September 2013

FCC Map Shows Areas Targeted for 2nd Round of Broadband Expansion

The locations of the up to 600,000 homes and businesses nationwide targeted to get broadband access for the first time through the Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund are now available on an interactive map.

Broadband expansion in these locations is the result of a second round of funding from Phase I of the Connect America Fund. The map complements other maps created by the FCC’s geospatial team showing nationwide broadband availability, the first round of Connect America Phase I, mobile broadband expansions through the FCC’s $300 million Mobility Fund auction, areas eligible for the Tribal Mobility Fund, and more.

More powerful Verizon Wireless could doom FiOS

[Commentary] To my realistic eyes, when Verizon acquired Vodafone's stake in Verizon Wireless, it marked the beginning of the end for FiOS as a competitive wireline tool.

Verizon and AT&T are tunnel-focused on wireless and have been for some time. Even as AT&T rolls out its much-vaunted Project VIP, nearly every press release discusses the benefits the investment brings to wireless subscribers and pushes wireline U-verse subs to the back of the broadband bus. Despite the ongoing love affair with all things wireless, wireline has much to recommend it when it comes to video delivery, as anyone who has struggled with a home Wi-Fi network can attest. That's why cable continues to dominate the video entertainment space and why so many rejoiced at the thought that Verizon would bring FiOS to their neighborhoods to compete with cable operators. But the cheers turned to raspberries when Verizon said it would collaborate with cable operators in non-FiOS markets with Verizon Wireless marketing cable and cable operators marketing Verizon Wireless. Still, most consumers have at least one cord stuck to the residence just to get high-speed data. Perhaps a more powerful Verizon Wireless will offer up a 4G wireless "cord" that delivers a competitive high-speed data service. More likely, though, if FiOS goes away, so does any relevant broadband competition.

AT&T Wins US Assent for $1.9 Billion Airwaves Buy From Verizon

AT&T won US permission to buy airwaves from Verizon Wireless for $1.9 billion, helping bolster its high-speed data network in areas covering 42 million people. The Federal Communications Commission approved the deal, which brings the second-largest US carrier more airwaves in 18 states, including California, Texas, New York and Florida. As part of the deal Verizon gets airwaves in cities including Los Angeles and Phoenix AT&T.

Industry Backlash Against Surveillance Jeopardizes Cybersecurity

The private sector’s distrust of the National Security Agency following domestic spying revelations could undermine efforts to secure systems running utilities and other vital US industries, former federal civilian and military officials say.

NSA, maker of arguably the best encryption tools to protect data, now is attracting more attention for decrypting everyone else’s data, after disclosures by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden of massive Internet surveillance. Traditionally, private industry has counted on NSA's cybersecurity expertise for incident response, even though a 2003 presidential directive assigned the Homeland Security Department the primary job of securing key US sectors. Cybersecurity legislation, which had been under negotiation for years, now is on indefinite hold because floor debate would hyperfocus on NSA to the detriment of everything else, most cyber observers say. Many of those critical infrastructure firms might shun any government help, former officials said. Going forward, private cyber forensics firms and nonprofit research institutes could see increased demand.

Surveillance panel seeks public input

A new board that President Barack Obama set up to investigate the balance between privacy and security in the era of "big data" is asking the public to weigh in with its thoughts on how those goals can better be achieved. The call for public input issued is vague in its scope, just like the mandate for the newly-created "Review Group on Global Signals Intelligence Collection and Communications Technologies." The announcement warns that comments submitted may be released publicly. However, the statement does not commit to do so.

NJ schools ask students to bring their own technology

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when bringing a cellphone or other hand-held digital device to school could earn a kid detention or a visit to the principal's office. Today, however, many schools aren't just allowing kids to tote their tablets, smartphones and laptops to class — they're asking students to bring in their technology.

School officials say the push will help districts save on increasingly costly technology budgets and help educators meet new, stepped-up academic standards that rely heavily on technology. So-called Bring Your Own Technology, or BYOT, programs are on the rise, experts say, particularly as 23 percent of American teens have a tablet computer, 47 percent have smartphones, and 78 percent have cellphones, according to a Pew Research Center study. Educators say bring-your-own programs will help bridge the digital divide, not widen it. Schools in Middletown (NJ), for example, spent $3.9 million to increase bandwidth and provide devices for students who don't own one. The district has purchased 510 iPads and 2,644 ChromeBooks for students from kindergarten through high school. That purchase, along with the district's desktops, provides a device for nearly every student.

After Snowden revelations, China worries about cyberdefense, hackers

When it comes to cyberattacks, China is often seen in the West as a fierce aggressor — the ultimate hacking threat to American government and businesses. In China, however, Internet users are increasingly preoccupied with their own vulnerability. Cybersecurity, in many ways, is a more widespread problem here than in the United States, industry experts say.

Holes in China’s systems are more numerous and its public less protected. Worry about those vulnerabilities has surged in the wake of disclosures by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden about US operations to hack into Chinese Internet traffic hubs and cellphone companies. The latest revelations showed that China was among the top targets of cyber operations carried out by US intelligence services in 2011. But the threat to Chinese computers comes not simply from foreign agents, technology experts say. Increasingly, officials and business leaders are also worrying about the widespread damage caused by China’s own hackers.

Patriot Act author says NSA’s bulk data collection is “unbounded in its scope”

In one of the most prominent legal challenges to government intelligence gathering since the Edward Snowden disclosures, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against four top Obama Administration officials.

The case, known as ACLU v. Clapper, asks a federal judge to declare the entire metadata sharing program unlawful, halt it, and purge all related records. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), with representation from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), filed an amicus brief with the court. He noted that the vast data handover is not at all what Congress intended to happen. And Rep Sensenbrenner should know, too, because he authored the Patriot Act in October 2001 and supported its subsequent reauthorizations. In particular, Section 215 of that law, which expanded government surveillance power of business records, is what the government argues gives it the authority to collect metadata in bulk.

NSA Media Coverage Skyrockets In The Wake Of Snowden Leaks

Media coverage of the National Security Agency has exploded, according to a new report by Dow Jones. The wire service crunched the numbers from its Factiva service, which archives news stories from thousands of outlets around the world, and found that there has been a huge leap in the number of pieces mentioning the NSA.

What The Court Will Decide On Network Neutrality -- Officially

[Commentary] In theory, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will focus on two things when it hears Verizon’s challenge of the Federal Communications Commission’s Open Internet Order: 1) Did the FCC have the authority to make the network neutrality rules? 2) Even if the FCC does have the authority, does something else prohibit the FCC from exercising that authority here?

I say “in theory” because judges have their own opinions and the DC Circuit is particularly famous for its high level of judicial activism. But judges can’t come out and say “well, even though the FCC has authority to do this, we think it’s a bad rule so too damn bad!” That wins you a quick trip to the Supreme Court, which just last term reminded lower courts that they are supposed to respect the FCC’s authority and defer to its expert judgment. So while policy arguments may lurk in the background, here’s what everyone will actually be talking about in the courtroom: Why the FCC has the authority to make network neutrality rules and other arguments and statutes that stop the FCC from having network neutrality rules. If there is any evidence to support the FCC’s decision, and if the rule even vaguely addresses the problem the FCC wants to solve, the court is supposed to uphold the FCC.

Benton

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