BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2015
This is the last Headlines newsletter of 2015; we will return on Monday, January 4, 2016. Happy Holidays!
For updates, see us online at https://www.benton.org/headlines/all or plug https://www.benton.org/headlines/feed into your RSS reader
The “Omnibus” Appropriations Bill -- What It Means for Telecommunications & Media Policy
ELECTION 2016
Clinton and Trump are looking for an easy out on the Internet. Don’t give it to them. - analysis
Does the media have a double standard on Hillary Clinton’s and Donald Trump’s embellishments? - analysis
INTERNET/BROADBAND
The growing value people place on broadband - Pew research
Barriers to broadband adoption: Cost is now a substantial challenge for many non-users - Pew research
One-in-seven Americans are television “cord cutters” - Pew research
In a list of USDA's 2015 achievements, Sec Vilsack includes providing new or improved high-speed Internet access to nearly 6 million rural Americans through investments made by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [links to Department of Agriculture]
Why Countries Need National Strategies for the Internet of Things [links to Center for Data Innovation]
EDUCATION
Connecting the Pieces to Prepare America’s Schools for 21st Century Learning - Wheeler/Duncan joint op-ed
$1.9 Billion in E-rate Carry-Forward Funding Available for 2016 [links to Universal Service Administrative Company]
PRIVACY/SECURITY
Researchers Solve Juniper Backdoor Mystery; Signs Point to NSA
Buy the Americana, hand your data to the GOP
Rep Hurd: Encryption is going to be Big Issue in 206 [links to nextgov]
Appealing to the Consumer Through Privacy Policies [links to International Association of Privacy Professionals]
Europe and US have different approaches to protecting privacy of personal data - David Lazarus analysis [links to Benton summary]
US power grid vulnerable to foreign hacks [links to Associated Press]
Stuart Brotman: Social media screening for terrorism needs multiple lenses [links to Brookings]
Pentagon weighs cybercampaign against Islamic State [links to Los Angeles Times]
ADVERTISING
FTC Issues Enforcement Policy Statement Addressing “Native” Advertising and Deceptively Formatted Advertisements - press release
JOURNALISM
Selling ads is a short-term strategy. Here’s why subscriptions are the future of journalism [links to Medium]
Media bias is nothing new. - analysis [links to Benton summary]
One of Chicago’s original bloggers discusses why he’s signing off [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
ACCESSIBILITY
Sen Markey Wants (ADA) Title II Applied to Websites
WIRELESS
Battle over LTE in Wi-Fi bands may soon be resolved [links to IDG News Service]
AGENDA
Issues that will Shape the World in 2016
COMPANY NEWS
World’s First Live DOCSIS 3.1 Gigabit Class Modem Goes Online in Philadelphia [links to Comcast]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
TV in Mexico goes digital [links to Marketplace]
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ELECTION 2016
INTERNET POLICY
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
[Commentary] Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are about as different stylistically as can be. But when it comes to Internet policy, they're both equally in the dark — and just as willing to dismiss gaps in their thinking by making vague assumptions about America's engineering know-how. This resort to hand-waving about "brilliant people" is problematic, not least because some of the very technologists whom the candidates invoke to justify their positions are the same people telling them things aren't as easy as they seem. The result is a political dialogue about technology and terrorism that not only evades the complexities of the issues but also increases the likelihood of policy mistakes derived from a misshapen tech worldview.
benton.org/headlines/clinton-and-trump-are-looking-easy-out-internet-dont-give-it-them | Washington Post
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MEDIA DOUBLE STANDARD ON CLINTON AND TRUMP EMBELLISHMENTS?
