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May 2015

Study: DC insiders trust media more

Washington insiders are trusting the media more, though they are sometimes overwhelmed by it, the fifth edition of National Journal’s Washington in the Information Age study found. The study also showed that a broader swath of Washington insiders are using LinkedIn (though Facebook is used more frequently), have nearly completely converted from BlackBerrys to iPhones, and love e-mail newsletters. Conducted via online survey over the course of four weeks among 1,200 Washington insiders, the study included more than 120 Capitol Hill staff, more than 600 respondents from the private sector public affairs community and nearly 400 federal executives.

Respondents to the survey expressed higher levels of trust in individual media sources across the board since the last time the survey was conducted in 2012. Around 81 percent of respondents trust national news brands, such as CNN or the New York Times, an 11 percent increase from 2012. Some 72 percent of respondents trust an "inside-the-Beltway" publication, such as POLITICO or National Journal, a 13 percent increase from 2012. Online-only news sources, such as the Huffington Post and Daily Caller, experienced a 13 percent jump in trustworthiness, up to 23 percent of respondents. More of the insiders, 32 percent, read e-mail newsletters on their mobile devices “as soon as I woke up” than any other type of news consumption. Radio then takes over during the morning commute, before e-mail newsletters and websites, which 74 percent and 72 percent of respondents said they read throughout the workday respectively. Viewing websites on a computer dominated the workday until the evening commute, when radio takes over again, and then TV at night.

Silicon Valley’s Army of Advocates in Washington

When it comes to squashing the dreams of starry-eyed entrepreneurs, nothing beats Washington (DC), where even the strong don’t always survive. It’s easy to ignore regulators and lawmakers when you’re a tiny startup in a WeWork space. But there may come a time in the life of a (successful) startup when the realization dawns that the company is about to get screwed over by Washington in a way that could actually hurt revenue. That moment can hit relatively early in a company’s life (see: Uber, Lyft, Airbnb) or late (see: Microsoft circa 1993). But when it does, even Silicon Valley’s largest companies can find themselves at the mercy of cynical twentysomething congressional aides and their technologically clueless bosses. Industry incumbents regularly try to convince their friends in Congress or regulatory agencies to stifle new competitors and protect their businesses. It’s hard to succeed when you’re in the capital’s cross hairs. But the people on this list are among the lobbyists and advocates helping tech companies -- large and small -- navigate the mystifying world of Washington in an effort to keeping innovation flourishing.

May 20, 2015 (McConnell relents on NSA bill)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

E-rate/Fiber, Lifeline and the Broadband Opportunity Council all on today’s agenda https://www.benton.org/calendar/2015-05-20


SECURITY/PRIVACY
   Sen McConnell relents on NSA bill, setting up showdown
   House, Senate Republicans square off over PATRIOT Act [links to web]
   Rep Schiff: If surveillance reform fails in Congress, President Obama should act alone [links to web]
   The Anti-Surveillance Rush - WSJ editorial [links to web]
   NSA data collection needs mending, not ending - San Francisco Chronicle op-ed [links to web]
   The US and a spiral of cyberfear - Christian Science Monitor editorial [links to web]
   New Computer Bug Exposes Broad Security Flaws [links to web]

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   Title II Fans Launch Net Neutrality 'Detector'
   AT&T CEO confident Title II will be overturned by courts or Congress
   Sen Markey, Reps Pallone and Eshoo on GAO Report on Broadband Performance - press release
   The Internet is running out of room -- but we can save it
   How the battle for the future of the Web is shaped by economics
   The rural-urban divide on broadband adoption and pricing: Fact or fiction? - AEI op-ed [links to web]

WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
   Major Broadcast Groups Push 126 MHz Auction Target
   Report: US consumers swallowed 2.5 GB/month of cellular data in Q1 on average [links to web]
   Bringing the Personal Internet of Things to the Poor

BROADCASTING/CABLE
   FCC Fines iHeartCommunications $1 Million for Transmitting Fake Emergency Alerts During "The Bobby Bones Show" - press release [links to web]
   End secret sponsors of political advertisements - Rep Eshoo op-ed [links to web]
   Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman Defends Cable Bundle [links to web]
   How Virtual Reality Could Revolutionize Ads in the Sports Industry [links to web]
   TV Power Shifts From Network Business to Content Ownership

