BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017
Next week’s events https://www.benton.org/calendar/2017-07-16--P1W
NEWS FROM THE FCC
FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for August 2017 Open Meeting - press release
Bridging the Digital Divide - FCC Chairman Pai press release
FCC Seeks Comment on Combating Rural Call Completion Problems - press release
FCC Takes Action to Alleviate Robocalls to Reassigned Phone Numbers - press release [links to Benton summary]
FCC Seeks Reliable Call Authentication System [links to Federal Communications Commission]
FCC Fines Robocalling Platform Almost $3 Million for Illegal Calls [links to Federal Communications Commission]
FCC Proposes Rules to Protect Consumers from Slamming & Cramming [links to Federal Communications Commission]
FCC Rules on Game Show Network v. Cablevision - press release
FCC Revises and Clarifies Certain Wireless Microphone Rules [links to Federal Communications Commission]
FCC Unlocks New Airwaves for Vehicular Radar Use [links to Federal Communications Commission]
FCC Updates Rules on Authorization of Radiofrequency Devices - press release
Entering the Construction Phase of the Post-Incentive Auction Transition - FCC press release [links to Benton summary]
NETWORK NEUTRALITY
Poll: 75 Percent of Trump supporters back net neutrality
How to Smoke Out Where Broadband Companies Stand on Net Neutrality - analysis
If you blinked, you missed the net neutrality protest
50 Cities and Counties Participate in Net Neutrality Day of Action [links to Government Technology]
The FCC Says Net Neutrality Destroys Small ISPs. So has It?
AT&T’s ‘support’ for net neutrality means tricking customers to fight against it
Comcast says net neutrality supporters “create hysteria”
Hill Republicans warn big tech: tread carefully
Why you should care about net neutrality [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
Nicol Turner-Lee: On net neutrality’s day of action [links to Brookings]
Reclassification and Investment: A Statistical Look at the 2016 Data - Phoenix Center analysis [links to Benton summary]
Sen Al Franken: Net neutrality protects your rights, so protect it [links to C-Net|News.com]
Where do Tennessee lawmakers stand on net neutrality? [links to WKRN]
PRIVACY
Could consumer internet privacy legislation show potent populist appeal? - analysis
TELECOM
House Appropriations Committee Approves the Fiscal Year 2018 Agriculture Appropriations Bill - press release [links to Benton summary]
CenturyLink faces new fraud suit from over-billing charges [links to USAToday]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Satellite industry cites growth as driver for spectrum policy [links to Fierce]
OWNERSHIP
Groups to DOJ: AT&T-Time Warner Deal Appears to Need Blocking
Public Knowledge, Groups Warn Attorney General Sessions of Dangers of AT&T-Time Warner Merger [links to Public Knowledge]
DraftKings, FanDuel drop merger after government scrutiny [links to Hill, The]
ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
Why Silicon Valley magnate Sam Altman is funding a new wave of political candidates [links to Washington Post]
TELEVISION/RADIO
House Labor Subcommittee recommends the Corporation for Public Broadcasting receive level funding—$445 million—for fiscal year 2020 [links to Broadcasting&Cable]
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
Kentucky to Opt In to FirstNet Network [links to First Responder Network Authority]
Arkansas Approves Buildout Plan for First Responder Network [links to First Responder Network Authority]
JOURNALISM
Local TV News Fact Sheet [links to Pew Research Center]
The new yardsticks of investigative journalism [links to Columbia Journalism Review]
SECURITY
House votes to require Pentagon to report Russian cyberattacks [links to Hill, The]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Media Literacy and Press Freedom in the 21st Century [links to Department of State]
POLICYMAKERS
Rep Khanna starts PAC-free caucus [links to Benton summary]
COMPANY NEWS
CBS News and BBC News have entered into a partnership to share video, articles and other resources to enhance their reporting capabilities around the world [links to Wall Street Journal]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Australia plans law to force tech giants to decrypt messages [links to Associated Press]
Australia's plan to force tech giants to give up encrypted messages may not add up [links to Guardian, The]
MORE ONLINE
Spatial Computing and the Potential of Innovation and Inclusion [links to Benton summary]
NEWS FROM THE FCC
AUGUST AGENDA
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the August Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, August 3, 2017:
Connect America Fund Phase II Auction (Auction 903) – The Commission will consider a Public Notice to initiate the pre-auction process for the Connect America Fund Phase II auction which will award up to $198 million annually for 10 years to service providers that commit to offer voice and broadband services to fixed locations in unserved high-cost areas. (AU Docket No. 17-182)
Mobility Fund Phase II Challenge Process – The Commission will consider an Order on Reconsideration and Second Report and Order that lays out a robust challenge process that will enable the Commission to direct Mobility Fund Phase II support to primarily rural areas that lack unsubsidized 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) service. (WC Docket No. 10-90; WT Docket No.10-208)
Form 477 - The Commission will consider a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that takes a focused look at the Commission’s Form 477 to improve the value of the data we continue to collect. (WC Docket No. 11-10)
Expanding Flexible Use in Mid-Band Spectrum Between 3.7 GHz and 24 GHz – The Commission will consider a Notice of Inquiry that explores opportunities for next generation services – particularly for wireless broadband – in the 3.7 GHz to 24 GHz spectrum range and asks about how we can increase efficient and effective use of this spectrum for the benefit of all services and users. (GN Docket No. 17-183)
Wireless License Renewal and Service Continuity Reform – The Commission will consider a Second Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would adopt unified construction, renewal, and service continuity rules for the Wireless Radio Services, while seeking comment on a range of additional possible actions to increase the number of Americans with access to wireless communications services. (WTB Docket No. 10-112)
Transmitter Identification Requirements for Satellite Digital Video Uplink Transmissions – The Commission will consider a Memorandum Opinion and Order that waives the requirement
that satellite news trucks, and other temporary-fixed satellite earth stations transmitting digital video, comply with the Digital Video Broadcasting-Carrier Identification (DVB-CID) standard if the earth station uses a modulator that cannot meet the DVB-CID standard through a software upgrade. (IB Docket No. 12-267)
Hearing Designation Order – The Commission will consider a Hearing Designation Order.
Enforcement Bureau Action – The Commission will consider an enforcement action.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-announces-tentative-agenda-august-2017-open-meeting | Federal Communications Commission
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BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai]
I’m pleased to announce that August will be Rural Broadband Month at the Federal Communications Commission. Our agenda for the open meeting on August 3 will feature several items that will help bridge the digital divide. Leading off will be a Public Notice to initiate the pre-auction process for the Connect America Fund Phase II auction. This auction will award up to $2 billion over the next decade to broadband providers that commit to offer voice and broadband services to fixed locations in unserved high-cost areas in our country. To maximize the value the American people receive for the universal service dollars we spend, this will be the first auction to award ongoing high-cost universal service support through competitive bidding in a multiple-round, reverse auction. With this Public Notice, we are seeking comment on the procedures to be used during this auction. Moving forward now will put us on track to conduct the auction in 2018. The FCC will also consider taking the next step in implementing Phase II of another key universal service program, the Mobility Fund. In February, the Commission adopted a Mobility Fund framework to allocate up to $4.53 billion over the next decade to advance 4G LTE service, primarily in rural areas that would not be served in the absence of government support. The proposed Order on the August agenda would establish a “challenge process”—that is, a process for resolving disputes over whether areas should be eligible for Mobility Fund subsidies. This measure will allow us to proceed to a reverse auction as soon as possible. It is critical that we use accurate data to determine which areas will be included in that reverse auction. Many have complained to the FCC that the data that we currently collect through our Form 477 isn’t good enough to serve as the basis for that decision. I agree. Therefore, I am proposing to collect new and more granular data that will serve as the starting point in deciding which areas will be included in the Mobility Fund Phase II auction. Separately, we need to do a better job collecting data through the FCC’s Form 477.