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Callum Borchers]
[Commentary] Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are fighting about Clinton's assertion that videos of Trump are being used to recruit Islamic State terrorists. Trump wants an apology for what Clinton said during Dec 19’s Democratic debate; Clinton’s campaign says “Hell, no.” And that’s an actual quote. But there’s also a wrestling match in the media over whether Clinton’s claim is completely false, just slightly off-base, or even right on the money. Many fact-checkers, including ours, have taken Clinton to task for saying that the Islamic State is “going to people, showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists.” So far, there is no evidence that Islamic State recruiters are using video of Trump’s anti-Muslim remarks — a finding conservative media outlets have trumpeted as proof that Clinton lied. Some have gleefully cited a recruiting video that features images not of Trump but of Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. So why is Clinton avoiding the same kind of treatment as Trump, whose frequent misstatements earned him Politifact's "Lie of the Year" this week? One is the sheer number of Trump's false statements. But the other key difference is that Clinton’s general idea — the Islamic State is exploiting Trump’s divisive rhetoric — does hold up; she just got the medium wrong.
benton.org/headlines/does-media-have-double-standard-hillary-clintons-and-donald-trumps-embellishments | Washington Post
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
THE GROWING VALUE PEOPLE PLACE ON BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Pew Internet, Science and Tech, AUTHOR: John Horrigan, Maeve Duggan]
Americans are increasingly likely to view home broadband service as important to accessing information or carrying out a variety of important tasks. A substantial majority of Americans feel that people without home broadband service are at a disadvantage when it comes to keeping up with news or information, getting health information, learning new things, accessing government services or engaging in a job search. Indeed, 52% of Americans feel that non-broadband adopters are at a major disadvantage when it comes to accessing job opportunities or improving their career skills. Approaching half (46%) say lacking broadband is a major disadvantage for accessing or learning about government services. Taken together, 69% of Americans believe that people lacking broadband at home are at a major disadvantage in at least one of these five areas (getting news and information, getting health information, learning new things, accessing government services or looking for job opportunities). Not only do most Americans say that not having a broadband subscription at home is a major disadvantage, but more say this in 2015 than was the case in 2010.
benton.org/headlines/growing-value-people-place-broadband | Pew Internet,Science and Tech
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COST AS BROADBAND ADOPTION BARRIER
[SOURCE: Pew Internet, Science and Tech, AUTHOR: John Horrigan, Maeve Duggan]
For the 33% of Americans who do not currently have broadband service at home, financial concerns – the monthly cost of a broadband subscription most prominently, but also the cost of a computer – loom large as barriers to non-adoption. At the same time, for many non-broadband users who own a smartphone, the functionality of these mobile devices makes traditional broadband a lesser priority. Still, other non-adopters indicate that they have options for online service outside their home, or that suitable broadband service is hard to get in their area. Most non-users point toward multiple reasons for why they do not have high-speed service at home. The typical (median) non-broadband user cites two reasons for not subscribing to home broadband service, while 43% list three reasons or more. In some form, cost is the chief reason that non-adopters cite when permitted to identify more than one reason they do not have a home high-speed subscription. Overall, 66% of non-adopters point toward either the monthly service fee or the cost of the computer as a barrier to adoption. When presented with a follow-up question asking them to identify the most important reason they do not have a home broadband subscription, non-adopters are again more likely to cite the monthly cost of broadband service than any other reason. Smartphone users differ in that the capability of their smartphone rivals the monthly cost of broadband as the main reason they go without service. Price sensitivity – the sense that the monthly fee is too much – is a larger concern for non-adopters who are more likely to recognize the importance of a home high-speed connection.
benton.org/headlines/barriers-broadband-adoption-cost-now-substantial-challenge-many-non-users | Pew Internet,Science and Tech
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CORD CUTTERS
[SOURCE: Pew Internet, Science and Tech, AUTHOR: John Horrigan, Maeve Duggan]
An additional element in people’s portfolio of tools to access information is more traditional – whether they have a subscription to a cable or satellite television service. A shift in how people watch TV is underway, as the new Pew Research Center data suggest 15% of American adults are now “cord cutters” – that is, they indicate that they once had a cable or satellite TV connection, but no longer subscribe. Another 9% of Americans have never had a cable or satellite subscription at all, meaning that a total of 24% of Americans currently do not subscribe to cable or satellite TV in their homes (76% of Americans subscribe to pay TV service at home). There are generational aspects to this phenomenon, as young adults are the least likely age group to have a cable or satellite subscription. Some 65% of those ages 18 to 29 have cable or satellite service at home, compared with 73% of adults ages 30 to 49 and 83% of those 50 or older. One-sixth of young adults (16%) report they never had a cable or satellite subscription, while 19% “cut the cord.” For these young people, alternative access to content is crucial. Some 75% of young adults without a cable or satellite subscription say they can access content they want to watch either online – perhaps by binge watching their favorite shows through an online service like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime – or via an over-the-air antenna. Overall, 64% of those without cable or satellite TV cite alternative access to content as a reason they do not have cable or satellite service at home. Income also comes into play for those without pay TV. Some 63% of homes with annual incomes under $20,000 have either cable or satellite service, compared with 86% of households whose annual income exceeds $75,000. Cord cutters are more likely to live in lower income households as well. In homes whose annual incomes are $20,000 or below, 21% have cut the cord, while 14% of households above that income threshold have cut the cord.
