January 2015

FCC To Vote On 25 Mbps Speed Hike at Jan 29 Meeting

Apparently, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler plans to add the vote to change the definition of high-speed broadband downstream speeds from 4 Mbps to 25 Mbps to the Jan 29 meeting.

The vote will be on the FCC's latest Section 706 report to Congress on whether advanced telecommunications is being deployed to all Americans in a timely fashion. The report concludes it is not, in part based on the new 25 Mbps table stakes for high-speed broadband -- though in December the FCC made 10 Mbps downstream the standard for the Connect America Fund Universal Service Fund broadband subsidies

From the Early Adopter’s Dilemma to the Game of Gigs: Building the Information Rich Commons

[Commentary] The arc of history is long but every now and then, its curve steepens and you can see the actual moment, not just the gradual sweep, of change. We are at such a moment. It entails the creation of a new commons -- an information rich commons -- that will define a generation of cities. In the last 40 years our country has often overlooked the value of the commons but if there is any audience that should understand the importance of the creation of the commons, it is cities. Cities have built their foundation and created value not by investment in personal goods but by investing in what we share.
[Blair Levin is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program of the Brookings Institute]

Research Study Shows NTIA Broadband Grants Provided Billions in Economic Benefits

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a new independent research study showing that its broadband grants program resulted in billions of dollars in economic benefits to the communities served, including increased economic output and higher levels of employment.

The four-year study, prepared by the research firm ASR Analytics, examined the social and economic impacts of the $4 billion in Recovery Act grants awarded by NTIA to expand broadband access and adoption across the country through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). In communities where grantees built new broadband infrastructure, broadband availability grew by an estimated 2 percent more than in communities not served by a broadband grantee. That growth could be expected to translate into increased economic output of as much as $21 billion annually, the report concluded.

NTIA Announces BroadbandUSA Effort to Assist Communities with Broadband Plans

I’m happy to unveil our BroadbandUSA initiative aimed at finding new ways to assist communities seeking to ensure their citizens have the broadband capacity they need to advance economic development, education, health care, and public safety.

As part of BroadbandUSA, we will share the lessons learned and best practices developed by companies, state and local governments, and other organizations that received our grants. We will use everything from toolkits and training programs, to webinars and workshops, to provide technical assistance, funding leads and basic guidance to communities as they grow their broadband capacity and use. We are also releasing a new Public Private Partnership primer, which provides a basic introduction to a variety of partnership models for communities considering new broadband projects. The primer provides a high-level overview of steps to establish partnerships, and presents case studies of successful public-private broadband partnerships. Building on the primer, we are now putting together a toolkit to assist communities that want to increase the level of broadband infrastructure and adoption in their areas. This guide will provide solid and field-tested advice on how to establish effective partnerships, develop useful applications and build projects that will sustain themselves for years to come. We have made important strides in expanding broadband access and adoption but there is still work to be done. And NTIA will be leading the charge.

Congressional proposal offers Internet rules of the road

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission has limited ability to establish the kind of legally sound, pro-innovation rules that consumers and developers need. One ill-fitting tool available is Title II of the Communications Act -- a set of rules conceived in the Franklin D. Roosevelt era for public utilities. Policymakers, however, need updated tools written for the Internet age. Using Title II could result in billions of dollars in higher government fees and taxes on consumers’ monthly broadband bills, according to a Progressive Policy Institute report [that has already been debunked; see link below]. It also could extend new regulations to areas like mobile broadband without recognizing the unique challenges that mobile carriers face.

In the coming days, we plan to pursue a public process to draft and enact bipartisan legislation that would protect the open Internet. We hope FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the public will join Congress in working to build and enact a shared set of principles that will protect Internet users, promote innovation, encourage investment -- and withstand legal challenge.

Verizon investors say network neutrality opposition could harm its reputation

A group of Verizon shareholders is criticizing the company’s stance on network neutrality, saying Verizon's positions on the issue could harm its reputation and commercial success.

The proposal by the Nathan Cummings Foundation and Trillium Asset Management LLC is being submitted for consideration at Verizon's annual meeting, which is typically held in April or May. A previous version of the same proposal was submitted in 2014 and "won 26.4 percent of the shareholder vote -- representing $30.6 billion of Verizon shares," according to Open MIC. The proposal claims Verizon's stated position regarding network neutrality has been inconsistent and contradictory, and that investors are confused by the ambiguity and troubled by the potential negative impact that paid prioritization could have on innovate technology start-ups.

Congress, Do No Harm

[Commentary] 2014 was a banner year for network neutrality. Except for this: Congress is now threatening to step in and stifle our momentum.

Cable and telecom lobbying inside the Beltway is having the intended effect: Some members of Congress are trying to preempt and stall the Federal Communication Commission’s work by introducing new and wholly unnecessary legislation. There’s absolutely no reason for a partisan fight to erupt over net neutrality in Congress. The FCC doesn’t need new laws to craft strong but workable safeguards, and for that members have their predecessors to thank. The Communications Act is still completely sufficient: A bipartisan and forward-thinking Congress updated it in 1996 to guarantee Americans’ rights to nondiscriminatory means of communications in the digital age. Congressional attempts to undermine these long-established principles with bad legislation -- or to strip away the FCC’s ability to enforce them -- wouldn’t just gut net neutrality. They would endanger our basic rights to communicate and express ourselves freely -- values that are a cornerstone to our democracy and a free society.

Network Neutrality Supporters Launch 535 Websites to Get Congress on the Record

Network neutrality advocates launched 535 websites, one for each member of Congress, to identify where the officials stand on the open Internet and generate calls in favor of protections. By visiting BattlefortheNet.com, users can locate their members’ websites and then contact their senators and representatives to urge support for net neutrality. Each website notes whether that member of Congress is on “Team Internet” (a net neutrality supporter), “Team Cable” (a net neutrality opponent), or “unknown” (yet to make a statement for or against open Internet rules).

FCC ‘Peering’ Into Comcast-TIME WARNER CABLE

The Federal Communications Commission is looking to drill down on the matter of "paid peering", instances in which online video distributors such as Netflix agree to pay for access to the networks of Internet service providers that own the last-mile link to subscribers.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler may have signaled that he wanted to keep such interconnection charges out of the Internet-neutrality debate, but the same can’t be said of the battle over whether to allow Comcast and Time Warner Cable to merge. The FCC has reached out to a host of over-the-top video edge providers -- including Netflix, Hulu and HBO Go -- for information on peering or interconnection deals with the top 20 ISPs and the traffic flows of that content. The FCC appears to want to use the merger to help it determine whether paid peering is an anticompetitive move, as Netflix has suggested, or whether it’s part of the cost of doing businesses, as ISPs have said.

FCC Has Questions for Dish Concerning Comcast/Time Warner Cable Merger

In order for the Federal Communications Commission to complete its review of the applications made by Comcast and Time Warner Cable to transfer control, we require information and data from other commercial wireline carriers against which the applicants compete. We request that DISH provide copies of any and all of its agreements with the following programming entities relating to video programming to be provided on DISH's Sling TV service, and all documents relating to each negotiation between DISH and such entities since January 1, 2013, contemplating such an agreement, regardless of whether the negotiations resulted in an agreement or informal agreement: A+E Networks, CBS Corporation, Comcast Corporation, The American Broadcasting Company, The E.W. Scripps Company, and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. DISH should submit these materials no later than January 23, 2015.

Benton

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