benton.org/headlines/bridging-digital-divide-0 | Federal Communications Commission
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RURAL CALL COMPLETION
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
Continuing its work to improve communications services in rural America, the Federal Communications Commission took additional steps to combat the problem of long-distance calls failing to reach rural communities. The FCC is seeking comment on rules that would hold phone companies more accountable for ensuring that long-distance calls to rural America get through to a called party. Certain telephone companies that hand off calls to intermediate providers would be required to monitor the performance of these intermediaries and hold them accountable if calls don’t go through. By making long-distance providers accountable for the rural call completion performance of their intermediate providers, this new proposal would more directly and quickly tackle rural call completion problems than the FCC’s current regulations. This solution represents an effective means of improving rural call completion while not unnecessarily burdening providers because it follows industry best practices. The Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on this proposal as well as on proposals to either modify or eliminate the FCC’s current rural call completion data collection and reporting rules.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-seeks-comment-combating-rural-call-completion-problems | Federal Communications Commission
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AUTHORIZATION OF RADIOFREQUENCY DEVICES
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission streamlined and modernized the authorization requirements for most radiofrequency devices, such as cell phones or TV receivers, that are imported, marketed, or operated within the United States. This decision continues the FCC’s ongoing efforts to provide greater flexibility and reduce the burdens associated with certain equipment authorization rules. The FCC’s action allows required labeling information to be provided to the consumer via the device’s electronic display. This provides an alternative to the requirement for etching or permanent labels on the exterior of devices, and manufacturers expect the use of electronic labelling rather than permanent physical labels to result in a measurable reduction in costs. This action is consistent with the objectives of the Enhance Labeling, Accessing, and Branding of Electronic Licenses Act of 2014 or the E-LABEL Act. The FCC also eliminates the requirement to file with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the FCC Form 740 – the FCC’s unique import declaration for RF devices brought into the United States.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-updates-rules-authorization-radiofrequency-devices | Federal Communications Commission
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GAME SHOW NETWORK BS CABLEVISION
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Communications Commission responded to Cablevision’s appeal of a decision by the FCC’s Administrative Law Judge which granted Game Show Network’s (GSN) program carriage complaint against Cablevision. The Memorandum Opinion and Order adopted today reverses the Initial Decision and denies GSN’s complaint.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-rules-game-show-network-v-cablevision | Federal Communications Commission
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NETWORK NEUTRALITY
NET NEUTRALITY POLL
[SOURCE: Axios, AUTHOR: Kim Hart]
In a national poll of 1,500 voters, 70% of respondents — including Democrats, Republicans and Trump supporters — think the internet has improved while network neutrality rules have been in place. 86 percent of all voters say ISPs should treat all websites and content equally. 75 percent of Trump supporters said they agreed that ISPs should continue to follow net neutrality rules prohibiting slowing or blocking websites or video services. 58 percent of Republicans and Trump voters agreed with the statement, "Internet should be treated like any other utility such as gas or electric service." While it won't change Federal Communications Commission Chairman Pai's mind about reversing the rules, the high number of Trump voters who support net neutrality regulations could get some attention. Showing broad backing helps make the case that support for the net neutrality rules is an issue that resonates outside of the coastal bubbles most associated with tech. That's a message net neutrality advocates hope to send to conservatives as they fight an uphill battle to preserve the rules.