EDUCATION
   Powering Up: The campaign to teach computer science to a digital nation [links to web]

TRANSPORTATION
   Some People Do More Than Text While Driving [links to web]

GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS
   State Department plans to release Hillary Clinton's e-mails in January 2016 [links to web]
   Uh, you probably don’t want to tweet to @POTUS, actually
   Utah Broadband Outreach Center Launches Locate.utah.gov - press release

OWNERSHIP
   Altice Buying Suddenlink for $9.1 Billion
   Pandora Buys Next Big Sound to Track Popular Music

COMPANY NEWS
   Verizon will lease more fiber to densify wireless network [links to web]
   Verizon to focus on ad-based business model for OTT video offering [links to web]
   Sprint's Euteneuer: We're looking at 600 MHz auction, but don't need to participate [links to web]
   Frontier: 1 Gig Ethernet requests up 60 percent over 2014 [links to web]

POLICYMAKERS
   NHMC’s Nogales Resigns as MMTC Advisor

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SECURITY/PRIVACY

SEN MCCONNELL RELENTS ON NSA BILL, SETTING UP SHOWDOWN
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Julian Hattem]
Senate Republicans appear to have settled on a game plan to renew expiring portions of the Patriot Act that authorize controversial surveillance programs at the National Security Agency. GOP leaders said they will begrudgingly bring up the USA Freedom Act for a vote, after it passed easily in the House by a vote of 338-88. But they seem confident the bill won't get the 60 votes it needs to overcome a filibuster. That will pave the way, they say, for a quick vote on a short-term extension of the current law and give Congress more time to settle on a backup plan. “I certainly think we ought to allow a vote on the House-passed bill,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). “If there are not enough votes to pass that, then we need to look at an alternative." Majority Leader McConnell has said the House bill would open the US up to new terrorist threats and instead wants to renew the Patriot Act without changes for five and a half years. Barring that, he has introduced a bill to renew the current law for two months to give lawmakers more time to settle on a path forward. “What makes most sense is to give senators a chance to vote on the House bill and if that fails -- and a version of that did fail last fall -- then the alternative would be a short extension while we work out the differences,” said Sen John Cornyn (R-TX).
benton.org/headlines/sen-mcconnell-relents-nsa-bill-setting-showdown | Hill, The
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

