1. Monthly archive
  2. September 2013

September 2013

Why the NSA loves Google’s Chromebook

[Commentary] Intel and Google are announcing an upcoming onslaught of new Google Chromebooks based on Intel's Haswell architecture processors. The idea of a cloud-tethered notebook that can keep its owner connected over Wi-Fi and broadband all day long—in some cases for less than the price of a shiny new Apple iPhone—is going to be awfully appealing to many. And without a doubt, no one will be happier than the National Security Agency (NSA) and law enforcement.

While Google's cloud computing has provided a platform for the company to grab a big chunk of the low-cost notebook market and upend Microsoft's Windows applecart, the recent NSA leaks by Edward Snowden have put the cloud under... a cloud. The revelations about the NSA and FBI's PRISM program have added new doubts, particularly outside the US, about the wisdom of putting everything in Google's (or any other cloud provider's) basket. Furthermore, the Chromebook is everything a government watchman could want—even without Google Apps data and Gmail, it could give those with network monitoring capabilities a way to pinpoint the location of a credential-holder via 4G wireless (thanks, Verizon). If recent revelations from Brazil are correct, Chromebook plus a government-forged Google certificate equals a man-in-the-middle attack against the SSL security of Google's services—and a way for the government to read all of your e-mails and documents as they pass back and forth through an Internet chokepoint to and from your browser.

Internet SOS

[Commentary] We recently learned that US and British intelligence agencies have broken the back of digital encryption -- the coded technology hundreds of millions of Internet users rely on to keep their communications private. Government and corporate forces often work together to chip away the two pillars of the open Internet: our ability to control our personal data and our right to connect and communicate without censorship or interference.

Many of the companies that ply this trade are only now being exposed through "Spyfiles," collaboration among WikiLeaks, Corporate Watch and Privacy International designed to shed light on the multibillion-dollar industry. According to the latest documents provided by Edward Snowden, US intelligence agencies alone spend $250 million each year to use these companies' commercial security products for mass surveillance. It's part of a sprawling complex of companies, lobbyists and government officials seeking to rewire the Internet in ways that wrest control over content away from Internet users. The Internet wasn't meant to be like this. Bruce Schneier, an encryption fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, says that the NSA and the companies it works with are "undermining the very fabric of the Internet." It's a business that puts at risk the most integral function of the World Wide Web. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the Web's pioneer, saw the network as a "blank canvas" -- upon which anyone could contribute, communicate and innovate without permission. Without safeguards that protect users from surveillance and censorship, the Internet's DNA will change in ways that no longer foster openness, free expression and innovation. We need media policies that protect our privacy and promote access to open networks.

Tech leaders: The Internet of the future will need DC assist

The “Internet of things” may incite policymaker panic — but DC is critical to its success, tech leaders agreed. “The challenge for Washington is understanding when they can and can’t be helpful in that process,” said former-Sen John Sununu, current INSPIRE STEM USA Coalition co-chairman. “There is a role for doing what government can and should do to foster this environment.” The increasing digital connection to everyday lives — from the tracking chip in a runner’s shoe to the app that controls a home thermostat 15 miles away — remains a largely unregulated market. And it’s one that will require a proactive approach, said Alex Torpey, a proponent of open government. Otherwise, “the regulation that will come on the heels of [significant changes] are going to be much more restrictive than they need to be because we don’t know what is going to happen next.”

Why does Apple charge so much for its iPhones?

The short answer for why Apple charges so much for its iPhones -- e.g. $549 for the new iPhone 5C that most analysts expected would sell for somewhere between $300 and $400 -- is that it can. "Anybody would if they could," writes Horace Dediu on his Asmyco blog. "The right question should be: why does anybody pay this much?" The operators who pay Apple's steep prices do so because the iPhone helps move users to higher revenue data services. Dediu reaches this overall conclusion in his analysis: “The iPhone could thus be finally understood as a complex service business. It captures value through the phone bill but delivers value through a screen…. It's essentially tapping into the $1.3 trillion communications market, skimming profits by delivering the 'content' which lights up the wires. It's great except it does not work everywhere. Not yet at least. The complexity of services means that they are usually found in more advanced so-called service economies and rare in less developed so-called goods economies."

No More Excuses: Teaching 21st-Century Skills in a Low-Tech Setting

[Commentary] When you teach at a school where most of the kids are on free and reduced lunch, access to home computers, expensive Internet services, and trendy smart phones is limited, to say the least. And, when you teach at a school where $100 makes for a successful PTA fundraiser, the computers are hand-me-downs, the budget for photocopies barely gets a teacher through the first quarter, and the front of the room still contains a whiteboard instead of a screen, using the technology that has become so prevalent at other schools in other districts just isn’t possible. So, to suggest my students e-mail me their work is like suggesting teachers really do get their summers off.

With each day that went by that I didn’t incorporate screens into my instruction, my students, I felt, fell further behind from their peers in richer districts where the resources were plentiful and the use of those resources was as intuitive as smiling or laughing (both of which I imagined those students and teachers were constantly doing as they basked in the light of their powered-on monitors). As I wallowed in the unfairness of it all and finger-pointed my way to believing all was lost, what I really lost was valuable days of instruction where, in fact, I could have been teaching my students the 21st-century skills they needed all along—without a computer in sight. I realized that it wasn’t technology that was coming between my students and those in wealthier schools, it was me. What snapped me out of my computer-less fog was an article from the National Education Association about the four critical elements for student learning in the 21st century: collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creative innovation. As I reflected on this article, I started to brainstorm all the lessons I was currently doing that had those elements: a classroom debate that required communication and critical thinking, a group activity that relied on collaboration, a project that utilized creative innovation.

As I watched my list grow, I became encouraged by the fact that I was teaching 21st-century skills to my students. Maybe they weren’t going to be as far behind as I previous thought! Motivated by my new understanding, I took the next day’s lesson plan and redesigned it to focus on communication. My previous lesson consisted of a class discussion; the new lesson used a “table-top blog.” And, after seeing the results from my students (more writing than some had ever done in their life and more participation from students I usually had to bribe with candy to speak), I stopped focusing on the technology and started focusing on the skills.

