September 18, 2013 (ConnectED and E-rate Reform: The Conversation Begins)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2013
Two items on today’s agenda: 1) Security, Freedom and Privacy in the Digital Age and 2) FCC/FTC Nomination Hearing http://benton.org/calendar/2013-09-18/
EDUCATION
ConnectED and E-rate Reform: The Conversation Begins - analysis
ALA calls for leap forward in E-rate goals; streamlined program - press release
Bringing America’s Classrooms into the Digital Age - press release
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
US court defends its support for collecting phone data
Obama wanted an open Internet he could spy on. Thanks to the NSA, he may get neither. - analysis
Survey: Americans Still Trust Government More Than Tech Companies [links to web]
PRIVACY
'Do not track' law needed for consumers, says Chairman Rockefeller [links to web]
Teen advocacy groups ask FTC to block Facebook privacy changes [links to web]
SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
NTIA Petitions the FCC to Mandate Mobile Device Unlocking - press release
AT&T Said to Seek Sale of Cell Towers Valued at $5 Billion [links to web]
Dish Acts to Boost Value of Spectrum
TELECOM
Statement of Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn on Circulation of Rural Call Completion Order - press release [links to web]
CCA’s Berry: Research Dispels FCC Misperceptions About Rural Wireless [links to web]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
5 things neither side of the broadband debate wants to admit - editorial
Admitting 5 Things About Broadband - analysis
How Chattanooga beat Google Fiber by half a decade
The faster your broadband, the higher your income
Comcast Raises Top-End Residential Broadband Tier to 505 Mbps [links to web]
Examining Facebook’s long-term goals for Internet.org [links to web]
Overland Park delays OK of Google Fiber because of technicality [links to web]
CONTENT
Online piracy of entertainment content keeps soaring
Facebook News Feed Changed Everything - analysis
AT&T threatens copyright violators with Internet service termination
HEALTH
Saving US Health Care With Skype
FCC Celebrates National Health IT Week - press release [links to web]
USDA Celebrates National Health IT Week - press release [links to web]
How Cell Phones Are Transforming Health Care in Africa [links to web]
JOURNALISM
What’s next in Ann Arbor? - analysis [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
Chairman Walden: Defunding international telecom body 'last resort'
COMPANY NEWS
Google eyes big change in online tracking for ads [links to web]
In a year, Netflix’s competition shifted from Hulu to HBO to everything [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
George Takei: Teaching tech to an older generation in AARP online series [links to web]
NCTA to FCC: Keep 'Plug-and-Play' Rules Unplugged [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Violent Censorship on Rise in Afghanistan
Domestic regulators criticize EU telecoms reform plans
China Internet Giant Buys Stake in Search Engine
EDUCATION
CONNECTED AND E-RATE REFORM: THE CONVERSATION BEGINS
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Amina Fazlullah, Kevin Taglang]
[Commentary] Back in July, the Federal Communications Commission sought public input on a review of the commission’s E-rate program which reduces the costs of telecommunications services for schools and libraries around the country. September 16 was the deadline for the first wave of public comments. Now stakeholders in this proceeding will review the public input and offer additional comments to help guide the FCC’s review. By October 16, the second wave of public comments must reach the FCC and then the agency will begin reviewing that input. The Benton Foundation published a short synopsis of what’s at stake in this debate earlier this summer. We also announced that we had created an online resource, ConnectED and Modernizing the FCC's E-rate Program, to help you track developments in this debate. In order to capture the importance of the E-rate program, we’re aggregating and highlighting new research, analysis, speeches, filings, and press accounts about modernizing telecommunications infrastructure for schools and libraries. We are linking to workshops, hearings and other public forums where the future of the E-rate is being discussed. We're also looking at the enormous benefits of faster Internet in schools and libraries for children and educators, for rural America and bridging the Digital Divide, for anytime anywhere anything learning, for people with disabilities and more. We will be inviting stakeholders in this debate to share their best thoughts, so we can keep the conversation moving forward. At Benton as elsewhere, we have grave concerns about the U. S. educational system.
