January 2016

Privacy and Information Sharing

Most Americans see privacy issues in commercial settings as contingent and context-dependent.

A new Pew Research Center study based on a survey of 461 U.S. adults and nine online focus groups of 80 people finds that there are a variety of circumstances under which many Americans would share personal information or permit surveillance in return for getting something of perceived value. For instance, a majority of Americans think it would be acceptable (by a 54% to 24% margin) for employers to install monitoring cameras following a series of workplace thefts. Nearly half (47%) say the basic bargain offered by retail loyalty cards – namely, that stores track their purchases in exchange for occasional discounts – is acceptable to them, even as a third (32%) call it unacceptable. Still, while many Americans are willing to share personal information in exchange for tangible benefits, they are often cautious about disclosing their information and frequently unhappy about what happens to that information once companies have collected it. For example, when presented with a scenario in which they might save money on their energy bill by installing a “smart thermostat” that would monitor their movements around the home, most adults consider this an unacceptable tradeoff (by a 55% to 27% margin).

In online focus groups and in open-ended responses to a nationally representative online survey, many people expressed concerns about the safety and security of their personal data in light of numerous high-profile data breaches. They also regularly expressed anger about the barrage of unsolicited emails, phone calls, customized ads or other contacts that inevitably arises when they elect to share some information about themselves. These findings suggest that the phrase that best captures Americans’ views on the choice between privacy vs. disclosure of personal information is, “It depends.”

World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends

Digital technologies have spread rapidly in much of the world. Digital dividends—that is, the broader development benefits from using these technologies—have lagged behind. In many instances, digital technologies have boosted growth, expanded opportunities, and improved service delivery. Yet their aggregate impact has fallen short and is unevenly distributed. For digital technologies to benefit everyone everywhere requires closing the remaining digital divide, especially in internet access. But greater digital adoption will not be enough. To get the most out of the digital revolution, countries also need to work on the “analog complements”—by strengthening regulations that ensure competition among businesses, by adapting workers’ skills to the demands of the new economy, and by ensuring that institutions are accountable.

Number of Spectrum Sellers Staying Private

Broadcasters who are giving serious consideration to participating in the Federal Communications Commission’s incentive auction were supposed to put the agency on official notice Jan 12. But how many stations are planning to sell their spectrum may not be known for months, because agency officials, who are barred by law from identifying individual station participants until after the auction is over, are also declining to comment on the number of station applications the agency received.

The FCC is not planning to release the number, both because the Jan. 12 filings don’t oblige broadcasters to participate, and because the agency won’t know how many individual stations are planning to participate until the agency reviews the individual broadcaster filings. The next critical deadline for broadcast station auction wannabes is March 29, when stations execs will have to decide whether to commit to participate in the auction’s initial round.

Howard University Takes Step Toward Sale of Spectrum Rights

Howard University said it would join other broadcasters in taking part in a Federal Communications Commission auction that could entail selling the rights to the spectrum on which it broadcasts the nation’s only black-owned public television station.

Citing confidentiality rules surrounding the auction, Howard did not detail its bidding strategy or intentions. According to FCC rules, the university may choose to completely cede its spectrum rights for a premium payout or to trade them for a less-valuable frequency type and a smaller payment. If it elects to cede its rights, Howard may take its 35-year-old station, WHUT, off the air or try to share spectrum space with another broadcaster. The auction has stirred vociferous debate at Howard, a historically black university, as students, faculty and alumni have called on trustees to weigh the station’s symbolic, educational and financial value.

TV Viewers Endured Record Number of Blackouts in 2015

Television viewers around the country endured a record 193 blackouts in 2015, up from 94 the previous year and eight in 2010, due to an intensifying battle between cable companies and the broadcasters who provide a key part of their programming.

Already so far in 2016, at least 13 new blackouts have occurred in markets from across the country, according to pay-TV carriers and their allies. Many of the interruptions are brief, lasting perhaps a day, but they are enough to disrupt programming and often infuriate viewers, and some last much longer. Even more bickering likely lies ahead. Some experts fear the blackout problem will become more prominent in the run-up to marquee TV events such as the Super Bowl, set for Feb. 7 on CBS, and the Oscars, Feb. 28 on ABC. The Federal Communications Commission is examining steps it can take to rein in the problem. The FCC is expected to announce new rules this year for refereeing the increasingly prominent disputes between broadcasters, such as NBC or CBS, and pay-TV providers, meaning cable, satellite and other subscription carriers. But the agency appears hamstrung by limited legal authority, and broadcasters are lobbying against major changes. Broadcasters have been reluctant to give up the leverage that comes from the power to withhold their programming. A number of observers predict that any tightening of FCC oversight of the negotiations ultimately will be modest, and further blackouts appear likely in coming months.

CBO Scores the Combat Terrorist Use of Social Media Act

The Combat Terrorist Use of Social Media Act (HR 3654) would require the President, within 90 days of the bill’s enactment, to develop and submit to the Congress a report on terrorists’ use of social media and an overview of current efforts to counter those activities. Within 180 days of the bill’s enactment, the bill also would require the President to develop and submit to the Congress a comprehensive strategy to counter terrorists’ use of social media.

Based on the cost of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2016-2020 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated amounts. Enacting H.R. 3654 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3654 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2026. H.R. 3654 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.