May 2015

SECURITY/PRIVACY

NSA PLANNED TO HIJACK GOOGLE APP STORE TO HACK SMARTPHONES
[SOURCE: The Intercept, AUTHOR: Ryan Gallagher]
The National Security Agency and its closest allies planned to hijack data links to Google and Samsung app stores to infect smartphones with spyware, a top-secret document reveals. The surveillance project was launched by a joint electronic eavesdropping unit called the Network Tradecraft Advancement Team, which includes spies from each of the countries in the “Five Eyes” alliance -- the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. The top-secret document, obtained from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, was published May 20th. The document outlines a series of tactics that the NSA and its counterparts in the Five Eyes were working on during workshops held in Australia and Canada between November 2011 and February 2012. The main purpose of the workshops was to find new ways to exploit smartphone technology for surveillance. The agencies used the Internet spying system XKEYSCORE to identify smartphone traffic flowing across Internet cables and then to track down smartphone connections to app marketplace servers operated by Samsung and Google. As part of a pilot project codenamed IRRITANT HORN, the agencies were developing a method to hack and hijack phone users’ connections to app stores so that they would be able to send malicious “implants” to targeted devices. The implants could then be used to collect data from the phones without their users noticing. Previous disclosures from the Snowden files have shown agencies in the Five Eyes alliance designed spyware for iPhones and Android smartphones, enabling them to infect targeted phones and grab e-mails, texts, web history, call records, videos, photos and other files stored on them. But methods used by the agencies to get the spyware onto phones in the first place have remained unclear.
benton.org/headlines/nsa-planned-hijack-google-app-store-hack-smartphones | Intercept, The
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SENATE SHARPLY SPLIT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jennifer Steinhauer]
With the federal government’s bulk collection of phone records set to expire in June, senators remained deeply divided over whether to extend the program temporarily or accept significant changes that the House overwhelmingly approved. The chamber seemed broken into three camps, with more than half — but not enough to reach a 60-vote threshold — supportive of the House measure that would prohibit the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of metadata charting telephone calls made by Americans. A far smaller number, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), prefer to extend the program, at least for the short term. Several other senators — who are vital to passage of the House version of the bill — do not like the House measure, but fear that an extension lacks votes and that the program will expire, which intelligence agents insist will rob them of a crucial tool to monitor potential terrorists. As such, at least a handful of senators who previously said they would not support the House bill were reconsidering. It was clear that many lawmakers in both chambers preferred that the law lapse, rather than renew it in its current form. Senate Republican leaders “are underestimating the strength of the opposition,” said Senator Chris Coons (D-DE). “I’m not going to vote for an extension of a law that has recently been declared illegal by a federal circuit court.”
benton.org/headlines/senate-sharply-split-over-extension-nsa-phone-data-collection | New York Times
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ON NSA SPYING, SEN MCCONNELL'S ONLY OPTIONS ARE BAD OPTIONS
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Lauren Fox]
On June 1, the portion of the Patriot Act that authorized the National Security Agency's bulk data-collection program is set to expire. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had hoped Congress would reauthorize Section 215 and leave the program intact, arguing that it's a critical part of defense against terror attacks. But privacy concerns raised by Democrats and libertarian-minded Republicans have made that impossible. Instead, the House passed a bill that would limit the data-collection program. The USA Freedom Act would end bulk collection and require the government to contact telecommunications companies on a case-by-case basis. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has said he won't make another move until the Senate has acted. For Majority Leader McConnell, passing the House measure is not acceptable, but as he looks for an alternative, he lacks an obvious path to keeping the program from expiring when it hits its June deadline. On May 19, Majority Leader McConnell announced he would give the USA Freedom Act a vote on the floor. He won't be supporting the legislation, but is putting it on the floor to demonstrate that it lacks the support it would need to advance in the Senate. Most Democrats and a handful of Republicans, including presidential contender Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX), are expected to vote "yes" on the measure. But with Majority Leader McConnell and many of his fellow Republicans opposing the measure, leaders say it's unlikely to overcome a 60-vote threshold.
benton.org/headlines/nsa-spying-sen-mcconnells-only-options-are-bad-options | National Journal
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ACCESSIBILITY

