Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Headlines Daily Digest
How Libraries Can Upgrade Their Internet Through the BEAD Program
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House Launces Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence
New Term for FCC's Consumer Advisory Committee
Court Tosses $1 Billion Verdict Against Cox Communications for Music Piracy
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The Illinois Office of Broadband formally launched its Challenge Process on February 20, 2024, starting the 120-day clock to get the broadband map right. The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Challenge Process gives Illinois non-profits, local governments, residents, and internet service providers the opportunity to weigh in on the broadband availability map to ensure funding is going where it is needed most. In line with National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) guidance, the Challenge Phase will open 7 days after the publication of the Challenge Process timeline, which means that eligible challengers can start submitting challenges on February 27. During this window, the Office of Broadband will host office hours, webinars, and technical assistant support. Tune into the upcoming webinar on Wednesday, February 21 from 12-1 pm for the first challenge portal training, highlighting the different paths to submitting a challenge. More information on the Challenge Process can be found on the Illinois Office of Broadband website.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration made a monstrous mess of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program maps when they decided to allow licensed fixed wireless to be counted as reliable broadband. This has a huge ramification for the BEAD grants. It has made maps into hodgepodges of served and unserved homes. The problem is that providers will still have to build fiber along roads where some homes are already considered to be served. There is zero savings on fiber construction compared to a network where every home is considered to be unserved, but cost-per-passing can almost double because providers will not be funded for the homes that are already served. I think there are going to be several bad consequences of the NTIA ruling on licensed wireless. First, states have been doing back-of-the-envelope math to see if they have enough money to serve everybody. This is going to be a nightmare when administering grants.
Illinois Broadband Director Matt Schmit is no newbie, nor is the state’s broadband office. In 2019, Illinois’ $45 billion capital investment plan included $400 million to fund a new broadband program that would be dubbed “Connect Illinois.” That summer, Schmit was recruited from Minnesota to stand up the office that would oversee the grant program and Illinois’ broadband efforts. Schmit was impressed by the state’s commitment to broadband infrastructure, it’s past approach to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding a decade earlier, and the fact that Illinois was home to strong institutional support, such as the University of Illinois System, the University of Chicago, and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. Illinois was impressed with Minnesota’s Border-to-Border program, which Schmit had played a large part in creating while serving as Minnesota state senator. Minnesota was ahead of the curve, and Illinois would be, too.
AT&T to Deliver Fiber-Powered Broadband Access to more than 2,000 Customer Locations in the Town of Sevastopol
The Town of Sevastopol (WI) announced a project with AT&T to expand AT&T Fiber to more than 2,000 customer locations across the town. Under the $7.4 million public-private project, AT&T will provide fiber services to residential and business addresses in the Town of Sevastopol in Door County. Extensive planning and engineering work for this project will begin in the first quarter of 2024. The network buildout is expected to be complete within 2 years. Plans call for residents and businesses to have access to superfast internet—delivering up to 5-Gigabyte speeds with symmetrical upload and download speeds. Consistently fast speeds and increased bandwidth mean customers can connect multiple devices, stream multiple entertainment sources, quickly upload content to social media and experience ultra-low lag for pro-level gaming—all at the same time.
For decades, privacy experts have been wary of snooping from space. Now, quite suddenly, a startup is building a new class of satellite whose cameras would do just that. “We’re acutely aware of the privacy implications,” said Topher Haddad, head of Albedo Space, the company making the new satellites. He claims the company is taking administrative steps to address a wide range of privacy concerns. Anyone living in the modern world has grown familiar with diminishing privacy amid a surge of security cameras, trackers built into smartphones, facial recognition systems, drones and other forms of digital monitoring. But what makes the overhead surveillance potentially scary, experts say, is its ability to invade areas once seen as intrinsically off limits. “This is a giant camera in the sky for any government to use at any time without our knowledge,” said Jennifer Lynch, general counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who in 2019 urged civil satellite regulators to address this issue. “We should definitely be worried.”
