BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013
More TV on and the FCC’s budget on today’s agenda http://benton.org/calendar/2013-09-11/
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
NSA Violated Privacy Protections, Officials Say
We now know exactly what made the FISA court so upset with the NSA
Public Doubts Rise On Surveillance, Privacy: Poll
More Aggressive Oversight of Agency FOIA Compliance Is Needed, GAO Says [links to web]
NIST denies helping NSA beat encryption [links to web]
Government Announces Steps to Restore Confidence on Encryption Standards
After voting against it, Rep Darrell Issa wants another chance to defund the NSA [links to web]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
But For These Rules... - analysis
Look out Netflix and Google! An analyst thinks the court may allow ISPs to charge you - analysis
FCC's Net Neutrality Rules May Not Survive Court - analysis
Network neutrality is on trial in Washington. Here’s what you need to know. - analysis [links to web]
FCC’s wishy-washy rulemaking might doom net neutrality in court - analysis
Network neutrality proposals cause friction in the European Commission, leaks show
Imagining a Cyberattack on the Power Grid [links to web]
EDUCATION
Tech industry urged to weigh in on E-Rate overhaul
FCC Chairwoman Clyburn at “Connected in the Digital Age: Improving American Education through Technology” - speech
TELECOM
Verizon brings fiber optic network to storm-hit Fire Island
Verizon Makes Good on Fire Island - analysis
WIRELESS
AT&T agrees to modify network to make roaming easier
Apple is thinking about the mobile phone market in a whole new way
PRIVACY
Google can face wiretapping claims in Street View lawsuits, court says
TELEVISION
Key Lawmakers Fret About Retransmission Blackouts
Chairman Walden Wants to Circulate STELA Draft by First Quarter 2014
TV Broadcasters Bet on Men to Help Save Declining Ratings [links to web]
Meredith's Munson: Broadcasting Is Foundation Of Video Distribution [links to web]
LPTV Coalition: OTA Audience Could Be More Like 100 Million [links to web]
JOURNALISM
Here’s what you miss by only talking to white men about the digital revolution and journalism - analysis [links to web]
Google Glass Prompts Experiments in Journalism Schools [links to web]
Even more interactive news [links to web]
CONTENT
Publishing System Helps Writers Determine Audience Interest [links to web]
FCC REFORM
House Passes FCC Report Consolidation Bill
Commissioner Rosenworcel: FCC Doing More With Less Money Has Consequences
AT&T -- Modernizing the FCC: It’s not that complicated - speech
STORIES FROM ABROAD
EU telecoms chief gets backing for reform package
EU Telecom Overhaul Faces a Bumpy Ride
Network neutrality proposals cause friction in the European Commission, leaks show
Crackdown on Bloggers Is Mounted by China
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
NSA VIOLATED PRIVACY PROTECTIONS, OFFICIALS SAY
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Siobhan Gorman, Devlin Barrett]
The National Security Agency's searches of a database containing phone records of millions of Americans violated privacy protections for three years by failing to meet a court-ordered standard, intelligence officials acknowledged. They said the violations continued until a judge ordered an overhaul of the program in 2009. Since the breadth of the phone-records collection came to light through leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, lawmakers and top US officials have defended the program. They have said that for all queries of the database, the NSA must show a "reasonable articulable suspicion" that the phone number being targeted is associated with a terrorist organization. The revelations called into question the NSA's ability to run the sweeping domestic surveillance programs. Top US officials, including Gen. Keith Alexander, the head of the NSA,, have repeatedly reassured lawmakers and the public that the phone-records program has been carefully executed under oversight from the secret national security court. "This is not a program where we are out freewheeling it," Gen. Alexander said in June. "It is a well-overseen and a very focused program." The documents released "are a testament to the government's strong commitment to detecting, correcting and reporting mistakes," James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, said. He blamed the errors on the "complexity of the technology."
