October 2014

Tech Transitions, Video, and the Future

Consumers have long complained about how their cable service forces them to buy channels they never watch. The move of video onto the Internet can do something about that frustration – but first Internet video services need access to the programs. Now the Federal Communications Commission takes the first step to open access to cable programs as well as local television. The result should be to give consumers more alternatives from which to choose so they can buy the programs they want.

In 1992 Congress realized that the then-nascent satellite industry would have a hard time competing because much cable programming was owned by cable companies who frequently kept it from competitors. Congress mandated access to cable channels for satellite services, and competition flourished. Today I am proposing to extend the same concept to the providers of linear, Internet-based services; to encourage new video alternatives by opening up access to content previously locked on cable channels. What could these over-the-top video providers (OTTs) supply to consumers? Many different kinds of multichannel video packages designed for different tastes and preferences. A better ability for a consumer to order the channels he or she wants to watch.

Hackers breach some White House computers

Hackers thought to be working for the Russian government breached the unclassified White House computer networks in recent weeks, sources said, resulting in temporary disruptions to some services while cybersecurity teams worked to contain the intrusion. White House officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said that the intruders did not damage any of the systems and that, to date, there is no evidence the classified network was hacked.

Data breaches affected nearly half of Californians last year

The number of California residents whose personal data was stolen by hackers jumped six-fold between 2012 and 2013, with nearly half of California’s residents affected by one of the year’s many data breaches, according to a new report by the state’s attorney general. Much of that jump, the report says, is because of poor cyber security at the US’ major retailers, such as Target.

HTML 5: World Wide Web gets an upgrade

The World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C, gave its stamp of approval to HTML 5, a new version of the language used to code Web pages and documents.

The update includes new tools that will allow for much more dynamic Web pages and much more capable Web-based applications. The new standard will allow users to access programs through their Web browsers that can do many of the same things as the apps they might install on their PCs or download to their smartphones. HTML 5 will also allow users to play games or view videos inside their Web browser without the need for plug-in programs like Adobe Flash. And the standard will allow consumers to use Web apps even when they don't have an Internet connection. Perhaps most important, the approval of the standard means that all the technologies incorporated into HTML 5 are now royalty-free. As part of the W3C's standard-making process, all the Web and tech companies involved have agreed not to claim patent infringement on any features found in the update.

NSA chief: No sharing of private data in cyber bill

Adm. Michael Rogers, who oversees both the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command, is trying to calm companies’ fears about new cybersecurity legislation, arguing that the government has no desire to collect people’s personal information. “We do not want privacy information. That will slow us down. That is not what the focus of cybersecurity is,” he said. At issue is the Cyber Information Sharing Act (CISA) which would provide protections to industry, allowing companies to share information with the government about cyber threats.

FCC Chairman Wheeler Renews FCC-Native Nations Broadband Task Force

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler named 31 members to the FCC-Native Nations Broadband Task Force, representing 20 Tribal Nations and 11 Bureaus and Offices within the FCC.

The Task Force, which comprises elected and appointed leaders from federally-recognized Tribal governments or governmental entities and senior staff from across the Commission, was established in March, 2011. The Task Force is responsible for, among other things, assisting in executing the Commission’s consultation policy, eliciting input from Tribal governments, ensuring that Tribal concerns are considered in all Commission proceedings related to broadband, developing additional recommendations for promoting broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal lands, and coordinating with Tribal Nations in their respective regions. It will continue to serve as the government-to-government advisory body in furtherance of nationwide Tribal consultation priorities and broadband policy efforts with respect to Tribal Nations.

