Digital Beat

Getting to All-IP

Benton Foundation — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:40:04 +0000

On May 10, the Federal Communications Commission released a Public Notice seeking public comment on how to structure real world trials that will inform the transition from today’s telephone network to, well, the networks of tomorrow. The goal of any trials would be to gather a factual record to help determine what policies are appropriate to promote investment and innovation while protecting consumers, promoting competition, and ensuring that emerging remain resilient.

Levin: Competition, Local Leadership Needed to Secure America’s Broadband Future

Benton Foundation — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:48:42 +0000

This month, we’ve seen lots of opinion and analysis of President Barack Obama’s decision to nominate Tom Wheeler to be the next chairman of the FCC. In a San Francisco Chronicle op-ed this week, Blair Levin, instead of joining the arguments over Wheeler’s qualifications, identifies the key question for the next FCC chair: what kinds of networks will our communities - our innovators, entrepreneurs and businesses - need to be competitive in the global economy? Levin's message is that the North Star for policy ought to be faster, cheaper, better broadband.

The Truth About Lifeline

Benton Foundation — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:24:23 +0000

It’s past time to set the record straight on Lifeline, the essential service to low-income families that has recently suffered fallacious attacks and been mislabeled as the “Obama Phone” program. Recently, political talking heads have falsely and irresponsibly excoriated the FCC’s Lifeline telephone program as a product of the Obama Administration, saying it is focused on giving free cell phones to poor people as a method of garnering their votes. Here are the real facts about this important program.

"Obama-Phones" or "Gipper-Phones" -- What's in a Name?

Michael Copps — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:08:42 +0000

Two weeks ago, the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing, “The Lifeline Fund: Money Well Spent?” It is impossible to read the testimony from that hearing and deny that the program is contributing importantly to the central goal of the Telecommunications Act: to bring affordable and advanced telecommunications services to every American. More than ever our success as individuals, and as a nation, depends upon everyone being connected to the communications infrastructure of the Twenty-first century. Indeed, it is not going too far to equate such access with a civil right, because the doors of opportunity are closed and locked for those without it. Red-lining low-income citizens by denying them access to these necessary telecommunications services would constitute a clear-and-present public danger as well as a blatant denial of equal opportunity in the Internet Age.

Tom Wheeler and the Future of America's Economy

Benton Foundation — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:57:04 +0000

Benton readers know that predicting who gets picked for leadership spots in Washington is a parlor game of high art. For some time now, the game has included predicting who the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission will be. We’ve reported on the speculation in these pages earlier this year. But, more importantly, former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps wrote here that more meaningful than “who”, perhaps, are the priorities the President and a new FCC chair set. On May 1, President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Tom Wheeler to be the next chairman of the FCC. The FCC has been led for four years by Julius Genachowski who is leaving the commission in mid-May. Wheeler’s confirmation could take some time; President Obama tapped current FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn to serve as Interim Chairman until the Senate confirms Wheeler. Commissioner Clyburn will become the first woman to lead the FCC in its (nearly) 80 year history.

Should we provide a ‘Hand Up” to low-income Americans or “Hang Up” on them?

Benton Foundation — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:43:32 +0000

Last week’s Congressional oversight hearing on the Lifeline program vacillated between fact and fiction.

Strengthening a Vital Lifeline or Snatching it Away?

Benton Foundation — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:54:44 +0000

Through a web of subsidies called the Universal Service Fund, U.S. telephone subscribers ensure that telecommunications networks are affordable and available in rural areas; that schools, libraries and rural health centers can access basic and advanced services at discounted rates; and low income consumers can still afford basic phone service. This week, a Congressional panel focused on the program that provides discounts on monthly telephone service for eligible low-income consumers to help ensure they have the opportunities and security that telephone service affords, including being able to connect to jobs, family, and 911 services. Although, historically, the low income program has been viewed as a benefit without a vocal constituency, the hearing demonstrated that many consumers rely on support to ensure their connection to vital communications.

Telling the Story of Another Patriot’s Day We’ll Never Forget

Benton Foundation — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:14:09 +0000

Patriot’s Day, for baseball fans, means an early start for the Red Sox game. For runners, it means the Boston marathon. The meaning of the holiday -- the commemoration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 -- may have been lost by many of us. But after this past Monday, April 15, 2013 will take on a new, horrific meaning. The Benton Foundation joins the world in condemning the cowardly act that killed and injured scores of people in Boston and we salute the brave people who responded to the explosions with acts of heroism. Sadly, it was just a couple of months ago that we wrote about the connections between media, telecommunications and the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, this week we look at the role of communications in the wake of the Boston marathon bombings.

A Rising Chorus

Michael Copps — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 19:24:30 +0000

People are feeling, in their everyday lives, the ills and harms that media reformers have been predicting would come our way. It’s more than Washington debates or business model theories that fuel their rising discontent. It’s what they live with every day.

