Country Music Legend Glen Campbell
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2017
This week’s events https://www.benton.org/calendar/2017-08-06--P1W
INTERNET/BROADBAND
FCC Seeks Comment & Information to Guide Annual Inquiry Under Sec. 706, Whether Advanced Telecom Has Been Reasonably and Timely Deployed - public notice
FCC Notches Win in Business Data Services
Statement Of FCC Chairman Pai On Court Decision To Deny Stay Of Business Data Services Reforms - press release [links to Benton summary]
Report: US Median Broadband Price is $80 Monthly
NET NEUTRALITY
Network Neutrality Behind Closed Doors
AT&T CFO: FirstNet’s prioritized service for public safety ‘a challenge’ to net neutrality
SECURITY/PRIVACY
Center for Democracy and Technology asks FTC to investigate free VPN service’s security and data-sharing practices [links to Hill, The]
In Illinois, Cybersecurity Training for State Employees Now Required by Law [links to Government Technology]
CONTENT
How Disney Wants to Take On Netflix With Its Own Streaming Services
Netflix or cable? Why not both? [links to American Public Media]
Nearly half of those who have been harassed online know their harasser [links to Pew Research Center]
ADVERTISING
This Startup Is Helping Teen Influencers Make Thousands of Dollars a Month on Snapchat [links to AdWeek]
OWNERSHIP
Conservative Media Voices Line Up Against Trump-Friendly Sinclair’s Purchase Of Tribune [links to Benton summary]
New conservative media boogeyman: Sinclair [links to Benton summary]
Concerns, political and commercial, over Sinclair’s dominance of local TV [links to Benton summary]
T-Mobile to FCC: Sinclair/Tribune Needs Repack Conditions [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
Public Knowledge Files Petition to Deny Proposed Sinclair, Tribune Merger [links to Public Knowledge]
Analysts: Cable taking a minority stake is Sprint's best strategic option [links to Fierce]
Will CNN Be Sold After The AT&T/Time Warner Merger? [links to MediaPost]
JOURNALISM
When Silicon Valley Took Over Journalism [links to Benton summary]
Games might be a good tool for fighting fake news. Here’s what three developers have learned [links to Nieman]
Journalists to use 'immune system' software against fake news [links to Guardian, The]
DIVERSITY/LABOR
Tech’s sexism doesn’t stay in Silicon Valley. It’s in the products you use. -op-ed
The Culture Wars Have Come to Silicon Valley
Diversity problems in the tech industry go far beyond Google [links to Vox]
Contentious Memo Strikes Nerve Inside Google and Out [links to New York Times]
Google engineer fired over anti-diversity memo files labor complaint [links to Vox]
By firing engineer, Google shows what you can say — and what you can't — at work [links to Los Angeles Times]
The Google memo is a reminder that we generally don’t have free speech at work [links to Washington Post]
Silicon Valley is a liberal echo chamber: conservatives decry Google groupthink [links to Guardian, The]
More than 60 women consider suing Google, claiming sexism and a pay gap [links to Guardian, The]
That sexist memo could cost Google employees [links to American Public Media]
Op-Ed: Firing Silicon Valley's worst offenders is an important step. But in the tech industry, sexism is in the water [links to Los Angeles Times]
Editorial: The 'left bias' of Google, where 70% of employees are male, comes under attack [links to Los Angeles Times]
Anita Hill: Class Actions Could Fight Discrimination in Tech [links to New York Times]
Holman Jenkins -- Memo to a Google Engineer: Hey, shut up. Google is fighting the diversity furies and you’re not helping. [links to Wall Street Journal]
Woman technology CEOs make progress on C-suite gender diversity [links to Brookings]
ELECTIONS
Former CIA Moscow Station Chief Daniel Hoffman Offers His Take On President Trump And Russia [links to National Public Radio]
Sen Mark Warner wants closer look at Russia's fake news operation on Facebook [links to Hill, The]
Justice Department Backs Ohio’s Effort to Purge Infrequent Voters From Rolls [links to New York Times]
President Trump Rewards Loyalty in Alabama Senate Race by Tweeting Endorsement [links to New York Times]
COMMUNICATIONS AND DEMOCRACY
Op-ed: Teaching civic engagement to kids can change their lives–and their communities [links to San Jose Mercury News]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
President Trump, media escalate feud
ACLU sues Maine's governor for deleting Facebook comments and blocking users [links to Vox]
The Trump Administration’s Leakers Deserve to Be Investigated - Foreign Policy [links to Benton summary]
POLICYMAKERS
These frightening new survey results describe a Congress in crisis
Now Starring in the West Wing: Sarah Huckabee Sanders [links to New York Times]