FCC MOVES TO MAKE PERMANENT THE NATIONAL DEAF-BLIND EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission voted to make permanent its program that distributes communications equipment to low-income individuals who are deaf-blind. Known as "iCanConnect," the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program provides equipment needed to make telecommunications, advanced communications and the Internet accessible to Americans who have significant vision and hearing loss. In a vote at the Open Commission Meeting, the FCC extended the current pilot program, which was set to expire on June 30, 2015. The FCC also voted to propose rules for a permanent extension of this successful program. Through the program, deaf-blind consumers who meet income requirements can receive free communications equipment designed for people with combined vision and hearing loss. Installation, training and other technical support, including individual assessments of each consumer's specific accessibility needs, are also available.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-moves-make-permanent-national-deaf-blind-equipment-distribution-program | Federal Communications Commission
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FCC TAKES ADDITIONAL STEPS TO MAKE EMERGENCY INFORMATION IN TV PROGRAMMING ACCESSIBLE TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to ensure individuals who are blind or visually impaired can quickly access critical information shown on television in the event of an emergency. In addition, the FCC seeks comment on other possible accessibility issues facing those who are blind or visually impaired. The new rules adopted required that emergency information be made accessible on a secondary audio stream on tablets, smartphones, laptops, and similar devices when subscription television providers, such as cable and satellite operators, permit consumers to access programming over their networks using an app on these devices. When emergency information appears on a television screen, it is preceded by three tones. Under previously adopted FCC rules, individuals who are blind or visually impaired soon will be able to switch to a secondary audio stream to hear televised emergency information when they hear the three tones. This action takes this a step further: keeping pace with technological changes and the way consumers enjoy content. Additionally, the Second Report and Order establishes rules requiring that the equipment used to receive and pay back television programming, such as set-top boxes, have a simple and easy to use mechanism to switch from the main program audio to the secondary audio stream to hear audible emergency information.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-takes-additional-steps-make-emergency-information-tv-programming-accessible | Federal Communications Commission
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

INTERNET.ORG AND NETWORK NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Tess Danielson]
Network neutrality – the philosophy that Internet service providers should not throttle, block, or discriminate between different websites or online services – was once thought to be too bland an idea for a general audience to grasp. But after several comedians took up the cause, it’s now one of the most hotly debated topics about the Internet and has since become a major PR problem for Facebook. The social media giant’s Internet.org project offers free Internet access to people in developing countries, but the service is limited to only certain websites, such as Facebook and Wikipedia. While Facebook saw this as a noble way to get more people using its social network, the plan is facing growing criticism in India after a viral video argued for net neutrality and led many to believe the company was threatening the notion of it. Now, India's campaign against Internet.org has spread to other countries, pushing multiple companies to back out of their partnerships with Facebook's free service. For any company looking to survive in the 21st century, they can no longer ignore what the people are asking for. The only way to enter a new market is through education and transparency.
benton.org/headlines/internetorg-battle-over-net-neutrality-or-between-haves-and-have-nots | Christian Science Monitor
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GOOGLE PUSHES FCC TO STUDY HIGH-ALTITUDE PLATFORM STATIONS FOR BROADBAND SERVICES
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Monica Alleven]
Google supports the idea of the Federal Communications Commission authorizing resources for the study of broadband delivered from high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), which are 20 to 50 kilometers above ground. Google says it is developing unmanned aircraft that will circle for months at about 20 kilometers in the stratosphere to maintain coverage of a constant service area on the ground. Such nominally fixed aircraft, which could be considered HAPS, are one promising model for delivery of broadband, particularly to underserved communities, according to the search company. In a May 15 meeting with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's legal advisor Renee Gregory and special counsel Diane Cornell, Google's director of communications law, Austin Schlick, noted that Google and others in the US have been investing in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including for the delivery of broadband communications to underserved communities, and for disaster relief. As the ITU has recognized, stations operating at an altitude of approximately 20 km are high enough to provide service to a large footprint but low enough to provide dense coverage at low latency. High-altitude stations, located in the stratosphere above weather incidents, are also resilient to storms below and therefore can be an effective tool during and after a natural disaster, according to Google.
benton.org/headlines/google-pushes-fcc-study-high-altitude-platform-stations-broadband-services | Fierce
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM

FCC CHAIRMAN WHEELER DOES NOT SEE AWS-3 RE-AUCTION
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said he thought the FCC's decision, one way or the other, about whether Dish-connected designated entities (DEs) deserved $3 billion in bidding credits (discounts) in the AWS-3 auction would delay the upcoming incentive auction. He was asked whether a decision against Dish and the DE's could mean having to re-auction the spectrum, and thus potentially delay the planned early 2016 broadcast incentive auction. Chairman Wheeler said he did not think there would be a delay of the incentive auction, saying that the "question that exists" in the AWS-3 auction is the DE discount. "If there is a decision made that that is inappropriate," he said, "the issue is $3 billion more dollars" rather than re-auctioning the spectrum. He later conceded that the ultimate penalty -- some have suggested Dish and the DE's colluded, though Dish and those DE's have said the rules clearly allowed their collaboration -- could be re-auctioning the spectrum, but he said that "the rules as they stand right now are: 'pay three billion dollars more.'"
benton.org/headlines/fcc-chairman-wheeler-does-not-see-aws-3-re-auction | Broadcasting&Cable
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OWNERSHIP

WHEELER REACHES OUT
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Shalini Ramachandran]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has a message for cable chiefs: Just because regulators leaned against the Comcast- Time Warner Cable merger doesn’t mean all future cable deals are doomed. Chairman Wheeler individually called Time Warner Cable Chief Executive Rob Marcus and Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge, as well as other cable executives, to convey that they shouldn’t assume the agency is against any and all future cable deals just because the FCC’s staff wasn’t convinced the Comcast deal was in the public interest. Chairman Wheeler didn’t raise any particular potential deal, and neither did the cable CEOs. Chairman Wheeler told them that any deal would be assessed on its own merits. The calls were intended to clear the air in response to recent public statements from cable executives, including from Time Warner Cable’s Marcus who recently expressed uncertainty about the regulatory climate for future cable deals.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-chairman-reached-out-time-warner-cable-charter-ceos | Wall Street Journal
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CONTENT