http://benton.org/node/159974
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ALA CALLS FOR LEAP FORWARD IN E-RATE GOALS
[SOURCE: American Library Association, AUTHOR: Press release]
The American Library Association (ALA) asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to accelerate deployment of the high-capacity broadband needed to serve students and learners of all ages through our nation’s libraries and schools. ALA calls for new strategic investments in telecommunications and broadband infrastructure, as well as program changes to improve cost-effectiveness and streamline processes to enable greater participation. America’s 16,417 public libraries serve more than 77 million computer users each year, yet only half of these multi-user outlets offer Internet speeds above the FCC’s home broadband recommendation of 4 Mbps. Through these Internet connections, libraries support the education, employment and e-government resources and services all increasingly moving to “the cloud.” [more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/160296 | American Library Association | read ALA’s comments
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BRINGING AMERICA’S CLASSROOMS INTO THE DIGITAL AGE
[SOURCE: AT&T, AUTHOR: Hank Hultquist]
[Commentary] AT&T filed comments in the Federal Communication Commission’s proceeding to modernize the E-rate program. Not only should broadband be prioritized over other services when it comes to receiving funding, but the FCC should also put funding toward ensuring adequate internal connections within these institutions. Access to broadband is useless if you don’t have sufficient inside wiring or electronics. While there are many changes that we think should be made to the current E-rate system, there is one thing that must remain the same and that is that it continues to operate in a technology-neutral manner. Proposals to favor the use of dark fiber over other technologies to roll out high-speed broadband are woefully misguided. Wireless data, cable and satellite are just a few of the other technology platforms that can and should be considered as viable options and must receive comparable funding to dark fiber. One technology platform is not going to meet the needs of every school and library across the country. These institutions must be afforded the option of choosing the technology that enables them to get the best quality and most reliable high-capacity broadband service.
benton.org/node/160268 | AT&T
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
US COURT DEFENDS ITS SUPPORT FOR COLLECTING PHONE DATA
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: David Ingram]
The surveillance court that oversees the US government's massive collection of telephone data gave its fullest defense to date of why it considers the program lawful, despite the uproar after its existence was made public in June. In an opinion dated Aug 29, Judge Claire Eagan of the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court wrote that the program did not violate the basic privacy rights of Americans and was authorized under the 2001 law known as the Patriot Act. "The court concludes that there are facts showing reasonable grounds to believe that the records sought are relevant to authorized investigations," wrote the judge, one of 11 who serve on the surveillance court. US officials have said the database is valuable in preventing attacks by al Qaeda and other militant groups, and that access to the database is limited to trained personnel who are investigating international terrorist organizations. Judge Eagan's opinion is notable for its sweeping grant of authority to the government, perhaps because lawyers from the Justice Department are the only ones who argue before the secretive court, said Alex Abdo, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union. "When the court has in front of it only the government's arguments, it's not surprising that the opinion reads like a brief written by the government," Abdo said.
benton.org/node/160292 | Reuters
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OBAMA WANTED AN OPEN INTERNET HE COULD SPY ON. THANKS TO THE NSA, HE MAY GET NEITHER.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
[Commentary] Brazil’s legislature is considering a bill that would store Brazilian citizens' Web data on domestic servers rather than on US ones in a bid to keep the information out of the National Security Agency's reach. Brazil also plans to lay new undersea fiber optic cable directly to Europe and build a South American version of the Internet, thereby circumventing the US-controlled portions of the Internet. This may sound ominously familiar to another project: Iran's attempt to build a "halal" Internet that's segregated from the Western version. The United States is in the uncomfortable position of having to defend a contradictory position on Internet governance. Spying on Americans' and allies' online activity may not be antithetical to the White House's diplomatic goal — promoting Internet freedom overseas — but the military mission is orthogonal to it. If the Internet does start falling to pieces, it'll be an ironic consequence for the country that did so much to build it up.
benton.org/node/160298 | Washington Post
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
NTIA PETITIONS THE FCC TO MANDATE MOBILE DEVICE UNLOCKING
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, AUTHOR: Press Release]
Citing the need for greater competition and consumer choice in the marketplace for wireless services, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) formally petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require wireless carriers to unlock mobile phones, tablets, and other devices for use with other carriers upon request. “Americans should be able to use their mobile devices on whatever networks they choose and have their devices unlocked without hassle,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling. The petition requests that the FCC immediately initiate the process of setting rules that protect Americans’ investments in mobile devices by allowing them to use their equipment with any compatible network.
