trickier as we start looking at digital copies—in particular, copies that are sold as downloads instead of on physical media like CDs or DVDs. That’s because most of the ways in which we use digital media require making copies—just reading an e-book or listening to an mp3 will make additional copies within the device as it is being buffered or cached. Transferring ownership of a copy from one person to another also requires making copies—unless you’re handing over your entire hard drive to someone. But copyright law doesn’t necessarily recognize the difference between these copies and copies made for illicit purposes. So we’re left with a system where, legally, technological advancements lead to more restrictions, instead of fewer.
benton.org/node/154606 | Public Knowledge
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

JOURNALISM

THE NEW NORMAL FOR SCHOOLS
[SOURCE: Oriella PR Network, AUTHOR: ]
Oriella’s sixth annual investigation into the role and impact of digital media in
newsrooms and news-gathering worldwide. The study is based on a survey
of over 500 journalists spanning 14 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA), and finds digital media well entrenched in all countries, albeit in very different ways. More respondents than ever believe their largest readership is now online rather than off, and their performance is overwhelmingly evaluated based on digital metrics like unique visitors. These developments reflect the significant investments proprietors have made in their digital platforms, as the world turns away from print media and towards digital content. As a result the way journalists work has changed dramatically:
‘Digital first’ publishing is changing the rules of the journalism game.
Mobile is growing in popularity as a monetization model
Digital media has cemented its role within the journalistic arsenal
For journalists, social media means more than blogs and Twitter
In spite of all the new technology, traditional values remain
benton.org/node/154603 | Oriella PR Network
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

COMPANY NEWS

WHAT’S NEXT FOR DISH?
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Miriam Gottfried]
Satellite-television operator Dish Network, having called off its bids for Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, is at a crossroads. It faces a declining business and has been amassing wireless spectrum, which its Chairman Charlie Ergen wants to use to transition into a new business. Doing that requires partnering with a national carrier. Two options remain: bid for yet another carrier or sell itself to one. T-Mobile, the fourth-largest U.S. carrier by subscribers, seems the only remaining logical acquisition target. Yet while T-Mobile's $17.4 billion market capitalization is smaller than Sprint's, it would still be a stretch for Dish. A more immediate windfall could be had by shopping the company around.
benton.org/node/154607 | Wall Street Journal
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

STORIES FROM ABROAD

UK RURAL BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Daniel Thomas]
The UK government has admitted that the much-criticized rural broadband program will miss its timetable and has appeared to scale back its investment in the process by about £50 million. Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, said superfast broadband services would reach 95 percent of the population by 2017, two years after an original target of reaching 90 percent by 2015. The government proposals now say “nearly 90 percent” will be reached by 2015. The government will invest up to £250 million more in rural broadband after 2015 on top of the £530 million already committed. But opposition Members of Parliament attacked the announcement, saying it fell short of the £300 million promised under original plans drawn up in 2010. The funds are needed to subsidize the rollout of broadband networks to far-flung parts of the country that would otherwise be ignored by the private sector.
benton.org/node/154618 | Financial Times
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top

MOBILE DEAL IN MYANMAR
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Thomas Fuller]
The Myanmar government awarded major telecommunications contracts to two foreign companies, a milestone in the country’s opening up to the world that was immediately tainted by religious hatred. Hours after the announcement, a monk who is one of the leaders of a radical nationalist Buddhist movement called for a boycott of one of the two companies because it is based in Qatar, a Muslim country. “Did the government have such little choice?” the monk, Ashin Wimala, a leader of the 969 movement, said. “Why did they award this to a Muslim company?” The company, Ooredoo, won a 15-year concession to build and operate mobile phone networks virtually from scratch, as did Telenor Mobile Communications of Norway. The networks are crucially needed in Myanmar, where less than 10 percent of people have a mobile phone. That is a startlingly low number at a time when mobile phones are ubiquitous even in the poorest corners of the world. In neighboring Laos, a country with similar levels of grinding poverty, mobile phone penetration is 87 percent. But in a country that is 90 percent Buddhist and where anti-Muslim sermons and hate speech appear to have fueled rampaging lynch mobs, the award to Ooredoo drew fury.
benton.org/node/154617 | New York Times | FT
Share: Twitter | Facebook
back to top