September 20, 2013 (New FCC Head Must Reclaim Authority Over Telecom)

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

TECH GIANTS ASK 21 COUNTRIES TO RELEASE SURVEILLANCE DATA
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Kate Tummarello]
A group of privacy advocates, human rights groups and tech companies has asked 21 countries to release information on surveillance requests and allow the companies receiving those requests to do the same. The Global Network Initiative – which includes Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo – said in letters to the members of the Freedom Online Coalition that governments should release and allow tech companies to release information on the law enforcement and national security requests for electronic communication the firms receive, the group said. The Freedom Online Coalition, a group of 21 countries working to advance Internet freedom, includes the United States and the United Kingdom, both of which have received heavy criticism over their national surveillance programs.
benton.org/node/160557 | Hill, The
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

FIRST RESPONDER RADIOS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Kevin Bogardus]
Radios for federal firefighters and police officers failed during the mass shooting at Washington’s Navy Yard, according to union representatives for first responders. Union officials said police and firefighters resorted to using their cellphones and radios from D.C.’s emergency responders to communicate with each other during the attack. Initially, officers found that their radios were working. But as they ventured deeper into the building where the shooting took place, their equipment stopped functioning. After the first shootout with the gunman, one officer found his radio’s battery was dead, while another officer could not receive a signal from his radio and was unable to call for help. That forced them to use an officer’s cellphone to call others outside the building.
benton.org/node/160575 | Hill, The
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

NEW FCC HEAD MUST RECLAIM AUTHORITY OVER TELECOM
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Susan Crawford]
[Commentary] As the Federal Communications Commission gets a new chairman, the agency faces historic resistance from the companies it is meant to regulate. The giant companies that sell access to the Internet are working on multiple fronts to ensure that no regulator has any real authority over them. It’s imperative that Tom Wheeler, nominated to be FCC chairman, reclaim the FCC’s authority over telecommunications. Otherwise, Americans may lose the high-quality, reasonably priced and ubiquitous communications capacity that they have enjoyed since electronic communications began. Smart and appropriate regulation would bolster our country’s competitiveness and help unleash the productive potential of the middle class. The existing network-access providers (mainly, Verizon and AT&T for wireless and Comcast and Time Warner Cable for wires) just keep repeating their mantra that everything is fine in America. That’s simply not true, as any mayor interested in ensuring reasonably priced fiber connectivity for local businesses can attest. The U.S. lacks any plan to upgrade from cable to faster fiber-optic connections, and there is no competition among providers to drive technology upgrades. Nor do the providers have any incentive to treat fairly any interconnecting networks being used by their content-level competitors (again, think of Netflix). Instead, as Verizon’s lawyer told the court last week, they’re planning to exact payments from these networks for the privilege of reaching their subscribers on the equivalent basis as Verizon’s own services. What’s at stake is more than just how the FCC treats AT&T, Verizon, Time Warner Cable and Comcast: It’s the country’s competitive future. It’s encouraging that Democrats and Republicans in the Senate seem willing to come together to approve the new FCC commissioners. FCC Chair Nominee Tom Wheeler and the administration must now rise to the regulatory challenges ahead.
[Susan Crawford, a professor at the Cardozo School of Law and a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute]
benton.org/node/160555 | Bloomberg
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WHAT IS AMERICA'S BROADBAND AGENDA?
[SOURCE: Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Christina Gagnier]
[Commentary] What is America's broadband agenda today? The desire for broadband Internet to be available to everyone wanting it is a noble and worthwhile goal, but in order to be successful it requires a set of interconnected strategies. If we build it, they won't just come. Giving someone a device to access the Internet won't do it either. It requires a combination of infrastructure, device availability and education, in the form of digital literacy and other public awareness efforts, to get us to that goal. A recent report by Ev Ehrlich of the Progressive Policy Institute, Shaping the Digital Age: A Progressive Broadband Agenda, sets out a series of interconnected strategies for a "progressive broadband agenda" reflecting some of the nuances that are inherent in achieving the goal of meaningful Internet use for everyone in the United States. With broadband, we are looking to do what's fair and just for everyone. While it would be much easier if there were a straightforward solution, a national conversation that explores all facets of America's broadband agenda is critical.
[Christina Gagnier is an intellectual property attorney and partner at Gagnier Margossian LLP]
benton.org/node/160483 | Huffington Post
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FUNDING TO IMPROVE RURAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Department of Agriculture, AUTHOR: Press Release]
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced loans to help finance the construction of broadband networks in rural Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon and South Dakota. The funding will provide almost $40 million from the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to install fiber networks to improve telecommunications capability in the three recipients' service areas. The following recipients have been selected to receive telecommunications loan financing:
Keystone-Farmers Cooperative Telephone Company will receive a $7.6 million loan to upgrade its plant and complete a Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to help meet the current and future data needs of its customers in Benton and Tama counties.
Colton Telephone Company will receive a $7.3 million loan to complete an FTTP network to provide enhanced broadband services for its customers.
Interstate Telecommunications Company, Inc. will receive a $24.9 million loan to upgrade its plant and complete an FTTP network to provide enhanced broadband services for its customers.
benton.org/node/160531 | Department of Agriculture
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM

