September 12, 2017 (Elections; Digital Divide; Wireless Competition)

ELECTIONS & MEDIA

DREAMHOST CONSIDERS FIGHTING ORDER ON ANTI-TRUMP WEBSITE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Keith Alexander]
Executives from a Los Angeles-based tech company said they are weighing whether to fight a judge's order to provide prosecutors with e-mail addresses and other information from people who visited an anti-Trump website in the months leading to Inauguration Day. The company, DreamHost, filed a motion with District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin recently requesting that he put his order on hold while they consider whether to appeal. But prosecutors, concerned that such a delay could hinder their cases against dozens charged in Inauguration Day riots, have asked the judge to force DreamHost to turn over the data immediately. In a year where DreamHost was looking forward to celebrating its 20th anniversary, the company instead has been propelled into a high-profile privacy rights case as a result of managing the server for a website that authorities say facilitated Inauguration Day rioting. DreamHost co-founder and co-Chief Executive Dallas Kashuba said in an interview that the potential implications go beyond this case. He said there is concern among tech companies that Internet users could become fearful of visiting websites if they know government authorities can monitor such information.
benton.org/headlines/dreamhost-considers-fighting-order-cough-info-visitors-anti-tump-website | Washington Post
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RUSSIA'S $100K FB IS MORE THAN YOU THINK
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Christine Emba]
[Commentary] Facebook revealed that during the 2016 presidential campaign it sold more than $100,000 in ads to a Kremlin-linked “troll farm” seeking to influence US voters. An additional $50,000 in ads also appear suspect but were less verifiably linked to the Russian government. In the grand — at this point, far too grand — scheme of campaign spending, $150,000 doesn’t sound like much. It’s a minor TV ad buy, perhaps, or a wardrobe makeover for one vice-presidential candidate. But in the context of Facebook, it matters quite a bit. Not just for what it might have done to the election but also for what it says about us. Russia spent at least $100,000 on Facebook ads because of Americans’ known susceptibility to partisan division, our willingness to outsource the work of analysis to social-media algorithms and our tendency to not think too hard about what we see. No, the money isn’t minor. But the real problem is us.
benton.org/headlines/when-it-comes-facebook-russias-100000-worth-more-you-think | Washington Post
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

FREE MARKET AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
[SOURCE: Marketplace, AUTHOR: Molly Wood]
A Q&A with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai. He has made it a priority to increase the availability of broadband internet access across America. But the regulations that telecom companies say are preventing them from investing in broadband infrastructure are the ones that also ensure net neutrality. Critics say the trade-off isn't worth it. Chairman Pai wants to use federal subsidies and slash regulations to try to encourage broadband providers to expand their infrastructure.
benton.org/headlines/can-free-market-solve-digital-divide | Marketplace
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NET NEUTRALITY IS WORKING
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Gaurav Laroia]
Here’s what Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai refuses to admit: by every conceivable measure Title II network neutrality is working. There’s no real partisan divide or controversy about the need for net neutrality outside of Washington’s political circles and lobbying shops. In our reply to the FCC, we once again explained the history and importance of the net neutrality protections that fostered innovation and investment throughout the last twenty years — both before and after they were put on the right legal footing in 2015. We took down the ludicrous claims of companies like AT&T that they do not provide telecommunications services to the public. And we showed how at every turn these companies have telegraphed their intentions to thwart the Net Neutrality rules and offer worse service if the rules are overturned. The millions of comments in this proceeding is what it looks like when real people understand the stakes of policy decisions in Washington and participate in our democracy. In his crusade to roll back the rules Chairman Pai has chosen to ignore all available evidence about broadband deployment and ISP spending, along with millions of comments from the public. He hasn’t been able to state a single logical reason why the existing Title II Net Neutrality rules should be overturned. The Commission should wake up and listen, instead of refusing to address irregularities in the public commenting process while resorting to gimmicks to delegitimize and squelch the voices of concerned people.
benton.org/headlines/free-press-fcc-chairman-aji-pai-title-ii-network-neutrality-working | Free Press
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

ROSENWORCEL REMARKS AT 911 WORKSHOP
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel]
I believe what we need now is a Federal Communications Commission report on these storms. We need to know what worked, what didn’t, and where we can improve our communications infrastructure. Once we know the facts, we need a full plan for fixing the communications vulnerabilities we are finding, including what you are discussing today—how to deal with the impact on 911. This report also will need to include a framework for rebuilding so that the communities with damaged communications facilities are not permanently relegated to the wrong side of the digital divide. Because one thing is for sure—Mother Nature’s wrath is sure to visit us again. It is incumbent on us to learn from these disasters to improve emergency response and infrastructure recovery.
benton.org/headlines/remarks-commissioner-rosenworcel-fcc-workshop-improving-situational-awareness-during-911 | Federal Communications Commission
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WIRELESS