The benefits of ConnectED and faster Internet in schools and libraries are enormous

The Federal Communications Commission's E-rate program has successively connected our nation's schools and libraries to the Internet. But to take full advantage of today's best educational information and services, these community institutions need more than basic connectivity; they need high-capacity broadband. for:

Children. Internet-based technologies and tools enhance learning outcomes. Broadband-enabled educational tools facilitate more interactive, personalized instruction, which has been found to improve learning outcomes. Many online academic enrichment services use video, animation, sound, and interaction to help children learn, to excite them about a topic, and to reinforce concepts learned in class. High-capacity broadband is increasingly necessary to view multimedia Web sites. Some services even offer real-time tutoring by connecting students to a live tutor through a video and audio feed. By engaging students more directly in the learning process, students are able to more quickly master course content and become adept at problem-solving and participating in the creation of their own content via various forms of media. By offering courses and programs of study over the Internet, students are provided greater choice and flexibility. Advanced learners are no longer limited by the courses offered in their schools and can obtain the coursework they need through online opportunities. Broadband-enabled educational technologies play a critical role in the development of 21st century skills. As the Federal Communications Commission observed, “digital literacy is a necessary life skill, much like the ability to read and write.”

Educators. Broadband is enhancing the quality and effectiveness of instruction and improving the delivery of education for teachers. High-capacity broadband brings dynamic resources into the classroom while promoting seamless communication and partnering among teachers, students and parents. Broadband connections enhance curricula at every grade level with dynamic and interactive Internet applications. These connections allow for:

  • Personalized instruction that allow students to learn in the way they are best wired to process information, in the style that conforms to them, and at a pace that matches their own
  • Virtual field trips take students on tours of faraway places,
  • Resource sharing
  • More interactive classrooms: teachers are leveraging the popularity of these interactive tools to supplement in-classroom learning by using an array of Web 2.0 tools such as wikis, blogs, videoconferencing, and podcasting. These tools can be used to enable a variety of blended learning experiences, including virtual work teams, which allow individuals to work together on specific projects.
  • Increased effectiveness

Teachers and administrators are also using broadband for administrative tasks, lesson planning, student assessment communication with other educators, posting course information online for students, and reaching out to parents. Broadband-enabled administrative tools provide schools an array of lower-cost options for pursuing certain IT projects. And utilizing broadband facilitates administrative and operational efficiencies. Specifically, for administrators, high-capacity broadband is used to:

  • Improve the monitoring and management of student progress and achievement;
  • Facilitate the aggregation, storage, and analysis of student-generated data; and
  • Employ cloud computing services to streamline various information technology processes.

Bridging the digital divide. With the accessibility of high speed broadband, students in the most impoverished innercity neighborhoods and distant rural regions can take advantage of the same Internet resources as students in the most affluent suburbs. Connecting schools and libraries to high-capacity broadband can be the first step in:

  • Demonstrating the relevance and utility of broadband to non-adopters and providing improved access for low-income families; and
  • Creating Gigabit cities that tap into the power of broadband to drive economic growth.

Rural America. Broadband brings the opportunity for direct access to education for rural residents who are otherwise forced to travel long distances for secondary and college courses. Rural libraries enhanced by high-capacity speed Internet often experience a resurgence of community interest and participation. Broadband provides rural residents access to global information and cultural resources.

Our Competitiveness. Access to adequate broadband capacity in our schools and libraries is not a luxury—it is a necessity for our next generation to be able to compete. Today and into the future, knowledge, jobs, and capital are going to migrate to places where workers have digital age skills, especially those in science, technology, engineering, and math (the STEM fields). STEM jobs are growing at a rate three times faster than other occupations. And even opportunities outside of STEM will be increasingly digitized, and students will need technology skills to become competitive in the worldwide workforce. But digital age learning cannot take place at near dial-up speeds. In South Korea, 100 percent of schools are connected to broadband. With so much capacity, an effort is underway to transition all students from traditional textbooks to digital readers. In Uruguay, through a national program, nearly all primary and secondary schools have been connected and every primary school student has access to a free laptop. Uruguay also has revamped its secondary school science and math curricula adding robotics and national math competitions. Connecting all schools to high-speed broadband will help cement the U.S. as a leader and global partner in education — setting an example for schools in other countries that are struggling to build out their education systems

Enabling Tomorrow's Learning Technologies Today. There are a number of vital learning technologies that can only be used in the classroom with adequate broadband speeds: Streaming Educational Video: Digital learning is transforming education and online video is at the center of this transformation. PBS Video and Khan Academy, for example, can give every student access to advanced educational video instruction, regardless of whether their school offers a particular course. Two-Way Video Communication: With adequate bandwidth, teachers are able to use free tools like Skype to break down the walls of the classroom, connecting students with experts around the world to open up new worlds of opportunity. 3D-Printing: We know that hands-on learning is one of the most effective forms of education. Additive manufacturing or three dimensional (3D) printing is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D printers are becoming more ubiquitous in higher education institutions, as the prices of these machines decrease and their education value rises. Similarly, it is becoming more important to incorporate 3D printers into public schools – especially those serving the visually impaired. Game-based learning: In order to change the game in education, many believe we need to find ways to get kids more engaged in learning, by harnessing higher speed broadband to make learning as engaging as the best video games.

Our Libraries. When libraries are connected to high-capacity broadband, the neighboring community benefits. Public libraries serve as critical gateways to information outside one’s own community, and in the Information Age this role has become even more important. Broadband allows a library to think beyond basic services and introduce new services and applications that it may previously have been unable to provide because of limited bandwidth. New services and applications aside, upgrading to a fiber connection may soon be necessary simply to keep pace with changes in technology and the public’s growing data needs. As reliance upon public libraries to provide broadband telecommunications services for their community increases, it becomes essential to have universal high speed connectivity in libraries across the country.