Op-Ed: Expect to see more and more tech execs running for political office - Vox op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Peter Thiel Has Been Hedging His Bet On Donald Trump [links to BuzzFeed]
COMPANY NEWS
Startup companies are the economy’s big job generators, and they need more access to capital [links to American Public Media]
Who is Google CEO Sundar Pichai? [links to CNN]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
The European Electronic Communications Code: A critical appraisal with a focus on incentivizing investment in next generation broadband networks [links to Telecommunications Policy]
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
THIRTEENTH SECTION 706 REPORT NOTICE OF INQUIRY
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires the Federal Communications Commission to determine and report annually on “whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion.” With this Notice of Inquiry the FCC initiates e the next annual assessment of the “availability of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion,” and solicit comment and information to help guide our analysis. The FCC seeks objective data and other evidence reflecting the state of broadband deployment and availability. The Commission encourages individual consumers, providers of broadband services, consumer advocates, analysts, companies, policy institutes, governmental entities, and all other interested parties to help determine the most effective ways to complete this statutorily-mandated task. The FCC also encourages commenters to bring to attention new issues concerning the deployment and availability of advanced telecommunications capability and recommend new ways to measure and evaluate deployment and availability. The information the FCC gathers in this proceeding will help ensure that broadband policies are well-informed and backed by sound data analysis as the FCC strives to encourage the deployment of broadband to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion. FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn did not vote to launch the proceeding saying, “While the structure of this item may look similar to past years, and I appreciate the Chairman accepting edits that I proposed, for several reasons I must respectfully concur.” He complaints include: 1) proposing a speed benchmark that is way too low, 2) deeming an area as “served” if mobile or fixed service is available, and 3) NOI seeks to measure deployment in terms of year-over-year progress rather than whether the service is actually meeting the needs of consumers.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-seeks-comment-information-guide-annual-inquiry-under-sec-706-whether-advanced-telecom | Federal Communications Commission | Clyburn Statement
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FCC NOTCHES WIN IN BUSINESS DATA SERVICES SUIT
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Li Zhou]
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals handed a victory to the Federal Communications Commission when it refused to block the agency's regulatory changes to the business data services market from taking effect. The commission voted in April to relax regulations in the $45 billion market, finding that there was strong evidence of competition for the services, which provide connections for ATMs, hospitals and other institutions for high-volume data transmissions. Sprint and several other organizations filed suit. Trade group INCOMPAS and the Ad Hoc Telecom Users Committee, an organization of major firms that buy telecom services, along with several others, asked the appeals court to stop the changes from taking effect. The court denied the request, along with a request from Sprint to transfer the case to DC.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-notches-win-business-data-services | Politico
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US MEDIAN BROADBAND PRICE IS $80 MONTHLY
[SOURCE: telecompetitor, AUTHOR: Carl Weinschenk]
The US residential median broadband price was $80 per month during the second quarter of 2017, according to research from Point Topic. Globally, the average residential download speed was 135 Mbps and the average monthly charge was $105. The best value was provided by fiber (208 Mbps for $94) and the worst by copper (14 Mbps for $68). The range between high and low prices for broadband service tend to be more extreme in some countries than in others, according to Point Topic’s data. India (a high/low range of about $120/$5), Brazil (about $115/$20) and Turkey (about $118/$20) have a higher range, while Germany (about $50/$22), Japan (about $35/$3), South Korea (about $55/$30) and Russia (about $30/$5) tend to have less of a gap between high and low broadband speeds. The midrange seems to be comprised of China (about $60/$5), the United States (about $85/$15), France (about $55/$10) and the UK (about $55/$5).
