October 2016

Apparently, Facebook has been in talks for months with US government officials and wireless carriers with an eye toward unveiling an American version of an app that has caused controversy abroad.

The company is trying to determine how to roll out its program, known as Free Basics, in the United States without triggering the regulatory scrutiny that effectively killed a version of the app in India earlier in 2016. If Facebook succeeds with its US agenda for Free Basics — which has not been previously reported — it would mark a major victory for the company as it seeks to connect millions more to the Web, and to its own platform. The US version of Free Basics would target low-income and rural Americans who cannot afford reliable, high-speed Internet at home or on smartphones. The app does not directly pay for users' mobile data. Rather, it allows users to stretch their data plans by offering, in partnership with wireless carriers, free Internet access to resources such as online news, health information and job leads. Exactly what specific services would be offered in the US app has not been determined.

But the idea to bring Free Basics to the United States is likely to rekindle a long-running debate about the future of the Internet. On one side are those who view services such as Facebook's as a critical tool in connecting underserved populations to the Internet, in some cases for the first time. On the other side are those who argue that exempting services from data caps creates a multitiered playing field that favors businesses with the expertise and budgets to participate in such programs. The fight over this tactic, known as “zero-rating,” has largely taken place overseas where local start-ups are mixing with globally established firms in still-nascent Internet economies. But a launch of Free Basics would bring the discussion to US shores in a major way.

I’d like to use my remarks to bring you up to speed on what we’re doing at the Federal Communications Commission to address the challenges of Americans with cognitive disabilities.

We are at a time when digital technology – Internet Protocol, or “IP” technology – offers the greatest opportunity in history to use technology to attack challenges that have affected individuals since the beginning of time – including the 30 million Americans with cognitive disabilities. We are at an historical juncture. If we don’t do everything possible to harness this marvelous new technology revolution to attack the challenges of individuals with disabilities, then shame on us. One of the most important things that needs to happen is that accessibility needs to be baked into the development of mainstream consumer electronics and services. I said it before, but it bears repeating, access to the wonders of technology must be a forethought, not an afterthought. The FCC’s Disability Rights Office has also taken an in-depth look at communications technologies for people with cognitive disabilities, noting accessibility barriers and delineating steps we can take to ensure that our policies eliminate them. Today, I am proud to announce the release of the Commission’s very first White Paper on cognitive disabilities which discusses these issues and presents solutions for accessible information and communication technologies. The paper identifies three primary barriers. First, the lack of accessibility; and second, economic barriers, resulting from the lower incomes that are prevalent in this population. But – and I’m sure this is no surprise to you – we found something else that appears to be preventing the full utilization of emerging communications technologies. That is the lack of outreach to people with cognitive disabilities and their support networks about both their rights to accessible technologies and the availability of some communications technologies that can already improve their daily lives in significant ways...So here’s the bottom line. This is our time to make a difference.

AT&T has gone from a regional phone company to a national telecommunications powerhouse over the last decade. Its next big expansion will see it buying businesses to transform into a media and entertainment giant, apparently.

Over the next three to five years, AT&T will seek deals to become a producer of programming, shifting its business model so that it owns some of the content it distributes, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the company’s strategy. The company’s targets include companies worth $2 billion to $50 billion, apparently. Phone companies are trying to figure out their next steps for expansion as wireless growth flattens out and competition with cable providers remains intense. While its main rival Verizon has bet big on mobile advertising, AT&T is more focused on becoming a powerhouse in video programming. Having become the largest US pay-TV provider through the DirecTV deal, AT&T now faces a new set of challenges -- holding on to TV subscribers in an era of cord-cutting as well as fighting cable networks’ attempts to raise prices for their channels. Adding media properties to AT&T’s distribution business would give the phone carrier valuable insight for marketers into the viewing habits of its users, just as TV rival Comcast got in the acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011. “The landscape has changed so much in the past 10 years. Strategically, going into media makes a lot of sense,” said Amy Yong, an analyst with Macquarie Capital USA Inc. “Owning content has become very important, not only for cost benefits but getting a stronger foothold among consumers.”