May 2017

Frank Deford, NPR's Longtime Philosopher Of Sports

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, MAY 30, 2017

This week -- SHLB's Seventh Annual Conference and Infrastructure Deployment Webinar For Small Businesses https://www.benton.org/calendar/2017-05-28--P1W

COMMUNICATIONS AND DEMOCRACY
   President Trump Returns to Crisis Over Kushner as White House Tries to Contain It
    DEVELOPING STORY: Mike Dubke, White House communications director, resigns in what could be start of a series of changes to Trump’s senior staff [links to Washington Post]
   How Trump’s Attacks on the Media Turned Into Literal Attacks on the Media [links to Wrap, The]
   The GOP’s newest member of Congress, Greg Gianforte, can’t make up his mind about whether he assaulted a reporter, or a reporter assaulted him [links to Washington Post]
   Greg Gianforte’s win in Montana proves there’s no penalty in politics for media bashing [links to Washington Post]
   Kentucky Newspaper’s Windows Shattered Amid Rising Anti-Press Climate [links to Huffington Post]
   Montana NBC Affiliate Refused to Cover Gianforte ‘Body Slam’ [links to New York Magazine]

INTERNET/TELECOMMUNICATIONS
   Six Things Trump’s FCC Chairman Doesn’t Want You to Know About Net Neutrality - op-ed
   Editorial: Net neutrality deserves more of a chance [links to Akron Beacon Journal]
   Which Internet Gatekeeper Discriminates the Most? Alphabet-Google [links to Scott Cleland]
   Why ‘Net Neutrality’ Drives the Left Crazy: The FCC’s new chairman on his plan to reopen the internet to competition—and the agitators picketing his family home [links to Wall Street Journal]
   Shame on the Picketing Net Neutrality Bullies [links to Wall Street Journal]
   AT&T-backed legislation in Illinois to cut POTS lines limits affordable, reliable options, says AARP, Citizens Utility Board
   Louisville’s Gigabit Experience Center Brings Fiber Connection Speeds to ‘Network Connectivity Desert’
   FreedomPop targets Lifeline providers with digital platform

SECURITY
   Hackers Hide Cyberattacks in Social Media Posts [links to New York Times]
   The nation’s top tech companies are asking Congress to reform a key NSA surveillance program [links to Benton summary]

LABOR
   Accused of underpaying women, Google says it's too expensive to get wage data [links to Guardian, The]
   The latest perk for tech workers is doing good [links to Los Angeles Times]

EDUCATION
   Education Groups Urge Leaders to Advance Digital Equity - CoSN press release [links to Benton summary]
   As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating [links to New York Times]

WIRELESS
   Mobile Data Plan Survey: Users Not Thrilled with Unlimited Plans [links to Benton summary]

POLICYMAKERS
   Chairmen Walden and Blackburn Announce Staff Additions to the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee - press release

STORIES FROM ABROAD
   British Airways Faces Third Day of Flight Disruption After Computer Outage [links to Wall Street Journal]

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GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

TRUMP COMMUNICATIONS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Maggie Haberman, Glenn Thrush, Julie Hirschfeld Davis]
President Donald Trump returned home on Saturday to confront a growing political and legal threat, as his top aides tried to contain the fallout from reports that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is a focus of investigations into possible collusion between Russia and the president’s campaign and transition teams. The White House canceled a presidential trip to Iowa and was putting together a damage-control plan to expand the president’s legal team, reorganize his communications staff and wall off a scandal that has jeopardized his agenda and now threatens to engulf his family. Behind the scenes, Trump’s advisers were working to create a crisis-control communications operation within the White House to separate the Russia investigations and related scandals from the administration’s day-to-day themes and the work of governing. The goal is to give President Trump more outlets for communicating his message in an unvarnished way, while curbing opportunities for aides to be confronted publicly with damaging developments or unflattering story lines. Under the evolving scenario, Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, would take a diminished public role, with daily on-camera briefings replaced by more limited interactions with journalists, while President Trump would seize more opportunities to communicate directly with his core supporters through campaign rallies, social media appearances such as Facebook Live videos, and interviews with friendly news organizations.
benton.org/headlines/president-trump-returns-crisis-over-kushner-white-house-tries-contain-it | New York Times
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INTERNET/TELECOMMUNICATIONS