benton.org/headlines/report-us-median-broadband-price-80-monthly | telecompetitor
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NET NEUTRALITY
NET NEUTRALITY BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Li Zhou]
House Commerce Committee staff, as expected, met with interested parties on network neutrality legislation, but they wouldn't say which companies or groups showed up. Remember, the committee originally invited the CEOs of Facebook, Alphabet, Amazon and Netflix to testify at a hearing along with chief executives of the major telecoms, but later extended (apparently indefinitely) the deadline for them to respond. "We are pleased that so many stakeholders in the internet and tech communities have provided substantive feedback in our efforts to protect a free and open internet," said committee spokesman Zach Hunter, declining to name attendees. "We look forward to continued progress and providing certainty for both businesses and consumers alike with a permanent, legislative solution." It's all part of a Republican effort to push forward a net neutrality bill, which has been stalled amid opposition from Democrats intent on keeping the fight focused on the Federal Communications Commission. According to the committee, Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) still plans to hold a Sept. 7 hearing on the topic.
benton.org/headlines/network-neutrality-behind-closed-doors | Politico
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ATT CFO: FIRSNET PRIORITIZED SERVICE A 'CHALLENGE' TO NN
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Mike Dano]
AT&T’s CFO John Stephens said that FirstNet’s pre-emption requirements for public safety users present “a challenge with the net neutrality process because you are giving prioritized service to police, firefighters.” “But quite frankly I think everyone would agree that that’s probably a good thing,” explained Stephens. "It’s just one of the uniquenesses of some of the other arguments that we have to deal with.” When questioned about the topic further, Stephens said that net neutrality proponents didn’t really take FirstNet’s public-safety pre-emption requirements into account when drafting net neutrality guidelines. “We have the ability today to give [FirstNet public-safety users] preferential treatment. What we’ll have by the end of the year is what we call ‘relentless pre-emption,’ such that if there’s capacity for 10 calls and 10 calls are being used, and a firefighter gets on, one of the 10 people gets booted off and the firefighter gets in,” he said. “Quite frankly, I don’t think they thought about it [when crafting net neutrality guidelines]. The FirstNet process has been around since 9/11. It came out of the 9/11 events, and so that had been out there for a long time, and so I don’t even think it was even considered.”
benton.org/headlines/att-cfo-firstnets-prioritized-service-public-safety-challenge-net-neutrality | Fierce
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CONTENT
DISNEY UNVEILS PLAN FOR STREAMING SERVICE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brooks Barnes]
Disney unveiled plans on Aug 8 for Netflix-style streaming services for sports programming from ESPN and Disney movies. It is a striking, multibillion-dollar bid to reposition Disney, the world’s largest entertainment company, for growth and to address worries of cord-cutting in the traditional television business. Disney’s direct-to-consumer services will start in 2018. The first one will offer ESPN programming, including baseball, hockey, tennis and college sports — about 10,000 regional and national events in its first year. By 2019, Disney plans to start a separate entertainment service, which will include Pixar movies, Disney Channel television series and film library content. For the last two years, Disney has not been to convince investors that ESPN, its longtime growth engine, will keep chugging away — albeit more slowly — even as the network deals with the subscriber erosion that is buffeting the broader cable television business. Its efforts have included paying $1 billion last year for a 33 percent stake in BamTech, which handles streaming for baseball teams and HBO. At the time, Disney said it was working on an ESPN-branded streaming service. On Aug 8, the company said it would pay $1.58 billion for an additional 42 percent stake in BamTech. Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, said the acquisition would help his company compete with streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon by introducing a video home base for all things Disney. “The media landscape is increasingly defined by direct relationships between content creators and consumers,” Iger said. “This acquisition and the launch of our direct-to-consumer services mark an entirely new growth strategy for the company.”
benton.org/headlines/how-disney-wants-take-netflix-its-own-streaming-services | New York Times | Vox | The Hill
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DIVERSITY
TECH’S SEXISM
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Sara Wachter-Boettcher]
[Commentary] What happens in Silicon Valley doesn’t stay in Silicon Valley. It comes into our homes and onto our screens, affecting all of us who use technology, not just those who make it. The effects are far-reaching. Study after study has shown that biased machine-learning systems result in everything from job-search ads that show women lower-paying positions than men to predictive-policing software that perpetuates disparities in communities of color. Some of these flaws might seem small¬. But together, they paint a picture of an industry that’s out of touch with the people who actually use its products. And without a fundamental overhaul to the way Silicon Valley works — to who gets funded, who gets hired, who gets promoted and who is believed when abuses happen — it’s going to stay that way. That’s why calls to get rid of programs targeted at attracting and supporting diverse tech workers are so misguided. The sooner we stop letting tech get away with being insular, inequitable and hostile to diversity, the sooner we’ll start building technology that works for all of us.
