February 2015

Rand Paul: Your phone records are none of the government's 'damn business'

Sen Rand Paul (R-KY) criticized the intelligence community's mass surveillance of Americans at the Conservative Political Action Conference. The libertarian-leaning senator said that he understood that intelligence agencies needed to be able to conduct surveillance on some to do their jobs, but accused the agencies of overreach and misleading Congress. "But when the intelligence director lies to Congress, how are we to trust them?" he said. "I say that your phone records are yours," he said. "I say that the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damn business."

China censorship sweep deletes more than 60,000 Internet accounts

Some of China's largest Internet companies deleted more than 60,000 online accounts because their names did not conform to regulations due to take effect on March 1, the top Internet regulator said. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, Tencent Holdings Ltd, Baidu Inc, Sina Corp affiliate Weibo Corp and other companies deleted the accounts in a cull aimed at "rectifying" online names, the Cyberspace Administration of China said.

The reasons for their removal included accusations of being misleading, rumor mongering, links to terrorism, or involving violence, pornography and other violations. "Previously, the real-name registration system hasn't really been enforced," said Rogier Creemers, a researcher on Chinese media law at the University of Oxford. "These rules essentially impose a uniform and consolidated system for all online services requiring accounts."

House members push bill limiting government access to e-mails stored overseas

Reps Tom Marino (R-PA) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA) are introducing the Law Enforcement Access to Data Stored Abroad Act, a proposal to bolster email privacy and set limits on the government's access to content stored overseas. The bill is identical to the one introduced in the Senate by Sen Orrin Hatch (R-UT) earlier in February. Under the change, the government could use a warrant to get access only to Americans’ data stored overseas, not from foreigners. But a US company could fight the government order if it would violate the foreign country’s laws.

"US companies need clear guidelines on when they have to turn over electronic communications to law enforcement if that information is stored abroad. The current uncertainty harms US businesses and their customers, and does not well-serve our foreign relationships,” Rep DelBene said.

Broadcasters Benefit From Net Neutrality

[Commentary] Broadcasters scored a great victory in Washington and it didn't cost them anything -- not one, solitary political chit. Make no mistake, broadcasters are winners. Sure, they are going to develop and implement a new broadcast standard -- ATSC 3.0 -- that is going to allow them to bypass the Internet and maintain their independence in the delivery of TV to every screen, big and small. But they will also remain in the digital business through websites, apps and involvement in TV Everywhere and budding services like CBS All Access.

The new regulations say that the broadcasters' services will reach consumers with the same speed as any of their rivals, regardless of size or ownership. Among other things, broadcasters won't have to worry about Comcast or Verizon favoring their own content as it passed through their pipelines.

The National Association of Broadcasters was wise to stay out of the fray. It's highly controversial and partisan. Backing net neutrality, especially as defined by President Barack Obama and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, would have put NAB at odds with their Republican allies in Congress and at the FCC. As it is, they came out on the side of the winners. They still get to pretend they are anti-regulation and they didn't have spend any of their political capital.

FCC Plans $9 Million Fine Against GPSPS for Illegally Billing Customers and Switching Their Phone Companies

The Federal Communications Commission plans to fine GPSPS, Inc., an Atlanta (GA) telephone company, $9,065,000 for allegedly switching consumers’ long distance telephone services without their authorization (“slamming”), billing customers for unauthorized charges (“cramming”), and submitting falsified evidence to government regulatory officials as "proof” that consumers had authorized the company to switch their long distance providers.

“Consumers should not have to wrestle with multi-page phone bills loaded with bogus charges,” said Travis LeBlanc, Chief of the Enforcement Bureau. “The FCC will hold companies accountable who prey on consumers by switching their telephone carriers and placing charges on their telephone bills without authorization.” The FCC charged GPSPS with willfully and repeatedly placing unauthorized charges on consumers’ local telephone bills, switching consumers’ preferred long distance carrier without verified authorization, and submitting fabricated audio “verification” recordings in an effort to mislead the Commission, all in apparent violation of the Communications Act and FCC rules.