  • Residents in underserved communities, such as rural or low income areas where many homes lack access to broadband, rely on free Internet connectivity from their local public library.
  • Many libraries provide information literacy training that allows less tech-savvy individuals to engage the Internet in ways they otherwise wouldn’t.
  • Senior citizens, many of whom do not own home computers, find public libraries helpful for accessing information on health issues or government programs, and maintaining connections with family and friends who live far away.
  • As central public meeting spaces within communities, libraries connected to broadband can serve as disaster response centers during floods, fires , hurricanes, etc.
  • Librarians use broadband for business functions, such as running online catalogs, managing digitized content and serving patrons through e-mail and online reference.

Anytime Anywhere Anything Learning. Through the innovative use of broadband, however, it is possible to provide learners with anytime, anywhere content and interactions. Computer-based instruction and tools utilized outside of the classroom:

  • encourage students to ask questions;
  • retain student attention; and
  • tailor content to meet various learning styles.

Rather than just having information fed to them from the teacher or via textbooks, students are able to actively participate in the learning process. Tools such as gaming and virtual role-playing allow students to step into their textbooks and interact directly with the material and with other individuals to bolster the learning experience.

People with Disabilities. For people with disabilities, broadband is a flexible and adaptable tool that is being used to deliver affordable, convenient, and effective services, and that enables a range of social, economic, and health-related benefits. Moreover, broadband is poised to serve as a primary medium through which next-generation interactive assistive technologies are developed, deployed, and delivered. The use of broadband, particularly when combined with assistive technology and applications, can remove barriers that keep children with disabilities from fully participating in everyday activities alongside their peers and from becoming independent, integral members of their communities. In some instances, having access to high-capacity broadband is even more crucial for people with disabilities due to the nature of these applications and their bandwidth requirements. High-capacity broadband enables education and communication methods that slower connection speeds simply cannot handle. Broadband and broadband-enabled technologies empower youth, and particularly those with disabilities, to overcome three of the most challenging barriers to success: physical distances, the ability to communicate, and attitudinal limitations. Broadband’s speed enables users to access a variety of ways to communicate and exchange information through text chat, sound, video, closed captioning, and speech recognition, removing barriers and allowing youth to pursue experiences to which they otherwise would not have access.

  • Broadband makes new services available to people with physical disabilities, such as attending classes remotely, eliminating the need for unnecessary or difficult commutes or trips.
  • Programs that read text and describe visual contents aloud in a synthetic voice or a Braille display enable people who are blind or visually impaired to search the Internet, understand videos, and communicate online.
  • For persons with certain mental conditions or learning disabilities, slow download speeds discourage Internet use.
  • Broadband can help parents and caregivers of youth with disabilities, too. Videoconferencing equipment allows them to manage children’s learning plans more easily.

Native Americans. The lack of fundamental telecommunications infrastructure throughout Tribal Lands and Native Communities in the U.S., and particularly on reservations, is an acute and nagging problem that a reformed E-rate program could do much to address. Members of federally-recognized American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages, “[b]y virtually any measure, … have historically had less access to telecommunications services than any other segment of the population.” In starkest terms, these communities are the lands that the Information Age has forgot. It is critical that Native students have the same opportunity as their non-Native counterparts in accessing high capacity broadband Internet technologies. Otherwise, Native children will be left behind as education tools increasingly become digital. Native students are already less likely to attend a high school that offers Advanced Placement courses than their peers. But even though more AP courses are available online, without robust broadband access, Native students still will not be able to take these courses.

Senate Commerce Committee
September 18, 2013
2:30 pm

The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on the nominations of Mr. Michael O’Rielly, to be a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, and Ms. Terrell McSweeny, to be a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission.

The Commerce Committee will hold a brief Executive Session at 2:30 p.m. prior to the nominations hearing to consider the Committee’s Budget Resolution for the remainder of the 113th Congress.

The following nominations will be considered:

Mr. Michael O’Rielly to be Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission

Ms. Terrell McSweeny to be Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission


September 12, 2013 (Phone companies want the FCC out of the Internet business)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

A busy, busy day in wonkland – check out all the events http://benton.org/calendar/2013-09-12/


GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   The NSA is sharing data with Israel. Before filtering out Americans’ information.
   More Mistakes at NSA - editorial [links to web]
   Zero Sum: Americans Must Sacrifice Some Security to Reform the NSA - editorial
   Senators: Illegal NSA spying still secret
   How far did the NSA go to weaken cryptography standards? - analysis
   The NSA sponsors ‘cyber operations’ training at universities. Here’s what students learn.
   Beijing’s ban on Internet rumors threatens free speech. And some in China aren’t afraid to say it. [links to web]
   Zuckerberg says US 'blew it' on NSA spying

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   Phone companies want the FCC out of the Internet business
   Broadband gap: Google Fiber isn't the only revolution in Kansas City
   How the Internet broke on 9/11
   Conservative poll: Internet tax bill unpopular [links to web]

SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
   Verizon Wireless Completes Sale of Spectrum to AT&T - press release
   What Not To Do On 9/11, Starring AT&T, the $9.11 Newspaper Deal, Others [links to web]
   Apple-Google Lawsuit Show Signs of Life [links to web]
   Verizon Sells a Record $49 Billion Worth of Bonds [links to web]
   New iPhones could change commerce [links to web]

TELECOM
   A Fiber-Optic Network For Fire Island - press release
   Beyond Fire Island: Verizon Reversal Illustrates Pitfalls of POTS Sunset
   Lifeline Household Duplicates Pilot Program Guidance Letter
   Proposed Fourth Quarter 2013 Universal Service Contribution Factor – 15.6% - public notice [links to web]
   Phone companies want the FCC out of the Internet business

TELEVISION/RADIO
   Communications and Technology Subcommittee Continues Review of Satellite Television Law - press release
   Rep Eshoo warns CBS-Time Warner blackout likely to happen again [links to web]
   Ad Wars Heat Up in Washington Over Retransmission Reform
   Moonves Says TWC Blackout Didn't Hurt CBS Earnings [links to web]
   Time Warner Cable Says It Lost Customers in Blackout [links to web]
   Burke: NBC Retransmission Revenue To Reach $200M in 2013 [links to web]
   Why Broadcast TV Lost Its Edge After ‘NYPD Blue’
   Record Labels Sue Sirius XM Over the Use of Older Music