[Sara Wachter-Boettcher is a web consultant]
benton.org/headlines/techs-sexism-doesnt-stay-silicon-valley-its-products-you-use | Washington Post
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SILICON VALLEY CULTURE WARS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Nick Wingfield]
The culture wars that have consumed politics in the United States have now landed on Silicon Valley’s doorstep. That became clear after Google fired a software engineer, James Damore, who had written an internal memo challenging the company’s diversity efforts. The firing set off a furious debate over Google’s handling of the situation, with some accusing the company of silencing the engineer for speaking his mind. Supporters of women in tech praised Google. But for the right, it became a potent symbol of the tech industry’s intolerance of ideological diversity. Silicon Valley’s politics have long skewed left, with a free-markets philosophy and a dash of libertarianism. But that goes only so far, with recent episodes putting the tech industry under the microscope for how it penalizes people for expressing dissenting opinions. Damore’s firing has now plunged the nation’s technology capital into some of the same debates that have engulfed the rest of the country. Such fractures have been building in Silicon Valley for some time, reaching even into its highest echelons. The tensions became evident with the rise of President Donald Trump, when a handful of people from the industry who publicly supported the then-presidential candidate faced blowback for their political decisions.
benton.org/headlines/culture-wars-have-come-silicon-valley | New York Times
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GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS
TRUMP-MEDIA FEUD PART 1,567
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jonathan Easley]
The war between the White House and the press is escalating 200 days into the administration, with President Donald Trump launching daily attacks on the press and an emboldened news media becoming increasingly transparent about its hostility towards the president. Trump’s aides and outside allies are astonished by how quickly the mainstream press has taken to ridiculing the administration or engaging in what they see as petty score-settling. Top mainstream media figures and news outlets are tweaking President Trump for taking a 17-day “working vacation,” writing stories about the personal lives of administration officials that are meant to cast them as hypocrites, and adopting a sneering tone that Trump’s allies say is unprecedented. “Both sides could stand to dial it back, but I don’t think this is a relationship that can be repaired,” said former Trump adviser Barry Bennett. Tensions have exploded since last week’s briefing room showdown between Trump policy adviser Stephen Miller, who relishes sparring with the news media, and CNN’s White House correspondent Jim Acosta, who has become one of the leading administration critics in the White House press corps. Both sides believe they won the exchange. Trump’s allies say that social media has finally pulled back the curtain on reporter biases. “It is as if they can no longer report without their personal bias,” said Katrina Pierson, a spokesperson for the pro-Trump group America First Polices. “In other words, newspapers have become essentially opinion blogs instead of public information and education. The Twitter feed of some so-called journalists tells you everything you need to know.” But some media experts say the reaction from the press has been fair, usually coming in response to one of Trump’s attacks.
benton.org/headlines/president-trump-media-escalate-feud | Hill, The
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POLICYMAKERS
SURVEY DESCRIBES A CONGRESS IN CRISIS
[SOURCE: Vox, AUTHOR: Lee Drutman]
Even if members of Congress truly want to translate their current pique at institutional dysfunction into genuine deliberation, into a process of “regular order” where committees develop legislation, where would they begin? They’d need to build back a whole lot of lost capacity. Consider some responses from a new survey of senior staff from the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) titled “State of the Congress: Staff Perspectives on Institutional Capacity in the House and the Senate.” Below are the percentages of senior staff who said they were “very satisfied” with their chamber’s performance in the following benchmarks:
“The chamber’s human resource support and infrastructure is adequate to support staffers’ official duties (e.g., training, professional development, benefits, etc.)”: 5%
“Members have adequate time and resources to understand, consider, and deliberate policy and legislation”: 6%
“The technological infrastructure is adequate to support Members’ official duties”: 6%
“The chamber has adequate capacity and support (staff, research, capability, infrastructure, etc.) to perform its role in democracy”: 11%
Congress has been de-investing in its institutional capacity for decades, and congressional staff earn absurdly low salaries, leading to high turnover and consistent staff inexperience.
benton.org/headlines/these-frightening-new-survey-results-describe-congress-crisis | Vox | Vox
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