WIRELESS COMPETITION
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ryan Knutson]
For the first time since 2009, the Federal Communications Commission has concluded there is “effective competition” in the US wireless market. The agency is required by law to conduct an economic analysis of the sector. Starting in 2010, after years of major consolidation among wireless carriers, the FCC declined to say whether it believed the industry was competitive. While the FCC had stopped short of declaring the industry noncompetitive, many industry observers still took it to mean the agency thought the nation’s largest carriers, AT&T and Verizon Communications, were too powerful. In 2011, the government blocked AT&T’s attempted buyout of T-Mobile US. Since then, T-Mobile and Sprint Corp. have been resurgent, stealing subscribers and transforming the industry by doing away with two-year contracts and bringing back unlimited data plans. AT&T and Verizon have lost customers and wireless prices have fallen by the largest margins on record, according to government data. The FCC’s finding could have antitrust implications. If the wireless market is competitive, regulators may believe it could withstand another large merger. The nation’s smaller players, Sprint and T-Mobile, have been in talks about combining, people familiar with the matter have said. “A finding of effective competition certainly helps rhetorically for those trying to consolidate or trying to deregulate,” Harold Feld, a senior vice president at Public Knowledge.
benton.org/headlines/us-wireless-industry-finally-competitive-fcc-says | Wall Street Journal
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CONTENT

HOW PEOPLE APPROACH FACT AND INFO
[SOURCE: Pew Research Center, AUTHOR: John Horrigan]
A new Pew Research Center survey explores these five broad dimensions of people’s engagement with information and finds that a couple of elements particularly stand out when it comes to their enthusiasm: their level of trust in information sources and their interest in learning, particularly about digital skills. It turns out there are times when these factors align – that is, when people trust information sources and they are eager to learn, or when they distrust sources and have less interest in learning. There are other times when these factors push in opposite directions: people are leery of information sources but enthusiastic about learning. Roughly four-in-ten adults (38%) are in groups that have relatively strong interest and trust in information sources and learning. About half (49%) fall into groups that are relatively disengaged and not very enthusiastic about information or about gaining more training, especially when it comes to navigating digital information. Another 13% occupy a middle space: They are not particularly trusting of information sources, but they show higher interest in learning than those in the more information-wary groups.
benton.org/headlines/how-people-approach-facts-and-information | Pew Research Center
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MORE RESEARCH

40 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE ON US COMMUNICATIONS POLICY
[SOURCE: Telecommunications Policy, AUTHOR: Christopher Yoo]
This paper looks back at forty years of US communications policy, and concludes that all of the challenges that were salient when Telecommunications Policy published its first issue—the lack of competition in CPE, long distance, local telephone service, television networks, and multichannel video program distribution—have essentially been addressed. The other technology that has grown in importance since 1976—the Internet—is widely regarded as a raging success. Although no history is completely uniform, the past forty years illustrates the key considerations underlying the choice between whether to impose access regulations or whether to rely on facilities-based competition. Moreover, the paper considers the important role that US courts have played in promoting competition and consumer welfare. In many cases, timely judicial intervention has forced regulators to retreat from positions that protected incumbents and limited competition. The paper concludes with outlooks on new issues and debates that will continue to arise.
benton.org/headlines/unsung-success-story-forty-year-retrospective-us-communications-policy | Telecommunications Policy
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AGENDA

BUSY TIME LIE AHEAD IN TELECOM
[SOURCE: CommLawBlog, AUTHOR: ]
[Commentary] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is planning to make some major overhauls at the FCC. Eight months into his term, Pai is preparing to “modernize [the FCC’s] rules to match the realities of today’s marketplace.” At 2017’s National Broadcast Association’s Radio Show, Pai announced he would present to his fellow FCC Commissioners at least one Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) every month, starting in September. These monthly NPRMs are intended to address concerns that Chairman Pai has assessed are part of those "outdated or unnecessary media regulations that should be eliminated or modified.” Pai’s statements at NAB focused on broadcasting, while his statements via a blog post go into more detail on what’s ahead outside of the broadcast industry. With the tentative agenda for the Commission’s upcoming September meeting posted, it’s shaping up to be a busy time at the FCC for the foreseeable future
benton.org/headlines/busy-times-lie-ahead-telecomm-pai-lays-out-modernization-plans | CommLawBlog
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September 12, 2017 (Elections; Digital Divide; Wireless Competition)