PRIVACY
   Facebook Privacy Change Is Subject of FTC Inquiry
   Sen. Markey troubled by Facebook privacy changes
   Mark Zuckerberg to meet with top four House Republicans [links to web]

EDUCATION
   ConnectED: Delivering the Future of Learning - analysis

ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
   Campaign firm wants to skip disclosures for mobile ads

JOURNALISM
   Meet The Inspiring Woman Breaking News About Syria As She Reinvents Digital Journalism [links to web]

FCC REFORM
   Phone companies want the FCC out of the Internet business
   Chairwoman Clyburn: Budget Cuts Could Have 'Cascading' Effect
   FCC's Pai: Marketplace Should Set Value of Auctioned Broadcast Spectrum
   Senate to hold hearing on FCC, FTC picks

STORIES FROM ABROAD
   European Commission pushes for net neutrality and end to roaming fees
   Beijing’s ban on Internet rumors threatens free speech. And some in China aren’t afraid to say it. [links to web]
   German parties eyeing Obama’s web-savvy campaign
   Cheaper IPhone Seen Helping Crack Subsidy-Shy Europe [links to web]
   Vivendi to Study Plan to Split in Two [links to web]

MORE ONLINE
   Back-to-School Spending Surveys Reveal Differences About Tech Buys [links to web]
   Gov Deval Patrick Changes Course, Abandons Tech Tax [links to web]

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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

THE NSA IS SHARING DATA WITH ISRAEL. BEFORE FILTERING OUT AMERICANS’ INFORMATION.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Andrea Peterson]
In the months since Edward Snowden’s classified document leaks, the Obama Administration has repeatedly assured Americans that the National Security Agency does not intentionally collect information about US citizens. The government has also said that when data are collected “inadvertently,” because an American is in contact with a foreign target, the data are protected by strict “minimization procedures” that prevent the information from being misused. New documents from Snowden reported by the Guardian appear to contradict those claims. They reveal that the NSA has been sharing raw intelligence information with the Israeli government without first filtering it for data on the communications of American citizens. The relationship was described in a “Memorandum of Understanding” between the NSA and the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU). The document is undated, but it refers to an earlier agreement “in principle” reached in March 2009. The memo outlines procedures that should be taken by ISNU to protect information regarding Americans and stresses that the constitutional rights of American citizens must be respected by Israeli intelligence staff. According to the memo, NSA routinely sends ISNU “minimized and unminimized” signal intelligence (sigint) data. In other words, the US government shares intercepted communications with the Israelis without first screening it for sensitive information about Americans.
benton.org/node/159180 | Washington Post | The Guardian
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ZERO SUM: AMERICANS MUST SACRIFICE SOME SECURITY TO REFORM THE NSA
[SOURCE: The Atlantic, AUTHOR: Bruce Schneier]
[Commentary] From the secret court rulings that allow it to collect data on all Americans to its systematic subversion of the entire Internet as a surveillance platform, the National Security Agency (NSA) has amassed an enormous amount of power. There are two basic schools of thought about how this came to pass. The first focuses on the agency’s power. Like J. Edgar Hoover, NSA Director Keith Alexander has become so powerful as to be above the law. The second school of thought is that it’s the administrations’ fault -- not just the present one, but the most recent several. According to this theory, the NSA is simply doing its job. If there’s a problem with the NSA’s actions, it’s because the rules it’s operating under are bad. Regardless of how we got here, the NSA can’t reform itself. Change cannot come from within; it has to come from above. It’s the job of government: of Congress, of the courts, and of the President. These are the people who have the ability to investigate how things became so bad, rein in the rogue agency, and establish new systems of transparency, oversight, and accountability. Any solution we devise will make the NSA less efficient at its eavesdropping job. That's a trade-off we should be willing to make. We do this because we realize that a too-powerful police force is itself a danger and we need to balance our need for public safety with our aversion of a police state. The same reasoning needs to apply to the NSA. We want it to eavesdrop on our enemies, but it needs to do so in a way that doesn’t trample on the constitutional rights of Americans, or fundamentally jeopardize their privacy or security. This means that sometimes the NSA won’t get to eavesdrop, just as the protections we put in place to restrain police sometimes result in a criminal getting away. This is a trade-off we need to make willingly and openly, because overall we are safer that way.
benton.org/node/159184 | Atlantic, The
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SENATORS: ILLEGAL NSA SPYING STILL SECRET
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
Sens Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Udall (D-CO) are warning that the Administration has still not revealed the full scope of the National Security Agency's privacy violations. Sens Wyden and Udall, who both have access to classified information as members of the Intelligence Committee, warned that "some significant information — particularly about violations pertaining to the bulk e-mail records collection program — remains classified." When the Administration first acknowledged NSA privacy violations, Sens. Wyden and Udall said the admission was only the "tip of a larger iceberg." "With the documents declassified and released by the Director of National Intelligence the public now has new information about the size and shape of that iceberg," they said.
benton.org/node/159150 | Hill, The
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HOW FAR DID THE NSA GO TO WEAKEN CRYPTOGRAPHY STANDARDS?
[SOURCE: The Verge, AUTHOR: Russell Brandom]
[Commentary] The Guardian's bombshell cryptography story revealed that one secret document showed that the National Security Agency (NSA) had worked covertly to get its own version of a draft security standard issued by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) approved for worldwide use in 2006. “Eventually, NSA became the sole editor,” the document states. NIST is usually seen as an impartial judge of standards, so this was potentially catastrophic. The agency denied the allegations, saying they would never "deliberately weaken a cryptographic standard," but the damage was done. Had the NSA been poisoning the well of cryptography? Miles Smid was on the NIST working group that approved the standard. He says any NSA involvement was fully disclosed and happened before the group ever convened. "NIST is part of the government and so is the NSA. The NSA has submitted candidate algorithms in the past, and NIST treats them like any other submissions," Smid said. In any case, it's still unclear just how alarmed the crypto world should be. But at the same time, the problem is much bigger than a single bad standard. We now have confirmation that the NSA purposefully spread a bad algorithm, which calls into question much more than just a single program. benton.org/node/159142 | Verge, The
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NSA SPONSORS ‘CYBER OPERATION’ TRAINING
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Caitlin Dewey]
The National Security Agency has run a “cyber operations” program since 2012 -- working with Northeastern University, Dakota State, the University of Tulsa and the Naval Postgraduate School -- to design curricula that match the agency’s intelligence and infrastructure needs. The purpose, says Carnegie Mellon’s Dena Haritos Tsamitis, is to shift capabilities from “cyber defense” to “cyber offense.” It’s also to funnel the next generation of analysts and hackers directly to the NSA, CIA, Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies and contractors. To be clear, the NSA doesn’t teach these classes or dictate what faculty members teach, but schools compete fiercely for NSA certification. At Carnegie Mellon University, aspiring government hackers, programmers and cybersecurity analysts start out with basics such as “fundamentals of telecommunications networks” and “introduction to computer security” before moving on to courses in mobile security, operating systems and Internet services. All students also take a class on “applied cryptography” during their second year, which covers both how to encrypt digital information and how to crack encrypted signals.
benton.org/node/159141 | Washington Post
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US BLEW IT
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Brandon Bailey]
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg lashed out at the US government, saying that authorities have hurt Silicon Valley companies by doing a poor job of explaining the online spying efforts of US intelligence agencies. "Frankly I think the government blew it," Zuckerberg complained during an onstage interview at the tech industry conference known as Disrupt, a weeklong event where Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and other prominent tech executives also spoke out publicly and expressed frustration in person, for the first time, since a series of news leaks revealed the government's controversial surveillance programs. "It's our government's job to protect all of us and also protect our freedoms and protect the economy, and companies," said Zuckerberg, "and I think they did a bad job of balancing those things." He went on to say: "They blew it on communicating the balance of what they were going for."
benton.org/node/159194 | San Jose Mercury News
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