T-MOBILE, VERIZON JOIN FORCES ON 600 MHZ AUCTION BAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Phil Goldstein]
T-Mobile US joined forces with Verizon Communications to propose a band plan for the upcoming incentive auctions of 600 MHz broadcast TV spectrum. The partnership is notable in light of the fact that T-Mobile and Verizon have long been on opposite sides of the debate over the auctions, especially on whether to cap the amount of spectrum Verizon and AT&T can win in the auctions. In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, T-Mobile and Verizon said any band plan the FCC settles on for the 600 MHz band should satisfy four principles that they have agreed on. That includes 1) maximizing the amount of paired spectrum available for mobile broadband; 2) allowing for the cost-effective and timely development of network equipment and end-user devices; 3) facilitating a single 3GPP band class to provide interoperability across all paired blocks in the 600 MHz band; and 4) allocating for supplemental downlink use any unpaired spectrum not needed to protect 600 MHz broadband operations against interference.
benton.org/node/160512 | Fierce
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NAB TO FCC: DON'T TAKE OUR BAS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National Association of Broadcasters has told the Federal Communications Commission that a proposal to take Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) spectrum for auctioning for mobile wireless could compromise broadcasters' ability to deliver crucial local news and information, like coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. Broadcasters use that spectrum for electronic newsgatherers (ENG) including helicopter shots, and for studio-to-transmitter links that deliver a signal to rural and remote areas. The NAB took issue with CTIA’s proposal to repurpose 15 MHz of that BAS spectrum. NAB says there is 25 MHz elsewhere that can be used, and points out that the BAS allocation was already reduced by almost 30%, from 120 to 85 MHz in the digital TV transition. CTIA asked the FCC to consider whether broadcasters needed 12 MHz for each BAS channel, and points to the rise of alternatives like Skype and LET and Wi-Fi for backhaul of ENG signals from remote sites. "While each of these new technology alternatives may not fully replace the existing capabilities for broadcasters in the 2025-2110 MHz band, CTIA believes that the Commission should independently review whether these new options mitigate the overall demand for all 85 megahertz for BAS," CTIA said in its comments.
benton.org/node/160541 | Broadcasting&Cable | TVNewsCheck
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CELL PHONE ACTIVITIES 2013
[SOURCE: Pew Internet and American Life Project, AUTHOR: Maeve Duggan]
Fully 91% of American adults own a cell phone and many use the devices for much more than phone calls. In our most recent nationally representative survey, we checked in on some of the most popular activities people perform on their cell phones and found:
81% of cell phone owners send or receive text messages
60% of cell phone owners access the internet
52% send or receive email
50% download apps
49% get directions, recommendations, or other location-based information
48% listen to music
21% participate in a video call or video chat
8% “check in” or share their location
benton.org/node/160514 | Pew Internet and American Life Project
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TELECOMMUNICATIONS

