Monday, October 29, 2018
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Trump’s Attacks on the News Media Are Working
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California agrees not to enforce its net neutrality law
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- Larry Downes: California's Net Neutrality Publicity Stunt Comes To An End | Forbes
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- Statement of Commissioner Rosenworcel on New Homework Gap Data from the Pew Research Center | Federal Communications Commission
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“Funny how lowly rated CNN, and others, can criticize me at will, even blaming me for the current spate of Bombs and ridiculously comparing this to September 11th and the Oklahoma City bombing, yet when I criticize them they go wild and scream, ‘it’s just not Presidential!’” So began Day 645 of a presidency that has made denigrating the news media one of its identifying features. After mocking and insulting penned-in reporters on the campaign trail, President Doanld Trump continued going after journalists the day after he was sworn in, over the size of his Inauguration Day crowd. Then came the “fake news,” “enemy of the people” negative branding campaign against those who would hold him to account.
The question is, Is it working? The short answer is yes. Increasingly, the president’s almost daily attacks seem to be delivering the desired effect, despite the many examples of powerful reporting on his presidency. By one measure, a CBS News poll over the summer, 91 percent of “strong Trump supporters” trust him to provide accurate information; 11 percent said the same about the news media. It’s as if President Trump has hit the journalism industry with a denial-of-service attack.
Broadband
California agrees not to enforce its net neutrality law as Justice Department puts its lawsuit on hold
The state of California has struck a temporary agreement with the Justice Department not to move forward with a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new net neutrality law, delaying a pivotal legal battle over the future of the Internet. The Justice Department will postpone its litigation against California until a separate case directly involving the Federal Communications Commission runs its course, according to court filings. The agreement must be approved by a judge. As part of the deal, California officials have agreed not to enforce their new rules on broadband providers when the state law — viewed by many as the nation’s toughest — officially takes effect on Jan. 1.
The core question of whether the FCC can preempt state net neutrality laws is expected to be decided by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In that case, 22 state attorneys general and other parties sued the FCC to overturn its net neutrality repeal and preemption of state laws. Oral arguments are scheduled for February 1, 2019.
I am pleased that California has agreed not to enforce its onerous Internet regulations. This substantial concession reflects the strength of the case made by the United States earlier this month. It also demonstrates, contrary to the claims of the law’s supporters, that there is no urgent problem that these regulations are needed to address. Indeed, California’s agreement not to enforce these regulations will allow Californians to continue to enjoy free-data plans that have proven to be popular among consumers. The Internet is inherently an interstate information service, as the Supreme Court has recognized, which means that only the federal government can set policy in this area. A patchwork of state laws only introduces uncertainty in the broadband marketplace that will slow investment and deployment of infrastructure and hurt consumers. I am confident that the FCC’s authority to preempt such state laws will be upheld, along with our proven market-based framework for protecting Internet openness, investment, and innovation nationwide.
On October 25, 2018, President Donald Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum ordering federal agencies to review their existing spectrum usage, forecast future demands, and prepare a plan for research and development that will enable better use of spectrum in the future.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy framed the announcement as a plan to devise a strategy to speed up the private sector’s deployment of 5G wireless networks. “To lead in 5G and reap the benefits of better and faster wireless connections, we must have a forward-looking, strategic spectrum policy,” wrote Michael Kratsios, Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer. “The steps outlined in this Presidential Memo make it clear that America intends to remain the world leader in next-generation wireless networks.”
As voters prepare to head to the polls, the tech industry’s talented, well-heeled engineers and entrepreneurs have been plugging into Democratic campaigns around the country. They’ve donated their time and money toward giving the party a digital edge, aiding the most distant local candidates and the Democrats' more ambitious quest to snatch control of the US Congress from Republicans' grasp. Many of these newly awakened tech workers are motivated by Trump’s controversial policies on issues including immigration, and they’re focused on closing what they perceive to be an innovation gap with the GOP, two years after Donald Trump effectively tapped Facebook, Twitter and other data-heavy tools on his road to victory. One outgrowth of the Valley’s efforts, a service called MobilizeAmerica, has helped candidates find potential supporters.
Facebook suspends ‘inauthentic’ Iranian accounts that criticized President Trump and spread divisive political messages
Facebook announced that it had suspended 82 pages, groups and accounts that originated in Iran for engaging in "coordinated inauthentic behavior" and sharing divisive political messages, including opposition to President Donald Trump. The accounts -- some of which also had been removed from Facebook’s photo-sharing site, Instagram -- do not appear to have clear "ties to the Iranian government,” but Facebook could not say for certain who was behind them. More than 1 million Facebook users followed at least one of the suspended pages that the company removed, and tens of thousands of users joined one of the groups that Iran-based users had created.
President Donald Trump accused Twitter of deleting large swaths of his followers from the social media platform, deriding the company for slow growth and accusing it of ideological bias despite providing little evidence for his claims. "Twitter has removed many people from my account and, more importantly, they have seemingly done something that makes it much harder to join - they have stifled growth to a point where it is obvious to all. A few weeks ago it was a Rocket Ship, now it is a Blimp! Total Bias?" the President tweeted. Twitter did not directly rebut President Trump’s claim. But in a statement, the company referred to efforts it has previously announced to clear its platform of fake and automated accounts. “Our focus is on the health of the service, and that includes work to remove fake accounts to prevent malicious behavior,” the company said. “Many prominent accounts have seen follower counts drop, but the result is higher confidence that the followers they have are real, engaged people.”