TITLE II FANS LAUNCH NET NEUTRALITY 'DETECTOR'
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Only days after the Government Accountability Office suggested the Federal Communications Commission should seek third-party data on broadband speed and performance, a group of network neutrality activists have launched the Internet Health Test, which they call a kind of network neutrality detector. In reclassifying the FCC under Title II common carrier regulations, the FCC added to bright-line rules a general conduct standard for anything that has the effect of impeding an open Internet. According to backers of the new online health test -- Demand Progress, Fight for the Future and the Free Press Action Fund -- the test is an interactive tool that lets Web surfers "run speed measurements across multiple interconnection points and collect data on whether and where Internet service providers are degrading online speeds and violating Net Neutrality." "After repeatedly watching Internet service providers slow down people’s Internet connections we're not going to just sit back and trust Comcast, Verizon and AT&T to follow the new open Internet rules,” said Fight for the Future campaign manager Charlie Furman. “The Internet Health Test is our way of sending a message to ISPs everywhere that we're watching and we won't let anyone throttle the Internet.”
benton.org/headlines/title-ii-fans-launch-net-neutrality-detector | Broadcasting&Cable | Battle for the Net
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AT&T CEO CONFIDENT TITLE II WILL BE OVERTURNED BY COURTS OR CONGRESS
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson last November claimed he would pause the company's fiber investments because of the impending broadband reclassification and imposition of network neutrality rules. "We can't go out and invest that kind of money deploying fiber to 100 cities not knowing under what rules those investments will be governed," Stephenson said at the time. But now that the Federal Communications Commission has reclassified broadband providers as common carriers and used its Title II authority to impose net neutrality rules, Stephenson says AT&T is confident that it can keep investing. It's not because AT&T agrees with the rules, as the company has sued to overturn them. Instead, Stephenson said he is confident that either the courts or Congress will overturn or heavily alter the FCC's decision. "Based on our reading of the Title II order that came out, we're operating and we're investing under the scenario that these rules will probably be changed," he said. "We don’t think this rulemaking is sustainable from a legal standpoint, but the courts will decide that. But irrespective, the Congress seems inclined to make a change here so we really think these rules will be modified to a format that will be conducive to investment in the long haul."
benton.org/headlines/att-ceo-confident-title-ii-will-be-overturned-courts-or-congress | Ars Technica
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SEN MARKEY, REPS PALLONE AND ESHOO ON GAO REPORT ON BROADBAND PERFORMANCE
[SOURCE: US Senate, AUTHOR: Press release]
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), and Reps Prank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) released the following statement after the Government Accountability Office released the new report “BROADBAND PERFORMANCE: Additional Actions Could Help FCC Evaluate its Efforts to Inform Consumers”, which describes the difficultly for consumers in accessing accurate broadband performance information such as speed, reliability and availability. Sen Markey, then-Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Rep Eshoo originally requested the report in 2011. The GAO found that it is difficult for consumers to get accurate information about the performance of their broadband services because Internet service providers are not required to disclose this information in a standardized or easy-to-read format. The GAO also found that consumers are largely unaware of Federal Communications Commission reports on broadband performance partially because these reports are technical, do not include local information and are not directed at a general audience. “Access to the Internet is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity to apply for jobs, complete homework, and communicate in the 21st century,” the lawmakers said. “Consumers need clear, easily accessible information about broadband speeds in order to decide which products and Internet service providers are best for them. The GAO points out that ISPs currently do not provide easy-to-understand data on broadband performance, and that the lack of a standardized format to disclose this data makes it difficult for consumers to compare between providers. We call on the FCC to work with ISPs to provide consumers with standardized, easy-to-read information about broadband performance, so that it is crystal clear what consumers are paying for when they buy Internet access. We ask the FCC to help consumers by providing them with accessible and useful information about broadband speeds and service.”
benton.org/headlines/sen-markey-reps-pallone-and-eshoo-gao-report-broadband-performance | US Senate
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THE INTERNET IS RUNNING OUT OF ROOM -- BUT WE CAN SAVE IT
[SOURCE: New Scientist, AUTHOR: Jacob Aron]
Are we running out of Internet? It might sound like an odd question, but researchers met at the Royal Society in London to discuss a coming Internet "capacity crunch", and what we might do about it. The meeting sparked headlines warning of a "full" Internet and the potential need for data rationing, but the reality is more nuanced. The crunch is real, caused by fast growth of online media consumption through the likes of Netflix and Youtube, but physics and engineering can help us escape it. The Internet just needs a few tweaks. Techniques like investing in new types of fiber will be key to fighting capacity crunch. But if researchers aren't able to scale up and commercialise their solutions, rationing or other restrictions on Internet use may be the only option. "I don't see a crisis in the internet," said Andrew Lord, a researcher at UK telecommunications company BT. "I've got a lot of faith in the ingenuity of people to keep delivering the goods," he said.
benton.org/headlines/internet-running-out-room-we-can-save-it | New Scientist
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HOW THE BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE WEB IS SHAPED BY ECONOMICS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
There are two stories people are trying to tell right now about the future of the Internet. One is that we need some basic rules to make sure the Web remains open and free so that companies that depend on the Internet can grow. The other is that strict rules will discourage Internet providers from making the investments that will enhance the network for everybody. Whichever narrative wins out will go a long way toward determining what your online experience will look like in the years to come. Although the Federal Communications Commission approved a historic set of network neutrality regulations in February, Internet providers are trying to overturn those rules in court. And if they can convince judges that the rules will cause irreparable damage to their business, the Internet providers will get a major leg up on the FCC. To bolster that case, some economists are turning to historical data about what the industry spent on infrastructure over the last couple decades. The result is a game of correlation, with one side trying to prove that regulation had little effect on investment and the other side trying to prove that it did. If you boil it down, it's a disagreement over the Internet's basic origin story. And both sides are essentially accusing each other of historical revisionism. How aggressively we regulate Internet providers will be shaped by this ideological battle. As more of our media and communications move to the Web, expect these themes to come up again and again.
benton.org/headlines/how-battle-future-web-shaped-economics | Washington Post
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM

MAJOR BROADCAST GROUPS PUSH 126 MHZ AUCTION TARGET
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Some major broadcasters are telling the Federal Communications Commission that they will need the commission to set a spectrum-clearing target before the incentive auction in order to better decide whether or not to participate. According to an ex parte filing with the FCC, representatives of Fox, Ion, Tribune and Univision met with FCC officials to make the point that if the FCC wants to maximize broadcasters participation in the auction -- it does -- it should set a target of 126 MHz (on the high end of the FCC's estimation of what it could clear) and do so before the deadline for applications for the auction, which would mean by the end of 2015 -- the auction is targeted for early 2016. The more spectrum the FCC tries to get, the more money it will have to pay broadcasters to get it. The groups collectively represent stations that amount to more than 5 billion MHz pops of broadcast spectrum (the FCC values spectrum using the "per pop" measure, a calculation based on the population reached and value of the spectrum), including in markets where wireless demand is high.
benton.org/headlines/major-broadcast-groups-push-126-mhz-auction-target | Broadcasting&Cable
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BRINGING THE PERSONAL INTERNET OF THINGS TO THE POOR
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Steve Lohr]
The timing and technology are right to bring the power of digital sensing to the poor to improve health, safety and education. That is the animating assumption behind a new project announced on May 19. The initiative is led by Unicef and ARM, the British chip designer whose microprocessors power most smartphones and tablets. They are being joined by Frog, the San Francisco-based design firm, along with people described as coaches and advisers from companies and organizations including Google, Orange, Singularity University, the Red Cross and the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The long-term ambition is to jump start an industrial ecosystem for sensing and data technology that serves the needs of mothers and children in developing nations. The project, called Wearables for Good, is beginning with a contest to generate ideas. Applications can be submitted online on the project’s website until August 4. Two winners will be selected in the fall 2015. Each will receive $15,000, and assistance and advice from ARM, Frog and others on translating their ideas into a product and perhaps a company. The online application lists the required characteristics for device ideas. They should be, according to the form, “cost-effective, rugged and durable, low-power and scalable.” The form offers no price limits, but it is safe to assume the project is looking for devices priced far less than an Apple Watch or a Fitbit device.
benton.org/headlines/bringing-personal-internet-things-poor | New York Times
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BROADCASTING/CABLE

TV POWER SHIFTS FROM NETWORKS BUSINESS TO CONTENT OWNERSHIP
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: Cynthia Littleton]
The transformation of the “TV business” into the “content business” has accelerated to a gallop, forcing the industry to face the harsh realities of trying to run a traditional network in an on-demand world. The signs of upheaval were impossible to miss as the major networks closed out upfront season with 2015-16 schedule presentations that emphasized how much they recognize that there’s no such thing as a status quo anymore. The sense of urgency comes at a time when the traditional economic model for broadcast and cable outlets could be charitably described as under siege. The advertising market is in a state of upheaval that shows no signs of settling down.
benton.org/headlines/tv-power-shifts-network-business-content-ownership | Variety
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GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

UH, YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANT TO TWEET TO @POTUS, ACTUALLY
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Caitlin Dewey]
After Barack Obama belatedly joined Twitter on May 18 -- in his official, presidential capacity -- dozens of Twitter denizens began tweeting him sex jokes, threats and other unprintable inanities. But the joke’s actually on them: Not only does the Secret Service already monitor Twitter for threats, but the White House is archiving each and every thing @POTUS tweeters say. Ashley Feinberg flagged this relevant piece of the White House Online Privacy Policy: "On Twitter, the White House automatically archives “tweets” from official White House accounts, “direct messages” sent to or from official White House accounts, and “mentions” (tweets from other users to official White House account)..." In other words, when you tweet “leave Michelle for me @POTUS,” or something even more inappropriate/creepy, that lives in an official White House Archive for eternity (slash, for potential future scrutiny).
benton.org/headlines/uh-you-probably-dont-want-tweet-potus-actually | Washington Post
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LOCATE UTAH
[SOURCE: State of Utah, AUTHOR: Press release]
Utah’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah) launched a premier interactive economic development map, now available online at locate.utah.gov, the first site of its kind which allows users to explore the state’s broadband availability, utility information, transportation, work force and lifestyle features. It also allows developers to evaluate potential locations and print customized reports with detailed summaries of available infrastructure. The new site will be a companion site to EDCUtah’s utahsuresites.com website, which allows companies to explore the state’s extensive inventory of listed commercial real estate. Locate.utah.gov was developed by the Utah Broadband Outreach Center in GOED. The Center works with more than 50 broadband providers who can supply premium services for all types of businesses in both urban and rural areas. The center also hosts an interactive residential broadband map that allows users to find services at home.
benton.org/headlines/utah-broadband-outreach-center-launches-locateutahgov | State of Utah
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OWNERSHIP

