October 2018

Republicans Seek FCC Briefing on USTelecom Petition

House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) want more information from the Federal Communications Commission on a petition from USTelecom seeking regulatory relief from some unbundling requirements, as well as details on the agency’s recent Connect America Fund broadband subsidy auction.

Anger toward media spreads into local communities

While President Donald Trump’s attacks on the media are usually centered on national outlets like CNN and The New York Times, the attitudes unleashed have filtered down to journalists on the street covering news in local communities across the country. When a president describes the press as enemies of the people, “attitudes shift and the field crews get the brunt of the abuse,” wrote Lori Bentley-Law, a television news photographer for Los Angeles; KNBC-TV. “And it’s not just from one side.

What social media can do to stop hate

Although hate continues to flourish on social media, experts say the situation is not hopeless. Among the recommendations are allowing broader reporting of hate speech, offering a similar reporting system across different social networks, and putting content moderation on par with finding bugs in code. "It’s common for a bounty to be paid for reporting code issues to a company — companies should do the same with content moderation," said Newhouse School of Public Communications professor Jennifer Grygiel. "The public, researchers, experts etc.

Sen Markey Leads Call for FCC to Protect Local Television Channels

Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) led ten of his colleagues in expressing concerns about the Federal Communication Commission proposal to alter the terms of governing agreements between Local Franchising Authorities (LFA) and cable operators. Currently, towns and cities across the country are permitted to require as part of cable franchise agreements that cable operators meet demonstrated community needs by setting aside channels for public, educational, or governmental (PEG) stations.

Commissioner O'Rielly Remarks to Build Smart Cities of Tomorrow

Several elements involved in the deployment of Smart Cities rely on Federal Communications Commission activity or involvement. Let’s explore some of the policy issues and discussions that may be necessary to make Smart Cities happen in the near term.

Just Which Outlets Are President Trump’s ‘Enemy’? By His Definition, There Are Many

President Donald Trump sent out a couple of tweets Oct 29 pushing back on the idea that he’s called the media the “enemy of the people.” It’s the “fake news” media, he specified. “A very big difference.” The first time that President Trump used the phrase, “enemy of the American people,” he identified the New York Times, NBC News, ABC, CBS, and CNN. He’s also called the Washington Post “fake news” several times. In a Sept 16 tweet, he characterized all of mainstream media as “fake news.”