benton.org/node/160286 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration | National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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DISH ACTS TO BOOST VALUE OF SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ryan Knutson]
Dish Network took steps in Washington that could increase the value of its spectrum by about $1 billion, according to an analyst estimate, a move that comes as the company is exploring several avenues to enter the wireless industry. Questions have swirled inside the telecom industry for more than a year about what Dish plans to do with its large swath of spectrum. Through dealings at the Federal Communications Commission, Dish agreed to scrap plans to use its spectrum for a high-powered national TV broadcast service in order to quell concerns that it could cause interference with other systems. In return, Dish is seeking technical changes that would allow its spectrum to be used for downloading of information. The changes cause less interference with neighboring spectrum, therefore allowing Dish to use more of what it currently owns. benton.org/node/160266 | Wall Street Journal
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
5 THINGS NEITHER SIDE OF THE BROADBAND DEBATE WANTS TO ADMIT
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Timothy Lee]
[Commentary] The broadband debate desperately needs new, creative thinking. And the first step is for each side to admit where they've gotten it wrong. Here are a few suggestions.
American wireless service is working pretty well. Some left-leaning thinkers still bemoan the state of the wireless market, blaming the problem on excessive control by wireless network operators. But the reality is that competition among the four major cell phone carriers has served American consumers pretty well.
We're falling behind on residential broadband. More recently, incumbent telephone companies have largely given up on competing with cable providers. That has given cable companies in many parts of the country a de facto monopoly on high-speed broadband service, resulting in slow innovation and poor customer service.
We desperately need more broadband experimentation. Our broadband present is mediocre, but the real problem is that for many communities, there's no serious plan for progress in the future. It's not clear what the best approach is for getting the whole country to gigabit fiber networks. More experimentation is needed. That means, for example, that state laws banning cities from building municipal networks are a bad idea
Discrimination concerns are mostly about video streaming. The emergence of smartphones with fast network connections has mooted both concerns. Telephone incumbents have far more to fear from cell phones than they do from VoIP applications. And with everyone carrying a web browser in their pockets, there's little danger of a residential broadband provider trying to censor websites.
"Network neutrality" probably isn't the answer. As the Internet becomes increasingly dominated by large players that interconnect directly with each other, network neutrality rules will become less and less effective at preventing incumbents from using their market power against competitors. Other approaches will be needed to ensure the Internet stays open and competitive.
benton.org/node/160284 | Washington Post
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ADMITTING 5 THINGS ABOUT BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Michael Weinberg]
[Commentary] Over at The Switch, Timothy Lee offered his list of 5 things neither side of the broadband debate wants to admit. I wanted to take a moment to add a bit of color to the list, to try and give you a sense of how we think about some of these things.
Wireless: While no one would argue that the state of mobile software has improved massively since 2007, I don’t know that I would go so far as to say that concerns about network operator control are necessarily obsolete. Even today we have carriers preventing some types of services from running on phones connected to their network. And carriers are still working hard to prevent you from unlocking the phone that you own from their network.
Wireline: DSL and satellite are not viable broadband competitors. Coming to terms with this state of affairs would bring us a huge way towards developing rational broadband policies.
Broadband experimentation: We get wary that “experimentation” can also be interpreted as an excuse for existing ISPs to inject themselves into the value chain through data caps or special priority fast lanes. In a world with limited broadband competition, there are few market protections for consumers with ISPs who want to experiment by exploiting their control over customers.
Discrimination concerns: Video is not the only potential victim of discrimination. The Internet moves quickly and new applications can seemingly emerge overnight. While the discussion is about video today, that doesn’t mean that it will be about video tomorrow.
Network Neutrality: There are going to be a number of developments that raise concerns about Internet access but have nothing to do with network neutrality. That being said, net neutrality is an answer to some of those concerns. Verizon recently explained that the Federal Communication Commission’s net neutrality rules were the only thing preventing it from trying to force some websites and services to pay to get special access to its customers. I’m pretty confident that the existence of network neutrality is at least, in part, the reason that problematic behavior has migrated to other places in the network.
benton.org/node/160282 | Public Knowledge
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HOW CHATTANOOGA BEAT GOOGLE FIBER BY HALF A DECADE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
They may not realize it, but some high-end Internet subscribers in Chattanooga (TN) will turn on their computers and start browsing the Web at a gigabit per second — 10 times the speeds they're used to. By month's end, some 39,000 area residents will see their mid-tier connections become twice as fast — from a current 50 megabits per second to 100. Better yet, the majority of these customers won't pay a penny for the upgrade. For that, city residents have an unlikely business to thank: the publicly-owned electric utility. Municipal governments have taken it upon themselves to build their own versions of Google Fiber. It's a model that's proven successful for Chattanooga.