PHONE COMPANIES LOBBY TO WEAKEN FCC
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
As phone companies retool their businesses for the Internet, they are calling on Washington to liberate them from their longtime overseer, the Federal Communications Commission. Led by high-profile former regulators and lawmakers, telecom giants including Verizon, AT&T and Comcast have launched multiple efforts to shift regulation of their broadband businesses to other agencies that don’t have nearly as much power as the FCC. Jon Leibowitz, the former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, will lobby House Republican and Democratic staff on behalf of those firms, urging lawmakers to take away some privacy powers from the FCC. Verizon Communications asked a federal appeals court to overturn FCC rules that require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet services. AT&T’s head of lobbying, Jim Cicconi, also raised concerns about the FCC’s policing of broadband providers. In a speech, Cicconi questioned the FCC’s antitrust powers, saying the FTC and Justice Department have more expertise in the area of competition law. In total, the week’s flurry of attacks on the FCC brings fresh attention to an agency struggling to keep up with consumers who have cut phone lines for wireless and lightning-fast Internet services.
benton.org/node/159201 | Washington Post
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BROADBAND GAP: GOOGLE FIBER ISN'T THE ONLY REVOLUTION IN KANSAS CITY
[SOURCE: The Verge, AUTHOR: Carl Franzen]
Kansas City, a metropolitan area of about 2 million that straddles the border between Kansas state and Missouri, seems an unlikely place to see what the future of Internet connectivity could look like. But nearly three years after Google announced that this Midwestern metropolis best known for jazz and barbecue would become the first place in the world to get the company’s experimental, ultra-high-speed broadband Internet service — Google Fiber — Kansas City is looking more futuristic. That’s because Kansas City is also home to another experimental broadband Internet service effort that hasn’t received nearly as much international attention as Google Fiber. Just over a year ago, right around the same time Google actually began installing fiber in KC, a ragtag alliance of affordable Internet advocates began building their own nonprofit wireless Internet service specifically designed for low-income households, a system they call the KC Freedom Network. Even though it can’t match Google Fiber in terms of raw speed, the KC Freedom Network offers something to users they say Google does not: truly affordable Internet. The KC Freedom Network doesn't charge anything for many of its users, but eventually hopes to offer internet for $20 a year.
benton.org/node/159143 | Verge, The
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HOW THE INTERNET BROKE ON 9/11
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
Twelve years is an eternity in Internet time. We didn’t have Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram in 2001. Still, when the Twin Towers fell, Americans flocked online to get information. Despite how limited some of these services were — user-generated videos a la YouTube were still four years away — Sept 11 still produced an incredible amount of data. Andy Ellis, chief security officer at Akamai, recalls that before the Twin Towers came down, the traffic routing company had only ever moved, at most, 6 gigabits of data per second. Then MSNBC decided to stream its program live on the Internet, which drove the cable channel’s data usage past all previous Akamai records. For some, the Internet slowed to a crawl. Jackie Mathis was a high-school student in North Carolina when she learned of the attacks in New York. Mathis told me the Web became virtually unusable because of the load. “There I am, trying to get any information from Yahoo and CNN, but the Web sites would only load intermittently,” Mathis added. “Our computers were dial-up modems, and there was just too much traffic. So all we had was the TV.” Internet infrastructure wasn’t the only bottleneck. Individual Web sites and services were caught flatfooted. The FBI, which had posted mugshots of the Sept 11 hijackers within hours of the attack, also buckled under the extra traffic.
benton.org/node/159181 | Washington Post
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS

VERIZON WIRELESS COMPLETES SALE OF SPECTRUM TO AT&T
[SOURCE: Verizon Wireless, AUTHOR: Robin Nicol]
Verizon Wireless announced it completed the sale of 39 lower 700 MHz B Block spectrum licenses to AT&T in exchange for $1.9 billion, together with the transfer to Verizon Wireless of certain AWS-1 licenses, under an agreement announced in January 2013. The AWS licenses cover certain western markets, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Albuquerque (NM), Fresno (CA), and Portland (OR) and will be used to add capacity to Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, the largest in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission approved the spectrum license transfers on September 3rd. [Robin B. Nicol is executive director of Corporate Communications at Verizon Wireless]
benton.org/node/159145 | Verizon Wireless
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TELECOM