SPECIAL ACCESS REFORM
[SOURCE: Fierce, AUTHOR: Sean Buckley]
The Federal Communications Commission released its revised data request on the Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking providing instructions covering special access. It will use it to see if it has to make any changes to its pricing flexibility rules. The regulator said that it clarifies "the scope of the collection to reduce burden where doing so is consistent with our delegated authority and will not impact the Commission's ability to analyze the data; (2) provide instructions and record format specifications for submitting information; and (3) modify and amend questions and definitions contained in the collection." FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn that the order will give them a clear picture of how the special access market operates. But fellow commissioner Ajit Pai expressed concern over the fact that the order exempts cable operators but not competitive carriers from reporting existing but not operational facilities that could be providing dedicated service.
benton.org/node/160528 | Fierce | FCC | Chairwoman Clyburn | Commissioner Pai | Multichannel News
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JOURNALISM

MEDIA TRUST
[SOURCE: Gallup, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Mendes]
Americans' confidence in the accuracy of the mass media has improved slightly after falling to an all-time low last year. Now, 44% say they have a great deal or fair amount of trust and confidence in the mass media, identical to 2011 but up from 40% in 2012, the lowest reading since Gallup regularly began tracking the question in 1997. This year's bump in confidence comes mainly from independents and Republicans, after these groups' trust in the media dropped last year amid a heated presidential election race in which Mitt Romney supporters may have felt their candidate was being treated unfairly. Democrats' confidence, however, has been inching up since 2011. Consistent with Republicans' and independents' dissatisfaction with the media, far more Americans say the media are too liberal than too conservative, 46% vs. 13%, as was the case in 2011, and every year since Gallup has been tracking this trend. Thirty-seven percent currently describe the media's political leanings as "just about right." Perceptions of a liberal media bias are particularly strong among Republicans and conservatives, with 74% and 73%, respectively, saying the media are too liberal. However, half of independents also call it too liberal, while most Democrats call it "just about right."
benton.org/node/160526 | Gallup
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OWNERSHIP

CAN CROSS-OWNERSHIP HELP PRESERVE LOCAL, INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM IN THE DIGITAL AGE?
[SOURCE: Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, AUTHOR: Marcella Gadson, Kenneth Mallory]
[Commentary] Several organizations have suggested that certain changes to the Federal Communications Commission’s structural ownership rules could help preserve local, independent journalism. Specifically, some organizations have held that relaxation of the newspaper-broadcast station cross-ownership rule could create synergies that would allow broadcast stations and newspapers to share resources and news coverage. In its comments in the recent media ownership proceeding, the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) supported the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council’s study on the impact of cross-ownership rules on broadcast stations that are owned by women and minorities, which found that “cross-media interests’ impact on minority and women broadcast ownership is not sufficiently material to be a material justification for tightening or retaining the [FCC’s cross-ownership] rules.” Although MMTC has long championed the cross-ownership rules as a means of ensuring that the diversity of viewpoints and ideas are available to the public, it has had to step back and realize that as time passes and technology changes, so, too, must be our willingness to reevaluate long-held beliefs. As a technology-driven society, we must be open to exploring the possibility that changes in circumstances can make almost any position on an issue less absolute. As the FCC looks to implement rules that reflect the realities of our new communications industry, it should consider all viable solutions to assist newspapers and ensure that newspaper journalism continues to serve democracy by providing diverse and locally tailored content and information to all communities.
benton.org/node/160475 | Minority Media and Telecommunications Council
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SINCLAIR EMERGES AS A MAJOR BROADCASTING PLAYER
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Roger Yu]
CEO David Smith’s aggressive buying binge in recent months has shown that the unshackling of Sinclair is well underway, a development that pleases investors but has regulators and media watchdogs on alert. In the last 2.5 years, Sinclair nearly doubled its portfolio of TV stations to 108 from 58, becoming the largest broadcaster in terms of number of stations. It will own and operate 149 stations when its pending deals are completed. Sinclair's singularly torrid pace of growth has fueled debate about enduring questions on concentration of media ownership and fresh attempts by federal regulators to scale back broadcasters' ambitions. Sinclair's reach beyond its traditional domain of small-to-midsize markets is also triggering a particular set of worries for media critics, who recall Smith's conservative politics seeping into his stations' coverage in the past. Sinclair executives didn't respond to repeated requests for comment for this story.
benton.org/node/160550 | USAToday
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TELEVISION/RADIO