benton.org/node/160262 | Washington Post
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THE FASTER YOUR BROADBAND, THE HIGHER YOUR INCOME
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
Boosting broadband speeds is correlated with a higher income in developed countries according to Ericsson. A bump from 4 Mbps, which is the US definition of broadband, to 8 Mbps is tied to an increase in income of $120 per month in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. In Brazil, India and China — countries with a less developed broadband infrastructure — speeds boosts of 512 kbps to 4Mbps offers a $46 monthly increase in income. The greatest boost in those countries comes from going from no internet access to 512 kbps which is correlated with a $70 increase in household income per month. In OECD countries the biggest benefit from a speed boost comes when homes go from no broadband to 4 Mbps, gaining about $322 per month. Importantly, the study notes that the benefits of broadband speed increases vary by country and also increase in a step progression.
benton.org/node/160272 | GigaOm
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CONTENT
ONLINE PIRACY OF ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT KEEPS SOARING
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Richard Verrier]
Despite the growth of Netflix, Amazon and other legal channels for watching entertainment online, the volume of pirated movies, TV shows, music, books and video games online continues to grow at a rapid pace. The amount of bandwidth used for copyright infringement in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific has grown nearly 160% from 2010 to 2012, accounting for 24% of total Internet bandwidth, according to a study from NetNames, the British brand protection firm. At the same time, the number of people engaged in copyright infringement has grown dramatically too. In January 2013, 327 million unique users illegally sought copyrighted content, generating 14 billion page views on websites focused on piracy, up 10% from November 2011, according to the report.
benton.org/node/160260 | Los Angeles Times
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FACEBOOK NEWS FEED CHANGED EVERYTHING
[SOURCE: Slate, AUTHOR: Farhad Manjoo]
In the time before the Facebook news feed, the Web was a strange, quiet, and probably very lonely place. I say “probably” because I can barely remember the way things worked back then. After Facebook launched news feed, nothing on the Web would ever be the same again. Get this: Before news feed, which launched seven years ago, you could post a picture or some other personal detail somewhere—your Facebook or MySpace or Friendster page, Flickr, Blogger, LiveJournal—and be reasonably sure that it would remain just there, unseen by pretty much everyone you knew. The only way someone might find it is by checking your page. Sure, some people would do that—but everyone had scores of connections online, so no one was checking each of their friends’ pages. The net effect was solitude. In The Facebook Effect, David Kirkpatrick’s history of Facebook’s early years, Chris Cox, who’s now the company’s vice president of product, recounts the founding idea for news feed: “The Internet could help you answer a million questions, but not the most important one, the one you wake up with every day: How are the people doing that I care about?” It’s clear that news feed is one of the most important, influential innovations in the recent history of the Web.
benton.org/node/160249 | Slate
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AT&T THREATENS COPYRIGHT VIOLATORS WITH INTERNET SERVICE TERMINATION
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Sean Buckley]
AT&T is getting tough on copyright violators, telling them that the company may terminate their Internet access subscription. The telecommunications company spelled out its rules in a letter that it sent to customers suspected of copyright infringement, which was obtained and published by TorrentFreak. "Using your Internet service to infringe copyrights is illegal and a violation of the AT&T Internet Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy, which apply to all users of your account, and could result in mitigation measures including limitation of Internet access or even suspension or termination," AT&T wrote in its letter. Under the terms of the Copyright Alert Program, subscribers are told what they have done wrong and advise them on how they can access content legally. Repeat offenders could face mitigation measures, including limiting or inhibiting Internet access.
benton.org/node/160247 | Fierce
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HEALTH
SAVING US HEALTH CARE WITH SKYPE
[SOURCE: Time, AUTHOR: Maya Rhodan]
The University of Virginia Health System is home to a program that may be essential to solving the healthcare-access problem in the US. The program focuses on telemedicine, or the use of electronic communication to exchange medical information either from patient to physician or between doctors. Through the UVA system’s Center for Telehealth, physicians from 40 specialties partner with 108 community hospitals, free clinics, schools and more to provide nearly 33,000 people with care they otherwise wouldn’t be able to acquire. “It saves lives, it saves functions, and it reduces cost,” David C. Gordon, the director of the office of telemedicine and rural network development at UVA Center for Telehealth, says about the program. According to Gordon, the University of Virginia Health System has reduced preterm deliveries during high-risk pregnancies by 25% via telemedical services that maintain communication between patients and physicians through technology as simple as Skype and as complicated as robotics, even when those in need are hundreds of miles away from care.
