press release

A record level of early financial support for broadband in schools and libraries has been approved by the E-rate program, the Federal Communications Commission’s program for supporting communications services in these institutions.

Reflecting a dedicated effort by the FCC to get critical funding for broadband to schools and libraries as quickly as possible, the $450 million in funding commitments for broadband is six times the amount approved at this time in 2013 by USAC, the program administrator.

Including other communications services, USAC committed a total of $607 million in support in the first wave of funding for 2014.

The Federal Communications Commission plans to fine Dialing Services $2,944,000 for allegedly making numerous illegal “robocalls” to mobile phones.

These robocalls contained artificial or prerecorded voice messages on behalf of political campaigns and candidates. The Commission had previously cited Dialing Services for making more than 4.7 million robocalls to mobile phones without consumer permission during the 2012 election cycle.

Dialing Services of Roswell (NM) operates a website that offers robocalling services to third-party “clients,” including political candidates. These clients pay Dialing Services to make calls that deliver an artificial or prerecorded voice message to telephone numbers of the clients’ choosing. The company advertises that through its services, its clients can “Reach thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of customers with your personal message.”

Extension of Retransmission Authority for Distant Signals: The bill reauthorizes the retransmission consent provisions for distant signals for five years, ensuring that 1.5 million subscribers in hard-to-reach areas continue to receive vital broadcast programming.

• No More Joint Retransmission Negotiations: Unaffiliated broadcast stations in a single market will no longer be able to negotiate jointly against pay-TV providers. This will help prevent pay-TV subscribers from losing more than one signal during a lapse in retransmission consent agreements.
• Sweeps Prohibition: The bill levels the playing field for cable operators and broadcasters during “sweeps weeks” by removing a government restriction on cable’s ability to drop broadcast signals during the Nielsen ratings periods.
• Repeal of the Integration Ban on Cable Operator-Owned Set-Top Boxes: The bill repeals the Federal Communications Commission’s ban on integrated security CableCARDS in cable-leased set-top boxes. The bill does not include any forward-looking restrictions on the FCC’s ability to promote competition and innovation in the set-top box market.
• Delay on FCC Deadline to Dissolve Joint Sales Agreements: The FCC recently adopted new rules redefining the relationship between broadcasters in a joint sales agreement in a manner that would place some broadcasters over the local television ownership caps. The FCC’s Order would require broadcasters to unwind non-compliant JSAs within two years of the effective date of the order.

The bill changes the unwinding deadline to provide some stability to broadcasters and encourage prompt FCC action on petitions for waiver of the new rules. All broadcasters involved in such non-compliant joint sales agreements (JSAs) will have until the end of 2016 or 18 months after the FCC’s denial of the respective waiver applications to unwind the JSAs, whichever is later. All waiver applications for existing non-compliant JSAs must be filed within 90 of the bill’s enactment.

Both the universe of US television homes and the potential TV audience in those homes continue to grow.

According to Nielsen’s 2015 Advance National TV Household Universe Estimate (UE), there are 116.3 million TV homes in the US, up 0.4 percent from the 2013-2014 estimate of 115.6 million. Nielsen estimates that nearly 296 million persons age 2 and older live in these TV homes, an increase of 0.5 percent from 2013.

Nielsen uses US Census Bureau data and auxiliary sources, such as state governments, to arrive at Advance TV UEs in early May before the television industry’s upfronts. It then distributes final UEs before the start of each TV season.

The 2015 National UEs reflect 1) real changes in population since 2013 and 2) updated TV penetration levels, differentially calculated for qualifying market break and age/sex demographic categories.

According to Nielsen’s forthcoming Advertising & Audiences Report, the average US TV home now receives 189 TV channels -- a record high and significant jump since 2008, when the average home received 129 channels.

Despite this increase, however, consumers have consistently tuned in to an average of just 17 channels.

This data is significant in that it substantiates the notion that more content does not necessarily equate to more channel consumption. And that means quality is imperative -- for both content creators and advertisers. So the best way to reach consumers in a world with myriad options is to be the best option.

The Federal Communications Commission announces that it plans to fine Central Telecom Long Distance $3.9 million for allegedly deceiving consumers to switch their long distance service, billing customers for unauthorized charges, and failing to clearly and plainly describe charges on customers’ bills.

Many of these actions victimized elderly and disabled consumers.

The FCC found that telemarketers for Central Telecom, a Colorado Springs (CO) company, allegedly tricked consumers into believing that the telemarketers were calling on behalf of the consumers’ existing telephone companies, then changed the consumers’ preferred carriers without their authorization.

Many consumers stated in their complaints that they had never heard of Central or did not intend to sign up for its services. In many instances, Central and its representatives appear to have exploited elderly or disabled consumers’ obvious confusion and inability to understand the sales pitch they heard and the questions they were asked.

The FCC emphasized that this conduct was “particularly egregious,” and it noted that a sizable fine was warranted in part because of the “substantial harm” that Central caused to the public. One particular complaint was filed on behalf of a deceased elderly grandmother whom Central continued to bill for months after she died and even after her telephone was disconnected.

