BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016
Today's Event -- From the Arab Spring to cheating students in India: The economic costs of Internet shutdowns, Brookings -- https://www.benton.org/node/247849
INTERNET/BROADBAND
At White House Rural Forum, USDA Unveils New Funding to Support Rural Broadband and Economic Development
Op-ed from President Barack Obama on the Strength and Resilience of Rural America - President Obama op-ed
Still Paying the ‘Wheeler Tax’ - WSJ editorial
Netflix, Dish And Others Oppose ISPs' Latest Challenge To Net Neutrality Rules [links to Benton summary]
Business Data Service Reform: A No-Brainer for Both Businesses and Consumers - PK [links to Benton summary]
Cable service providers need to offer more than ‘dumb pipes’ - Revere Digital op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Suddenlink Tacks On Gigabit Deployments [links to Multichannel News]
SECURITY/PRIVACY
The FCC Must Act Now To Protect Our Privacy - Rep Frank Pallone op-ed
The virtue of consistency in privacy protection - Henry Waxman op-ed
Public Knowledge Responds to 21st Century Privacy Coalition Statement on Consumer Data [links to Public Knowledge]
Yahoo calls report of secret email scanning 'misleading' [links to Hill, The]
ITU: Are Cyber Criminals Really Outpacing Cyber Defenders? [links to International Telecommunication Union]
NSA contractor arrested for stealing top secret data
Subpoenas and Gag Orders Show Government Overreach, Tech Companies Argue [links to Benton summary]
Why the Government Needs Cyber Translators [links to nextgov]
ELECTIONS 2016
Second thoughts from conservative talk radio star: Did we create Trump? [links to Christian Science Monitor]
Don’t blame the media for Donald Trump, Keith Olbermann says [links to Revere Digital]
Trump’s big ratings allow him to scrimp on TV ad spending [links to Financial Times]
The Feds Want To Stop Election Hackers, But States And Voters Are Wary [links to Fast Company]
Battle for Senate crosses half-billion-dollar TV advertising mark [links to Hill, The]
How 10 mega-donors already helped pour a record $1.1 billion into super PACs [links to Washington Post]
VP debate ratings down from 2012 [links to Politico]
The Editorialists Have Spoken; Will Voters Listen? [links to New York Times]
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION
Federal Communications Commission Provides 24/7 Emergency Contact Information for Hurricane Matthew [links to Federal Communications Commission]
ACCESSIBILITY
FCC Seeks Comment on Joint Petition for Extension of Waiver of Accessible Emergency Information Requirements of American Council of the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind, and National Association of Broadcasters [links to Federal Communications Commission]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
TracFone acquires Walmart Family Mobile from T-Mobile, deal estimated to cover 1.4M customers [links to Fierce]
Third time’s the charm: Google is trying to be a phone company, again [links to Ars Technica]
NPD: Smartphone Video Data Consumption Nearly Triples in One Year [links to telecompetitor]
TELEVISION
Two Reps from CA Push FCC to Release Set-Top Proposal [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
CONTENT
AEI: #YouveBeenServed…via Twitter? [links to American Enterprise Institute]
Read for free: Amazon Prime Reading opens up more e-books for members [links to Ars Technica]
OWNERSHIP
NAB Asks FCC To Act on Nexstar/Media General
JOURNALISM
Hackers Hit Buzzfeed, Claim to Have Database [links to Vice]
Bloomberg Announces New Multiplatform Brand for Tech News [links to AdWeek]
FiveThirtyEight’s ‘Whiz Kid’ Harry Enten represents the new generation of political journalist [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
LABOR
FACT SHEET: Presidential Memorandum on Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the National Security Workforce - press release [links to Benton summary]
LOBBYING
NCTA Foundation Seeds D.C. Groups With $325,000 in Grants [links to Multichannel News]
Twitter Met With Senate Staffers To Discuss Concerns Over Russian Propaganda [links to Fast Company]
POLICYMAKERS
Race is on for prized House Commerce Committee Chairmanship
Washington’s ‘governing elite’ think Americans are morons [links to Benton summary]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Europe’s love/hate relationship with Silicon Valley — and what that means for US tech firms [links to Benton summary]
A Cord-Cutting Battle in Canada is Brewing Between a Telecom David and Goliath [links to Vice]
The Canadian Government’s Plan to Sell New Spying Powers to Citizens [links to Vice]
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
USDA UNVEILS NEW FUNDING TO SUPPORT RURAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: US Department of Agriculture, AUTHOR: Press release]
At the White House Rural Forum convened Oct 5 at Pennsylvania State University, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $32 million in loans and grants that will promote economic development and provide access to broadband in more than 80 rural American communities. Sec Vilsack, who is chair of the first-ever White House Rural Council, convened the forum with rural policy, business and nonprofit leaders to discuss pertinent issues facing rural communities, including opportunities for economic growth and strategies for improving health care and housing. "This funding will provide much-needed capital and bring cutting-edge technology to rural communities across the country," Sec Vilsack said. "Investments in our rural businesses and communities, coupled with extending high-speed broadband, have led to a resurgence of economic development, created jobs and improved the quality of life in rural America. While we have made great progress, our work to extend capital and technology to rural America is not done." Some of the new investments include:
$3 Billion Invested in Rural Infrastructure Projects: In 2014, USDA launched a public-private partnership with Capitol Peak Asset Management and CoBank, a national cooperative bank and member of the Farm Credit System. Since 2014, more than $3 billion in private sector funding has been lent to over 400 financings of projects in the power, water, communications and community facilities industries.'