benton.org/node/160245 | Time
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POLICYMAKERS
WALDEN: DEFUNDING INTERNATIONAL TELECOM BODY 'LAST RESORT'
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
House Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) said that pulling funding from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) should be a "last resort" if the body continues its push for Internet regulation. "It's also a big club," he said at event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute. "You hope you can work these things out." Chairman Walden argued that the first step should be for the Senate to pass his bill declaring support for the current model of Internet governance free from government control. Chairman Walden also said he hopes to be able to agree on bipartisan Federal Communications Commission process reform legislation sometime in the fall. He wants to establish shot clocks, cost-benefit analyses and other FCC reforms, but has run into opposition from Democrats. He emphasized the need for major telecommunications regulation reform, but wasn't sure how that would be achieved, whether through a comprehensive telecom rewrite or in pieces. He suggested, though, that it could not all be accomplished in the reauthorization of STELA, the bill covering satellite and cable compulsory licenses. Chairman Walden said his subcommittee would hold a hearing next month on the fate of copper wire in a world of Internet delivery. The transition from traditional phone service to IP delivery is a hot topic in Washington as the FCC considers how to ease that transition and what, if any, legacy regulations -- interconnection requirements, for example -- should carry over. "The last thing we want to do is stifle the unprecedented innovation of the Internet by subjecting it to the complicated outdated government imposed rules of the plain old telephone network," Chairman Walden said.
benton.org/node/160276 | Hill, The | Multichannel News | Press release
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
FREEDOM OF PRESS IN AFGHANISTAN
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Margherita Stancati, Ehsanullah Amiri]
There have been more than 60 cases of intimidation or violence against Afghan journalists this year, more than double the figure from the year-earlier period, according to Nai, a Kabul-based, U.S.-funded organization that supports press freedom. "Freedom of speech must stay intact and nobody should be able to bring any kind of limitation," Afghan Minister of Culture and Information Sayed Makhdoom Raheen said. He cautioned that Afghan journalists should be careful not to "insult" the people about whom they report. He said he takes a personal interest in helping journalists who face threats. "Unfortunately our media does not pay attention to this very important point," the minister said. "Many people complain, that is why Parliament was very angry with me," he added, explaining that many parliamentarians accused him of not doing enough to hold the media accountable. Freedom of the press is shrinking in Afghanistan—one of the few tangible achievements of the lengthy international involvement.
benton.org/node/160308 | Wall Street Journal
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EU TELECOM REFORM
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Daniel Thomas]
European domestic regulators have criticized plans by the European Commission to enact much-needed reforms to the regional telecoms industry, saying they have been “rushed through” and are likely to favor market consolidation. The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) said that it was concerned that the regulations would jeopardize investment, competition and consumer benefit in the region. The concerns among national regulators build on criticism within the commission and from industry executives of the proposals, which were proposed by vice-president Neelie Kroes. Even so, the plans were still easily passed and adopted by the commission last week after a lengthy redrafting process over the summer.
benton.org/node/160306 | Financial Times
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TENCENT-SOGOU
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Pfanner]
Another big investment has deepened a struggle for primacy among China’s online giants. Tencent Holdings, the biggest Internet company in China, said that it had invested $448 million for a 36.5 percent stake in Sogou, a search engine. The move helps Tencent, which provides popular online games, social networking and Internet messaging services, keep pace with its main rivals, Alibaba and Baidu, which have been moving to challenge Tencent with deals of their own. Sogou, which is owned by a company called Sohu, is only the third-largest search engine in China, with a 10 percent share of searches in August, according to CNZZ, a research firm. Baidu led the way, with 63 percent, followed by Qihoo 360, with 18 percent. Still, Sogou was courted by Tencent, Qihoo and Alibaba. The rivalry between Alibaba and Tencent has been fierce, with each company moving in recent months to expand its range of Internet services in an effort to outflank the other.
benton.org/node/160304 | New York Times | Wall Street Journal
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