SIX THINGS ABOUT NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Medium, AUTHOR: Timothy Karr]
[Commentary] For Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, fabricating a network neutrality counter-narrative means making things up  while burying mounting evidence that the 2015 rules are working well. It’s all part of Pai’s ongoing efforts to keep people in the dark as he tries to strip away the open-internet protections that millions upon millions of internet users demand. As the Trump FCC moves forward with this misinformation campaign, it’s worth highlighting the six things its chairman doesn’t want you to know:
ONE: The American Public Overwhelmingly Supports Net Neutrality Protections
TWO: The 2015 FCC Rules Are Working
THREE: Net Neutrality Supporters Aren’t Crazy
FOUR: Without Net Neutrality Protections, ISPs Will Wreak Havoc on the Internet
FIVE: Net Neutrality Is Not Government Regulation of the Internet
SIX: Pai and His Industry Allies Don’t Support the Open Internet
benton.org/headlines/six-things-trumps-fcc-chairman-doesnt-want-you-know-about-net-neutrality | Medium
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AT&T-BACKED BILL IN ILLINOIS
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Sean Buckley]
AT&T-supported legislation in Illinois that would eliminate a requirement for the telco to offer landline voice service, or "plain old telephone service," has been met with opposition from the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) and the AARP, igniting new debate on legacy services. Senate Bill 1381, which was passed 56-2 May 24, would abolish the state requirement that incumbent carrier AT&T offer traditional phone service. CUB said that the bill would set in motion a process that would eventually allow the company to send "cease to offer" notices to its 1.2 million business and residential landline customers in Illinois. Additionally, the legislation would increase phone rates for current customers by allowing AT&T to eliminate the low-cost "Consumer's Choice" local calling plans.
benton.org/headlines/att-backed-legislation-cut-pots-lines-limits-affordable-reliable-options-says-aarp | Fierce
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FIBER TO A NETWORK CONNECTIVITY DESERT
[SOURCE: Government Technology, AUTHOR: Zack Quaintance]
Louisville has launched a new public workspace — one that combines free loaner laptops and fiber Internet connection with modern design aesthetics, the sort more closely associated with trendy coffee shops than government facilities. And it’s done so in an economically challenged neighborhood where people often lack access to tech. A central aim of this space is to help foster entrepreneurial partnerships and economic growth in a section of the city facing significant obstacles. The workspace, dubbed the PNC Gigabit Experience Center, is located in the Louisville Central Community Centers' (LCCC) Old Walnut Street development, which is in the Russell neighborhood on the city’s west side. The neighborhood didn’t even have a place where residents could grab a coffee and hop onto Wi-Fi, whether it be to discuss potential business collaborations, apply for jobs or simply browse the Web. The PNC Gigabyte Experience Center seeks to rectify this dearth by providing higher connection speeds and loaner tech, in a space that feels both vibrant and productive. The PNC Gigabit Experience Center is part of Louisville’s recently announced digital inclusion strategy, the city's plan to remove technological barriers so that all citizens have the digital access, skills and hardware to get jobs, degrees and other services.
benton.org/headlines/louisvilles-gigabit-experience-center-brings-fiber-connection-speeds-network-connectivity | Government Technology
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FREEDOMPOP AND LIFELINE
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Colin Gibbs]
FreedomPop is hoping to cash in on the Federal Communications Commission’s overhaul of the Lifeline program, which subsidizes telecommunications services for low-income consumers. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai directed the agency to eliminate the federal approval process for Lifeline service providers, effectively returning those processes to the state level. Critics say the move will require would-be service providers to undergo a lengthy and perhaps prohibitively burdensome course to extend offerings to Lifeline participants. But FreedomPop, an MVNO that provides wireless services in North America and Europe, is licensing its platform as a way for companies to bring offerings to market through Lifeline more simply and affordably. The company announced a deal with one Lifeline service provider, PWG Solutions, and said it will launch with a few more companies in the coming months. “It’s pretty much impossible to get certified across 30 states, so you’ve got these (potential service providers) who are just stagnant,” FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols said. “Rather than just trying to come in and outdo them, we’re literally just going to empower them, basically extend our technology to these guys so they can modernize.” FreedomPop uses a freemium model to entice users, then upsells them into bigger packages or other value-added services such as additional local numbers for users in foreign lands or a “safety mode” that prevents overage charges. It sells handsets as well as SIM cards enabling customers to activate their own phones.
benton.org/headlines/freedompop-targets-lifeline-providers-digital-platform | Fierce
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POLICYMAKERS

SUBCOMMITTEE STAFF
[SOURCE: House of Representatives Commerce Committee, AUTHOR: Press release]
House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced the following staff announcements for the Communications and Technology Subcommittee:
Robin C. Colwell, Chief Counsel, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology: Colwell will serve as Chief Counsel for the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology beginning in July. She has served as FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly’s Chief of Staff and Senior Legal Advisor since December of 2014. Prior to that Robin served as a Legislative Counsel for Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and as a Counsel at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation’s Subcommittee on Tourism, Competitiveness, and Innovation.
Timothy J. Kurth, Senior Professional Staff, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology: Kurth returns to Capitol Hill after a career in the private sector. Kurth worked in Congress from 1995 - 2004, including as the senior advisor on technology and telecommunications issues for the Speaker of the House, Congressman Dennis Hastert (R–IL), and prior to that as Hastert’s legislative assistant during his time on the House Commerce Committee. Kurth began his career in Washington with stints at the U.S. Department of State, as well as interning in the leadership office of Congressman Bob Michel (R-IL).
benton.org/headlines/chairmen-walden-and-blackburn-announce-staff-additions-house-communications-and-technology | House of Representatives Commerce Committee
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