benton.org/node/159110 | Wall Street Journal
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WE NOW KNOW EXACTLY WHAT MADE THE FISA COURT SO UPSET WITH THE NSA
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
Documents recently declassified by the government showed that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ripped into the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2011 for an unspecified compliance violation. The court at the time accused the NSA of misleading and inaccurate reporting in a scathing footnote to an official opinion. Now we know precisely why the FISA court was so angry. In a new round of documents released, we’ve learned that the NSA used to keep a list of 17,835 suspicious phone numbers that was in some cases used to query the telephone metadata database. Senior intelligence officials now say that of the phone numbers on the alert list, more than 15,000 were wrongly included because they did not meet the standard for “reasonable, articulable suspicion” required by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court. Even worse, the NSA officials who were reporting on the program to the FISC didn’t understand the extent of the program, and so they sent inaccurate information to the court. “There was no single person with a complete understanding of the [business-records] FISA system,” said one official. “While there were people who understood portions of it … it’s not consistent with what we told the court we were doing. That’s the problem.” As a result, for nearly three years, from 2006 to 2009, the NSA provided faulty information to the FISA court, during which the court continued to approve the bulk surveillance program.
benton.org/node/159109 | Washington Post | The Hill
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ENCRYPTION STANDARDS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Nicole Perlroth]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, the federal agency charged with recommending cybersecurity standards, said that it would reopen the public vetting process for an encryption standard, after reports that the National Security Agency had written the standard and could break it. Internal memos leaked by a former National Security Agency contractor, Edward Snowden, suggest that the NSA generated one of the random number generators used in a 2006 NIST standard — called the Dual EC DRBG standard — which contains a back door for the NSA. In publishing the standard, NIST acknowledged “contributions” from NSA, but not primary authorship. Internal N.S.A. memos describe how the agency subsequently worked behind the scenes to push the same standard on the International Organization for Standardization. “The road to developing this standard was smooth once the journey began,” one memo noted. “However, beginning the journey was a challenge in finesse.” Cryptographers have long had mixed feelings about NIST’s close relationship with the NSA, but many said last week’s revelations had confirmed their worst fears and eroded their confidence in NIST standards entirely.
benton.org/node/159116 | New York Times
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POLL ON SURVEILLANCE, PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Stephen Braun, Jennifer Agiesta]
Following disclosures about the National Security Agency's massive surveillance programs, a majority of Americans believe the U.S. government is doing a poor job of protecting privacy rights, according to a new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Close to 60 percent of Americans oppose the NSA's collection of data on telephone and Internet usage. A similar majority opposes the legal process supervised by a secret federal court that oversees the government's classified surveillance. The American public is still anxious about terrorism as the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches. About 6 in 10 Americans feel it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice rights to confront terrorism. But suspicions about the government's promises to protect civil liberties have deepened since 2011. Only 53 percent now say the government does a good job of ensuring freedoms, compared to 60 percent two years ago.
benton.org/node/159114 | Associated Press
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
BUT FOR THESE RULES...
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Michael Weinberg]
[Commentary] At the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, Verizon explained, in the simplest terms possible, why network neutrality rules are so important: the rules are the only thing preventing Internet service providers from turning the Internet into cable TV. During the oral argument, the judges and Verizon’s attorney discussed Verizon’s desire to enter into special commercial agreements with “edge providers.” Edge providers are just another name for websites and services – everyone from Google, Netflix, and Facebook to the Public Knowledge policy blog. These types of agreements – where ISPs charge edge providers extra just to be able to reach the ISP’s subscribers – are exactly the types of agreements that raise network neutrality concerns. If Verizon – or any ISP – can go to a website and demand extra money just to reach Verizon subscribers, the fundamental fairness of competing on the Internet would be disrupted. It would immediately make Verizon the gatekeeper to what would and would not succeed online. ISPs, not users, not the market, would decide which websites and services succeed. Fortunately, we have rules that prevent this type of behavior. The FCC’s Open Internet rules are the only thing stopping ISPs from injecting themselves between every website and their subscribers. [Michael Weinberg is Vice President of Public Knowledge.]
benton.org/node/159090 | Public Knowledge
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LOOK OUT NETFLIX AND GOOGLE! AN ANALYST THINKS THE COURT MAY ALLOW ISPS TO CHARGE YOU
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
After the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit heard arguments in Verizon v. Federal Communications Commission, Stifel Nicolas, an investment bank in Washington (DC) issued a note that said the court might be ready to let broadband providers charge Internet edge providers for improved connections to broadband customers. Stifel Nicolas, however, thought that the court wouldn’t strip the FCC of its authority to regulate broadband. If the court does indeed let the telcos and pay TV providers implement a fast lane for content it may not strip the FCC of authority, but it would do its part to kill the idea of network neutrality. The companies that deliver over-the-top services and have been defenders (in part) of network neutrality might not mind the results if it ensures their content can be delivered to end-users without glitches. Already Google and the backbone providers for services such as Netflix, pay fees to some ISPs for more ports to ensure enough capacity to deliver quality service to the ISPs’ end users.
