BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016
Today's Event -- Disrupting the Narrative: Unlocking Stories of Diversity in Tech, new America panel -- https://www.benton.org/calendar
AGENDA
FCC Meeting Agenda for August 2016 Open meeting - press release
ELECTIONS 2016
Washington Post reporter barred, patted down by police, at rally for Mike Pence
A Post reporter was banned from a Trump-Pence rally yesterday. That should frighten you. [links to Washington Post]
Donald Trump’s incredible new defense of his Russia-spying-on-Hillary comments: Just kidding! [links to Benton summary]
Donald Trump’s trickle-down media thuggery [links to Washington Post]
The Election Is Anyone's Guess, but the DNC Is Winning the TV Ratings Race [links to AdAge]
Dems Continue To Dominate TV Show Tweets [links to Multichannel News]
How Clinton’s universal broadband push would be a drag on the economy - Mark Jamison/AEI op-ed
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Podcast: Internet access is now a human right [links to Guardian, The]
This Beach Cabana Has Lousy Wi-Fi [links to Benton summary]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Environmental Protection Agency Tests Future of Public Comments [links to Benton summary]
SECURITY/PRIVACY
FTC Approves Final Order in ASUS Privacy Case - press release [links to Benton summary]
In Secret Battle, Surveillance Court Reined in FBI Use of Information Obtained From Phone Calls [links to Benton summary]
Shane Tews: Russians aren’t just hacking the DNC – they are hacking America [links to American Enterprise Institute]
FBI Director: Time to Discuss Encryption Before 'Something Terrible Happens' [links to nextgov]
People Downloaded LastPass to keep their passwords safe. But it had a major flaw [links to Washington Post]
Should Secret Service Protect Emails of Future Presidents? [links to Benton summary]
Five myths about patient privacy [links to Washington Post]
Are Data Breaches Becoming More Common? [links to Vice]
Jacob Appelbaum was an online privacy hero. Then a scandal exploded. [links to Benton summary]
Time to Stop Hitting the Cyber Snooze Button on US Infrastructure - nextgov op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Professionals Across the Globe Agree: Government Don't Invest Enough In Cyber [links to Benton summary]
TELEVISION
Apple’s Hard-Charging Tactics Hurt TV Expansion [links to Benton summary]
National Association of Broadcasters: FCC Lacks Authority to Boost Video Described Programming [links to Benton summary]
Future of Pay-TV: Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated (Sort Of) [links to Benton summary]
PBS president voices concern over TV-to-wireless auction [links to Los Angeles Times]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
The FCC is pushing Internet innovation forward — and holding it back - Larry Downes op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Strategy Analytics: Smartphone market to rebound in 2016 with new phones from Samsung, Apple [links to Fierce]
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
FCC Announces Roll-Out Schedule Details for Parallel Operation of the New and Legacy Network Outage Reporting System [links to Federal Communications Commission]
OWNERSHIP
Verizon has made a bold, risky bet on the future of advertising [links to Benton summary]
Podcast: What the heck happens to Yahoo now that Verizon owns it? [links to Revere Digital]
Adonis Hoffman: Nexstar-Media General Merger No Threat to Public Interest [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
CONTENT
Michelle Quinn: After permanently banning professional agitator and conservative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, Twitter can go further to make its platform a place for true civil discourse. [links to San Jose Mercury News]
How Mobile Games Rake In Billions [links to Wall Street Journal]
ADVERTISING
Google Profits Surge on Strong Ad Demand [links to Wall Street Journal]
TELECOM
David Lazarus: Phone companies could stop robocalls. They're just not doing it [links to Los Angeles Times]
LABOR
Weather Service conducts ‘illegal surveillance’ on staff, union says
COMPANY NEWS
Google Profits Surge on Strong Ad Demand [links to Wall Street Journal]
Self-driving cars, Fiber and Alphabet's other non-Google moonshots lost $859 million this past quarter [links to Revere Digital]
John Bickham Named Charter President [links to Mutlichannel News]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Shane Tews: Russians aren’t just hacking the DNC – they are hacking America [links to American Enterprise Institute]
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AGENDA
FCC MEETING AGENDA FOR AUGUST MEETING
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on the subjects listed below on Thursday, August 4, 2016:
Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, Section 105, Relay Services for DeafBlind Individuals (CG Docket No. 10-210): The Commission will consider a Report and Order that would convert the National Deaf Blind Equipment Distribution Program from a pilot to a permanent program.
