1. Monthly archive
  2. February 2017

February 2017

Republican lawmakers introduce bills to curb protesting in at least 18 states

Since the election of President Trump, Republican lawmakers in at least 18 states have introduced or voted on legislation to curb mass protests in what civil liberties experts are calling “an attack on protest rights throughout the states.” From Virginia to Washington state, legislators have introduced bills that would increase punishments for blocking highways, ban the use of masks during protests, indemnify drivers who strike protesters with their cars and, in at least once case, seize the assets of people involved in protests that later turn violent.

The proposals come after a string of mass protest movements in the past few years, covering everything from police shootings of unarmed black men to the Dakota Access Pipeline to the inauguration of Trump. Some are introducing bills because they say they're necessary to counter the actions of “paid” or “professional” protesters who set out to intimidate or disrupt, a common accusation that experts agree is largely overstated.

Minority Leader Pelosi calls for DOJ probe of Priebus on FBI, Russia

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) says the Department of Justice must probe reports that White House chief of staff Reince Priebus asked the FBI to push back on media coverage linking figures from President Trump's campaign to Russian intelligence. Reports emerged Feb 23 the FBI rejected a White House request to dismiss news stories about staffers from Trump’s campaign repeatedly contacting Russian intelligence agents.

“The Trump White House has been caught trying to pressure the FBI into undermining a vital national security investigation into explosive ties between senior Trump officials and Russian intelligence agents, an action which is in violation of Department of Justice rules and may be illegal,” Minority Leader Pelosi said. “White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus has committed an outrageous breach of the FBI’s independence,” Pelosi added. "Priebus has not only damaged his reputation but tainted the impartiality of the FBI.” “The Department of Justice’s Inspector General must open a new investigation into any and all conversations Priebus and other White House officials held with the FBI on ongoing investigations. The American people deserve to know the truth.”

American Library Association and Cox Communications partner to narrow digital divide for low-income families

The American Library Association and Cox Communications announced a new partnership that will strengthen and expand our shared commitment to connecting low-income students and their families with technology, providing a stronger foundation for success in the classroom, in continuing education and in job opportunities. Through this new partnership, more low-income families will have access to digital literacy training and resources in their local libraries and online.

In Tucson (AZ), Topeka (KS), and Baton Rouge (LA), libraries and Cox will pilot the deployment of enhanced digital literacy training and resources for library patrons and families. Research will be conducted to measure the outcomes of the pilot. In all Cox markets across the company’s 18-state footprint, Cox and the local libraries will collaborate on digital literacy and internet adoption initiatives, including an advertising campaign on Cox’s cross-channel cable lineup.

Listen, technology holdouts: Enough is enough

[Commentary] Even as fanatic customers can be counted on to line up outside the Apple store for the latest iPhone, there are still millions of Americans who don’t use a smartphone at all. For that matter, there are still plenty of happy owners of tube televisions, rotary dial telephones, film cameras, fax machines, typewriters and cassette tape players. You might think the holdouts just can’t afford it, which certainly remains an important factor despite programs that subsidize both wired and wireless broadband. But the real holdup is that non-adopters — mostly older, rural and less-educated — just aren’t interested in Internet access, at any price.

As other factors such as price and usability fall, a perceived lack of relevance now dominates. To overcome the inertia of legacy customers, it may be appropriate for governments to step in. The United States has long had programs aimed at making broadband more affordable for lower-income Americans and more accessible for those living in sparsely populated areas.

[Larry Downes is a project director at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy.]

The FBI's New FOIA Policy Is a Big Step Backward

As of March 1, the FBI will no longer accept Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests via e-mail. Anyone seeking public records from the FBI will have to use a new online portal — or send requests via fax or snail mail. Online FOIA portals may seem like a good idea in theory, but government agencies make them difficult to use — with way too many burdensome requirements.

The Freedom of Information Act gives us a legal right to request public records, which allow journalists and watchdogs to hold the government accountable. FOIA requests uncovered harmful covert operations like COINTELPRO — an FBI program designed to dismantle civil rights groups, among others — and also exposed government surveillance of Black Lives Matter activists.

ACA to FCC: Bundling Is Biggest Diversity Damper

The American Cable Association, joined by some independent programmers, told the Federal Communications Commission in reply comments that forced bundling of channels is the biggest obstacle to a thriving and diverse program marketplace. They pointed out that if a pay-TV wants to carry a desirable channel from the nine largest media companies, they would have to carry a minimum of 65 channels to get them. The cable operators argue that it is clear from the record that addressing that problem is a prerequisite to the competition that the FCC is trying to promote. That includes package deals in retransmission agreements, ACA says. "At a minimum, the FCC should eliminate bundling from the list of conduct that is presumptively consistent with good faith conduct in broadcast carriage talks. This practice has real, anti-competitive implications, making it more difficult for channels not affiliated with a top-rated broadcast station to obtain carriage," said ACA president Matt Polka.

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