BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Today's Event: FTC Conference in Seattle, "Start With Security": https://www.benton.org/node/230850
1996 TELECOM ACT ANNIVERSARY
Statement of NTIA Head Strickling on 20th Anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 - press release [links to Benton summary]
Broadband growth means staying the course - Internet Innovation Alliance op-ed
Telecom Act at 20: Assessing the Rewrite [links to Benton summary]
Was the 1996 Telecommunications Act successful in promoting competition? - Brookings analysis [links to Benton summary]
Jim Cicconi Reflects on 20 Years Under 1996 Telecommunications Act - press release [links to Benton summary]
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 Employed 1,000 Lawyers for A Decade - Tech Policy Institute analysis [links to Benton summary]
Lessons Learned from the US Unbundling Experience - Federal Communications Law Journal [links to Benton summary]
[From 1996]: Web Users Dress Pages in Black As A Protest of Communications Act
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
The Feds Have to Act to Get America Faster Wi-Fi - Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA), FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai op-ed
Is Wi-Fi in Danger? - CommLawBlog analysis [links to Benton summary]
The Wi-Fi in the White House is just as bad as yours [links to Benton summary]
GOP pushes for ban on in-flight phone calls
Nokia FastMile Jumps on Rural Broadband Wireless Bandwagon [links to telecompetitor]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Community Broadband Infrastructure and Services Assessment Tool [links to Minnesota Broadband Coalition]
NET NEUTRALITY
Comcast tests FCC’s resolve, rules on network neutrality
How to Deal with Data Caps, Sponsored Data and Zero-Rating - Free Press Issue Brief [links to Benton summary]
Mark Zuckerberg says Free Basics shutdown won’t keep Internet.org out of India [links to Benton summary]
A simple guide to Facebook’s complicated problem in India [links to Washington Post]
PRIVACY/SECURITY
President Obama seeks 35 percent hike in federal cyber budget to boost defense [links to Washington Post]
Congress Starts to Get Serious About Online Privacy - NYT editorial
Momentum slows for encryption bill [links to Hill, The]
The phone call that saved safe harbor [links to Politico]
Tech firms turning to smartphones as replacement for passwords and other identification [links to Wall Street Journal]
Old switching centers and data center warehouses are on the auction block as telephone companies downsize for more modern wireless services [links to Wall Street Journal]
TELEVISION
FCC Chairman Says Set-Top Box Proposal Will Boost TV Innovation
LRG Finds 80 Percent Penetration of VOD or DVR Service [links to Benton summary]
CONTENT
For Some Cord Cutters, Streaming Super Bowl Was a Nonstarter [links to New York Times]
Monica Lewinsky Says ‘Cyberbullying Is 24-7’ — But Can Emjois Help Stop It? A Q&A [links to Revere Digital]
What Everyone’s Got Wrong About Twitter [links to Revere Digital]
OWNERSHIP
Charter-TWC: A Bad Deal for Storytellers - Writers Guild of America, East op-ed [links to Benton summary]
CWA Keeps Up Pressure on Altice-Cablevision [links to Benton summary]
BUDGET
President Obama unveils his last budget Feb 9. Here's why that matters. [links to Vox]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Remarks on Waging a Digital Counterinsurgency - Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel [links to Benton summary]
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
Public campaign funding is so broken that candidates turned down $292 million in free money [links to Washington Post]
Are the ‘Berniebros’ a problem of politics or one of Internet culture? [links to Washington Post]
Clinton Coverage Goes Off The Rails -- Again [links to Media Matters]
What does artificial intelligence see when it watches political ads? [links to Washington Post]
JOURNALISM
The trouble with growth for digital media [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
COMMUNITY MEDIA
Why don’t public libraries deliver books? [links to Washington Post]
HEALTH
Here's how millennials could change health care [links to USAToday]
DIVERSITY
13 leaders aiming to increase African Americans in tech [links to USAToday]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Mark Zuckerberg says Free Basics shutdown won’t keep Internet.org out of India [links to Benton summary]
Working for a Safer Online Environment for Young People - ITU press release [links to Benton summary]
Months after Paris attack, new surveillance regime emerges in Europe [links to Christian Science Monitor]
Putin's New Internet Czar Wants Apple and Google to Pay More Taxes [links to Bloomberg]
France’s data-protection regulator threatened to fine Facebook if it doesn’t change how it handles data about its users and others on the Internet [links to Wall Street Journal]
1996 TELECOM ACT ANNIVERSARY
STAY THE COURSE
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Rick Boucher, Larry Irving ]
[Commentary] Feb 8 is the 20th anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the last rewrite of the nation's communications laws that set the stage for the competition, innovation and investment that we now enjoy but must not take for granted. The act's framers promoted light-touch regulation and a structure that led to an expanding Internet driven by new technologies, devices and applications. These forward-looking Clinton-era policies placed competition and investment as the central catalysts to drive innovation and advance consumer benefits. Two stark paths now lie before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC): It can advance pro-investment, facilities-based broadband competition or it can discourage investment and broadband build-out. Recent actions and announcements from the FCC indicate that the agency may be backtracking on the successful broadband policies of the past two decades. Rate regulation of broadband, for example, would negatively affect a growing sector of the economy by allowing government to place its hand on the scale rather than permitting market competition. A fitting anniversary celebration of the 1996 Telecom Act would be to stay the course so wisely set forth by Congress and the Clinton administration to encourage investment and innovation. We know it works. Just look at your smartphone.