$7.7 Million in New Grants to Bring Broadband to 6 Unserved Communities: USDA's Community Connect program provides funding for broadband deployment into unserved areas. Since 2009, USDA Rural Development broadband programs have helped bring high-speed Internet access to nearly 6 million rural residents and businesses.'
Health Information Technology Investments: HHS's Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is investing approximately $36 million in rurally-located health centers to support strategic investments in Health Information Technology. The investments will help health centers enhance their health IT and better prepare providers and staff to use health IT and data.
benton.org/headlines/white-house-rural-forum-usda-unveils-new-funding-support-rural-broadband-and-economic | US Department of Agriculture | Fact Sheet
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PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA OP-ED
[SOURCE: US Department of Agriculture, AUTHOR: President Barack Obama]
[Commentary] Over the last eight years, my Administration has worked hand-in-hand with rural communities to build more opportunity – investing in rural schools, supporting rural small business owners, deploying high speed Internet and wireless, and building partnerships between businesses and colleges to help train folks not just for a job, but for a career. And for those struggling with opioid use, we've expanded access to treatment to help them get the care they need. So we're making progress – progress that's possible only because of the strength and resilience of the people in our rural communities. In Pikeville (KY) former coal miners are trading coal for code. They're retraining to learn HTML, JavaScript, and PHP, transforming an old bottling factory into a digital hub. It's a transition that not only supports good jobs, but also offers a glimpse of what the future could look like in other communities like Pikeville.
In Piedmont (AL) school leaders have invested in high-speed connectivity and laptops for every student, so that teachers can tailor lessons to individual students and assess each student's progress in real time. Already, test scores and graduation rates are up, and tiny Piedmont City School District has emerged as a national model for digital learning. That's what rural America can look like in the 21st Century. Smart investments that lead to real, tangible progress. Today, rural unemployment has dropped from a high of about ten percent during the Great Recession to six percent. The rural child poverty rate is dropping, and rural median household incomes are rising again. In so many ways, from its resilience and ingenuity in the face of a challenge to the defining values that power it every day, rural America represents that beating heart. That's why these communities are so important – because when America's rural communities are strong, America is strong.
benton.org/headlines/op-ed-president-barack-obama-strength-and-resilience-rural-america | US Department of Agriculture
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WHEELER TAX
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is still claiming that his 2015 internet takeover has encouraged innovation, investment and economic growth online. That’s not what the evidence shows. The US economy continues to create jobs, but there’s a big exception. Companies making computer and electronic products and in the telecommunications side of the information industry employed 29,000 fewer workers in August than they did a year earlier. Internet broadband networks have become a growth-free zone for investment and jobs. If this jewel of American technology and opportunity now becomes an innovation-free zone, consumers, investors and workers will have every right to blame Chairman Wheeler.
benton.org/headlines/still-paying-wheeler-tax | Wall Street Journal
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SECURITY/PRIVACY
THE FCC MUST ACT NOW TO PROTECT OUR PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Rep Frank Pallone (D-NJ)]
[Commentary] Americans have made it clear that they want more control over their personal information. It’s time for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to act quickly and finally put in place strong rules for Internet service providers, or ISPs, to protect consumers’ privacy. Unfortunately, when the FCC announced more than a year and half ago its intention to adopt new privacy rules for ISPs, the rebuke from critics was swift. The proposal was an important step forward, but the critics argued that because consumers could be confused, the government should not adopt new rules for ISPs unless those rules were imposed on everyone at the same time. In other words, because websites would not operate under the stronger rules, ISPs should not have to either. The optimal solution would be to adopt strong privacy rules for both ISPs and websites, but unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Today, the FCC can adopt rules of the road to protect people’s privacy only when it comes to ISPs. Websites, on the other hand, are overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Unlike the FCC, the FTC must follow an arduous process that makes it virtually impossible to adopt similar rules. Moreover, a recent court decision has thrown the legal landscape into chaos by potentially undermining the FTC’s already limited ability to protect consumers without the FCC’s help. We need to make sure consumers’ privacy is protected, no matter where they go on the Internet or how they connect. Congress should take this opportunity to fully empower the FTC, and give it the tools it needs to protect consumers from the unscrupulous practices of any company that can collect and monetize their data — whether it is a website or a cable company. To fully answer the public’s call and maximize the economic power of the Internet, the two agencies must do all they can to protect consumers by using the tools that they have today. That means the FCC must act now to finalize strong, new privacy rules.
