Headlines

Tech groups file court brief opposing internet transition suit

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 21:46:56 +0000

Fourteen organizations filed a court brief voicing opposition to a lawsuit intended to block the transition of internet domain oversight from the US to an international governing body. The Internet Association — an advocacy group backed by Google and Facebook — and Mozilla were among the groups that filed the brief.

Mobility Fund II: Improving the Data We Use to Identify & Close Mobile Coverage Gaps

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 21:43:59 +0000

The USF/ICC Transformation Order set the course for the comprehensive modernization of universal service for the 21st century. In so doing, the Federal Communications Commission set an ambitious goal of universal broadband and advanced mobile coverage. As part of the Connect America Fund, the FCC created the Mobility Fund, a universal service support mechanism dedicated exclusively to mobile services.

Robert Gebelhoff: Why congressional hearings still matter

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 21:40:54 +0000

Robert Gebelhoff: Why congressional hearings still matter

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Rep Will Hurd: ‘Encryption is Good for Our National Security’

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 21:40:49 +0000

Rep Will Hurd: ‘Encryption is Good for Our National Security’

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FCC Provides Guidance Regarding Designation as a Lifeline Broadband Provider and Lifeline Broadband Minimum Service Standards

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:11:35 +0000

In this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau provides guidance to entities seeking designation as Lifeline Broadband Providers for the purpose of receiving reimbursement through the Lifeline program for qualifying broadband Internet access service (BIAS) provided to eligible low-income consumers.

FCC Releases Data on Mobile Broadband Deployment as of December 31, 2015 Collected Through FCC Form 477

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:10:15 +0000

The Federal Communications Commission released data on mobile broadband deployment as of December 31, 2015.

Remarks of FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly at TPRC: Cost-benefit analysis

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:09:29 +0000

Remarks of FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly at TPRC: Cost-benefit analysis

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FCC Denies Petitions for Stay of the Inmate Calling Services Order on Reconsideration

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:09:24 +0000

FCC Denies Petitions for Stay of the Inmate Calling Services Order on Reconsideration

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“The Web belongs to all of us”: Q&A with the Web’s inventor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:09:19 +0000

“The Web belongs to all of us”: Q&A with the Web’s inventor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee

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What’s the Best Way to Demonstrate High-Speed Internet? Rock and Roll

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:09:14 +0000

What’s the Best Way to Demonstrate High-Speed Internet? Rock and Roll

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We’re getting our first glimpses of how the debate shifted the presidential race

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:09:09 +0000

We’re getting our first glimpses of how the debate shifted the presidential race

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Can ‘SNL’ take down Donald Trump? Is it going to try?

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:09:04 +0000

Can ‘SNL’ take down Donald Trump? Is it going to try?

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Helping Smart Cites Harness Big Data

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:08:58 +0000

Helping Smart Cites Harness Big Data

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Verizon says it's not neglecting its legacy network, despite CWA claims

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:08:54 +0000

Verizon says it's not neglecting its legacy network, despite CWA claims

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The future of the arts is Latinx: Q&A with artist Teresita Fernandez

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 20:08:48 +0000

The future of the arts is Latinx: Q&A with artist Teresita Fernandez

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FCC Faces Tough Timeline Over the Next Few Months

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 17:43:51 +0000

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has an ambitious agenda ahead of him as the agency eyes rules in three telecommunications areas that face staunch opposition from large factions of the private sector.

Sen Thune blasts FCC Chairman Wheeler on secrecy

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 17:42:27 +0000

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) is calling on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler to release the FCC’s latest proposal on rules for pay-television set-top boxes.

How Facebook could swing the election — and who will benefit if it does

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 17:41:06 +0000

There’s been a lot of consternation in recent months about Facebook’s impact on politics. If it’s not fears of partisan censorship and suppressed trending topics, it’s worries about echo chambers or hyper-targeted campaign ads. But in the upcoming presidential election, at least, Facebook’s influence will lie somewhere else: The social network is driving huge numbers of people to the polls — and most of those people are likely to vote Democrat.

What the FBI Files Reveal About Hillary Clinton’s Email Server

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 17:40:21 +0000

Hillary Clinton comes across in the FBI interviews as a disengaged tech user who sees the communication tools as little more than a means to an end.

Researchers ask federal court to unseal years of surveillance records

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 17:39:07 +0000

Two lawyers and legal researchers based at Stanford University have formally asked a federal court in San Francisco to unseal numerous records of surveillance-related cases, as a way to better understand how authorities seek such powers from judges.

Why Apple can be forced to turn logs of your iMessage contacts over to police

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 17:37:26 +0000

When a user sends someone a message through Apple’s iMessage feature, Apple encrypts that message between Apple devices so that only the sender and recipient can read its contents. But a report from news site the Intercept is a good reminder that not all data related to iMessage has that same level of protection -- and that information can still be turned over to law enforcement authorities. That may be surprising to everyday users who view Apple as a privacy champion after it's legal battle with the Justice Department this year over a court order that would force the company to break its own security measures. But to experts, it's just a fact of how communication systems work. For instance, as security expert and noted iPhone hacker Will Strafach notes, Apple needs to know things such as whom you're chatting with via iMessage so that it can deliver your messages.

FCC Seeks Comment on Post-Incentive Auction Transition Scheduling Plan

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 17:36:27 +0000

The Federal Communications Commission delegated authority to its Media Bureau to establish construction deadlines within the 39-month post-auction transition period for television stations that are assigned to new channels in the incentive auction repacking process. Pursuant to the FCC’s direction, the Bureau, in consultation with the Incentive Auction Task Force (IATF), the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB), and the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET), is developing a plan for a “phased” transition schedule. This Public Notice invites comment on the proposed plan.

AT&T to end targeted ads program, give all users lowest available price

Benton Foundation — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 17:35:25 +0000

AT&T is getting rid of Internet Preferences, the controversial program that analyzes home Internet customers' Web browsing habits in order to serve up targeted ads.