Show Me Your Budget, I'll tell You What You Value

Benton Foundation — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:11:47 +0000

On April 10, President Barack Obama sent Congress a budget proposal for fiscal year 2014. The President’s $3.77 trillion budget, with a mix of deficit reduction through spending cuts and tax increases and new spending to spur the economy, projects a $744 billion deficit for the 2014 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. That is down from the $973 billion shortfall projected for this fiscal year, after four years of post-recession deficits exceeding $1 trillion. Although much of the coverage of the proposal focuses on cuts to Medicare and Social Security, we take a quick look at the budget proposals for the Federal Communications and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the two key agencies for federal telecommunications policymaking. Why spend so much time looking at numbers that may not be part of a final budget – even if one is passed? Well, ss Vice President Joe Biden says, "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value." And, as Benton Foundation Chairman Charles Benton often reminds us here in the home office, “Money is policy.” Budgets – even budget proposals – remain instructive indicators of what policymakers see as important initiatives. It remains up to us to let them know if they are right – and to hold them accountable.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Benton Foundation — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Our big news this week, obviously, was the big announcement from the Federal Communications Commission’s meeting March 20 that Robert McDowell, the current commissioner with the most tenure, is stepping down from the FCC. “[I]t is time to turn more of my energies towards an even higher calling: serving my family,” Commissioner McDowell said. He indicated that he would leave the FCC in a few weeks. Well, that WAS the big story right up to the moment we started penning this round-up and then heard that FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski would announce his departure from the FCC on March 22.

Don’t Leave Seniors Behind!

Benton Foundation — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Today marks the beginning of a major campaign to bridge the digital divide.

Political Ad Disclosure for 2014 -- Why Not?

Michael Copps — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:31:50 +0000

In case anyone doubted the authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require fuller disclosure of who actually pays for all those anonymous political ads that flooded the airwaves last year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has just reaffirmed that authority. The GAO—the government’s top watchdog agency—is also critical that the FCC has not bothered to update its “sponsorship identification” guidelines since the 1960s and it recommended that the Commission do so.

Pressure Builds for Congressional Action on Cybersecurity

Benton Foundation — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:37:22 +0000

Just a month ago, we focused on a new executive order aimed at strengthening U.S. cyber defenses, increasing information sharing, and developing standards to protect national security, jobs, and privacy. Before the ink was dry on President Barack Obama’s signature, the White House was calling on Congress to act as well to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks. In the past week or so, we’ve seen a great deal of discussion in Washington about cybersecurity -- most aimed at getting Congress to act on the issue.

If You Can't Open It, You Don't Own It -- Unlocking Your Cellphone

Benton Foundation — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:20:31 +0000

Who owns your cellphone? Or, not to put too fine a point on it: who controls what you can do with your cellphone after you’ve paid for it?

IRS Roadblocks to Nonprofit News Orgs – Time for a Change

Benton Foundation — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 23:10:05 +0000

To further explore the current state of nonprofit media, The Knight Foundation and the Council on Foundations joined forces to create a working group tasked to dig into regulatory obstacles. I was honored to participate on this working group and am pleased that our report, “The IRS and Nonprofit Media: Toward Creating a More Informed Public,” is being released on March 4th.

BTOP-BIP Brouhaha

Benton Foundation — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:48:51 +0000

On February 27, the House Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) broadband stimulus programs: the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) directed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in the Department of Commerce and the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) run by the Rural Utilities Service in the Department of Agriculture. Larry Strickling, the head of the NTIA, and RUS Administrator John Padalino testified before the Subcommittee.

Selecting A New FCC Chair

Michael Copps — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:33:20 +0000

At first blush it sounds so silly. The first topic of conversation at just about every communications lobbyist lunch these days is: “So, what are you hearing about who will be the next Chair of the FCC?” The same list of rumored candidates is then tossed on the table and dissected, with sometimes a brand new name thrown in just to spice things up. The follow-up question is usually: “When is Chairman Genachowski going to leave?” The pros and cons of various departure dates are then analyzed, even though the current Chairman has shared no hint of his intentions. Handicapping possible successors, while interesting, doesn’t get us very far. Is it all just silly speculation? Is this nothing more than one more expense-deductible meal while we all wait breathlessly for white smoke to belch forth from the Oval Office chimney? I think not. It’s a question of focus.

Cybersecurity: Time to Act?

Benton Foundation — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:58:15 +0000

“America must … face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks,” said President Barack Obama during the State of the Union address on February 12. “Now, we know hackers steal people’s identities and infiltrate private emails. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, our air traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy.” And with that the President announced that he had signed a new executive order aimed at strengthening U.S. cyber defenses, increasing information sharing, and developing standards to protect national security, jobs, and privacy.

Source: Susan Crawford Is Next FCC Chair

Benton Foundation — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:16:28 +0000

A source close to the House Majority Whip’s office tells us that Susan Crawford will be the next chair of the Federal Communications Commission. At least, he said, once we say it, it’ll be true. Oh, who are we kidding? It was Rep Frank Underwood who told us, so it must be true. Or it will be true, right?