benton.org/node/159089 | GigaOm
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FCC'S NET NEUTRALITY RULES MAY NOT SURVIVE COURT
[SOURCE: AdWeek, AUTHOR: Katy Bachman]
In a packed Washington courtroom, the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard arguments in Verizon v. Federal Communications Commission, the landmark case challenging the FCC's authority to regulate the Internet. The panel of three judges was so interested in the case that they extended the oral arguments from the traditional 45 minutes to two hours, still only a short time for a roomful of attorneys to determine the fate of Internet regulation. "I found it chilling -- judges trying to figure out where Internet governance should go," said former FCC commissioner Robert McDowell, now a fellow with the Hudson Institute. By the end of the day, most Washington prognosticators believed the court would strike down at least some, if not all, of the FCC's rules. Many believed the court could "split the baby" in a mixed decision. What seemed especially vulnerable based on the judges' questions is the provision that the FCC can force broadband providers to provide their service free to "edge" companies like Netflix, Amazon or YouTube. Doing so would reclassify Internet service providers as common carrier services -- a move that is prohibited by the Communications Act. If the court strikes the provision, Internet providers, cable and telecommunications companies could charge Netflix-like companies to deliver a better connection to customers.
benton.org/node/159088 | AdWeek
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FCC AND NETWORK NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
[Commentary] When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the Open Internet Order in 2010 -- forbidding Internet Service Providers from blocking services or charging content providers for access to the network -- there was one thing the FCC was careful not to do. What the FCC did not do is declare that Internet service providers are "common carriers," a classification that could have opened the door to even stricter regulations. Pre-dating the Internet by centuries, common carriage is "this age-old doctrine that says the person doing the shipping for you can't mess with the contents," said Matt Wood, policy director for Free Press, a group that advocates for "universal and affordable Internet access." The FCC has avoided calling ISPs common carriers for more than a decade, favoring a "light touch" regulatory approach that could protect consumers while (hopefully) appeasing political foes of net neutrality, Wood said. That approach may be backfiring. Verizon recently challenged the legality of the Open Internet Order, and yesterday the company argued its case in front of a three-judge panel at the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. A Verizon win would allow ISPs to block content or charge providers for a faster lane to customers.
benton.org/node/159119 | Ars Technica
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NETWORK NEUTRALITY PROPOSALS CAUSE FRICTION IN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, LEAKS SHOW
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: David Meyer]
It’s not only in the US that network neutrality is under threat. In Europe, too, Internet service providers may soon be expressly permitted to charge content providers for carrying their traffic – but, as it turns out, this is causing divisions within Europe’s executive body. The European Commission’s digital agenda chief, Neelie Kroes, said in June that she would propose the EU’s first network neutrality legislation, as part of a wider package of laws to promote a single telecoms market in Europe. On the plus side, she said the blocking or throttling of services on competitive grounds – a mobile network provider blocking Skype because it steals voice customers, for example – would be outlawed. However, she also said ISPs would also be allowed to offer end users connections that come with a guaranteed quality of service. And what also came out in subsequent leaked drafts of the new legislation was that ISPs will be – you guessed it – allowed to charge content providers to carry their traffic “with a defined quality of service or dedicated capacity so long as the provision of such specialized services does not substantially impair the quality of internet services.”
benton.org/node/159086 | GigaOm
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EDUCATION
TECH INDUSTRY AND E-RATE OVERHAUL
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Caitlin Emma]
Policymakers called on the tech industry to get involved in the overhaul of the E-Rate and help make it a success. After all, the school Internet subsidy program worth $4 billion to $6 billion will be a boon to the industry’s bottom line in the long run. At an education technology summit at The Pew Charitable Trusts, Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn, fellow FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, Jim Shelton, acting deputy secretary at the Education Department, and Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, all made a pitch to Silicon Valley innovators, researchers, community and business leaders. Once all schools are connected with access to high-speed broadband, schools’ demands for technology will skyrocket, said Commissioner Rosenworcel. It’s an opportunity to make money and serve the public, said Shelton. Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, said too few schools have adequate infrastructure, and the price of many devices deters schools from buying them. But widespread connectivity is likely to change schools’ outlook and give tech companies an opening to build more products for the education market. And as new computer-based tests associated with the Common Core academic standards come online, schools’ demands are guaranteed to grow.