Technology Has Heart

As we near the end of February -- American Heart Month -- and begin to look toward spring, it’s a good time to reflect on a critical health issue in the United States: heart disease. At the Connect2HealthFCC Task Force, our goal is to better enable the use of broadband and advanced technologies to help consumers get well and stay healthy.

Heart disease, affecting a growing number of Americans each year, is an area ripe for innovative technology-based solutions to improve its management, treatment, and ultimate prevention. Many exciting broadband enabled solutions currently exist and many more are being developed, that help consumers manage their heart health or help prevent this insidious disease from ever occurring. Listen to your heart, find a tool that is right for you and take steps today to help the heart of a friend or loved one. In the process, the heart you save, just might be your own.

[Dr. Nina Miller is a Senior Policy Fellow with the Connect2HealthFCC Task Force]

Apparently White House Privacy Bill Does Not Undercut FCC

According to public advocacy sources familiar with the proposed privacy legislation expected to be released by the White House on Feb 27, the Administration has dropped a provision that would have allowed companies to bypass Federal Communications Commission privacy rules on customer information, broadband, phone and video through a self-regulatory code of conduct overseen by the Federal Trade Commission.

Apparently, the bill still weakens privacy protections, essentially by emphasizing multistakeholder codes of conduct, which those multistakeholders, including cable operators and marketers, have supported. One source said the bill would establish industry review boards, weaken the FTC's unfairness authority by providing a safe harbor for companies complying with the codes, and gives the FTC only a 90-day window to approve or deny codes. The same sources had suggested that the White House might be rethinking that part of its bill, given the Democratic pushback and that the President Obama has supported a Title II approach to Federal Communications Commission open Internet rules that would move some privacy oversight from the FTC to the FCC.

Verizon brings small cells indoors using these cute little dots

Verizon has had a big change of heart when it comes to small cells, which it once said wouldn’t have a big impact on its network. Not only is it using the tiny base stations to blanket San Francisco’s (CA) tech corridors with LTE capacity, it has begun experimenting with indoor small architectures, specifically Ericsson’s new Radio Dot system.

So far Verizon only has the Dot system up in its regional HQ in Southfield (MI), but it’s the first use in the US of Ericsson’s new small cell architecture, which allows to building owners or carriers to install an indoor mobile network as easily as a Wi-Fi system. The technology allows it to surgically insert capacity into its networks without building new towers or acquiring new spectrum. The end result for consumers is more LTE capacity and speeds in high-trafficked areas where you’d usually expect to find congested networks.

Think you’re locked into a mobile OS now? Wait until it runs your car

Apple’s going to reveal more about the Apple Watch on March 9, but CEO Tim Cook has already started dropping hints during a trip to Europe: The Apple Watch will be able to start a car. But for people who are considering purchasing new cars today, Apple getting into the key fob game could end up having a significant effect on your resale value.

After all, if your car’s ignition only works with iOS -- or has no smartphone integration at all -- it’s going to be significantly less attractive to Android users who are considering buying your car secondhand. And if your mobile hardware not only powers features on your dashboard interface like mapping or music but basic automotive functions like starting the car then it only becomes more important for the vehicle’s valuation going forward.

Big Carriers Will Want Small Ones to Support VoLTE Roaming

As the nation’s largest wireless service providers roll out voice over LTE (VoLTE), they’re looking for ubiquitous coverage -- and that presents both opportunities and challenges for the nation’s smaller rural wireless operators that rely on roaming agreements with the larger carriers for coverage outside their home turf. “The Tier 2 and Tier 3 [carriers] know it’s just a matter of time before roaming agreements require this,” said Damian Sazama, vice president of corporate and product marketing for Interop Technologies, a provider of cloud-based wireless infrastructure.

But unlike previous cellular voice services, VoLTE is IP-based and as Sazama explained, it requires an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) core, which can be a major undertaking. As of now few, if any, smaller network operators have launched VoLTE for their own customers -- although Sazama expects to see smaller carrier VoLTE launches summer 2015.

Benton

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