A FIBER-OPTIC NETWORK FOR FIRE ISLAND
[SOURCE: Verizon, AUTHOR: Tom Maguire]
It is no secret that last year’s storm either destroyed or literally washed away our longtime copper landline network on the western side of Fire Island. Our first objective was to restore voice service, and to do so in a reliable and resilient way. We looked to do this without disrupting the already-damaged environment or getting in the way of other people working to restore the homes and businesses hit by the storm. Because of the monumental damage to our landline network, and the limited amount of time we had to restore services, we offered a state-of-the-art wireless product, Voice Link that was able to provide reliable home voice service to our customers. It is because of this commitment that we have decided to deploy fiber to the western portion of the island. The main driver of this was simply that our customers told us they were interested in a wider set of services beyond voice - services that no other company was willing or able to provide. While the island now has an advanced wireless network, we will soon begin building a fiber optic network that will enable state-of-the art wireline voice and broadband services. We expect to have the fiber network completed in time for the summer 2014 season. Residents of western Fire Island will now have the benefits of both our advanced wireless and fiber-optic networks. [Tom Maguire is Senior Vice President - National Operations Support]
benton.org/node/159146 | Verizon
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BEYOND FIRE ISLAND: VERIZON REVERSAL ILLUSTRATES PITFALLS OF POTS SUNSET
[SOURCE: telecompetitor, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
[Commentary] Phasing out traditional phone service is easier said than done, as Verizon’s decision to bring FiOS fiber optics to Fire Island (NY) illustrates. Perhaps Verizon determined that it would be easier and/or less risky to deploy FiOS than to comply with the Federal Communications Commission’s request for details about how the service works with 911. The question now is how precedent-setting the Fire Island example will be for other carriers – including AT&T – who want to be able to phase out traditional voice infrastructure and replace it with a wireless solution. Verizon probably isn’t eager to rebuild landline infrastructure in areas where it has a co-marketing deal with the cable companies. And the carrier may face less opposition to the decision not to rebuild when customers have alternatives, including the cable company. AT&T, however, may be in a different position with regard to the areas where it would like to phase out plain old telephone service (POTS). The carrier has a considerable amount of lines in rural areas that are costly to serve and, consequently, where there may be few, if any, competitive alternatives. Last year, AT&T asked the FCC to conduct a POTS phase-out trial and in May the FCC suggested three trials, including one that would test replacing traditional voice service with a wireless alternative. At that time the FCC also asked the industry for input on its proposal.
benton.org/node/159185 | telecompetitor
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LIFELINE LETTER
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Julie Veach]
In an effort to instances of multiple carriers providing Lifeline service to the same household (inter-company household duplicates), the Federal Communications Commission is directing the Universal Service Administrative Company to develop a pilot to test and develop a permanent process to eliminate inter-company household duplicates prior to the deployment of the National Lifeline Accountability Database (Database). The results of the pilot will be used to help design a process for scrubbing inter-company household duplicates from ETCs’ subscriber rolls prior to loading subscriber information into the Database. USAC shall trial two options for collecting and reviewing subscriber responses, testing the same number of addresses and subscribers with each option.
benton.org/node/159183 | Federal Communications Commission
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TELEVISION/RADIO

COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY SUBCOMMITTEE CONTINUES REVIEW OF SATELLITE TELEVISION LAW
[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), continued its review of the nation’s satellite television law with a hearing focused on the role of innovation and regulation in the video marketplace. The subcommittee is examining the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA), portions of which are set to sunset on December 31, 2014. The subcommittee has previously looked at whether STELA still serves an important function or if it is out of step with today’s video marketplace and members are exploring whether Congress should reauthorize the law as is, revise it, or allow portions to lapse. With the 32-day blackout of CBS on Time Warner Cable still very fresh in the minds of lawmakers, the hearing was quickly dominated by retransmission consent reform.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/press-release/communications-and-technol...
House Hearing on Video Marketplace Turns Into Retransmission Debate (AdWeek)
benton.org/node/159173 | House of Representatives Commerce Committee | AdWeek
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AD WARS HEAT UP IN WASHINGTON OVER RETRANSMISSION REFORM
[SOURCE: AdWeek, AUTHOR: Katy Bachman]
Now that CBS and Time Warner Cable have resolved their retransmission consent differences, the rhetoric is turning to Washington, where ads have been popping up in Capitol Hill publications on both sides of the issue. The timing of the ads is no coincidence. They are placed to catch the attention of lawmakers as two House subcommittees hold hearings on the reauthorization of a satellite bill, both of which have quickly turned into hearings on a variety of TV and video issues. One ad takes two quotes from CBS CEO Les Moonves, who on the one hand said that his company is only looking for fair value for its TV content, but also said it was absurd to suggest radio stations should pay royalties for music over the air. An ad from the broadcasters screams one statistic: 90 percent—the percent of retransmission consent blackouts that are caused by just three companies, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV and Dish.
benton.org/node/159149 | AdWeek | TVNewsCheck
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NYPD BLUE
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: Brian Lowry]
When “NYPD Blue” made its debut 20 years ago, some of the predictions were nothing short of apocalyptic. The New York Times wondered whether the boundary-pushing police drama would put network standards-and-practices execs out of business under the headline, “What’s a network TV censor to do?” Flash forward, however, and producers Steven Bochco and David Milch’s creation didn’t revolutionize television — at least, not in the way many foresaw. And while the program’s history and success over 12 seasons merit analysis and even celebration, the real revelation is that two decades later, the groundbreaking series remains an outlier for broadcast TV — where almost nothing, even now, is bluer than “Blue.” That’s not to say “NYPD Blue” didn’t contribute to changes in television. It did, from perceptions regarding audience tastes to the way in which advocacy groups orchestrated lobbying campaigns targeting sponsors and stations. In many ways, though, the crystal ball pertaining to the show proved fuzzier than the carefully framed images of cast members grappling. And if the series was conceived, as Bochco recalls, to provide a broadcast response to the greater creative latitude available on cable, then just like efforts to prevent more explicit fare from becoming widely accepted, its impact didn’t play out in the way many envisioned.
benton.org/node/159190 | Variety
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SIRIUS SUIT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Ben Sisario]
Feb. 15, 1972 is when federal copyright protection began to apply to recordings. But a recent string of lawsuits argue that licensing issues tied to that date may be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to singers and record labels. If the suits are successful, they could also bring a headache of liability to satellite and Internet radio services. The three largest record companies — Sony, Universal and Warner, along with ABKCO, an independent that controls many of the Rolling Stones’ early music rights — sued Sirius XM Radio in a California court, saying that the satellite service used recordings from before 1972 without permission. Even though federal copyright protection does not apply to these recordings, the suits say that they are still covered by state law. The suit is the third major complaint filed against Sirius XM in five weeks. The band the Turtles — whose song “Happy Together” was a No. 1 hit in 1967 — and the royalty agency SoundExchange filed similar suits last month, each seeking as much as $100 million in damages. The suit filed on Sept 11, in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages and a declaratory judgment about the rights involved in pre-1972 recordings.
benton.org/node/159198 | New York Times
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PRIVACY