Improvements to Benchmarks and Related Requirements Governing Hearing AidCompatible Mobile Handsets (WT Docket No. 15- 285): The Commission will consider a Report and Order that would implement changes to
the scope of the wireless hearing aid compatibility rules.
Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services (WC Docket No. 12-375): The Commission will consider an Order on Reconsideration, responding to a petition filed by Michael S. Hamden, that would ensure that
the rates for Inmate Calling Services (ICS) are just, reasonable, and fair and explicitly account for facilities’ ICS-related costs.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-meeting-agenda-august-2016-open-meeting | Federal Communications Commission
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ELECTIONS 2016
POST REPORTER BARRED, PATTED DOWN BY POLICE, AT PENCE RALLY
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Paul Farhi]
Donald Trump’s campaign has denied press credentials to a number of disfavored media organizations, including The Washington Post, but on July 27, the campaign of his running mate, Gov Mike Pence (R-IN), went even further. At Gov Pence’s first public event since he was introduced as the Republican vice-presidential candidate two weeks ago, a Post reporter was barred from entering the venue after security staffers summoned local police to pat him down in a search for his cellphone. Gov Pence’s campaign expressed embarrassment and regret about the episode, which an official blamed on overzealous campaign volunteers. Post reporter Jose A. DelReal sought to cover Gov Pence’s rally at the Waukesha County Exposition Center outside Milwaukee (WI), but he was turned down for a credential beforehand by volunteers at a press check-in table. DelReal then tried to enter via the general-admission line, as Post reporters have done without incident since Trump in June banned the newspaper from his events. He was stopped there by a private security official who told him he couldn’t enter the building with his laptop and cellphone. When DelReal asked whether others attending the rally could enter with their cellphones, he said the unidentified official replied, “Not if they work for The Washington Post.” After placing his computer and phone in his car, DelReal returned to the line and was detained again by security personnel, who summoned two county sheriff’s deputies. The officers patted down DelReal’s legs and torso, seeking his phone, the reporter said.
benton.org/headlines/washington-post-reporter-barred-patted-down-police-rally-mike-pence | Washington Post
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CLINTON’S TECH AGENDA
[SOURCE: American Enterprise Institute, AUTHOR: Mark Jamison]
[Commentary] Hillary Clinton’s technology and innovation agenda promises to “finish the job of connecting every household in America to high-speed broadband.” How? Largely by taking money from taxpayers and funneling it to people who promise to expand broadband. In some universe, it might be possible to make the world a better place by taking money from businesses and consumers who were using it to produce wealth and value and putting that money into something that people are otherwise unwilling to pay for. But in the world in which we actually live, Clinton’s plan is likely to waste resources and make our economy worse for the experience. Underlying the Clinton agenda is a belief that we have too little broadband and that we find ourselves in this situation because: (1) There are barriers to competition; (2) Customers don’t know what they are missing; and (3) We are not taking account of the positive economic spillovers of broadband.
[Jamison is the director and Gunter Professor of the Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida]
benton.org/headlines/how-clintons-universal-broadband-push-would-be-drag-economy | American Enterprise Institute
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LABOR
WEATHER SERVICE CONDUCTS 'ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE' ON STAFF, UNION SAYS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Joe Davidson]
If it’s on Facebook, can it be secret? Members of the National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO) thought they had a secret Facebook page that was available only to them. But not only did National Weather Service (NWS) management officials know about the page, they accessed it and made scornful comments about the postings, according to the union. That amounts to “illegal surveillance” of union activities, according to the labor organization’s complaint filed July 27 with the Federal Labor Relations Authority. In the past six months, Weather Service officials “engaged in the surveillance of internal union communications about and discussions of protected activities” on the labor organization’s “ ‘secret’ (that is, ‘members only’) Facebook page,” according to the complaint. Susan Buchanan, an NWS spokeswoman, said the agency does “not conduct surveillance on our employees’ private social media accounts, including NWSEO’s members-only Facebook page.” Unlike other cases of surreptitious surveillance, managers did not try to keep their spying secret, the union’s complaint alleges. It says management officials made critical comments about some of the Facebook postings to stifle the commentary.
benton.org/headlines/weather-service-conducts-illegal-surveillance-staff-union-says | Washington Post
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