benton.org/node/159117 | Politico
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CLYBURN AT “CONNECTED IN THE DIGITAL AGE: IMPROVING AMERICAN EDUCATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY”
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn]
We recognize that we are not where we need to be on digital learning, both relative to other nations, and to the rate of technology adoption, in other sectors of society. One of the biggest obstacles to seizing these opportunities is inadequate bandwidth at our schools and libraries. Simply put, our schools need faster high-capacity connections, and they need them now. We need to roll up our sleeves and do what it takes to ensure that our nation’s schools and libraries have the broadband connections needed, to meet their current and future requirements. The E-rate rulemaking we launched in July is a critical first step. We need good data if we’re going to get this right. We need data when it comes to the bandwidth schools need for today’s and tomorrow’s digital learning tools. We need data to understand how to cut costs, increase efficiency, streamline the program, and deliver that broadband capacity to and within schools in the most cost-effective manner. We need to ensure that we’re connecting as many children as possible, that we leverage consortium and other bulk buying opportunities, that we phase out funding for unnecessary services, and that we streamline and improve the administration of this program. We need the help of innovators from Silicon Valley, researchers, businesses, community leaders, and other stakeholders, who may not receive E-Rate funding, but who have valuable information that will help the Commission ensure that all of America’s children will be prepared with the skills to enter and contribute to the digital economy.
benton.org/node/159091 | Federal Communications Commission
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TELECOM
VERIZON BRINGS FIBER OPTIC NETWORK TO STORM-HIT FIRE ISLAND
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
Verizon Communications said it plans to bring fiber optic Internet service to Fire Island (NY), responding to public pressure to restore reliable telecommunications services after phone lines were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. Consumers and some lawmakers criticized the company’s plans to replace damaged copper-wire lines with an experimental wireless service called VoiceLink. Critics said the service only offered voice service, leaving homes without Internet connections. Some residents and businesses complained that the quality of calls on the wireless service was spotty and not as reliable as landline phones, raising questions about whether the system would serve customers in emergency situations. Verizon has defended the quality of VoiceLink, but said it decided to build out its FiOs fiber optic network on the island after months of debate over the issue.
benton.org/node/159107 | Washington Post
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VERIZON MAKES GOOD ON FIRE ISLAND
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
[Commentary] In May 2013, Verizon announced it would replace the copper phone network on Fire Island destroyed by Hurricane Sandy with their new “Voice Link” service. From the beginning, we expressed grave concerns with forcing storm victims to take an unproven technology in place of the traditional copper-line phone and DSL broadband they had before Sandy struck. Verizon acknowledged that many of its customers do not find Voice Link an acceptable substitute for their pre-Sandy copper landline and DSL. Verizon has therefore agreed to deploy FIOS Internet and voice service to Fire Island before Memorial Day 2014 but will make Voice Link available for those customers who want a low cost alternative. Otherwise, folks have the option to upgrade to fiber. There are still a number of loose ends that need to be addressed and lessons to learn. Most importantly, the Federal Communications Commission still needs to provide guidance to carriers on their responsibilities when a natural disaster destroys their existing copper network. Much of the expense and confusion around this process could have been avoided if Verizon had a clear understanding of what the law required. Americans rebuilding their communities have a right to expect a communications network as good, or better, than what they had before they lost everything in a disaster.
benton.org/node/159106 | Public Knowledge
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WIRELESS
AT&T AGREES TO MODIFY NETWORK TO MAKE ROAMING EASIER
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
Under pressure from the Federal Communications Commission, AT&T agreed to take steps that will make it easier for customers of other carriers to access its network. The agreement is a victory for small regional carriers such as C Spire Wireless and US Cellular who had complained that their customers were unable to roam on AT&T's network because of technological problems. Small carriers build their own networks in certain regions, but rely on the large carriers to provide service to their customers when they travel. In the 700 MHz frequency band, AT&T's cell towers use a different technology than other carriers, meaning its network is not interoperable with many devices. "This is a big win for consumers, especially in rural areas, who will see more competition and more choices," acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn said. "Also, by making it easier for small wireless carriers to compete, today’s interoperability solution will spur private investment, job creation, and the development of innovative new services and devices."
