February 2014

Rep Pelosi endorses Rep Eshoo for top Energy spot

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) endorsed Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA) in her bid to become top Democrat on the House Commerce Committee.

The move boosts Rep Eshoo, a close ally of Rep Pelosi, as she vies with Rep Frank Pallone (D-NJ) to replace outgoing Rep Henry Waxman (D-CA) atop the powerful panel. Rep Pelosi told House Democrats that she'd intended to steer clear of making a public endorsement, "but since so many of you have asked, I am writing to let you know why I support Anna.” She continued: “Anna's leadership is marked by integrity, inclusiveness and bipartisanship, critical qualities in a committee leader. She advocates in the committee and in the House for healthcare, consumer protections, the environment and access to technology and issues related to women and children.” Rep Pelosi added that Rep Eshoo’s “leadership, vision, values and progressive commitment to the future” reinvigorates the debate.

Election officials say mobile political ads must come with disclaimers

The Federal Election Commission is deadlocked on whether to exempt mobile ads from the disclaimers that appear by law on political messaging -- throwing a wrench in the plans of a left-leaning communications firm and pitting its strategists against the FEC's Democratic appointees.

Revolution Messaging -- whose clients include MoveOn.org, Organizing for America and various Democratic committees -- asked the FEC for permission to eliminate disclaimers from its digital banner ads, arguing that the small screens on mobile devices made it impractical to include the legalese. Republican officials sided with Revolution, saying that a disclaimer was unnecessary; Democratic commissioners disagreed. A second, softer proposal had Revolution committing to shortened disclaimers.

Tech industry slams NSA webcam spying

After reports surfaced that the National Security Agency helped its British counterpart to access and capture images from millions of Yahoo chat users, the tech industry came out against what it called an "outrageous" surveillance program. Yahoo denied having any knowledge of the program and repeated calls it has made with other tech companies for reform of US surveillance laws. Trade associations representing major players in the tech industry followed suit.

Where Did Press Freedom Suffer Most in 2013? Online

[Commentary] The Committee to Protect Journalists released its annual analysis of Attacks on the Press, including a "Risk List" of the places where press freedom suffered most in 2013. Top of the list: cyberspace.

CPJ wrote, "We chose to add the supranational platform of cyberspace to the list because of the profound erosion of freedom on the Internet, a critical sphere for journalists worldwide." Including cyberspace is a recognition that, at least in terms of press freedom and freedom of expression, the web is not virtual reality, it is reality. CPJ makes clear that the Internet is a contested terrain, a space of conflict, and very much at risk.

[Stearns is Press Freedom Campaign Director at Free Press]

Telework: Not Just For Moms And Millennials

A new study commissioned by the Flex+Strategy Group finds that 3 out of 4 remote workers are men -- of all ages -- and just as likely to have kids as not. The study, a national survey of full-time employed adults, finds that 31 percent of full-time employees do most of their work away from their employer's location, like at home, at a business center, shared office space or coffee shop. The study also finds women are much more likely to work in a cubby or open office space, rather than a private office.

The Comcast-Netflix Deal May Not Be a Bad Thing After All

[Commentary] The Netflix-Comcast deal is a big change in the way the Internet works, and the critics are right that it could represent a new shift in power towards big ISPs, big media companies, and prominent web operations like Netflix. We could see a situation where only deep-pocketed companies can pay for the sort of access Netflix now has. And let’s not forget that Comcast is also a TV and movie corporation that competes with companies like Netflix. It can stream TV and movies over its own network however it wants. But the deal doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The real implications of the agreement won’t be clear until we learn whether up-and-coming players and smaller Internet media companies, the next wave following in the footsteps of Netflix, are shut out of the picture -- whether they end up needing direct access to an ISP like Comcast and whether they can play for it.

Minnesota lawmakers to propose $100 million to bring broadband to the borders

Despite a goal to put broadband in the hands of all residents by next year, a quarter of households -- nearly 500,000 -- still don’t have it, a new report from the Minnesota Broadband Task Force shows. Minnesota also will likely miss its goal to land in the top five states nationwide for access to speedy Internet by 2015. Today, the state ranks just 23rd in broadband availability.

Some lawmakers say that after years of goals, it’s time to spend state money to fix the problem. State Sen. Matt Schmit (DFL-Red Wing) will announce a bill that would create a $100 million matching grant program to help build broadband infrastructure. The task force estimates that the competitive grants -- funded with surplus dollars and matched by private, local or federal funds -- could connect more than 100,000 households to Internet with download speeds of at least 10 megabits per second, its definition of broadband. But the proposal has detractors. The conservative Freedom Foundation of Minnesota argues that there’s been no shortage of public funding thrown at broadband in recent years.

H Block Spectrum Auction Closes

Chairman Wheeler: “With this successful auction, the Commission makes good on its commitment to unleash more spectrum for consumers and businesses, delivering a significant down payment towards funding the nationwide interoperable public safety network. The H Block auction is a win for the American people, and we thank Chairwoman Clyburn for her leadership scheduling it. We also commend everyone who worked so hard to resolve technical issues that made this previously unusable spectrum valuable.”

Commissioner Pai: “I am pleased that the Commission has completed its first spectrum auction in six years. This was no easy task. In light of once intractable issues surrounding the H Block, the Commission worked together, took steps to ensure that the auction would yield maximum revenue, and refrained from saddling the spectrum with unnecessary conditions. As a result, we have raised $1.564 billion from spectrum that used to be viewed as almost worthless. While I might not have agreed with every single decision that was made in connection with this auction, I believe that commencing this auction in January was the right call and applaud then-Chairwoman Clyburn for her decision to do so. I also commend the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau for its hard work on this important endeavor, and I thank Congress for its leadership in helping to get this spectrum into the market.”

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn Defends Study at Media Institute

At the Media Institute, Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn defended the Critical Information Needs study, pointing out a few things that fail to get mentioned in recent coverage and opinion:

On May 24, 2013, the FCC put out for public comment the research design and the intent of a study which sought to gather data and other information about whether there are any market entry barriers, preventing local communities from receiving important information.
The FCC followed what is custom for the FCC, in making all major policy considerations transparent and public, in order to receive a wide range of input from affected parties and the general public.
Studying such barriers, and determining whether there are appropriate policies to remove such barriers, is what Congress directed the FCC to do in Section 257 of the Communications Act.

Understanding the markets the FCC regulates is necessary, critical and urgent, and in a world where technological change happens at breakneck speed, the FCC has three fundamental choices:

The FCC can regulate in the dark, without research and critical data;
The FCC can do nothing, not act and risk not protecting the public or appropriately balancing the needs of industry, or
The FCC can seek a better understanding of the industries it regulates and the environment in which they operate.

FCC Commissioner Pai on Public Safety Communications in the Digital Age

Speaking to the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai recognized the state and local officials directly responsible for the safety of the American people that are adapting operations to leverage the possibilities of the digital age. So what is the role of the federal government? “It’s pretty simple, we should support your efforts, not supplant them.”

Benton

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