For Gen Z, catching up on the news is often a side effect of time spent on social media apps like Instagram and, in particular, TikTok—and media outlets are adapting to serve that behavior. "Gen Z is being fed the news whether they want it or not," Stephanie Kaplan Lewis, CEO of the college-aged media portfolio Her Campus Media, tells Axios, noting that Gen Z news consumers are less likely than Millennials to visit trusted news sources directly. Multiple polls have found TikTok to be the top source of news for Gen Z, and an increasingly popular source for Americans overall. However, as with platforms like Facebook that drove news consumption for older generations, the rise of TikTok as a news source has led to concerns around misinformation.
A federal appeals court tossed a $1 billion verdict won by music publishers against Cox Communications, ordering a new trial on how much the internet provider should owe in damages for illegal downloads by its customers. The case stems from a 2018 copyright-infringement lawsuit filed by leading record companies and music publishers, including Sony, Universal Music and Warner Music. Instead of suing individuals for stealing copyrighted work, the labels targeted Cox for allegedly failing to prevent its customers from downloading and distributing songs without permission. A jury in Virginia in 2019 found Cox liable for infringement of more than 10,000 copyrighted works owned by the music labels and awarded $1 billion in damages. A three-judge panel of the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a mixed ruling, agreeing with the plaintiffs that Cox failed to adequately police infringement on its network and was liable for contributing to infringement. Drawing an analogy to criminal law, Judge Allison Jones Rushing, writing for the majority, said, “Lending a friend a hammer is innocent conduct; doing so with knowledge that the friend will use it to break into a credit union ATM supports a conviction for aiding and abetting bank larceny.” But in a boost for Cox, the panel also ruled that the large damages award couldn’t stand because the evidence didn’t prove that the company profited directly from its subscribers’ infringement.
TPRC is the preeminent annual interdisciplinary conference on communications, information, and Internet policy that convenes researchers and policymakers from law, economics, engineering, computer science, public policy, data science, social sciences, and related fields working in academia, industry, government, and nonprofit organizations around the world. TPRC is seeking submissions for its 52nd conference, including papers, posters, panels, tutorials and the Student Paper Competition. Paper and poster proposals can be submitted through March 15, 2024. Student Papers can be submitted through April 30, 2024.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced the establishment of a bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to explore how Congress can ensure America continues to lead the world in AI innovation while considering guardrails that may be appropriate to safeguard the nation against current and emerging threats. Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries have each appointed twelve members to the Task Force that represent key committees of jurisdiction and will be jointly led by Chair Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) and Co-Chair Ted Lieu (D-CA-36). The Task Force will seek to produce a comprehensive report that will include guiding principles, forward-looking recommendations and bipartisan policy proposals developed in consultation with committees of jurisdiction.
Membership
Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-36), Co-Chair
Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA-16)
Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY-09)
Rep. Bill Foster (IL-11)
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)
Rep. Ami Bera (CA-06)
Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14)
Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11)
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51)
Rep. Valerie Foushee (NC-04)
Rep. Brittany Pettersen (CO-07)
Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-23), Chair
Rep. Darrell Issa (CA-48)
Rep. French Hill (AR-02)
Rep. Michael Cloud (TX-27)
Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02)
Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06)
Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03)
Rep. Scott Franklin (FL-18)
Rep. Michelle Steel (CA-45)
Rep. Eric Burlison (MO-07)
Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15)
Rep. Rich McCormick (GA-06)
FCC Consumer Advisory Committee Appointment Of Membership And Announcement Of First Meeting Date For Twelfth Term
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel appointed members of the Consumer Advisory Committee for the CAC's 12th term. The CAC is organized under, and operated in accordance with, the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and provides advice and recommendations to the Commission on a wide array of consumer protection related matters specified by the FCC. The membership consists of a diverse mix of non-profit organizations representing consumers, communications companies and trade associations, and individuals serving on their own behalf and functioning as Special Government Employees. The CAC will hold its first meeting of the twelfth term in person on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., Eastern Time. CAC members will discuss: (i) the roles and responsibilities of the Committee and its members; (ii) issues the Committee will be asked to address; (iii) meeting schedules; and (iv) any other topics relevant to the CAC’s work. The meeting will be led by the CAC Co-Chairs, Claudia Ruiz, UnidosUS, and John Breyault, National Consumers League, in addition to Cara Grayer, Attorney Advisor, Consumer Policy Division, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB), and Diana Coho, Consumer Affairs and Outreach Specialist, Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division, CGB who will serve as Designated Federal Officer (DFO) and Deputy DFO of the CAC.