benton.org/node/159103 | Hill, The | AT&T Press Release | FCC Chairwoman Clyburn
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APPLE IS THINKING ABOUT THE MOBILE PHONE MARKET IN A WHOLE NEW WAY
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Neil Irwin]
[Commentary] Apple’s big announcement boils down to this: An acknowledgement that the market for mobile phones is growing up. Since introducing the original iPhone six years ago, the company has gone through round after round of upgrades in which each one was a little sleeker, a little faster, a little better than the one that came before it. The company did not, by contrast, make “cheaper” one of the areas for improvement, at least not in any major way. But now most of the people who want an iPhone and can comfortably afford one already have one. That doesn’t mean the business will collapse anytime soon; people still need to replace their phone every couple of years amid regular wear and tear and the modestly improved features. But nothing Apple introduced, or which seems to be on the horizon, represents as big an improvement against the current iPhone and other leading smartphones as the original iPhone did in 2007 compared to its competitors.
benton.org/node/159105 | Washington Post
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PRIVACY
GOOGLE CAN FACE WIRETAPPING CLAIMS IN STREET VIEW LAWSUITS, COURT SAYS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Maura Dolan]
A federal appeals court decided that Google can be held liable for violating a federal wiretap law when it collected personal information from Wi-Fi networks while obtaining photographs for Street View. A three-judge panel of the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said data transmitted over an unencrypted Wi-Fi network were not readily available to the public and therefore could not be accessed under an exemption to the federal Wiretap Act. The ruling was a victory for wireless users who brought class-action lawsuits after their private information was accessed by Google’s Street View fleets.
benton.org/node/159104 | Los Angeles Times | The Hill | Associated Press
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TELEVISION
HOUSE STELA HEARING
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Doug Halonen]
At a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, several lawmakers made clear — once again — that they are not happy about consumers losing access to broadcast signals during retransmission consent blackouts. But no clear consensus emerged on what should be done about the blackouts. At issue before the subcommittee is whether Congress should reauthorize the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act, which give satellite TV operators copyright clearance to retransmit distant broadcast signals. The current authorization expires at the end of 2014. But satellite and cable operators also see the measure as a potential vehicle for watering down the retransmission consent rights of broadcasters. During the hearing, the operators, as expected, urged lawmakers to revise the retrans law to import distant network signals during retransmission consent stalemates. In addition, lawmakers were urged to consider a “standstill” arrangement that would let cable operators continue to carry a broadcaster’s programming — under the terms of the elapsed agreement — during retrans consent negotiations. Under this reform plan, the terms of the new deal would be applied retroactively, with the negotiations ultimately subject to binding arbitration when necessary. Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Howard Coble (R-NC) was careful not to endorse any of the reform proposals.
benton.org/node/159095 | TVNewsCheck | B&C
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STELA RENEWAL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
In prepared opening remarks for a hearing on video regulation, House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) signaled that he wanted to circulate a draft of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA) reauthorization bill, which also includes attendant video distribution licenses up for discussion, if not renewal, by the first quarter of next year. The satellite distant-signal license expires at the end of 2014 and the last time Congress reauthorized it, the process took well over a year and extended past the Dec. 31, 2009 deadline. Chairman Walden suggested there was a need for overarching telecom regulation reform, saying that "The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is old enough to get its driver’s license, the Cable Act [of 1992] is old enough to drink alcohol legally, and the Communications Act of 1934 has long been eligible for Social Security." "This early stage of the process is a good time for us to take a larger look at the video marketplace," Chairman Walden said. "It takes time and process to develop good policy and even more to build consensus. Yet, the deadline for reauthorizing STELA looms large, and we must continue to make progress. With that in mind, I expect to circulate a discussion draft on these issues no later than the first quarter of next year. I am looking forward to continuing to engage with my colleagues and the many industries represented here today on these important issues."
benton.org/node/159118 | Broadcasting&Cable
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FCC REFORM
HOUSE PASSES FCC REPORT CONSOLIDATION BILL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The House unanimously passed the Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act (H.R. 2844). The bill consolidates eight FCC annual reports to Congress, including its cable price and video competition reviews, into a single biennial report. FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai said, “The FCC's reporting requirements are numerous, outdated, and unnecessarily burdensome. Replacing them with a single biennial Communications Marketplace Report will not only enable more efficient use of agency resources, it will also provide Congress and the public with a comprehensive and far more useful set of data that reflects the realities of today's converged marketplace.”
