Headlines

President Trump, electronics manufacturer Foxconn announce new Wisconsin plant

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:12:31 +0000

President Donald Trump announced that the electronics manufacturer Foxconn will be building a new US plant in Wisconsin to produce LCD screens.

Sens Expected to Unveil E-mail Privacy Legislation July 27

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:11:34 +0000

Apparently, Sens Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) are expected to unveil legislation that will force the government to obtain warrants to look at American citizen’s e-mails.

Bill Introduced to Boost TV Station Repack Fund

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:10:55 +0000

Sen Jerry Moran (R-KS) joined by a bipartisan quintet of fellow senators have introduced a bill to provide additional funds if the $1.75 post-incentive auction TV station repack fund is not sufficient.

Lawsuit seeks Ajit Pai’s net neutrality talks with Internet providers

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:10:05 +0000

The Federal Communications Commission was sued by a group that says the commission failed to comply with a public records request for communications about net neutrality between FCC officials and Internet service providers.

USDS Official Departs

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:08:24 +0000

Haley Van Dyck, the longtime Obama administration official who helped launch the US Digital Service in 2014, has left that office, OMB confirms.

Judge Tosses Racial Discrimination Suit Against CNN, Time Warner

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:07:59 +0000

A Georgia federal judge dismissed a class-action racial discrimination lawsuit filed by one current and one former CNN employee against the network's parent company Time Warner.

FCC Fines Robocalling Platform Almost $3 Million for Illegal Calls

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:07:35 +0000

The Federal Communications Commission today issued a $2.88 million fine against a New Mexico-based company, Dialing Services, for facilitating unlawful robocalls.

Airbnb teams up with the NAACP to fight racism on its platform

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:07:11 +0000

Airbnb teams up with the NAACP to fight racism on its platform

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Facebook's ads keep creeping into new apps

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:07:07 +0000

Facebook's ads keep creeping into new apps

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Our Minds Have Been Hijacked By Our Phones. Tristan Harris Wants to Rescue Them

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:06:55 +0000

Our Minds Have Been Hijacked By Our Phones. Tristan Harris Wants to Rescue Them

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How Trump’s infrastructure plan can expand broadband coverage

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 19:55:26 +0000

The Trump Administration’s plan for $1 trillion in infrastructure spending presents an opportunity not only to repair existing roads, bridges, and tunnels, but also to build out broadband internet coverage in rural areas. On July 24, the Center for Technology Innovation hosted a panel discussion at Brookings about how the administration, Congress, and the private sector can work together to address broadband needs of unserved (no access) and underserved (limited access) populations.

Pinetops, North Carolina: The Town That Had Free Gigabit Internet

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 19:54:48 +0000

Pinetops' (NC) fight to get municipal broadband demonstrates how far Big Telecom will go to keep its monopoly.

Foundation Launched To Promote Content Diversity

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 19:54:10 +0000

A diverse group of stakeholders is launching a new foundation to help diverse content creators find distribution. The Creative Thread Foundation is billed as a "a non-profit organization focused on breaking down barriers of entry for underrepresented content creators and those working behind the scenes in media and entertainment."

RootMetrics: Mobile performance in the US part 1

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 19:53:35 +0000

To provide you with a complete picture of mobile network performance in the first half of 2017, we’re offering a three-part, complementary series of special reports to show you how the networks fared across the entirety of the United States, within each of the 50 states, and across the 125 most populated metropolitan markets.

House Homeland Sec Cmte Passes Bills to Reorganize DHS Cyber Team

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 19:53:10 +0000

House Homeland Sec Cmte Passes Bills to Reorganize DHS Cyber Team

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Secretary DeVos Accepts President Trump’s Q2 Salary as a Donation for STEM-Focused Camp

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 19:53:07 +0000

Secretary DeVos Accepts President Trump’s Q2 Salary as a Donation for STEM-Focused Camp

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Where Civic Space is Most Threatened

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 19:53:03 +0000

Where Civic Space is Most Threatened

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LGBT Tech Vows to Fight Trump Transgender Ban

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 19:53:00 +0000

LGBT Tech Vows to Fight Trump Transgender Ban

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Rep Doyle asks FCC chair if anything can stop net neutrality rollback

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:17:38 +0000

Doyle asked Pai, "what kind of comment would cause you to change your mind?" Chairman Pai responded, "economic analysis that shows credibly that there's infrastructure investment that has increased dramatically" since the net neutrality rules went into effect. Chairman Pai said he also would take evidence seriously if it shows that the overall economy would suffer from a net neutrality rollback or that startups and consumers can't thrive without the existing rules.

Congressional Progressive Caucus to Federal Communications Commission: What Are You Hiding?

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:16:47 +0000

Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Rep Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) respond to the Federal Communications Commission’s failure to release 47,000 public complaints that could show the American public's desire to keep the internet open and free.

Op-ed: Congress should pass a strong net neutrality law

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:16:12 +0000

Americans deserve a permanent, stable and evenhanded net neutrality law that protects our data and fair competition online. That is something that can only be accomplished by Congress, where bipartisan support clearly exists to make net neutrality the law of the land.

A people-owned internet exists. Here is what it looks like

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:15:23 +0000

Although the fight for an open internet tends to have Silicon Valley tech bros at the forefront, it’s a racial justice issue; arbitrary powers for corporations tend not to help marginalized populations. It’s a rural justice issue, too.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin is ‘looking closely’ at online sales taxes

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:14:40 +0000

The Trump administration is weighing whether to support online sales taxes that could give state governments greater flexibility in their budgets. Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee July 25, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the White House “is looking very closely at this issue” and that it intends to “come out with a position shortly.”

New TSA rule for screening large electronics to expand to all U.S. airports

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:13:33 +0000

Passengers at all US airports will soon face new measures for screening electronic devices bigger than a cellphone.

GAO Report: Internet of Things: Communities Deploy Projects by Combing Federal Support with Other Funds and Expertise

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:13:03 +0000

Communities are increasingly deploying IoT devices generally with a goal of improving livability, management, service delivery, or competitiveness. GAO was asked to examine federal support for IoT and the use of IoT in communities. This report describes: (1) the kinds of efforts that selected federal agencies have undertaken to support IoT in communities and (2) how selected communities are using federal funds to deploy IoT projects.

Facebook Shells Out $500,000 For Project to Fight Election Hacking

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:12:15 +0000

Facebook is sponsoring the efforts of former Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney campaign managers to combat hacking and disinformation campaigns designed to interfere with elections.

Eric Trump Decries Fake News-Driven 'Witch Hunt'

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:11:37 +0000

The latest fundraising letter from the Trump Make America Great Again Committee (the RNC and Trump for President) is under the salutation of Eric Trump, son of the journalist-bashing president, who joins in the bashing.

Celebrating the 27th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:11:09 +0000

On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became the law of the land. This landmark legislation gave the Federal Communications Commission a mandate to ensure access to telecommunications by Americans with hearing and speech disabilities.

An OTI Experiment: Open Source Surveillance Detection

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:10:37 +0000

The Open Technology Institute team did a technical experiment at this Spring’s March for Science in Washington (DC) to try and answer these questions and explore new ways of detecting when your cell phone is being surveilled.

Hospitals Face Growing Cybersecurity Threats

Robbie McBeath — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 18:09:44 +0000

Hospitals Face Growing Cybersecurity Threats

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