Hundreds of library supporters from across the country will meet with their members of Congress from May 5–6, 2014, to advocate for library funding during the American Library Association’s 40th annual National Library Legislative Day.

Senator Angus King (I-ME) will jumpstart the event by addressing library advocates at the opening briefing, which takes place from 9:00 a.m.–4:15 p.m. on May 5, 2014, at the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington, DC. Additional speakers include Maine State Librarian Linda Lord; Gabriel Rottman, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union; Shawn Daugherty, assistant director of SPARC; and Peter Jaszi, professor of law at the American University Washington College of Law.

National Library Legislative Day advocates will discuss the need to fund the Library Services and Technology Act, support legislation that gives people who use libraries access to federally-funded scholarly journal articles and continue funding that provides school libraries with needed funds for materials. Additionally, advocates will ask legislators to restore reasonable expectations of privacy by supporting the USA FREEDOM Act.

“Libraries depend on the federal funding they receive to help patrons learn new skills, complete homework assignments, find job opportunities and explore reading materials that they otherwise could not afford,” said Barbara Stripling, president of the American Library Association.

CompTIA announced the acquisition of TechAmerica, a leading voice of large businesses in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry.

With our acquisition of TechAmerica, we are creating a single platform to represent mutual interests, provide enhanced member services, and support the full ecosystem, a $3.6-trillion sector driving innovation, connectivity and efficiency for businesses, governments and consumers around the world. Connecting the continuum of companies, from small IT service provider to software to hardware to communications and distribution, allows CompTIA to tell a complete technology story to business, public sector and policy partners.

Putting the interests of the technology sector under one umbrella strengthens the industry’s voice, reach and influence at a critical time. Bottom line, this means we will better serve our member companies. Members of CompTIA and TechAmerica now have access to complementary strengths, where a single voice with a 360-degree view of the technology sector can represent them from the state house to the White House and overseas, from the commercial to the public sector and all along the business continuum.

By pooling resources, we will be able to expand our public sector, business networking, events and intelligence programs for all our members and continue to offer “best in class” education, research and industry certifications for our industry. CompTIA’s public policy on behalf of the technology sector remains member-driven, and we will continue to pursue current priorities, particularly along four main themes: accelerating the innovation cycle; building a 21st century workforce; maintaining secure, open access to the Internet; and ensuring state and federal governments are technologically equipped to address future challenges.

New figures released by International Telecommunication Union indicate that, by end 2014, there will be almost 3 billion Internet users, two-thirds of them coming from the developing world, and that the number of mobile-broadband subscriptions will reach 2.3 billion globally.

• Fifty-five per cent of these subscriptions are expected to be in the developing world.
• Fixed-telephone subscriptions continue to decline: Results show that fixed-telephone penetration has been declining for the past five years. By end 2014, there will be about 100 million fewer fixed-telephone subscriptions than in 2009.
• Mobile-cellular subscriptions to hit nearly 7 billion: Mobile-cellular subscriptions will reach almost 7 billion by end 2014, and 3.6 billion of these will be in the Asia-Pacific region. The increase is mostly due to growth in the developing world where mobile-cellular subscriptions will account for 78 percent of the world’s total.
• Growth in fixed-broadband penetration slowing in developing countries: By end 2014, fixed-broadband penetration will have reached almost 10 percent globally.
• Mobile-broadband subscriptions will reach 2.3 billion globally by the end of 2014: Globally, mobile-broadband penetration will reach 32 percent by end 2014; in developed countries, mobile-broadband penetration will reach 84 per cent, a level four times as high as in developing countries (21%). The number of mobile-broadband subscriptions will reach 2.3 billion globally and 55 percent of all mobile-broadband subscriptions are expected to be in the developing world.
• Home Internet access approaches saturation levels in developed countries: By end 2014, 44 per cent of the world’s households will have Internet access. Close to one-third (31%) of households in developing countries will be connected to the Internet, compared with 78 per cent in developed countries. The analysis shows that household Internet access is approaching saturation levels in developed countries.
• Three billion people will use the Internet by the end of 2014: By end 2014, the number of Internet users globally will have reached almost 3 billion. Two-thirds of the world’s Internet users are from the developing world. This corresponds to an Internet-user penetration of 40 per cent globally, 78 per cent in developed countries and 32 per cent in developing countries. More than 90 per cent of the people who are not yet using the Internet are from the developing world.

The Department of Justice has reached a settlement with eBay that prevents the company from entering into or maintaining agreements with other companies restraining employee recruitment and hiring.

The department’s Antitrust Division filed the proposed settlement in the US District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose. If approved by the court, the settlement would resolve the department’s competitive concerns and the original lawsuit filed on Nov 16, 2012.

In its lawsuit, the department alleged that senior executives and directors of eBay and Intuit entered into an agreement, beginning no later than 2006, that prevented each firm from recruiting employees from the other and that prohibited eBay from hiring Intuit employees that approached eBay.

The agreement between eBay and Intuit diminished important competition between the firms to attract highly skilled technical and other employees to the detriment of affected employees who had less access to better job opportunities and higher pay. The proposed settlement would prohibit eBay from entering or maintaining anticompetitive agreements relating to employee hiring and retention for five years.