A TECH BOOM AIMED AT THE FEW, INSTEAD OF THE WORLD
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Farhad Manjoo]
[Commentary] The tech industry used to think big. As early as 1977, when personal computers were expensive and impractical mystery boxes with no apparent utility or business prospects, the young Bill Gates and Paul Allen were already working toward a future in which we would see “a computer on every desk and in every home.” And in the late 1990s, when it was far from clear that they would ever make a penny from their unusual search engine, the audacious founders of Google were planning to organize every bit of data on the planet -- and make it available to everyone, free. These were dreams of vast breadth: The founders of Microsoft, Google, Facebook and many of the rest of today’s tech giants were not content to win over just some people to their future. They weren’t going after simply the rich, or Americans or Westerners. They planned to radically alter how the world did business so the impossible became a reality for everyone. Whatever happened to the tech industry’s grand, democratic visions of the future? We are once again living in a go-go time for tech, but there are few signs that the most consequential fruits of the boom have reached the masses. Instead, the boom is characterized by a rise in so-called on-demand services aimed at the wealthy and the young.
benton.org/headlines/tech-boom-aimed-few-instead-world | New York Times
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JOURNALISM

LOCAL JOURNALISM IN THE DIGITAL AGE
[SOURCE: New America Foundation, AUTHOR: Philp Napoli]
[Commentary] The woes of journalism in the digital age are familiar: the advertising and subscription models that for decades sustained the work of newsrooms have collapsed, news outlets now compete with every person who has a blog or a Twitter account, and people who used to pick up their local paper or the Wall Street Journal for stock prices or box scores now go instead to niche outlets like Bloomberg or ESPN. While familiar, these difficulties are no longer new -- what’s only emerging more recently is a pattern: the resources for producing journalism seem to be increasingly clustering around large media markets and away from smaller markets. This new pattern of national consolidation of news, read against the backdrop of longer-term industry changes, raise concerns about the long-term health of local journalism. We at the News Measures Research Project at Rutgers University developed a method to assess the health of local journalism. These findings lend some preliminary empirical evidence to the growing concerns about “information inequality” across different types of communities. An analysis of a larger sample of communities could ultimately help us get a stronger sense of the conditions under which these information inequalities exist, and where the need for action to address them is greatest.
[Philip Napoli is a Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University School of Communication and Information]
benton.org/headlines/local-journalism-digital-age | New America Foundation
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POLICYMAKERS

FADI CHEDADE
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: David McCabe]
Fadi Chehadé, the CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which regulates domain names, will step down next year. He will leave the organization in March 2016, ICANN said, and will not continue to work in the domain name industry. Chehadé has been pushing for the Department of Commerce to drop its control of ICANN so that the group could be more independent. The idea has faced pushback from Congress. “Fadi Chehadé has served as CEO of ICANN with tireless dedication, and I greatly appreciate his ongoing commitment to improve the accountability and transparency of the organization,” said Lawrence Strickling, the administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “NTIA remains committed to the responsible and timely transition of our stewardship of the Internet Domain Name System consistent with the conditions that NTIA outlined in 2014.”
benton.org/headlines/icann-ceo-chehade-step-down-2016 | Hill, The | Lawrence Strickling
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PATRICIA CAHILL
[SOURCE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AUTHOR: Press release]
The United States Senate confirmed Patricia Cahill’s nomination to the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This will be Cahill’s second term on the CPB board. She served previously from 2009-2014. She was the board chair from 2012 to 2014 and the vice chair from 2011 to 2012. Cahill has worked in public radio for more than 40 years. In 2012, she retired as general manager of KCUR-FM, the public radio station at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Prior to KCUR, she worked as a reporter, news director, and general manager of KMUW-FM at Wichita State University, where she was also an instructor in speech communications and journalism. Cahill has served on the board of directors for NPR and as the chair of its Distribution/Interconnection Committee, the Membership Committee, and the Development Committee. She was also president of Public Radio in Mid America, a public radio membership organization, and vice president of Kansas Public Radio Association.
benton.org/headlines/senate-confirms-patricia-cahill-cpb-board-directors | Corporation for Public Broadcasting
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Analysis

May 2015

Are podcasts the new path to diversifying public radio?

May 22, 2015 (What Will a Deeply Divided Senate Do About NSA?)

Senate Is Sharply Split Over Extension of NSA Phone Data Collection

Internet.org: A battle over net neutrality? Or between haves and have-nots?

FCC Chairman Reached Out to Time Warner Cable, Charter CEOs

Tribune Publishing completes purchase of U-T San Diego

GAO: Agencies must do more to cut $1 billion federal phone bill

ICANN CEO Chehadé to step down in 2016

Senate Confirms Patricia Cahill to CPB Board of Directors

What happens if the PATRIOT Act expires?