benton.org/node/159081 | Broadcasting&Cable | FCC Commissioner Pai
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FCC DOING MORE WITH LESS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission member Jessica Rosenworcel plans to tell the Senate Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee that the FCC is proud of its ability to do more with less money, but that there are also consequences, including "reduced outreach, delayed decisionmaking, and fewer resources to address hard and persistent problems..." All three FCC Commissioners are scheduled to testify at the hearing, where they will talk about/defend the FCC's budget. Commissioner Rosenworcel notes in her prepared testimony that the hearing comes on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, tying it to the need for communications. "The events of that day only deepened our commitment to what connects us as individuals and as a Nation, because that is what makes us strong. Communications networks make us strong."
benton.org/node/159120 | Broadcasting&Cable
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MODERNIZING THE FCC: IT’S NOT THAT COMPLICATED
[SOURCE: AT&T, AUTHOR: Jim Cicconi]
In the telecommunications industry’s current situation, the Federal Communications Commission’s historic mission must be modernized to reflect the fundamental evolution in communications that Internet protocol (IP) technology and the Internet have wrought. If it doesn’t, the agency will become irrelevant. New technologies (like What’sApp) are rapidly replacing the services provided by the “carriers” the Communications Act was written to cover. And those services are being deployed through applications and technologies by companies that have traditionally been beyond the scope of the FCC’s jurisdiction. Instead of picking winners and losers among companies when it says it is acting to protect competition, for the good of industry investment and job creation, the FCC should yield to the expertise of others when it comes to competition and antitrust. So, what should be the focus of the FCC’s mission instead? One inarguable priority should be consumer protection, and another would be public safety. As the US government’s technical expert for communications, we recognize that the agency also continues to oversee the universal service mandate on the wireline side, and on the wireless side, that the FCC is a critical agent for managing spectrum issues.
benton.org/node/159099 | AT&T | B&C
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
EU TELECOMS CHIEF GETS BACKING FOR REFORM PACKAGE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Foo Yun Chee, Claire Davenport]
The European Union Commission has approved a plan to spur investment in communications networks and create a single market for telecoms services despite concerns that some parts may favor big operators. The commission's telecoms chief Neelie Kroes will present the reforms, which are part of an effort to help Europe catch up with Asia and North America in mobile and fast-speed network infrastructure. As expected, it will include measures aimed at phasing out roaming charges, improving consumer protections in telecom contracts, and making mobile spectrum auctions more consistent in the region, among other elements. But the package will likely evolve - and be subject to intense lobbying - as it winds it way through the legislative process. The region's 28 countries and European Parliament must sign off before it becomes law.
benton.org/node/159101 | Reuters
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EU TELECOM OVERHAUL
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Frances Robinson, Sam Schechner]
The European Union is preparing a plan to fix its fragmented telecommunications market and encourage investment in new high-speed networks. But opposition from some countries and companies could derail or water down the long-awaited update of the bloc's telecom regulations. The proposal came under fire even before it was officially introduced. Some members of the European Commission, the EU's executive body, said the proposal wasn't ambitious enough. And some of Europe's biggest telecommunications companies said the plan could cost them billions while doing little to advance their biggest goal—industry consolidation in the region.
benton.org/node/159113 | Wall Street Journal
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BLOGGERS IN CHINA
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Chris Buckley]
Big V, for verified account, is the widely used moniker for the most influential commentators on China’s growing microblog sites — online celebrities whose millions of fans read, discuss and spread their outpouring of news and opinions, plenty of which chastise or ridicule officials. And the Communist Party has turned against them in the most zealous crackdown on the Internet in years. Worried about its hold on public opinion, the Chinese government has pursued a propaganda and police offensive against what it calls malicious rumor-mongering online. Police forces across the country have announced the detentions of hundreds of microblog users since last month on charges of concocting and spreading false claims, often politically damaging. For weeks, a torrent of commentaries in the state-run news media have warned popular opinion makers on China’s biggest microblog site, Sina’s Weibo service, to watch their words.
benton.org/node/159112 | New York Times
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