ALTICE BUYING SUDDENLINK
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
Altice SA, a Luxembourg-based cable and mobile phone operator, says it's buying a controlling stake in Suddenlink Communications in a deal that values the Missouri-based cable TV provider at $9.1 billion. Altice will purchase 70 percent of Suddenlink with a combined debt and cash offer from existing owners BC Partners and CPP Investment Board, and company management. Suddenlink serves cable subscribers in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
benton.org/headlines/altice-buying-suddenlink-91-billion | Associated Press | New York Times
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PANDORA AND NEXT BIG SOUND
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Ben Sisario]
In the latest example of the music industry’s rush over online consumer data, the music streaming service Pandora Media announced that it had bought Next Big Sound, a six-year-old company that tracks the popularity of songs online and in social networks. Pandora’s acquisition follows other deals that have gradually consolidated the world of data-tracking in music. Next Big Sound has quickly become a standard part of the analytical sphere of the music industry, digesting the ebbs and flows of artists’ popularity through activity on YouTube, Twitter, Wikipedia and elsewhere. It sells its analyses to record companies and other outlets, and its reports on music consumption are frequently cited by the music press.
benton.org/headlines/pandora-buys-next-big-sound-track-popular-music | New York Times
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POLICYMAKERS

ALEX NOGALES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition has resigned, essentially in protest, as a member of the advisory board of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC).
"After recent events, I cannot condone the direction of MMTC and can no longer, in good conscience, be associated with the organization," he said. In a May 5 blog on The Huffington Post, Nogales had criticized MMTC for posting on its "Broadband and Social Justice" blog an article challenging Nogales' advocacy for network neutrality rules — MMTC opposed the FCC's move — and saying Cesar Chavez would not have supported that stand. "Alex Nogales's resignation from MMTC's 30-member advisory board resulted from his disagreement with an article by an external author posted on our blog," said MMTC in a statement. "Upon notification, we immediately removed it because we did not want to inadvertently offend our stakeholders or distract from our mission to advocate for net equality for all people. Although we have reached out to Mr. Nogales to resolve this matter amicably, he chose not to engage in any dialogue. We respect his decision to part ways. The heart of our work remains to be closing the divide for all Americans. We wish him well."
benton.org/headlines/nhmcs-nogales-resigns-mmtc-advisor | Broadcasting&Cable | Huffington Post/Alex Nogales | ITIF/Rob Atkinson
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Altice Buying Suddenlink for $9.1 Billion

Altice SA, a Luxembourg-based cable and mobile phone operator, says it's buying a controlling stake in Suddenlink Communications in a deal that values the Missouri-based cable TV provider at $9.1 billion.

Altice will purchase 70 percent of Suddenlink with a combined debt and cash offer from existing owners BC Partners and CPP Investment Board, and company management. Suddenlink serves cable subscribers in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Pandora Buys Next Big Sound to Track Popular Music

In the latest example of the music industry’s rush over online consumer data, the music streaming service Pandora Media announced that it had bought Next Big Sound, a six-year-old company that tracks the popularity of songs online and in social networks.

Pandora’s acquisition follows other deals that have gradually consolidated the world of data-tracking in music. Next Big Sound has quickly become a standard part of the analytical sphere of the music industry, digesting the ebbs and flows of artists’ popularity through activity on YouTube, Twitter, Wikipedia and elsewhere. It sells its analyses to record companies and other outlets, and its reports on music consumption are frequently cited by the music press.

New Computer Bug Exposes Broad Security Flaws

Internet-security experts crafted a fix for a previously undisclosed bug in security tools used by all modern Web browsers. But deploying the fix could break the Internet for thousands of websites.