The people who are closest to a thing are often the most wary of it. Technologists know how phones really work, and many have decided they don’t want their own children anywhere near them. A wariness that has been slowly brewing is turning into a regionwide consensus: The benefits of screens as a learning tool are overblown, and the risks for addiction and stunting development seem high. The debate in Silicon Valley now is about how much exposure to phones is OK.
Some 15% of US households with school-age children do not have a high-speed internet connection at home, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of 2015 US Census Bureau data. New survey findings from the Center also show that some teens are more likely to face digital hurdles when trying to complete their homework.
School-age children in lower-income households are especially likely to lack broadband access. Roughly one-third of households with children ages 6 to 17 and whose annual income falls below $30,000 a year do not have a high-speed internet connection at home, compared with just 6% of such households earning $75,000 or more a year. These broadband disparities are particularly pronounced for black and Hispanic households with school-age children – especially those with low household incomes. This aspect of the digital divide – often referred to as the “homework gap” – can be an academic burden for teens who lack access to digital technologies at home. Black teens, as well as those from lower-income households, are especially likely to face these school-related challenges as a result, according to the new Center survey of 743 US teens ages 13 to 17 conducted March 7–April 10, 2018. At its most extreme, the homework gap can mean that teens have trouble even finishing their homework. Overall, 17% of teens say they are often or sometimes unable to complete homework assignments because they do not have reliable access to a computer or internet connection.
America’s public schools are still promoting devices with screens — even offering digital-only preschools. The rich are banning screens from class altogether. It wasn’t long ago that the worry was that rich students would have access to the internet earlier, gaining tech skills and creating a digital divide. Schools ask students to do homework online, while only about two-thirds of people in the US have broadband internet service. But now, as Silicon Valley’s parents increasingly panic over the impact screens have on their children and move toward screen-free lifestyles, worries over a new digital divide are rising. It could happen that the children of poorer and middle-class parents will be raised by screens, while the children of Silicon Valley’s elite will be going back to wooden toys and the luxury of human interaction.
President Donald Trump’s reported refusal to give up his personal iPhone demonstrates the complications of keeping government officials secure at a time when they are increasingly tied to their phones by the time they take office. President Trump reportedly uses three phones -- two secured by the National Security Agency and one personal iPhone that the report says is "no different from hundreds of millions of iPhones in use around the world." But this problem may not be unique to President Trump -- and instead highlights a long-lasting security challenge likely to face future presidents, too. Security officials in any future White House are likely to contend with even more smartphone-addicted presidents. As a new crop of younger, tech-savvy candidates eyes the White House in 2020, President Trump may have set a dangerous precedent by clinging to his preferred phone.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the Nov Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, Nov 15, 2018:
- Galileo Order – The Commission will consider an Order that addresses waivers of certain satellite licensing requirements for receive-only earth stations operating with the Galileo Radionavigation-Satellite Service. (IB Docket No. 17-16)
- Mitigation of Orbital Debris in the New Space Age – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing comprehensive updates to the Commission’s orbital debris rules for all Commission-authorized satellites. (IB Docket No. 18-313)
- Facilitating Satellite Earth Stations in Motion – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing rules to facilitate the deployment of non-geostationary-orbit (NGSO) fixed-satellite service earth stations that transmit while in motion. (IB Docket No. 18- 315)
- SpaceX V-Band Authorization – The Commission will consider a Memorandum Opinion, Order and Authorization that would grant SpaceX’s request to deploy and operate a proposed non-geostationary constellation to provide broadband services around the world. (IBFS File No. SAT-LOA-20170301-00027)
- Kepler Communications Market Access Request – The Commission will consider an Order and Declaratory Ruling that would grant Kepler’s request for U.S. market access to offer global connectivity for the Internet of Things using a proposed constellation of non-geostationary orbit satellites. (IBFS File No. SAT-PDR-20161115-00114)
- Telesat V-Band Market Access Request – The Commission will consider an Order and Declaratory Ruling that would grant Telesat’s request to access the U.S. market to provide broadband services using a proposed constellation of non-geostationary orbit satellites. (IBFS File No. SAT-PDR-20170301-00023)
- LeoSat Market Access Request – The Commission will consider an Order and Declaratory Ruling that would grant LeoSat’s request for U.S. market access to provide satellite broadband services in the United States using a proposed constellation of non-geostationary orbit satellites, including high-speed connectivity for enterprises. (IBFS File No. SAT-PDR20161115-00112)
- Further Streamlining of Satellite Regulations – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing additional streamlining of space and earth station licensing rules. (IB Docket No. 18-314)
- Updating and Streamlining Rules for the Direct Broadcast Satellite Service – The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to align the DBS licensing procedures with those of the geostationary fixed-satellite service. (IB Docket No. 06-160)
- Electronic Delivery of MVPD Communications – The Commission will consider a Report and Order that would modernize certain consumer notice provisions in Part 76 of the FCC’s Rules governing multichannel video and cable television service. (MB Docket Nos. 17-317, 17-105)
- Wireless Hearing Aid Compatibility – The Commission will consider a Report and Order that would replace requirements for wireless service providers to report annually on their offerings of hearing aid-compatible handsets with a requirement to provide enhanced information on their websites and to certify annually whether providers are in full compliance with the hearing aid compatibility rules. (WT Docket No. 17-228)
China Telecom, a state-owned telecommunications company, has been "hijacking the vital internet backbone of western countries," according to researchers from the US Naval War College and Tel Aviv University. China Telecom, the country's third-largest telco and internet service provider, has had a presence inside North American networks since the early 2000s when it created its first point-of-presence (PoP).
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) and Robbie McBeath (rmcbeath AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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