FACEBOOK FACES FTC INVESTIGATION
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Vindu Goel, Edward Wyatt]
Facebook, which has repeatedly tripped over its own feet when changing its privacy practices, has stumbled yet again. The Federal Trade Commission said that it had begun an inquiry into whether the social network’s proposed new privacy policies, unveiled two weeks ago, violated a 2011 agreement with regulators. Under that agreement, the social network is required to get the explicit consent of its users before exposing their private information to new audiences. Facebook’s new policies make clear that users are required to grant the company wide permission to use their personal information in advertising as a condition of using the service. Facebook says the language was in part required by a federal court. In August, a judge approved some of the wording as part of a settlement in a class-action suit brought by users upset at seeing their names and photos used to endorse products in Facebook ads sent to their friends.
benton.org/node/159199 | New York Times | WSJ
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SEN. MARKEY TROUBLED BY FACEBOOK PRIVACY CHANGES
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) expressed concern about Facebook's proposed changes to its privacy policy. The changes would clarify that Facebook has the right to include users' photos, names and other personal information in advertisements to their friends. "This troubling shift in policy raises a number of questions about whether Facebook is improperly altering its privacy policy without proper user consent and, if the changes go into effect, the degree to which Facebook users will lose control over their personal information," Sen. Markey wrote in a letter to Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. He asked the FTC to determine whether the changes violate the terms of Facebook's 2011 settlement with the agency. That agreement barred Facebook from sharing users' information with third parties without their "affirmative express consent." Sen Markey said he is "particularly concerned" about how the changes would affect teens. Facebook said that by agreeing to the new policy, users who are younger than 18 "represent" that their parents have also agreed to the terms. "Teens, often impressionable and still developing and learning safe online habits are especially vulnerable," Sen Markey said. "Accordingly, the FTC should pay close attention to any change that could harm our nation's young people." Sen. Markey's letter echoes the concerns of a coalition of privacy groups, who urged the FTC to block the changes.
benton.org/node/159178 | Hill, The
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EDUCATION

CONNECTED: DELIVERING THE FUTURE OF LEARNING
[SOURCE: The White House, AUTHOR: Gene Sperling]
[Commentary] ConnectED must be seen as so much more than just about wires, or wireless, or even the coolest new gadgets. The power of ConnectED is in what it can mean for the lives, learning, and educational future of our students — regardless of the accident of their birth, the education or income of their parents, or the zip code of their home. The end goal is not connectivity for its own sake: it is about allowing all students to have a more robust, individualized, and ambitious educational experience that better prepares them to be citizens, parents, and, of course, the skilled workers of the future. Yet what is painfully clear – and what compels the need for ConnectED – is that a vision of students on individualized learning devices, getting the most up-to-date content, and reaping the benefits of stronger assessment tools is not possible in the majority of classrooms around the country today. ConnectED can address this, and pay huge dividends to the nation. Let me highlight two ways how. First, we have to ask ourselves: if technology has changed industry after industry across our economy, why not education? Second, and what excites me most about the President’s vision of connected classrooms is the full meaning of what it can mean for all young people reaching their potential. The ConnectED promise is the kind of personalized instruction that can eradicate negative forms of tracking – keeping kids at varying levels of mastery in the same room, all being challenged and all learning from one another. The ConnectED vision also allows students who are struggling to keep trying without feeling embarrassed or ashamed in front of their peers Individualized learning takes technology, and technology can take the fear out of learning in a group setting. [Gene Sperling is Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council]
benton.org/node/159186 | White House, The
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ELECTIONS AND MEDIA

CAMPAIGN FIRM WANTS TO SKIP DISCLOSURES FOR MOBILE ADS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
Revolution Media wants to be able to display political ads on mobile devices without including the usual disclosure statement. In a letter to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Revolution Messaging argues that the disclosure rules make it impossible for campaigns to advertise on small smartphone screens. “Many of our clients have been unable to take advantage of mobile advertising capabilities after being told they need to include a disclaimer. It’s an impossible request because the disclaimer would end up larger than the ad itself,” Keegan Goudiss, the firm's head of digital advertising, said. The FEC requires ads to state which campaign or group is paying for the message, and outside groups must state whether the message was authorized by the candidate. The agency requires that print disclosures be "clearly readable."
benton.org/node/159179 | Hill, The | Politico
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FCC REFORM