Chairman Wheeler named the following members to the Task Force representing Tribal Nations:

Honorable Brian E. Davis, Sr.: Gila River Indian Community
Honorable Joe Garcia: Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo
Honorable Frankie D. Hargis: Cherokee Nation
Honorable Michell A. Hicks: Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Honorable Jefferson Keel: Chickasaw Nation
Honorable Susan Masten: Yurok Tribe
Honorable William M. Micklin: Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians
Honorable Stevey Seymour: Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
Honorable George P. Tiger: Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Howard W. Brown: Tulalip Tribes
Godfrey Enjady: Mescalero Apache Tribe
Valerie Fast Horse: Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Crystal Hottowe: Makah Tribe
Patrick Jackson: Hoopa Valley Tribe
Christopher O. Luter: Forest County Potawatomi Community
Matthew R. Rantanen: Pala Band of Mission Indians
Dustin Stark: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
J Scott Stewart: Tanana Chiefs Conference
Christina St Germaine: Nez Perce Tribe
Brian Tagaban: Navajo Nation

Chairman Wheeler also named the following Task Force members from the Federal Communications Commission:

Geoffrey Blackwell, Federal Co-Chair: Office of Native Affairs and Policy
Jessica Almond: Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
Peter Doyle: Media Bureau
Michele Ellison: Office of General Counsel
Irene Flannery: Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
David Furth: Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau
Patrick Halley: Wireline Competition Bureau
Robert Nelson: International Bureau
Jamison Prime: Office of Engineering and Technology
Thomas Reed: Office of Communications Business Opportunities
Katherine Winfree: Enforcement Bureau

Olga Madruga-Forti Returns To International Bureau As Division Chief

Federal Communications Commission International Bureau Chief, Mindel De La Torre, announced that Olga Madruga-Forti joined the International Bureau as the Chief of the Strategic Analysis and Negotiations Division. Madruga-Forti returns to the FCC with 17 years of private sector international telecommunications experience, most recently with ARSAT Telecomm S.A. where she was International Counsel. Additionally, Madruga-Forti was a Member of the Board for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and an Adjunct Professor of Telecommunications Law and Negotiation. Madruga-Forti left the FCC in 1997 when she served as Special Counsel for International Satellite Policy in the International Bureau and spearheaded the privatization of Intelsat and Inmarsat.

Verizon-bankrolled “news” site bans stories on US spying and net neutrality

Verizon is bankrolling a tech site called SugarString. It looks kind of like a regular news site at first glance, but scroll to the bottom and you'll see the words, "Presented by Verizon," followed by this disclaimer: "These articles were written by authors contracted by Verizon Wireless. The views expressed on SugarString may not necessarily reflect those of Verizon Wireless." You won't find any stories about spying or net neutrality, two broad policy topics in which Verizon has been controversially involved.

Senate Dems' last stand: GOTV tech

Senate Democrats won’t be thanking President Barack Obama or any grand new policy platform if they somehow manage to hold on to their majority in this year’s tough midterm environment. Here’s what they will be indebted to: technology.

Democrats hope they can pull this thing out with the kind of all-encompassing data-driven turnout operation that President Barack Obama used to so much success just two years ago. Political experts say a strong GOTV campaign can yield a 1-, 2- or even 3-point bump -- the political equal of a field goal -- in the final outcome of a race. Mindful of that payoff, Democrats have spent millions of dollars this cycle to scale down Obama’s campaign operation by adding a full slate of tech weaponry designed to find their voters (and make sure they get to the polls) in races from Alaska to Iowa to North Carolina.

UK spies can get intercepted communications from NSA without warrant, government lawyers admit

British intelligence services can get bulk intercepted communications data from the National Security Agency and other foreign agencies without a warrant, information disclosed by government lawyers has shown. This would likely include the communications of people in the UK itself.

This information about “arrangements” between U.K. spy agency GCHQ and foreign counterparts such as the NSA was given to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), the body that supposedly oversees how spies and public authorities use surveillance under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, or RIPA. It was disclosed as part of a legal case brought about by human rights groups, including Privacy International, Amnesty International and Liberty, in the wake of Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks. When authorities spy within the UK, RIPA says they need a warrant to look at the contents of communications, as opposed to metadata, which is relatively easy to obtain. However, the arrangements that have now come to light say that the intelligence services can get “unanalysed intercepted communications” from foreign partners without a warrant from a government minister under certain circumstances, such as when “it is not technically feasible to obtain the communications via RIPA interception.”

Benton

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