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  2. July 2017

July 2017

Democrats more likely than Republicans to say online harassment is a major problem

Some 14% of US adults say they have been targeted for online harassment or abuse because of their political views, according to a new report from Pew Research Center. And while Republicans and Democrats are about equally likely to have been harassed online because of their political views (15% vs. 13%), there are some notable partisan differences in their views of the issue. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they have heard a great deal about the topic of online harassment (38% vs. 25%). In addition, a larger share of Democrats than Republicans (69% vs. 54%) consider online harassment to be a major problem.

Regardless of political affiliation, women in both parties are more likely than their male counterparts to view online harassment as a major problem, to think offensive content online isn’t taken seriously enough and to prioritize safe spaces over people being able to express themselves freely online.

Independent Programmers Slam Sinclair/Tribune

A group of independent programmers has called on House and Senate GOP leadership to hold hearings on the proposed Sinclair/Tribune merger.

According to a copy of a letter to the chairs of the House and Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees, which among them oversee communications issues, including mergers, they warn of the "growing power" of media conglomerate and the leverage they say that gives them over the public's access to content. They call that leverage unprecedented and a threat to "the very freedom of expression cherished by people regardless of political persuasion." Signing on to the letter were Cinemoi, INSP, theblaze, RideTV, One America News Network, and MAVTV Motorsports.

FCC Reauthorization Would End Media Cross-ownership Ban

Republican Reps, who have been trying to excise the media cross-ownership ban from the Federal Communications Commission's regulatory playbook, are making that part of the draft legislation reauthorizing the FCC, according to a GOP staff memo for July 25's FCC oversight hearing. Last December, committee chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Rep John Yarmuth (D-KY) introduced a bill to repeal the ban, which applies to daily newspapers and broadcast outlets, which the pair called "disco-era" regulations.

The FCC under chairman Tom Wheeler declined to scrap the ban in the most recent quadrennial ownership rule review, despite suggestions on both sides of the political spectrum that it had outlived its usefulness. The rule dates from 1975 and prevents TV and radio stations from owning a daily newspaper in the same market. The FCC in 2003 under then-chairman Michael Powell found the rule no longer in the public interest, but that decision was challenged in court and has remained on the books.

The reauthorization draft, in addition to eliminating the ban, includes process reforms like making public items circulated for a commission vote, something FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has been doing, but which could change under a new chairman unless it were codified. It would also mandate cost-benefit analysis for proposed rules with potentially significant economic impact. It would allow the FCC more flexibility in assessing regulatory fees—the FCC is self-supporting, paying for its ongoing operations through fees on regulated entities. It also raises the status and profile of the chief information officer and FCC inspector general.

AT&T in Early Talks With DOJ for Time Warner Approval

Apparently, US antitrust officials have started talking to representatives from AT&T and Time Warner about possible conditions that could secure approval of their $85.4 billion tie-up. The early-stage discussions suggest that government lawyers have nearly finished their months-long look at how AT&T, the biggest pay-TV distributor, would reshape the media landscape with its bid for the owner of CNN and HBO -- and shows that the sides have moved on to talking about how they can make the merger work without harming rivals.

US antitrust officials, who have blocked many tie-ups between direct competitors, rarely step in to stop vertical deals like this one. But the Justice Department is under pressure not to wave this merger through. Apparently, media and pay-TV competitors have told department lawyers they fear AT&T would favor the in-house programming that it would acquire.

Title II Fans Launch Phase II of Protest

The groups behind the July 12 internet Day of Action have launched "Team Internet," the next phase of their protest against the proposed reversal of the Federal Communications Commission's common carrier (Title II) classification of internet access. Taking a page from the "distributed organization" model of Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign, the groups say that next phase will include speaking out at meetings and town halls and pressing local officeholders. The Day of Action was targeted to Washington—both the FCC and Congress—and that remains the focus, but through coordinated self-organizing that enlists "neighbors, colleagues, family and friends," to expand their protest footprint.Coordinating Team Internet is the pro-Title II team of Demand Progress, Fight for the Future and Free Press Action Fund. They are looking to tap into what they say was the nearly half a million participants in the Day of Action.

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