August 2015

The FCC Must Upgrade the Lifeline Program

While supporting the Lifeline program and the proposed changes, Free Press is urging the Federal Communications Commission to take a comprehensive approach to addressing the affordability and competition problems in the nation’s telecommunications marketplace. The lack of choices has pushed costs for essential telecommunications services way beyond the reach of too many.

Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood said, "If the FCC wants to make Lifeline more effective and boost competition and innovation in the Lifeline marketplace, it should let recipients apply their Lifeline subsidies to any telecommunications services, including broadband...The FCC also needs to devote resources to creating affordable options in the marketplace across the board. The lack of effective broadband competition has a negative impact on everyone seeking access to these essential services. Lifeline is but one tool the FCC can use to address the issue of affordability. If the agency’s primary goal is to get as many people as possible using broadband, it needs to take every necessary step to make all broadband services affordable. The FCC should move ahead with its proposed changes to Lifeline -- and take other steps to deal with the broader competition crisis head on.”

Creating Consumer Choice in Set-Top Boxes

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission now has the Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee's (DSTAC) report with its two proposals. Ultimately, it will have to act to replace the aging CableCARD standard with something better, something that can finally achieve the 1996 Telecommunications Act's goal of a competitive marketplace.

Public Knowledge believes that the protocol-based proposal that it supports provides a much surer path to competition than the cable industry's web app approach, and we look forward to continuing to make that case to the FCC. The FCC is now seeking public comment on the two-part DSTAC report. Ultimately, it needs to move forward to a rulemaking to implement a solution that will finally achieve the goal of competitive video devices.

Sen Blumenthal to FCC: Broadband subsidies would help veterans

Expanding phone subsidies for low-income Americans to include broadband Internet service would help veterans, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said in a letter to Federal Communications Chairman Tom Wheeler. The letter, also addressed to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, urged them to work to expand veteran access to the program, called Lifeline.

Ranking Member Blumenthal said the program could best serve veterans if it was expanded to include subsidies for broadband service. “Veterans can use the Lifeline Program discount to improve access to the technology that will allow them to contact VA for benefits or medical appointments, or to communicate with potential employers or housing providers,” he wrote. “The proposal to expand the Lifeline program to broadband, would help veterans access affordable quality health care services.”

Russia Puts Off Data Showdown With Technology Firms

Russia is postponing a showdown with a handful of technology titans, including Facebook, over installing data centers on Russian soil, handing an interim victory to companies that have resisted the divisive new rule. Ahead of a law that goes into effect Sept 1 requiring companies to store and process data about Russian users within the country’s borders, Russian regulators have told companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter that they don’t plan to check until at least January whether the companies are in compliance, executives and Russian officials said.

The three companies have so far either told officials they won’t have new data centers on Russian soil in the immediate future or haven’t made clear whether they plan to comply, some of the executives said. Russian officials provided a reprieve when they said these companies weren’t on the list of those the Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor was planning to check before 2016.

Malware infecting jailbroken iPhones stole 225,000 Apple account logins

A newly discovered malware family that preys on jailbroken iPhones has collected login credentials for more than 225,000 Apple accounts, making it one of the largest Apple account compromises to be caused by malware. KeyRaider, as the malware family has been dubbed, is distributed through a third-party repository of Cydia, which markets itself as an alternative to Apple's official App Store. Malicious code surreptitiously included with Cydia apps is creating problems for people in China and at least 17 other countries, including France, Russia, Japan, and the UK. Not only has it pilfered account data for 225,941 Apple accounts, it has also disabled some infected phones until users pay a ransom, and it has made unauthorized charges against some victims' accounts. Researchers with Palo Alto Networks worked with members of the Chinese iPhone community Weiphone after members found the unauthorized charges.

ACA: FCC Should Protect Out-of-Market Station Access

The American Cable Association wants the Federal Communications Commission to go beyond removing regulations that prevent cable operators from importing out-of-market TV stations to expressly prohibiting broadcast networks from discouraging or preventing their affiliates from negotiating that exclusivity through contracts. ACA says the FCC could make that a per se violation of good faith negotiation or clarify that it already violates the good faith requirement. The FCC is currently reviewing the definition of good faith negotiations per congressional directive. ACA has asked the FCC to prohibit TV networks from "blocking or disincentivizing" their affiliates from signing retransmission contracts with out-of-market cable operators, particularly involving traditionally viewed stations.

Apple, Cisco Unveil Business Partnership

Apple and Cisco Systems are teaming up to help bring more iPhones and iPads to business users. The partnership is aimed at helping Apple’s mobile devices communicate more effectively on corporate networks where Cisco gear is widely used, the companies said. They also plan to jointly work on technology to help workers with iPhones and iPads better exploit Cisco’s collaboration products, including its video- and Web-conferencing services. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and Cisco Chairman John Chambers said their companies had spent 10 months working out details of a collaboration, which they outlined to thousands of Cisco sales representatives.

Parents Television Council Pans MTV VMA 'Controversy'

A clearly exercised Parents Television Council president Tim Winter used MTV's Video Music Awards telecast to take aim against the cable network, but more specifically against how the program was rated and the extent to which viewers had to support it through their cable bills.

The awards drew some criticism and raised some eyebrows with content including Rebel Wilson's "joke" about the police and Miley Cyrus's non-wardrobe malfunction. In the wake of that, Winter said that the show’s sexual themes and "celebration" of drugs should not have been rated for teens as young as 14. “It’s also unfortunate that the VMAs were underwritten by the vast majority of Americans who were forced to pay for MTV on their cable bills, but who don’t give a damn about the VMAs," the group said. The PTC has long advocated for a la carte programming as a way to allow parents to choose not to pay for channels they (both PTC and parents) think are inappropriate for their kids.

Are ‘WiFi allergies’ a real thing? A quick guide to electromagnetic hypersensitivity.

Science is nowhere near convinced that “Wi-Fi allergies” are legit. But the French legal system is apparently far more credulous: During the week of Aug 24 it ruled that a 39-year-old woman is eligible for nearly $900/month in disability benefits because of her struggles with so-called “electromagnetic hypersensitivity.”

It’s one of the first times a court of law has recognized EHS, or “electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome” -- which is incredible, given that actual, hard evidence linking adverse health affects and Wi-Fi signals is pretty negligible. Here is a quick review of what we do and don’t know about the world’s most mysterious “allergy,” with advice for those of you on the verge of chucking your router entirely.

CWA says 10 Mbps broadband requirement should apply to Lifeline program

In comments submitted to the Federal Communications Commission, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) called for specific measures to modernize and expand the Lifeline program to make broadband service more affordable and accessible to lower-income families. CWA made these recommendations:

Set minimum speed and service requirements for carriers consistent with other universal service programs. The 10 Mbps downstream/1 Mbp upstream standard for Connect America also should be provided to Lifeline customers.
Provide reimbursement to Lifeline customers for up-front connection charges, in addition to the monthly subsidy. The FCC also should monitor the cost and availability of broadband products and consider some reimbursement toward equipment purchases.
Establish a national eligibility verification system that enables Lifeline participants to efficiently and easily change carriers if a better service is available.
Promote the service to more lower-income families to achieve as full participation rates as possible. CWA strongly opposes a cap to financing of Lifeline services.

Benton

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