LPFM APPLICATION WINDOW
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Bill Lake]
In August we had our first of two webinars on how communities and non-profit organizations can apply for new low-power FM radio station licenses during the next window, October 15 – 29, 2013. The webinar allowed viewers to ask questions directly to Bureau staff. We were delighted to answer many questions during the session and have continued to respond to your inquiries since then. The second webinar will be held on Thursday, October 3. Before this next session, we want to give you these reminders and highlights on a number of important issues:
First and foremost, don’t forget you can start filling out your Form 318 application online now!
Second, remember that, while you do not need a 501(c)(3) certification, you must be organized as a nonprofit educational institution, corporation, or entity under your State’s laws, as of the date of the application filing, to be eligible to apply for an LPFM license.
Third, we will permit organizations in a community to work together to file a single Form 318 application.
Fourth, please bear in mind that it is the specified applicant on the application who must intend to carry out the station construction and operation described in the application.
Fifth, schools and universities can apply for an LPFM station.
Finally, filing a Form 318 application is just the first step in getting an LPFM construction permit and eventually an LPFM license. If your Form 318 for an LPFM construction permit is granted, the next steps are: (1) begin construction; (2) obtain the station’s call sign through the broadcast call sign reservation and authorization system; and (3) when construction is finished, begin program testing and file the Form 319 application for a low power FM broadcast license.
benton.org/node/160565 | Federal Communications Commission
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PRIVACY

WHY PRIVACY SETTLEMENTS LIKE FACEBOOK’S “SPONSORED STORIES” LAWSUIT AREN’T WORKING
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Jeff John Roberts]
The non-profit John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation revealed that it will turn down its share of a $20 million settlement intended to compensate Facebook users whose photos were misused for advertising. The Foundation, one of 14 non-profit groups selected to receive money by Facebook and class action lawyers, declined the award on the ground that it doesn’t work on issues related to consumer privacy. The news is just the latest example of how pricey lawsuits filed in the name of consumers’ privacy often do little to educate people about how companies like Facebook and Google actually use customer data. Instead, the legal process appears to be perpetuating a cottage industry in “privacy panic” that leaves ordinary Internet users excluded and discouraged. Several non-profits who received settlements from Facebook expressed a lack of familiarity with the deal, including details about the amount they were to receive or how they had been selected in the first place. In all of these cases, the class action system appeared, on the surface, to be doing its job: punishing companies through a legal process more powerful than what a single citizen could muster on his or her own.
benton.org/node/160539 | GigaOm
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SHARING, WITH A SAFETY NET
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Somini Sengupta]
Kids. The reckless rants and pictures they post online can often get them in trouble, by compromising their chances of getting into a good college or even landing them in jail. What to do about such lapses vexes parents, school officials, the Internet companies that host their words and images — and the law. Now California legislators are trying to solve the problem with the first measure in the country to give minors the legal right to scrub away their online indiscretions. The legislation puts the state in the middle of a turbulent debate over how best to protect children and their privacy on the Internet, and whether states should even be trying to tame the Web. The governor, Jerry Brown (D), has taken no position on the bill. He has until mid-October to sign it, after which, without his signature, the legislation becomes law.
benton.org/node/160571 | New York Times
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MONITORING SOCIAL MEDIA
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Glendale (CA) school officials have hired a firm to monitor the social media postings of their students, apparently in an effort to learn about potentially dangerous behavior such as cyberbullying, suicidal thoughts, sexual harassment or drug use. The firm might turn up some troubling stuff, and even if it doesn't, knowing that Big Schoolmarm is watching might persuade some teenagers to show a little more caution about what they broadcast online, which would not be a bad outcome. But neither of these potential benefits outweighs the creepy thought that school officials are intruding into students' off-campus lives and spying on conversations that are, in the vast majority of cases, none of their business.
benton.org/node/160569 | Los Angeles Times
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LOBBYING

