1. Monthly archive
  2. September 2016

September 2016

Fact Sheet: Chairman Wheeler's Proposal to Increase Consumer Choice & Innovation in the Video Marketplace

Ninety-nine percent of pay-TV subscribers currently rent set-top boxes because there aren’t meaningful alternatives.Congress recognized the importance of a competitive marketplace and directed the Commission to adopt rules that will ensure consumers will be able to use the device they prefer for accessing programming they’ve paid for. The new rules, if adopted, simplify the Commission’s original proposal to finally provide consumers with choice in how they access pay-TV service while satisfying Congress’ mandate.

Following constructive engagement from a wide range of stakeholders, the proposed final rules will allow consumers to access their pay-TV content via free apps on a variety of devices so they no longer have to pay monthly rental fees, enable integrated search, and protect content and privacy. The Commission will vote on these simplified consumer-first, app-driven rules at its next open meeting on September 29, 2016. If adopted, the largest pay-TV providers, who serve 95% of pay-TV subscribers, will have two years to comply with the rules.

Tentative Agenda for September 2016 Open Meeting of the FCC

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 29, 2016:

Improving Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). The Commission will consider a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would leverage advancements in technology to improve wireless emergency alert content, delivery and testing, while seeking comment on further measures to ensure effective alerts. (PS Docket No. 15-91)

Review of Foreign Ownership Policies. The Commission will consider a Report and Order that extends to broadcast licensees the same streamlined rules and procedures that common carrier wireless licensees use to seek approval for foreign ownership, with appropriate broadcast-specific modifications. The item also establishes a framework for a publicly traded common carrier or broadcast licensee or controlling U.S. parent to ascertain its foreign ownership levels. (GN Docket No. 15-236)

Independent Programming: The Commission will consider a NPRM that proposes steps the Commission can take to promote the distribution of independent and diverse programming to consumers. (MB Docket No. 16-41)

Expanding Consumer Choice: The Commission will consider a Report and Order that modernizes the Commission’s rules to allow consumers to use a device of their choosing to access multichannel video programming instead of leasing devices from their cable or satellite providers. (MB Docket No. 16-42)

Senate and House Chairs Call for Administration to Reconsider ICANN Internet Transition

Senate Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), in a letter to US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, raised numerous concerns about plans for the Obama Administration to cede authority over the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and called for reconsideration of the transition, currently set to occur on October 1, 2016.

“The transition of the IANA functions to the global multi-stakeholder community is a serious, groundbreaking, and potentially unalterable action,” said the four chairmen in the letter to Lynch and Pritzker. “We have closely examined the arguments for and against the proposed transition, including concerns about whether the transition could enhance the role of authoritarian regimes in Internet governance. In particular, we have heard from witnesses testifying to concerns that important accountability measures have yet to be fully fleshed out, tested, or proven, because they will not have been implemented prior to September 30, 2016.” In addition to concerns about the status of accountability reforms inside ICANN, the four chairmen also cited recent violations of ICANN’s own bylaws by board members, questions about the application of anti-trust laws, the potential for an independent ICANN to move outside the jurisdiction of the United States, and unfinished work by the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) in determining the legal authority for the federal government to relinquish its current role in IANA functions without express authorization from Congress.

Announcing the First Federal Chief Information Security Officer

In February, President Barack Obama announced a Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) that takes a series of short-term and long-term actions to improve our cybersecurity posture within the Federal Government and across the country. The CNAP builds upon a comprehensive series of actions over the last nearly eight years that have fundamentally shifted the way we approach security in the digital age and raised the level of cybersecurity across the country. While we’ve seen progress, and as the President has made clear on many occasions, there’s much more to do. That’s why we are proud to announce Brigadier General (retired) Gregory J. Touhill as the first Federal Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

A key feature of the CNAP is creation of the first CISO to drive cybersecurity policy, planning, and implementation across the Federal Government. General Touhill is currently the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications in the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he focuses on the development and implementation of operational programs designed to protect our government networks and critical infrastructure. In his new role as Federal CISO, Greg will leverage his considerable experience in managing a range of complex and diverse technical solutions at scale with his strong knowledge of both civilian and military best practices, capabilities, and human capital training, development and retention strategies. Greg will lead a strong team within OMB who have been at the forefront of driving policy and implementation of leading cyber practices across federal agencies, and is the team that conducts periodic cyberstat reviews with federal agencies to insure that implementation plans are effective and achieve the desired outcomes.

Colin Powell advised Hillary Clinton on how to skirt e-mail security as US secretary of state

One of the more notable aspects of 2016’s US presidential race is the sheer amount of attention given to Hillary Clinton’s use of e-mail while she served as secretary of state from 2009, with Republicans questioning whether she used proper security procedures. But what about the email habits of her predecessors in that role?

Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings has made public an exchange between Clinton and Republican Colin Powell, who served as secretary of state during the first term of president George W. Bush. In it, Powell answers two questions from Clinton as she prepares for her new role in January 2009: “What were the restrictions on your use of your blackberry?” and “Did you use it in your personal office?” Notably in the exchange, Powell says, "I didn’t have a BlackBerry. What I did do was have a personal computer that was hooked up to a private phone line (sounds ancient.) So I could communicate with a wide range of friends directly without going through the State Department servers. I even used it to do business with some foreign leaders and some of the senior folks in the Department on their personal email accounts. I did the same thing on the road in hotels."

AT&T becomes stakeholder in the ConnectHome initiative

AT&T has become a major stakeholder in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) ConnectHome initiative to connect low-income families with internet services, but critics question the availability of its new offerings. As part of its work with HUD, the service provider plans to host 30 events across 15 ConnectHome pilot communities located within AT&T’s 21-state wireline service area. During these events, AT&T will provide information about Access from AT&T, a low-cost internet service it launched in April. AT&T will also provide up to 100 Udacity Nanodegree program scholarships to select participants in designated HUD communities. Nanodegree programs are self-paced, online curricula that provide students in-demand skills to help obtain tech-related jobs. The courses will focus on web development, mobile development and data analytics. Set to start on September 10, the events will spread ConnectHome pilot communities in several cities across ten states: New York, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, California, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois and Texas.

Households that qualify for Access from AT&T will be able to access three speed tiers: 10 Mbps, 5 Mbps or 3 Mbps available at their address. Speeds of 10 Mbps and 5 Mbps will cost $10 a month while 3 Mbps will cost $5. AT&T will waive installation and internet equipment fees for participating households. However compelling AT&T’s intentions are to bridge the so-called digital divide, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) said in a report that many of its affiliates that tried to help SNAP participants apply for Access were told the program was unavailable.

© 1994-2024 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.