[Rep Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) is the Ranking Member of the House Commerce Committee]
benton.org/headlines/fcc-must-act-now-protect-our-privacy | Huffington Post
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THE VIRTUE OF CONSISTENCY IN PRIVACY PROTECTION
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Henry Waxman]
[Commentary] When multiple federal agencies regulate the same industry, it’s critically important that their rules and standards complement, rather than conflict, with one another. This principle is all the more important when consumer privacy in the ever-expanding world of broadband use is at stake. Unfortunately, the Federal Communications Commission’s pending privacy rulemaking threatens to sacrifice the virtues of consistent protection and put it out of sync with the Federal Trade Commission. The challenge arises following the FCC’s action to adopt network neutrality rules. As a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees these policy areas, I strongly supported net neutrality. However, one unfortunate consequence of the FCC’s decision to classify Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as common carriers was that it eliminated the FTC’s longstanding authority to police the privacy practices of ISPs. While I agree it’s necessary to fix this problem, it’s not a reason to go overboard. There is no need for the FCC to reinvent the wheel here. By synchronizing its final regulations with the FTC’s successful privacy framework – including vital details like what information the FTC counts as sensitive and what kinds of data uses will still require opt-in consent – the FCC can protect consumers’ privacy online in a lasting, durable and consistent way.
[Henry Waxman is a former House Commerce Committee Chairman from California. He currently serves as Chairman of Waxman Strategies where he represents both technology companies and broadband providers.]
benton.org/headlines/virtue-consistency-privacy-protection | Hill, The | B&C | B&C
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NSA CONTRACTOR ARRESTED FOR STEALING TOP SECRET DATA
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Matt Zapotosky, Ellen Nakashima]
A federal contractor suspected of leaking powerful National Security Agency hacking tools has been arrested and charged with stealing classified information from the US government, according to court records and a law enforcement official familiar with the case. Harold Thomas Martin III, 51, who worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, was charged with theft of government property and unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials, authorities said. He was arrested in August after investigators searched his home in Glen Burnie (MD) and found documents and digital information stored on various devices that contained highly classified information, authorities said. The breadth of the damage Martin is alleged to have caused was not immediately clear, though officials alleged some of the documents he took home “could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the United States.” Investigators are probing whether Martin was responsible for an apparent leak that led to a cache of NSA hacking tools appearing online in August, according to an official familiar with the case. Those tools included “exploits” that take advantage of unknown flaws in firewalls, for instance, allowing the government to control a network.
benton.org/headlines/nsa-contractor-arrested-stealing-top-secret-data | Washington Post | New York Times
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OWNERSHIP
NAB ASKS FCC TO ACT ON NEXSTAR/MEDIA GENERAL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Association of Broadcasters has joined with a number of diversity groups in asking the Federal Communications Commission not to wait until after the incentive auction is over, which is likely a couple months away at least and perhaps more, to act on the Nexstar/Media General merger request. NAB said that given that the Justice Department has already approved the deal subject to some station spin-offs including to a minority owner, which would boost diverse ownership, and the fact that the FCC has exceeded the 180-day informal shot clock for the deals, it told the FCC it needed to "fulfill its duty to process the transaction immediately." The FCC said it would not act on license transfers sought by stations participating in the auction unless the transaction were filed by a date certain, which Nexstar and Media General missed by only a few days. Since Media General had indicated it would be participating in the auction—it was allowed by the FCC to signal, and did signal, that it was applying to be eligible—-FCC action on the transfer could provide more specific information about the auction, which is potentially in violation of the FCC’s rule against public disclosures. Nexstar and Media General sought a waiver of that Prohibited Communications Rule in hopes the deal approval would not have to wait until the end of the auction for a decision.
benton.org/headlines/nab-asks-fcc-act-nexstarmedia-general | Broadcasting&Cable
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POLICYMAKERS
RACE IS ON FOR HOUSE COMMERCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMANSHIP
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: David McCabe]
The top job on the House Commerce Committee is likely up for grabs in the next Congress, with Rep Fred Upton (R-MI) reaching his six-year term limit with the gavel. The chairmanship has long been prized because it comes with sweeping jurisdiction over technology, healthcare and energy issues. Rep Greg Walden (R-OR), who now leads the campaign arm for House Republicans, has his eye on the job. So does Rep John Shimkus (R-IL), who outranks Rep Walden in seniority. Both men have been reaching out to party leaders and members who serve on the Steering Committee, which will be awarding top committee jobs after the elections in November. “I’ve talked to a few members of the Steering Committee to make sure that they understood that I do intend to pursue it,” Rep Walden said. The composition of the Steering Committee will shift somewhat after the November elections. But lawmakers seeking to chair a committee, and their aides, often have a good sense of who the decision-makers will be. Rep Shimkus said that he spent much of September speaking with colleagues who might have a say in who gets the gavel. “Yeah, I think pretty much we talked to everyone we were targeted to talk to,” he said. The Energy and Commerce Committee’s wide jurisdiction makes its work of interest to a range of businesses, from Silicon Valley startups to coal-mining companies in Appalachia.
benton.org/headlines/race-prized-house-commerce-committee-chairmanship | Hill, The
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