September 2014

BitTorrent to ISPs: Pay us and our users to stay in the “slow lane”

BitTorrent CEO Eric Klinker doesn't want Internet service providers to charge Web services for prioritized access to consumers -- "fast lanes" as described in the debate over proposed network neutrality regulations. Instead, Klinker is (satirically) suggesting the opposite: that ISPs should pay companies and users to remain in a "slow lane."

With fast lanes, money would flow "from your favorite websites to the ISPs, the very same companies you already pay to deliver Internet service to your home," he wrote. "In this model, the ISPs get paid twice, both to provide their service and regulate heavy-use companies, like Netflix." Klinker criticized arguments that ISPs are entitled to collect premiums to make sure that heavy network users "pay their fair share" and don't cause congestion for others. "These are very familiar arguments, as they were used to justify the most notable violation of Network Neutrality in recent memory: the blocking of BitTorrent traffic by Comcast in 2007 and 2008," he wrote.

CTIA chief lashes back at FCC chair on network neutrality

CTIA President and CEO Meredith Attwell Baker sharply disagreed with comments by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler about how the mobile Internet should be regulated.

He suggested that wired and wireless networks should be regulated the same way under the next set of Open Internet rules. The growth of mobile networks since 2010 proves that specialized rules are best, Baker said. “The growth of smartphones and LTE -- and the constant change in our ecosystem -- is the clearest evidence we should retain a mobile-specific approach because it has worked so well for consumers,” Baker said. Baker also blamed wireline service providers for pushing a single set of rules. “Now, I understand that rival platforms want the FCC to put its thumb on LTE, because LTE is becoming -- and becoming is the key word -- more robust and more dynamic,” Baker said. “If I were a wired company, I would be nervous about how bright our future is, too, if the FCC keeps the right rules.”

AT&T, SoftBank, T-Mobile execs push for wireless carve-out in network neutrality guidelines

Executives from a handful of the nation's top wireless carriers unanimously rejected arguments that wireless networks should fall under the same net neutrality guidelines as wireline networks. Leonard Cali, senior vice president of global public policy for AT&T, said that applying the same net neutrality rules onto wireless as wireline would "chill innovation."

Pandora Signs Music Rights Deal With BMG

Pandora Media announced that it had struck a direct deal for music rights with BMG, the world’s fourth-largest music publisher.

The deal is for the portions of its catalog that have been represented by Ascap and BMI, the two giant licensing groups that have long handled the performing rights -- the royalty payments for whenever music is played on the radio, online or in concert -- for millions of songs in the United States. Even though BMG remains a part of Ascap and BMI, it bypassed them by making the direct deal with Pandora, for what analysts believe is a higher royalty rate than those organizations -- which are governed by decades-old federal regulation -- are able to obtain on their own. In exchange, the deal gives BMG and its songwriters unspecified “marketing and business benefits.”

NTIA Brings a Comprehensive Approach to Community Broadband

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration hosted the second in a series of stakeholder workshops as we launch a new initiative to leverage the success of our Recovery Act broadband grant programs and support communities nationwide seeking to build their broadband capacity. The workshop brought together more than 100 stakeholders for a series of informative panel discussions, presentations and networking opportunities. Participants also met with NTIA staff, who will be providing guidance, technical assistance, funding leads and connections to help communities expand broadband access and adoption.

Senate Confirms Three Nominees to the CPB Board of Directors

The Senate has confirmed the nominations of David Arroyo, Judith Davenport, and Elizabeth Sembler to the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

David Arroyo of Brooklyn, New York is Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs at Scripps Networks Interactive. Prior to joining Scripps, Mr. Arroyo was an associate at the firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. From 2008 to 2012 he served as Chairman of the Board of Latino Justice. Mr. Arroyo received the Luminary Award from the National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications in 2010 and was recognized by the Imagen Foundation as among the most influential Latinos in entertainment in 2012. His term expires in 2016.
Dr. Judith Davenport of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a retired dentist. Dr. Davenport is a co-founder and Director of the Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation. She also serves on a number of boards of directors, including: the Heinz Endowments, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Visiting Committee of the Harvard Art Museums, and Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Previously, Dr. Davenport served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Carlow University. In addition, she served as a member of the board of directors of The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Foundation and the Washington Regional Selection Panel for the President’s Commission for White House Fellowships. Her term expires in 2020.
Elizabeth Sembler of Seminole, Florida is a returning board member. Ms. Sembler is an educator in Clearwater, Florida. She has served on the board of WEDU-TV since 1993 and was the chair of its board from 2001-2003. From 2006-2008, she served on the board of the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS). Ms. Sembler currently serves on the board of advisors of the Davidson Graduate School of Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City; on the board of directors of the Academy Prep Center of St. Petersburg in Florida, a privately funded middle school for students qualifying for needs-based scholarships; and on the board of directors of the Florida Orchestra. Her term expires in 2020.

The internet is getting too big for just one kind of Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi has come a long way from its first tentative steps in the 1990s. Over the years, as new specifications have come along, the speed at which data can be transferred over the air has increased more than 1000-fold. It now blankets universities, Starbucks coffee shops and, in some cases, entire cities. But it needs to evolve to as the Internet evolves.

The Wi-Fi Alliance is working on two new specifications -- one with much more range and one with much less. Neither one of these will replace existing Wi-Fi. The idea is that as the Internet grows -- and the popularity of Wi-Fi with it -- the technology must remain fit for purpose. WiGig, which will run at 60 Ghz, will be capable of tremendous speeds. But its range will be tiny, and it won’t be able to penetrate walls. The other, to be called IEEE 802.11ah, runs at 900 Mhz and will be able to cover vast areas, but at very low speeds.

Sens Rockefeller and McCaskill: Apple, Home Depot hacks should prompt new laws

Sens Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) say that major hacks at Home Depot and Apple show the need for a new data privacy bill.

“We have been advocates for data security and breach notification legislation that would better protect consumers and improve corporate responsibility,” they said in a letter to Apple’s Tim Cook. “The recent data security incidents that have affected major corporations, including Apple, demonstrate the need for such federal legislation.” Coupled with the recent data breach at Home Depot -- which is estimated to have jeopardized 60 million customer credit and debit cards -- lawmakers have indicated a renewed desire to pass some anti-hacking bill, after efforts stalled earlier this year in the wake of Target’s massive breach.

Rep Cummings wants hearing on Home Depot hack

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wants his panel to hold a hearing on the recent hack at Home Depot, which may have jeopardized financial information for tens of millions of shoppers. He told Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) that investigating the company’s data security would be a fair move, after the multiple sessions the committee has held on HealthCare.gov.

House passes 'E-labeling' bill

The House passed legislation to promote electronic labeling on devices. Passed 402-0, the measure would direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish regulations to allow manufacturers of radiofrequency devices to use electronic labeling, also known as "e-labeling," instead of physical labels to show that devices are approved for commercial use. Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), the measure's sponsor, said e-labeling would be a more efficient practice.

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