benton.org/headlines/one-seven-americans-are-television-cord-cutters | Pew Internet,Science and Tech
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EDUCATION
CONNECTING THE PIECES TO PREPARE AMERICA'S SCHOOLS FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING
[SOURCE: Medium, AUTHOR: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, US Education Secretary Arne Duncan]
[Commentary] In June 2013, President Barack Obama called on government and private sector leaders to close the Internet connectivity gap in our schools and libraries. At that time, thanks in large part to the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate program — the nation’s largest education technology program — nearly all schools and libraries already had Internet access, but too many had insufficient bandwidth. The speed may have been enough for a typical American household, but it was inadequate for a school with hundreds of students and teachers. According to one analysis at the time, 63 percent of public schools — serving over 40 million students — lacked broadband connections capable of taking advantage of digital learning. To close this gap, President Obama launched the ConnectED initiative, with a central goal of connecting 99 percent of America’s students to high-speed Internet within five years. Enough time has elapsed to see if these collective efforts are having an impact, and early signs show that the steps our agencies have taken are delivering results for which we’d hoped. A little more than two years ago, our government set a goal. We are meeting that goal, and the result is 20 million more American students now have expanded access to digital learning opportunities. Through continued work together, we can ensure that a fast-growing world of technologies brings remarkable possibilities for teaching and learning — helping teachers to do their vital work and making school even more engaging for students.
benton.org/headlines/connecting-pieces-prepare-americas-schools-21st-century-learning | Medium
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PRIVACY/SECURITY
RESEARCHERS SOLVE JUNIPER BACKDOOR MYSTERY; SIGNS POINT TO NSA
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Kim Zetter]
Security researchers believe they have finally solved the mystery around how a sophisticated backdoor embedded in Juniper firewalls works. Juniper Networks, a tech giant that produces networking equipment used by an array of corporate and government systems, announced that it had discovered two unauthorized backdoors in its firewalls, including one that allows the attackers to decrypt protected traffic passing through Juniper’s devices. The researchers’ findings suggest that the National Security Agency may be responsible for that backdoor, at least indirectly. Even if the NSA did not plant the backdoor in the company’s source code, the spy agency may in fact be indirectly responsible for it by having created weaknesses the attackers exploited. Evidence uncovered by Ralf-Philipp Weinmann, founder and CEO of Comsecuris, a security consultancy in Germany, suggests that the Juniper culprits repurposed an encryption backdoor previously believed to have been engineered by the NSA, and tweaked it to use for their own spying purposes.
benton.org/headlines/researchers-solve-juniper-backdoor-mystery-signs-point-nsa | Wired
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BUY THE AMERICANA, HAND YOUR DATA TO THE GOP
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Theodoric Meyer]
From the photo of a blue “God Bless America” T-shirt at the top of the page to the barely visible disclaimer at the bottom, the online store called Delaware Crossing is blazing a new trail in political fundraising and data-gathering. But the words at the bottom, in tiny white type on a light-blue background, make it clear that the store sits solidly on one side of the political divide: "Paid for by the [National Republican Congressional Committee] NRCC,” it says, with a link to House Republicans' campaign website. Delaware Crossing, launched in Nov with next to no fanfare by the NRCC, breaks new ground by selling merchandise with no explicit partisan ties — something neither political party has tried before. It’s a new way to raise money and gather the e-mail addresses and other voter data that power modern campaigns, and both Democratic and Republican consultants say the store could bring in people who haven’t responded to more traditional fundraising asks. Then, once voters have donated or given their e-mail address once, they are much more likely to respond to future campaign requests.