“It’s a twitchy business, and we try to be careful,” said Richard Barnes, who worked on the problem as the security lead for Mozilla, maker of the Firefox Web browser. “The question is: How do you come up with a solution that gets as much security as you can without causing a lot of disruption to the Internet?” Engineers at browser makers traded messages for two months, ultimately choosing a fix that could make more than 20,000 websites unreachable. All of the browser makers have released updates including the fix or will soon, company representatives said. The newly discovered weakness could allow an attacker to read or alter communications that claim to be secure.

NHMC’s Nogales Resigns as MMTC Advisor

Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition has resigned, essentially in protest, as a member of the advisory board of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC).

"After recent events, I cannot condone the direction of MMTC and can no longer, in good conscience, be associated with the organization," he said. In a May 5 blog on The Huffington Post, Nogales had criticized MMTC for posting on its "Broadband and Social Justice" blog an article challenging Nogales' advocacy for network neutrality rules — MMTC opposed the FCC's move — and saying Cesar Chavez would not have supported that stand.

"Alex Nogales's resignation from MMTC's 30-member advisory board resulted from his disagreement with an article by an external author posted on our blog," said MMTC in a statement. "Upon notification, we immediately removed it because we did not want to inadvertently offend our stakeholders or distract from our mission to advocate for net equality for all people. Although we have reached out to Mr. Nogales to resolve this matter amicably, he chose not to engage in any dialogue. We respect his decision to part ways. The heart of our work remains to be closing the divide for all Americans. We wish him well."

The Anti-Surveillance Rush

[Commentary] The Senate is supposed to be the cooling saucer for political passions, but surveillance opponents want it to be a slip ’n slide instead: They want the Senate to accept wholesale revisions to counterterrorism programs with little if any debate before Congress skips town for vacation at the end of the week. We hope Senators show more respect for their institutional dignity.

The better outcome would be a clean, temporary extension that allows the Senate sufficient time to consider the details and understand what it is doing. A rush to the exits is no way to conduct US intelligence, or the affairs of Congress. If a majority of Senators really do want to disarm in the terror war, then they should defend their positions, listen to the other side, and be accountable for the results. Cramming such a major policy into law before a holiday weekend is a failure to treat national security with the seriousness it deserves.

Rep Schiff: If surveillance reform fails in Congress, President Obama should act alone

Rep Adam Schiff (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, believes that if the Senate enacts an extension of the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of call records then it’s finally time for the Obama Administration to take action: It should, he says, shut down the program unilaterally.

“I think they should end the program, and find an alternate means to get the information,” he said. The Obama Administration, Rep Schiff said, has insisted it needs special legal authorities from Congress to end the surveillance program, and has voiced concerns about "the telecommunications companies’ willingness” to comply without them. The USA Freedom Act would end the government’s bulk collection and storage of information, and instead leave the call data with the companies to be accessed with a court warrant. But Rep Schiff says the Obama Administration has still not made a persuasive case that congressional legislation is absolutely necessary for the government to end the controversial program exposed by Edward Snowden nearly two years ago. What’s more, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an independent oversight board within the executive branch that investigated the NSA’s surveillance and judged it to be ineffective, has also said President Barack Obama can end the program at any time of his choosing – and should. So, Rep Schiff says, if reform efforts fail on the Hill, "That's where they should go."

Sen McConnell relents on NSA bill, setting up showdown

Senate Republicans appear to have settled on a game plan to renew expiring portions of the Patriot Act that authorize controversial surveillance programs at the National Security Agency. GOP leaders said they will begrudgingly bring up the USA Freedom Act for a vote, after it passed easily in the House by a vote of 338-88. But they seem confident the bill won't get the 60 votes it needs to overcome a filibuster. That will pave the way, they say, for a quick vote on a short-term extension of the current law and give Congress more time to settle on a backup plan.

“I certainly think we ought to allow a vote on the House-passed bill,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). “If there are not enough votes to pass that, then we need to look at an alternative." Majority Leader McConnell has said the House bill would open the US up to new terrorist threats and instead wants to renew the Patriot Act without changes for five and a half years. Barring that, he has introduced a bill to renew the current law for two months to give lawmakers more time to settle on a path forward. “What makes most sense is to give senators a chance to vote on the House bill and if that fails -- and a version of that did fail last fall -- then the alternative would be a short extension while we work out the differences,” said Sen John Cornyn (R-TX).

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