Mark Sullivan

In 2012 the Obama campaign was desperate to reach twentysomethings who were hard to access because they had only cell phones. So it sought to reach them on Facebook. Two GOP campaign analytics sources said the Obama camp used a common Facebook developer API – the same one used to access the data for Cambridge Analytica – to create a Facebook app that could capture the personal data not only of the app user, but also of all that person’s friends.

satellite internet has been the service of last resort for people who live in places where cable and telco broadband can’t reach. But that may begin to change as a next wave of satellite technology begins entering orbit over the earth over the next few years. The “last alternative” role of satellite service may not last forever, though. Changes are afoot in the industry. These new satellites, called Low Earth Orbit or LEOs, will be smaller and lighter and could soon cost less than $1 million each.

[Commentary] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai’s central argument for eliminating network neutrality rules, which he introduced with a plan to “reverse the mistake” of the Obama-era regulations, is that doing so will fire up investment in broadband networks. But that prediction is very optimistic, say experts who warn that his proposal could very well do little or nothing to stimulate such investment.

Chairman Pai’s central argument is that [the Title II] net neutrality rules had the immediate effect of slowing down investment in broadband networks. He said the internet was already working fine before the FCC stepped in to impose unnecessary regulations for purely political reasons. “While investment in broadband infrastructure has certainly dwindled in recent years, the impact that net neutrality regulation has had is very much open to debate,” says Dan Hays, global tech, media, and telecom lead at PwC’s Strategy& group. “In fact, it’s quite plausible that growth in market penetration of broadband services, coupled with acceleration of industry consolidation over the past few years, have more to do with reduced spending, despite the pleas of network operators,” Hays says. The subtext here is that investors in telecommunication companies, as a rule, detest massive new capital expenditure spending on network infrastructure. Combining with other networks is one way to avoid doing so.

A combination of political transition, economic forces, and good timing may spark a flurry of mergers and acquisitions in the telecommunications and media industries in 2017. Deregulation and market determinism are major parts of the new administration’s agenda. And the new Republican Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai isn’t likely to push against the tide when it comes to industry consolidation. Chairman Pai recently said that he’ll use a “light touch” approach to regulating the industry, and not “micromanage” the marketplace.

Many in the media are already writing the epitaph for net neutrality in the Trump era. And it’s true that with every new press release and statement out of the Federal Communications Commission (and they’re coming fast and furious) it’s become pretty clear that new chairman Ajit Pai is aligning the agency with Donald Trump’s business-friendly and less consumer-friendly agenda. But six weeks into the new administration, it seems less and less likely that Chairman Pai has it in mind to completely kill the network neutrality principles.

Apparently, Chairman Pai is more likely to scale back the effects of the order, rather than pushing the commission to withdraw it or asking Congress to pass legislation that overrides it, two commission insiders who insisted on anonymity told Fast Company. Chairman Pai may “soften” the order by allowing broadband carriers some kinds of web traffic prioritization or throttling under clearly defined conditions, one source said. For example, if a broadband customer is paying for 100 megabit-per-second broadband service, the provider might be allowed to prioritize some kinds of bandwidth-sensitive traffic (like video) in order to meet the speed promise. There are other ways to “lighten” Wheeler’s order. Regulatory agencies like the FCC can write new rules, and they can decide how vigorously to enforce existing ones. The FCC under Chairman Pai might do a little of both.

The next wave of biometric devices and apps might go further, measuring things like real-time blood pressure, blood glucose, and oxygen levels. The Food and Drug Administration’s final guidance focuses on a small subset of mobile apps that present a greater risk to patients if they do not work as intended.

FDA spokeswoman Jennifer Rodriguez wrote that her agency is mainly concerned with two types of app/device combinations:

• Apps that are used as an accessory to medical device already regulated by the FDA
• Apps that turn a regular smartphone or tablet into a medical device by using the device’s sensors, software or accessories for some diagnostic purpose