CLYBURN: BUDGET CUTS COULD HAVE 'CASCADING' EFFECT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn told a Senate appropriations subcommittee that if the country wanted to remain a world leader in communications, it should not compromise the funding that supports the FCC's mission. She suggested that budget cuts could lead to a cascade of negative outcomes that will continue to slow the FCC's ability to process thousands of applications for new and innovative services, which could affect spectrum development and auctions. She pointed out that the FCC is already doing less thanks to the sequester and was operating on $322 million in 2013 when it had asked for $346.7 million. The Republican-controlled House is looking at giving the FCC only $320 million for 2014, Subcommittee Chairman Tom Udall (D-NM) pointed out. In addition to budget issues, the hearing was primarily focused on phone and broadband issues, including rural call completion, the challenges of universal service reform, incentive auctions for wireless broadband, E-rate reforms, and funding of an interoperable emergency communications network.
benton.org/node/159175 | Broadcasting&Cable
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FCC'S PAI: MARKETPLACE SHOULD SET VALUE OF AUCTIONED BROADCAST SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission member Ajit Pai plans to tell Congress that the FCC should not set reserve prices in the broadcast incentive auction based on how many viewers a station has or the station’s value as an ongoing broadcast operation. "The prices paid to broadcasters should be determined by the auction process, not by government fiat," he said in prepared testimony for a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the FCC's budget. Commissioner Pai and the other commissioners are witnesses at the hearing. The Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition (TV stations pondering selling their spectrum), led by Executive Director Preston Padden, has been arguing that the FCC could discourage broadcasters from participating by paying larger stations more than smaller ones, or "scoring" them on size or audience or population when the value of a station's spectrum to the government should instead be how it affects other stations in the repacking process.
benton.org/node/159148 | Multichannel News
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NOMINATION HEARING SCHEDULED
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
The Senate Commerce Committee is beginning to move on two of President Barack Obama's nominees to regulatory commissions that oversee the technology industry. The committee will hold a hearing Sept 18 on the nominees to the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission. Michael O'Rielly, a staffer to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), would fill the second Republican spot on the FCC. Terrell McSweeny, a Justice Department official and former aide to Vice President Biden, would be the third Democratic FTC commissioner. The hearing will be the first public opportunity to hear the nominees' views on the hot-button issues before the agencies.
benton.org/node/159192 | Hill, The
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STORIES FROM ABROAD

EUROPEAN COMMISSION PUSHES FOR NET NEUTRALITY AND END TO ROAMING FEES
[SOURCE: The Verge, AUTHOR: Aaron Souppouris]
The European Commission (EC) agreed to adopt its ambitious "connected continent" plan, which includes wide-reaching network neutrality and telecoms regulation. After aiming to put an end to roaming fees in 2014, the EC has unveiled its plan to coax carriers into doing so. New legislation approved by the EC doesn't represent a demand to end roaming, but instead looks to make life difficult for Europe's carriers if they don't get on board with the plan. Starting in 2014, all carriers will have to stop charging for incoming calls received when abroad. The plan for other roaming fees is to persuade carriers to adopt a "roam like at home" strategy, whereby all minutes, text messages, and data from your monthly plan can be used in any EU member state without extra charge. Should carriers implement charge-free roaming by 2014, they'll enjoy lighter regulations moving forward. If any carrier doesn't move over to the "roam like at home" system, its customers will be free to choose another provider for international calls, texts, and data, without changing their SIM card or receiving a second bill. It's hoped that the threat of giving carriers' customers free choice will push the telecommunications industry into dropping roaming fees. The EC also adopted a network neutrality plan that closely tracks the US Federal Communication Commission's Open Internet policy. The new rules forbid Internet service providers from throttling or blocking Internet content, or from "traffic shaping" practices.
benton.org/node/159144 | Verge, The
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WEB-SAVVY CAMPAIGN
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Emily Schultheis]
Representatives from Germany’s major political parties all made pilgrimages to the United States last fall to observe the Obama campaign’s massive data and digital operation that’s credited with helping the president win a second term. Very little of it can be replicated in Germany. Germany is in the final two-week sprint before its Sept. 22 federal elections. The results will determine whether Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democratic Union get another term leading the government. And because of a whole host of factors — legal issues, lack of financial resources and a German public that highly distrusts official use of personal information — an Obama-style data model is virtually impossible in Germany.
benton.org/node/159189 | Politico
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Phone companies want the FCC out of the Internet business

As phone companies retool their businesses for the Internet, they are calling on Washington to liberate them from their longtime overseer, the Federal Communications Commission.

Led by high-profile former regulators and lawmakers, telecom giants including Verizon, AT&T and Comcast have launched multiple efforts to shift regulation of their broadband businesses to other agencies that don’t have nearly as much power as the FCC. Jon Leibowitz, the former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, will lobby House Republican and Democratic staff on behalf of those firms, urging lawmakers to take away some privacy powers from the FCC. Verizon Communications asked a federal appeals court to overturn FCC rules that require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet services. AT&T’s head of lobbying, Jim Cicconi, also raised concerns about the FCC’s policing of broadband providers. In a speech, Cicconi questioned the FCC’s antitrust powers, saying the FTC and Justice Department have more expertise in the area of competition law. In total, the week’s flurry of attacks on the FCC brings fresh attention to an agency struggling to keep up with consumers who have cut phone lines for wireless and lightning-fast Internet services.

More Mistakes at NSA

[Commentary] A fresh trove of previously classified documents released provides further evidence — as if any more were needed — that the National Security Agency has frequently been unable to comprehend, let alone manage, its vast and continuing collection of Americans’ telephone and Internet records.

The documents, made available by the agency in response to lawsuits by two advocacy groups, revealed that in 2009 a judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court severely reprimanded the agency for violating its own procedures for gathering and analyzing phone records, and then misrepresented those violations to the court. The judge in the case, Reggie B. Walton, sharply rebuked the agency not only for violating its own rules but for failing to fix the problem. Although the agency said it had retrained its analysts, he pointed out that many of them continued to repeat the error, some because they had not installed proper software and others, apparently, without even realizing it. The violations were both so frequent and so systemic, Judge Walton found, that the privacy safeguards the court ordered “never functioned effectively.” Alarmingly, the agency itself acknowledged that “there was no single person who had a complete technical understanding” of the system its analysts were using.

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