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May 2016

Lessons from the 2016 Net Inclusion Summit

On May 18th and 19th, I had the pleasure of attending the first (and hopefully annual) Net Inclusion Summit, hosted by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), at the beautiful Kansas City Public Library. Policymakers, academics, city officials, librarians, advocates, citizens, and corporate representatives came together to discuss one of the most important and growing topics in the field of telecommunications policy: digital inclusion. The flurry of activities -- panels, workshops, and speeches -- all revolved around how to expand access, adoption, and use of broadband. There were so many great individuals and organizations gathered there. Through their conversations, there emerged several lessons learned and many important questions raised over how to best increase digital inclusion.

News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2016

A majority of U.S. adults – 62% – get news on social media, and 18% do so often, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center, conducted in association with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. In 2012, based on a slightly different question, 49% of U.S. adults reported seeing news on social media.

But which social media sites have the largest portion of users getting news there? How many get news on multiple social media sites? And to what degree are these news consumers seeking online news out versus happening upon it while doing other things? News plays a varying role across the social networking sites studied. Two-thirds of Facebook users (66%) get news on the site, nearly six-in-ten Twitter users (59%) get news on Twitter, and seven-in-ten Reddit users get news on that platform. On Tumblr, the figure sits at 31%, while for the other five social networking sites it is true of only about one-fifth or less of their user bases. It is also useful to see how, when combined with the sites’ total reach, the proportion of users who gets news on each site translates to U.S. adults overall. Facebook is by far the largest social networking site, reaching 67% of US adults. The two-thirds of Facebook users who get news there, then, amount to 44% of the general population. YouTube has the next greatest reach in terms of general usage, at 48% of US adults. But only about a fifth of its users get news there, which amounts to 10% of the adult population. That puts it on par with Twitter, which has a smaller user base (16% of US adults) but a larger portion getting news there.

Weekly Digest

Lessons from the 2016 Net Inclusion Summit

You’re reading the Benton Foundation’s Weekly Round-up, a recap of the biggest (or most overlooked) telecommunications stories of the week. The round-up is delivered via e-mail each Friday; to get your own copy, subscribe at www.benton.org/user/register

Robbie’s Round-Up for the Week of May 23-27, 2016

Google Wins Java Copyright Case Against Oracle

A federal jury ruled that Google’s use of Oracle’s Java software didn’t violate copyright law, the latest twist in a six-year legal battle between the two Silicon Valley companies. Oracle sued Google in 2010 for using parts of Java without permission in its Android smartphone software. A federal appeals court ruled in 2014 that Oracle could copyright the Java parts, but Google argued in a new trial that its use of Java was limited and covered by rules permitting “fair use” of copyright material. A 10-person jury agreed.

Google acknowledged using 11,000 lines of Java software code. But it said that amounted to less than 0.1% of the 15 million lines of code in its Android mobile-operating system, which runs most of the world’s smartphones. Oracle sued Google for using 37 Java APIs in Android. Google said requiring it to have a license for the APIs would stifle software innovation by discouraging programmers from using APIs. That would make software development harder and could render some apps inoperable, Google said. Oracle, meanwhile, argued that Google took its property without permission. The verdict is unlikely to end the long legal saga, which already had a brief stop at the US Supreme Court. Oracle quickly said it would appeal.

House Commerce Committee Launches Investigation Into Universal Service Lifeline Program

House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) announced that the committee is launching an investigation into waste, fraud, and abuse in Universal Service Lifeline program. The investigation comes on the heels of the Federal Communications Commission’s recently issued Notice of Apparent Liability alleging massive fraud in the Lifeline program perpetrated by Total Call Mobile.

Committee member Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) sent a letter to the committee asking the committee to investigate the mismanagement of the Lifeline program. In light of the FCC’s notice and Rep. Pompeo’s letter, Chairman Upton writes, “I have instructed Committee staff to begin an investigation of the Lifeline program consistent with your recommendation. As you so aptly observe, such action is necessary to ensure not only that ratepayer dollars are responsibly spent but also to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the program for those that truly need the assistance.”

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