June 2015

Reacting to Chinese hack, the government may not have followed its own cybersecurity rules

In responding to China’s massive hack of federal personnel data, the government may have run afoul of computer security again. Over the last nine days, the the Office of Personnel Management has sent e-mail notices to hundreds of thousands of federal employees to notify them of the breach and recommend that they click on a link to a private contractor’s Web site to sign up for credit monitoring and other protections. But those e-mails have been met with increasing alarm by employees -- along with retirees and former employees with personal data at risk -- who worry that the communications may be a form of “spear phishing” used by adversaries to penetrate sensitive government computer systems.

After the Defense Department raised a red flag about the e-mails its 750,000 civilian employees were starting to receive, OPM officials said that the government had suspended its electronic notifications. “We’ve seen such distrust and concerns about phishing,” OPM spokesman Sam Schumach acknowledged, describing the feedback from many of the 4.2 million current and former employees who are being notified that personnel files containing their Social Security numbers, addresses and other personal information may have been stolen. Computer experts said the personnel agency -- already under fire from lawmakers from both parties for failing to protect sensitive databases from hackers -- could be putting federal systems in jeopardy again by asking employees to click on links in the e-mails.

FCC Modernizes Numbering Rules To Spur Competitive VoIP Options

The Federal Communications Commission modernized and streamlined its rules governing the distribution of phone numbers by leveling the playing field for interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers, which are increasingly popular with consumers. Interconnected VoIP providers -- defined as though capable of placing and receiving calls to and from the traditional phone network -- currently must get numbers from third-party carriers. Allowing these providers to go directly to numbering administrators for phone numbers will benefit consumers by reducing costs and promoting additional competition from these innovative VoIP providers, the FCC found.

The Order adopted unanimously by the FCC also facilitates the ongoing transitions in communications technology that are sweeping the nation and improves FCC oversight of the numbering system. These improvements will help ensure that calls connect nationwide and provide more accountability in and protections for the numbering system. The Order also imposes and number of conditions to protect and enhance the security and integrity of the numbering system. Conditions will also ensure that all numbers distributed are used, protecting the system from running out of phone numbers.

Modernization of Lifeline: Addressing the Cost Barrier of Broadband Adoption

We, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, commend the Federal Communications Commission's proposal to modernize the Lifeline Program. Increasing broadband access and use benefits both the individual and society as a whole. The more of us using telehealth services in our homes, online banking, online higher education and online government services, the more we will see related costs go down.

The evidence is clear. To successfully increase broadband use in the US we must have low-cost options, public access locations and local training/support, including a diverse set of local partners with established roots in the community. Trust of the individual and organization providing instruction on technology use and explaining broadband provider options is essential. This point has been reiterated in John Horrigan’s evaluation of Comcast’s Internet Essentials, an independent review of CenturyLink’s Internet Basics Program, and a myriad of documentation of National Telecommunication Information Administration’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), particularly the NTIA Broadband Adoption Toolkit.

Speak Your Piece: Take Lifeline Online

[Commentary] It took a lot for me to get where I am today -- and my Lifeline phone played a huge role and bringing it all together. The Lifeline program is intended for low-income people who cannot afford a phone. The FCC has supplemented wireless phones with minutes and text messages available for these people to stay connected and develop self-sufficiency. The objective of the Lifeline phone is to provide communication between employers, caseworkers, schools and any other line of business. The hope is that being connected with these important institutions and people will help decrease the low-income population.

Because the Internet has become such an important part of how we all communicate, I believe that broadband service should be incorporated into the Lifeline program. Many employers and educators require online job applications and e-mail communication. The Internet is also the way I’m furthering my education. I can’t be physically in a classroom, so online classes are critical. And you never know the importance of being connected until you are disconnected. I trust that the Lifeline program could do even more for people if broadband were a part of the package.

[Sharell Harmon is a 23-year-old student at Youth Build North-Central West Virginia]

Reality Check Reveals Ed-Tech Challenges

[Commentary] Lofty ed-tech visions are always tempered by reality. You see this reality check playing out in schools nationwide as they launch 1-to-1 computing programs and expand their use of digital curricula.

The unexpected problems that arose in Los Angeles (CA) as the country's second-largest school district rolled out an ambitious 1-to-1 and digital curriculum initiative are now legendary in the ed-tech world. The costly mistakes and poor planning ultimately led the district to dial back the effort. Financial, legal, and managerial repercussions continue to swirl in the wake. That is a cautionary tale for all districts. But it is one that should not prevent schools from innovating or striving to put in place thoughtful, well-planned, and cost-effective 1-to-1 and digital curricula initiatives. This 2015 edition of Education Week's Technology Counts looks at both the challenges and the opportunities such programs offer.