benton.org/headlines/poll-75-percent-trump-supporters-back-net-neutrality | Axios | The Hill
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WHERE BROADBAND COMPANIES STAND
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Farhad Manjoo]
[Commentary] A curious thing happened on a day that many internet companies and public policy groups had christened a “Day of Action” aimed at protesting the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to overturn so-called net neutrality rules. The curiosity was that several broadband companies — the very same companies that pushed to rewrite the rules that undergird net neutrality — put out statements suggesting that they, too, supported the aims of the protesters. So why, now, are broadband companies suggesting that they support the aims of the other side? There are two possibilities: A cynic might argue that it’s just puffery, that the broadband industry is simply trying to present a friendly image to an outraged online horde. Or you might take them at their word. Here’s one idea for longtime proponents of network neutrality: Call the broadband companies’ bluff, if that’s what it is. Maybe it is time to push Congress, rather than the FCC, to take up the neutrality fight — and maybe, finally, end the debate for good. Internet giants control the world’s most important channels for information, from your Facebook feed to Google results to your phone’s home screen. They are more than capable of applying enormous pressure to members of Congress to push for what they want. And then, if nothing else, we’ll be able to see where the broadband companies really stand.
benton.org/headlines/how-smoke-out-where-broadband-companies-stand-net-neutrality | New York Times
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NET NEUTRALITY PROTEST
[SOURCE: Vox, AUTHOR: Tony Romm]
Facebook, Google, Twitter and other companies, activists and startups that rallied in support of net neutrality probably aren’t going to stop the Trump administration from killing the rules currently on the government’s books. But the organizers of the so-called “day of action” insist they reached more than 10 million users with their message, while generating at least 2.1 million comments urging the Federal Communications Commission to rethink its plans. That’s a drop in the bucket, seeing as the tech companies that took part in the protest reach billions of users every day — but the event’s planners stress that they’ve touched a nerve. Some of the web’s largest companies — including Amazon, Facebook and Google — took a more reserved approach. They didn’t darken their webpages, like some companies did during a massive online protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act, and their alerts to users weren’t always easy to find.
benton.org/headlines/if-you-blinked-you-missed-net-neutrality-protest | Vox
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THE FCC SAYS NET NEUTRALITY DESTROYS SMALL ISPS. SO HAS IT?
[SOURCE: Vox, AUTHOR: Jacob Kastrenakes]
In April, 22 small cable providers signed a letter to the Federal Communications Commission asking for the end of network neutrality, writing that the policy imposed “onerous burdens” on their businesses. FCC chairman Ajit Pai has latched onto this. He’s been touting the damage net neutrality could do to regional and “mom and pop” internet providers, and he cited this letter as proof when announcing plans to reverse net neutrality and its classification of internet providers under a legal statute known as Title II. Quite a few of these smaller internet providers have taken issue with the FCC’s net neutrality rules. This is not just because of the rules’ core tenets — no blocking websites, no throttling internet speeds, no demanding payments for access — which many small providers say they support. Instead, they’re concerned about being forced to spend tens of thousands of dollars proving to the FCC that they’re actually following the rules. The Verge called eight smaller internet providers to find out whether they’d been impacted by net neutrality, and the answers were mixed. Multiple respondents, when asked if Title II was hurting them, gave an unqualified “no.”
benton.org/headlines/fcc-says-net-neutrality-destroys-small-isps-so-has-it | Vox
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AT&T SUPPORTS NET NEUTRALITY?
[SOURCE: Vox, AUTHOR: Jacob Kastrenakes]
If you weren’t paying close attention, it may have looked like AT&T got onboard the net neutrality “day of action” protest. The company’s website displayed a banner saying that “AT&T supports an open internet,” and it sent a message to DirecTV customers mentioning the same thing. “Tell Congress to adopt permanent protections,” both messages added, before directing people to an “Open Internet” page on AT&T’s site. But while that page might look like other pro-net neutrality sites at first glance, it’s far from it. AT&T is carefully wording around the fact that it’s opposed to the net neutrality order that activists are fighting for. What’s worse: it’s trying to get people to send an email to legislators and the FCC that pushes its own agenda, while masquerading as something in support of the same cause yesterday’s protest was about.