[Rick Boucher, an attorney, served in Congress for 28 years and chaired a House subcommittee on communications and the Internet. He is honorary chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA). Larry Irving was assistant secretary of commerce during the Clinton administration and a founding co-chairman of IIA.]
benton.org/headlines/broadband-growth-means-staying-course | San Jose Mercury News
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[FROM 1996] WEB USERS DRESS PAGES IN BLACK AS A PROTEST OF COMMUNICATIONS ACT
[SOURCE: Deseret News, AUTHOR: Brooke Adams]
More than a thousand World Wide Web pages donned mourning colors Feb 8 to protest provisions of a new telecommunications law. Web site owners put black background on their home pages to signify grief over the telecommunications reform bill that President Clinton signed. They believe it will diminish their First Amendment right to free speech. In addition to coloring their pages black, most web site owners included an explanation of the protest.The World Wide Web is the graphical part of the Internet, with text as well as sound and pictures. The focal point of the protest is language in the telecommunications bill that allows fines of $250,000 and jail sentences of two years for any one who makes "indecent" material available to minors in a public forum online. The bill marks the first time Congress has dealt specifically with content on the Internet. Organizers of the protest say existing laws already prohibit use of the Internet to transmit sexually explicit material and that broadcast-style restrictions are inappropriate for the interactive medium. They also say tools are available that allow individuals to screen Internet content, which leaves such decisions in the hands of individuals rather than the federal government. The Coalition to Stop Net Censorship includes the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Council for the Arts, the Boston Coalition for Freedom of Expression, the Well, Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Libertarian Party, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, National Writers Union, People for the American Way, Web Review Magazine and Wired Magazine.
[This post is from Feb 9, 1996]
benton.org/headlines/1996-web-users-dress-pages-black-protest-communications-act | Deseret News
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
THE FEDS HAVE TO ACT TO GET AMERICA FASTER WI-FI
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA), FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai]
[Commentary] The federal government just needs to pave the way for the next generation of Wi-Fi. More than ever before, consumers are using technologies that rely on “unlicensed spectrum”—that is, public airwaves that the government hasn’t licensed exclusively to a particular company or person—to access the Internet and connect their devices. But here’s the problem. Unlicensed spectrum is becoming a victim of its own success. With consumer demand at an all-time high, the few bands of unlicensed spectrum that we typically rely on are becoming increasingly congested. Unless we take action now, we’ll see slower speeds, dropped connections, and less innovation in the future. A solution to this problem is within our grasp. The federal government is currently holding spectrum that could be opened up for unlicensed use. In particular, there is a big chunk of spectrum in what is known as the 5 GHz band. But progress hasn’t been fast enough. This is due in part to concerns that allowing unlicensed use of the 5 GHz band could cause harmful interference to car-to-car communications and crash avoidance systems that the automotive industry is developing. Roadway safety is obviously an important concern. But we think there’s a path forward that would protect automotive R&D and allow millions of consumers to benefit from this public resource. Right now, several federal agencies are studying the issue, including the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Transportation. It’s critical that the federal government press forward and open up the band. Because the Internet is increasingly becoming a mobile experience, we should work together to anticipate, rather than catch up with, consumer demand. Doing so will spark innovation and spur economic growth.
benton.org/headlines/feds-have-act-get-america-faster-wi-fi | Wired
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GOP PUSHES FOR BAN ON IN-FLIGHT PHONE CALLS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Keith Laing]
Cell phone calls during flights would be banned under an aviation funding bill that is scheduled to be considered by lawmakers in the House during the week of Feb 8. The Federal Communications Commission caused a stir in 2013 when it considered lifting a current ban on in-flight cell phone calls after the Federal Aviation Administration moved to allow more electronic devices to be during flights. The FCC reasoned that it is now less of a concern that in-flight calls would interfere with airplane navigation equipment than it was when most of the electronic bans were put in place. The potential end of the call ban has drawn widespread opposition, with critics fearful it would lead to loud telephone conversations in the crowded confines of airline cabins. The Federal Aviation Administration measure unveiled by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during the week of Feb 1 would enshrine the ban on in-flight calls in federal law, regardless of the diminishing safety concerns. The panel said the measure, known as the Air Innovation Reform and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act, "prohibits the use of cell phones and mobile devices for voice communication during commercial flights." The House Transportation Committee is scheduled to hold an initial hearing on the FAA bill on Feb 11.