MARK ZUCKERBERG STILL HAS A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT POLITICS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
[Commentary] Mark Zuckerberg has an idea of how Washington works. And it's not the vision most people in Washington share. "The cynical view is that everything is broken," he said at an event in Washington sponsored by The Atlantic. "My view is that the system is set up to avoid making catastrophic mistakes. And right now, the country is actually really divided and therefore few things should get done — except for the things people really agree on." It's odd to hear one of the country's most important digital natives offer such an endorsement of The System, considering he hails from a place where "disruption" is generally the celebrated norm. Even more striking is how Zuckerberg's loyalty to the establishment persists even as the faith of those who represent him in Congress has faltered. So why is Zuckerberg so sanguine about a system that most experts view as deeply troubled? One possible explanation is that Zuckerberg is playing coy, holding his real policy views close to his vest to avoid alienating power brokers in Washington. He cleverly danced around a direct question about his personal partisan sympathies, suggesting he understands the value of being seen as above the fray. But Zuckerberg's naiveté may also be genuine. The Facebook founder may be an engineering and cultural visionary. But his political education is still just beginning.
benton.org/node/160524 | Washington Post
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AGENDA

FCC MEETING AGENDA
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Public Notice]
Here’s the agenda for the Federal Communications Commission’s Sept 26 open meeting. The FCC will consider:
A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to accelerate deployment of wireless infrastructure while at the same time appropriately protecting the Nation’s environmental resources.
A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the UHF discount to its national television multiple ownership rule.
A Memorandum Opinion and Order to resolve a complaint by Bloomberg L.P. that Comcast Cable communications, LLC violated the news neighborhooding condition of the Comcast/NBCU transaction.
A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks comment on proposals to improve consumer choice and facilitate improvements to the resiliency of mobile wireless networks during emergencies.
The Media Bureau will present the latest update on progress towards the upcoming October 15-October 29, 2013 open filing window for applicants seeking to operate new Low Power FM radio stations.
Admission is free, pay at the door. Pull up a seat and sit on the floor.
benton.org/node/160567 | Federal Communications Commission
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STORIES FROM ABROAD