benton.org/headlines/atts-support-net-neutrality-means-tricking-customers-fight-against-it | Vox
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CREATING HYSTERIA
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
Broadband providers made it clear this week: they wholeheartedly support net neutrality... but they want to overturn those pesky net neutrality rules and replace them with something that isn't so strict. In fact, the way to truly protect net neutrality is to keep the Internet free of regulations, Internet provider CenturyLink wrote. Comcast, meanwhile, accused net neutrality supporters of "creat[ing] hysteria." Comcast, which helped kick off the decade-long net neutrality saga by throttling BitTorrent traffic, also pushed for Congress to replace the current net neutrality rules with something weaker. Congress should write "legally enforceable net neutrality rules" in order to "end the game of regulatory ping pong," Comcast wrote. Verizon has also claimed that it just wants new rules that are legally "enforceable," but the current rules are already legally enforceable. A federal appeals court confirmed that when it rejected a lawsuit filed by industry lobby groups. Comcast said that "the Internet was fine before Title II regulation," without mentioning its history of throttling and a lawsuit Comcast filed in order to prevent the FCC from punishing it in the BitTorrent case. Comcast did eventually agree to follow net neutrality guidelines in exchange for US government approval of its purchase of NBCUniversal in 2011, but that merger condition is scheduled to expire in 2018.
benton.org/headlines/comcast-says-net-neutrality-supporters-create-hysteria | Ars Technica
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WARNING ON NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Axios, AUTHOR: David McCabe Kim Hart]
Republican House leadership told Facebook, Google and Amazon that overly aggressive net neutrality activism could make it harder to work together on other policy issues the firms care about, according to two sources familiar with the conversation. The message was delivered in a meeting the day before dozens of internet companies protested the Federal Communications Commission's plan to unwind network neutrality rules. Tech companies are walking a fine line in speaking out against Trump administration policies — and net neutrality is particularly sensitive. On one hand, they generally support the rules (even though they are now so big that they don't necessarily need them) and their employees care deeply about the issue. On the other, they are asking Congress for help on touchy issues like consumer privacy and legal liability for content on online platforms that would have major business ramifications.
benton.org/headlines/hill-republicans-warn-big-tech-tread-carefully | Axios
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PRIVACY
PRIVACY LEGISLATION
[SOURCE: Brookings, AUTHOR: Cameron Kerry, Stuart Brotman]
[Commentary] Could a consumer revolt against cable television rates before the 1992 election replay with digital data in the upcoming election cycle? Rep Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), chair of the of the House Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, introduced a bill that requires internet service providers to get opt-in consent from consumers before sharing sensitive personal information, and allow opt-out of sharing other information. Her abrupt and unconventional turn on internet privacy came after widespread public reaction to the congressional repeal of the Federal Communications Commission’s privacy rules. Those who believe that the bill is not likely to pick up any legislative momentum might argue that general anxiety about digital trails left across the internet does not pack the political punch of rising cable rates that consumers could feel when they balanced their checkbooks each month. Blackburn’s bill also may be seen as a response to some of the edge providers that were most vocal in their objections to the repeal of the privacy rules.
benton.org/headlines/could-consumer-internet-privacy-legislation-show-potent-populist-appeal | Brookings
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OWNERSHIP
ATT-TIME WARNER
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
More than a dozen media consolidation critics—including Common Cause, Consumers Union and the Writers Guild of America West—told Attorney General Jeff Sessions that from all appearances the proposed AT&T-Time Warner merger cannot be saved by "conditions and piecemeal divestitures" and should be blocked. The Justice Department is the only one vetting the deal, which was structured to avoid the license transfers that would have triggered Federal Communications Commission review on public interest grounds. "Because this merger poses such grave dangers to consumers and creators in mature and emerging markets, we urge the Department to investigate the merger thoroughly, and take whatever action is warranted, based on the evidence uncovered in your investigation, to prevent harm to competition and consumers. And if you conclude, as appears to us from the available information, that conditions and piecemeal divestitures will not be sufficient, then we hope you will challenge the merger in its entirety," they wrote.
benton.org/headlines/groups-doj-att-time-warner-deal-appears-need-blocking | Broadcasting&Cable
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