(1) Co-Chairs: Claudia Ruiz, UnidosUS, Civil Rights Analyst John Breyault, National Consumers League, Vice President, Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud (2) American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Dawit Kahsai, Government Affairs Director (Alternate) Coralette Hannon, Director, Livable Communities/Government Affairs (3) American Cable Association (ACA Connects) Brian Hurley, Chief Regulatory Counsel (4) AT&T Linda Vandeloop, Assistant Vice President, External Affairs/Regulatory (5) Cody Dorsey, Individual, Executive Director, Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition (6) Common Sense Amina Fazlullah, Senior Director of Equity Policy (7) Consumer Technology Association Rachel Sanford Nemeth, Senior Director Regulatory Affairs (Alternate) David Grossman, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs (8) Deep East Texas Council of Governments Mickey M. Slimp, Broadband Project Consultant (Alternate) Robert Bashaw, Public Information Officer, Regional Planner (9) Francella Ochillo, Individual, Technology and Society Fellow, Georgetown University (10) INCOMPAS Lindsay Stern, Attorney and Policy Advisor (Alternate) Christopher Shipley, Executive Director of Public Policy (11) Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) Katherine (Katie) McAuliffe, Senior Director, Policy Telecommunications (12) The Kapor Center Lili Gangas, Chief Technology Community Officer (13) LGBT Technology Institute Kristen Kelley, Director of Programs (Alternate) Ellie Bessette, Director of Operations & Finance (14) Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications & Cable Joslyn Day, Director, Consumer Division (Alternate) William Bendetson, Presiding Officer, Legal Division (15) National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Liliana Ranon, Vice President External Affairs (Alternate) Larry Walke, Associate General Counsel (16) National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) Mitsuko Herrera, Planning, Policy and Special Projects at Montgomery County, Maryland (Alternate) Frederick Ellrod, III, Director, Communications Policy and Regulation Division (17) National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) Olivia Wein, Senior Attorney (Alternate) Margot Saunders, Senior Attorney (18) National Consumers League (Alternate) Eden Iscil, Public Policy Manager (19) National Diversity Coalition Faith Bautista, CEO and President (20) Next Century Cities Andrew Stutzman, Executive Director (Alternate) Ryan Johnston, Senior Policy Counsel (21) Northern Virginia Urban League, Inc. Scott Alfred Price, Board Member (22) Project GOAL Debra Berlyn, Executive Director (23) RuralRISE/ National Center for Research Development (NCRD) Tina Metzer, Vice President and Co-Founder (Alternate) Joseph Kapp, President and Co-Founder (24) Telecommunications for the Deaf (TDI) AnnMarie Killian, Chief Executive Officer (25) The Hispanic Federation Brent Wilkes, Senior Vice President for Institutional Development (26) The Internet & Television Association (NCTA) Radhika Bhat, Vice President and Associate General Counsel (Alternate) Steven Morris, Vice President and Associate General Counsel (27) The Trevor Project Kasey Suffredini, Interim Senior Vice President of Prevention (28) United States Telecom Association (USTelecom) Diana Eisner, Vice President, Policy and Advocacy (Alternate) Jenna Alsayegh, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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