benton.org/headlines/buy-americana-hand-your-data-gop | Politico
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ADVERTISING
FTC STATEMENT ADDRESSING NATIVE ADVERTISING
[SOURCE: Federal Trade Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Trade Commission issued an enforcement policy statement explaining how established consumer protection principles apply to different advertising formats, including “native” ads that look like surrounding non-advertising content. In the Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements, the FTC lays out the general principles the Commission considers in determining whether any particular ad format is deceptive and violates the FTC Act. The policy statement affirms the long-standing consumer protection principle that advertisements and promotional messages that promote the benefits and attributes of goods and services should be identifiable as advertising to consumers. The policy statement explains that an ad’s format is deceptive if it materially misleads consumers about the ad’s commercial nature, including through any implied or express representation that it comes from a party other than the sponsoring advertiser. If the source of advertising content is clear, consumers can make informed decisions about whether to interact with the advertising and the weight to give the information conveyed in the ad. Also released is “Native Advertising: A Guide for Business” to help companies understand, and comply with, the policy statement in the context of native advertising. The business guidance gives examples of when disclosures are necessary to prevent deception and FTC staff guidance on how to make clear and prominent disclosures within the format of native ads.
benton.org/headlines/ftc-issues-enforcement-policy-statement-addressing-native-advertising-and-deceptively | Federal Trade Commission | FTC blog
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ACCESSIBILITY
SEN MARKEY WANTS (ADA) TITLE II APPLIED TO WEBSITES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) wants Title II to cover websites, but it is Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) he and other lawmakers are pushing this time. In a letter to the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Sen Markey and eight other Senate Democrats said that it was past time for OMB to complete its review of a Justice Department rulemaking proposal -- issued a half decade ago -- clarifying the obligations under Title II and III of the ADA to make websites and other information systems and communications technology (ICT) accessible to people with disabilities. DOJ has secured settlement agreements under ADA's more general communications accessibility requirements, but the rulemaking would establish specific requirements and compliance standards. The senators said the settlements -- with retailers, state and local governments, the hospitality industry -- are laudable but only apply in those specific instances, while others, they say, are exploiting the lack of regulatory clarity to avoid taking "appreciable actions." They did not name any names. They said that it is time for OMB to complete its review of the rulemaking proposal. Among other Senators on the letter were Al Franken (D-MN), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Corey Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD).
benton.org/headlines/sen-markey-wants-ada-title-ii-applied-websites | Broadcasting&Cable
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AGENDA
ISSUES THAT WILL SHAPE THE WORLD IN 2016
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: Rose Pastore]
[Commentary] Fast Company’s list of some of the most crucial topics facing the world in 2016 includes:
Global Internet Access: As more of the world's population gains access to the Internet—increasingly through inexpensive mobile devices rather than desktop computers—tech companies are exploring how best to serve (and exploit) a new customer base in developing nations. Facebook and Google are each working on projects to increase global Internet access, and Chinese electronics firm Xiaomi is bringing its cheap mobile devices into India, which will soon pass the US to become the world's second-largest smartphone market.
Data Security: In 2015 we learned that no institution is safe from hackers… not the US government, not health insurance companies—not even children's toys. In 2016, cybersecurity will be an increasingly critical problem for companies, governments, and individuals.
Black Lives Matter and Online Social Justice: With the ubiquity of social media and smartphone cameras, injustices that could once be concealed and ignored now receive mainstream attention. Thanks to viral hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter, online social justice will continue to be a major force inspiring real-life protests and legal progress in 2016.
Regulating the Sharing Economy: Sharing economy startups like Uber and Airbnb are expanding to more and more cities worldwide, and local laws are racing to catch up. Uber could soon be forced to classify its US drivers as employees—a move that would upend its business model—and Airbnb is facing legal issues related to taxes and safety.
benton.org/headlines/issues-will-shape-world-2016 | Fast Company
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