FRANCE PUSHES EU TO REGULATE US INTERNET COMPANIES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Frances Robinson, Sam Schechner]
France plans to push for new Europe-wide regulations and tax rules on US Internet giants when European Union leaders meet next month to discuss the bloc's digital challenges. According to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, France is calling on the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, to draw up proposals by spring 2014 aimed at "establishing a tax regime for digital companies that ensures that the profits they make on the European market are subject to taxation and that the revenues are shared between the Member States, linking the tax base to the place where the profits are made." France also wants to regulate the main platforms for Internet and digital applications—which would include Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook. European governments are increasingly alarmed by the growing might of US companies in the Internet economy. France, Germany and the UK have been pushing to change tax rules that allow US Web giants to avoid paying much corporate tax in Europe. Meanwhile EU countries also have assailed US Web companies for harvesting Europeans' data for profit without proper protections—concerns that alleged spying by the US National Security Agency has only amplified. Proposals like France's—including one to study taxing "data transfers outside Europe"—have long been sought by telecoms including France's Orange SA, Telefónica SA and Vodafone PLC, who say the "over the top" companies rely on the Internet for services while paying a fraction of the tax of telecommunications companies that build the networks. The telecoms compete against voice-over-IP services such as Microsoft's Skype and Google Talk.
benton.org/node/160508 | Wall Street Journal
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EU’S BROADBAND CHALLENGE
[SOURCE: American Enterprise Institute, AUTHOR: Roslyn Layton]
[Commentary] As an American living in Europe, I chuckle when I read articles from the US that assert that broadband is better in the EU. I wonder what planet the journalist is writing about. Indeed the European Commission and EU Vice President Neelie Kroes consistently point out that the EU is behind the USA on broadband among other fronts. The 2013 Digital Agenda Scorecard published by the European Commission notes that the USA accounts for 27 percent of the world’s total ICT spending. It is even more remarkable that the US, with just a fraction of the world’s Internet users, also accounts for a quarter of the world’s broadband infrastructure investment. The report also notes that the EU is not on track to reach its 2020 broadband goals of 100 percent of Europeans with a broadband connection of 30 Mbps. Indeed the European Commission knows that 15 of the world’s 25 top Internet companies are American and powered by America’s broadband networks. The EU can only boast one such company. Moreover, the EU Commission sees broadband as key for the digital economy, and wants to emulate America’s model.
benton.org/node/160563 | American Enterprise Institute
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CHINA TO INVEST $323 BILLION TO EXPAND BROADBAND TO ALL-MINISTER
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Lee Chyen Yee]
China plans to invest 2 trillion yuan ($323 billion) to improve its broadband infrastructure by 2020 with the aim of taking the nearly entire population online, a vice minister said. The government is trying to improve fixed-line and wireless connectivity throughout China, home to the largest number of mobile phone users in the world but where only 45 percent of the population has Internet access. China's investment in broadband could benefit global network equipment makers such as Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, as well as home-grown players like Huawei Technologies and ZTE. Shang Bing, a vice minister at the Ministry of Information and Industry, said the government aimed to boost the average broadband speed in Chinese cities to 20 Mbps by 2015, which is less than what Internet users in Hong Kong and Singapore currently enjoy. In rural China, where Internet penetration is very low, broadband speeds would hit 4 Mbps by 2015, he said.
benton.org/node/160544 | Reuters
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CHINA’S SOCIAL MEDIA CRACKDOWN
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Josh Chin, Paul Mozur]
A forceful campaign of intimidation against China's most influential Internet users has cast a chill over public debate in the country and called into question the long-term viability of its most vibrant social-media platform. In an offensive that some critics have likened to the political purges of the Mao era, Beijing has recently detained or interrogated several high-profile social-media figures, issued warnings to others to watch what they say and expanded criminal laws to make it easier to prosecute people for their online activity -- all part of what one top propaganda official described as "the purification of the online environment." State media have reported more than two dozen detentions on charges of spreading rumors and related offenses since China's newest generation of leaders officially took power in March. Authorities have launched similar antirumor campaigns in the past, but the difference with the current campaign is its focus on high-profile figures. The crackdown has touched some of the biggest personalities on Sina's popular Weibo microblogging service, perhaps most notably Charles Xue, a Chinese-American venture capitalist with more than 12 million followers on the site.
benton.org/node/160561 | Wall Street Journal
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MOBILE MESSAGING IN CHINA
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Paul Mozur, Josh Chin]
Even before Beijing's campaign against online rumors accelerated, Sina's popular Weibo microblogging service was losing ground to Tencent's WeChat mobile messaging service. The WeChat app began as a way for users to chat with each other free on smartphones, but quickly ballooned into a full-scale social network. While Weibo users usually must have a large number of followers to get responses to posts -- which are broadcast publicly -- on WeChat, users can directly chat with groups of friends, or comment on photographs. Despite investor hopes, which have pushed Sina's share price up 40% since April, others question how many people will continue to use Weibo if the crackdown on rumors continues. Though analysts say those on Weibo use the service with widely varying interests and motives, one of Weibo's strongest appeals has been the openness with which it enabled its users to discuss sensitive issues.
benton.org/node/160559 | Wall Street Journal
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SPRINT, T-MOBILE JOIN VERIZON IN SNUB OF CANADA AIRWAVES
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Alastair Sharp, Sinead Carew]
Sprint and T-Mobile US confirmed they will not participate in Canada's upcoming auction of prized wireless spectrum, joining larger rival Verizon Communications in shunning the market. The decision by the big US wireless operators helped lift shares of BCE, Rogers Communications, and Telus, which together control about 90 percent of the Canadian mobile market. The entry of a foreign giant like Verizon would have sliced into the profits of the Canadian players and forced higher bids at the spectrum auction, analysts said.
benton.org/node/160546 | Reuters
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ANALYSIS: CANADIAN CABLE TV'S 'A LA CARTE' MENU BEGINS TO TAKE HOLD
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Liana Baker, Alastair Sharp]
A transformation in how some Canadian cable TV companies sell channels to consumers might be a sign of things to come in the much bigger US market. With "a la carte" pricing, cable companies are offering Canadians an alternative to "take-it-or-leave-it" bundles that effectively force viewers there - and in the United States - to pay for channels that they do not watch in order to get access to those they do. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission pushed the change when the regulator "strongly encouraged" the introduction of more-flexible packages two years ago. And Canadian consumers seem to like what has been happening.
benton.org/node/160542 | Reuters
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September 20, 2013 (New FCC Head Must Reclaim Authority Over Telecom)