The Web is getting slower

It's not you. Web pages really are loading slower. The average site is now 2.1 MB in size -- two times larger than the average site from three years ago, according to data tracked by HTTP Archive. There are a few reasons for this added weight.

Websites are adding more attention-attracting videos, images, interactivity plug-ins (comments and feeds) and other code and script-heavy features that clog up broadband pipes and wireless spectrum. Sites also have ramped up their usage of tracking and analysis tools to learn more about their visitors. Inserting third-party data trackers not only increases a website's weight, but also the number of separate data fetching tasks, which leads to slower load times as well. Photos and videos continue to be the bulkiest part of websites, making up almost three-fourths their size. That proportion has stayed relatively constant over the past three years, even as the total size of websites has grown. On top of all this, websites are using stronger encryption to make themselves more secure. Shielding themselves behind secured protocols requires more code and data crunching power, too.

Comcast Tags More ‘Gigabit Pro’ Markets

Comcast has not announced pricing for its “Gigabit Pro” service, but the company continues to expand the number of markets that will gain access to it.

Comcast said the service, which will deliver symmetrical speeds of 2 Gbps over fiber to residential customers, will soon be available to about 650,000 homes in parts of Indiana (Indianapolis, Anderson, Bloomington, Fort Wayne, Columbus, Kokomo and Lafayette), and to roughly 1.5 million homes in several cities in Michigan, including Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint, Jackson and Lansing. Comcast has also announced it will offer Gigabit Pro in Atlanta (GA); parts of Florida, including Miami and Jacksonville; Houston; Colorado (including metro Denver, Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont and Colorado Springs); Utah; Washington State (including Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, and Everett); Oregon; Chicago and northwest Indiana; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee, and parts of California. Comcast's plan is to make Gigabit Pro available to 18 million customers (homes that are within about one-third of its fiber network) by the end of 2015.

AT&T Wireless Risks Having to Pay $100 Million in Tuition on Contract Law

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission has issued a Notice of Apparent Liability to AT&T Wireless with a $100 million “forfeiture” for throttling service to subscribers still having “unlimited” service plans. The FCC applies the transparency requirements contained in its 2010 and 2015 Open Internet Orders that passed muster with appellate court review.

Ironically, AT&T could have avoided the fine if it strategically blended service contracts with FCC filed tariffs. Historically, tariff filing requirements have been vilified as harmful to competition, innovation and carrier flexibility. The FCC has mandated detariffing of many services including wireline and wireless long distance services on the assumption that carriers will self-regulate in a competitive market. Apparently even in competitive markets, carriers can risk a bait and switch gambit. If only AT&T had a tariff filing option. It could have inserted language deep in the boilerplate of a tariff to accord it near total flexibility to throttle whenever it wanted.

Apple Versus Google

[Commentary] The battle between Google and Apple has shifted from devices, operating systems, and apps to a new, amorphous idea called “contextual computing.” We have become data-spewing factories, and the only way to make sense of it all is through context. Google’s approach to context is using billions of data points in its cloud and matching them to our personal usage of the Google-powered Web; Apple’s approach is to string together personal streams of data on devices, without trying to own any of it. If Google is taking an Internet approach to personal context, then Apple’s way is like an intranet. From the surface, Google’s approach seems superior. Understanding context is all about data, and the company is collecting a lot more of it. Apple has your phone; Google has access to almost everything. Google’s approach might lack humanness, but the company will make up for that with accuracy and convenience. Apple’s approach will appeal to those for whom privacy is important.

For now, that argument will resonate in parts of the United States and in most of Europe, while the rest of the planet will opt for a cheaper, more convenient, and, in the end, smarter system from Google. And one day, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an executive from Apple come onstage at the Moscone Center, take a page from its rival, and say that they’re doing the same things with your data that Google is. The two companies aren’t all that different after all.

The Media Is Failing Women, But One Network Is Leading The Fight To Change Things

Each morning at PBS, the entire staff of "NewsHour" gathers in a conference room for the daily morning meeting. The network is structured very much like a newspaper, divided into beats with beat leaders. Everyone from interns to senior executives fill the chairs around the conference table. Producers and staff writers, along with "NewsHour" co-hosts Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill, are all present. "NewsHour" Executive Producer Sara Just then opens the table for discussion: Each beat shares its ideas for upcoming segments, but everyone is encouraged to suggest story topics. The meeting has one main priority. Find diverse voices, particularly women. The underrepresentation of women is a problem that has long existed in media -- in print, television, radio and online. But PBS has managed to find effective solutions by making gender equality a priority.

Benton

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