benton.org/headlines/gop-pushes-ban-flight-phone-calls | Hill, The
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NETWORK NEUTRALITY
COMCAST’S NEW TEST OF NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Troy Wolverton]
With the Federal Communications Commission’s strong new net neutrality rules under attack in the courts and by particular business plans, it should come as little surprise that one of the main companies at the center of the ongoing struggle is Comcast. The broadband giant has played a key role in the net neutrality debate over the last decade, serving as both an obstacle to the FCC’s efforts to require an open Internet and a symbol of the dangers of a world without one. And now that those rules are in place, Comcast is offering perhaps the most important test of their limits with a streaming video service called Stream TV. Comcast has designed Stream TV to take advantage of a loophole in the net neutrality rules, a move that could allow it “to get a free pass to violate net neutrality,” said John Bergmayer, a senior staff attorney at Public Knowledge. What makes Stream TV distinct from other services is Comcast’s contention that the reason Stream TV is treated differently is because it’s completely separate from broadband access and isn’t delivered over the Internet at all. “It never touches the Internet,” said Sena Fitzmaurice, a vice president of government communications at Comcast. “It uses a totally different infrastructure.” “It works exactly as Netflix from the customer perspective,” said Bergmayer. “The only difference from a customer perspective is one counts against their data cap and one doesn’t.” Comcast’s Fitzmaurice disputes the idea that there are few differences between Stream TV and Internet-delivered streaming services.
benton.org/headlines/comcast-tests-fccs-resolve-rules-network-neutrality | San Jose Mercury News
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PRIVACY/SECURITY
CONGRESS GETS SERIOUS ABOUT ONLINE PRIVACY
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Congress could soon vote on a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to get a search warrant from a judge to obtain e-mails, photographs and other documents Americans have stored online. This important legislation would update the law to reflect how people use the Internet today. Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, government agents need a warrant if they want access to e-mail stored on the servers of companies like Google and Yahoo, but only if the messages are less than 180 days old. For older messages and other digital files, law enforcement officials can issue subpoenas to technology companies without going to a judge. A bill introduced in the House by Rep Kevin Yoder (R-KS) would require a warrant for all information stored online, regardless of how old it is and what kind of file it is. The legislation includes a sensible exception that would allow civil enforcement agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission to subpoena messages sent by employees on a corporate computer system. Requiring search warrants will not impose a big burden on law enforcement agencies. Investigators routinely get such warrants by showing judges there is probable cause that the information they are looking for contains evidence of wrongdoing. Legal experts say it is very rare for judges to deny a warrant. As November’s election approaches, expectations for congressional accomplishment will further diminish, especially when accomplishment would involve a show of bipartisanship. That is all the more reason for lawmakers to move fast and pass this worthy bill now.
benton.org/headlines/congress-starts-get-serious-about-online-privacy | New York Times
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TELEVISION
FCC CHAIRMAN SAYS SET-TOP BOX PROPOSAL WILL BOOST TV INNOVATION
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: Ted Johnson]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler says that a proposal to open up the set-top cable box will make it “easier for consumers to watch TV,” pushing back against industry criticism that the plan would jeopardize copyright and privacy protections or hobble innovation. Chairman Wheeler said that the proposal would merely establish an open platform so competitors could offer their own set-top boxes that consumers could purchase rather than be forced to rent the equipment from their cable and satellite providers. “The big kick I get is that AT&T and the cable companies have been putting out statements say, ‘This is going to thwart innovation,'” he said. “And I scratch my head and say, ‘My goodness, let’s see. When it the last time that competition thwarted innovation rather than spurring innovation?’ And you are telling me that a locked down, closed system will have more impetus to be innovative, than a competitive, open system? I think that history shows that it is exactly the opposite of what happens in reality.” He said that what it could lead to are fewer remote controls and easier navigation, where consumers can “shape television to how they use it.” "All we are saying is, ‘Cable operators, you can go ahead and control your product. But have an open platform so that anyone can build a device, and then let’s compete on who can offer the better device.’ Let’s have the cable company say, ‘You want to pay me for my interface, because it does all these things nobody else does.’ Rather than, ‘You must pay me.’ We are just trying to get to that basic American concept of competition.”
benton.org/headlines/fcc-chairman-says-set-top-box-proposal-will-boost-tv-innovation | Variety
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