Headlines

Headlines Will Return Wednesday, March 12

Benton Foundation — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 12:32:47 +0000

Headlines staff are retreating from the long Winter. We will return the afternoon of Wednesday, March 12. For updates in the meantime, see http://benton.org/taxonomy/term/6 or follow us on Twitter @benton_fdn

The haves, the have-nots and the exploited: How technology is helping the most helpless

Benton Foundation — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 02:21:01 +0000

Advances in data analysis are underpinning some powerful new ways of tackling very tough problems. Among all the stones hurled at the tech sector lately, this is area in which it can take pride.

Privacy is in our blood, says NSA official

Rebecca — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 01:52:08 +0000

Civil liberties are a top concern at the National Security Agency (NSA), the agency’s new privacy chief said.

Senators urge ban on in-flight calls

Rebecca — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 01:49:22 +0000

Two senators are urging the Department of Transportation to ban in-flight calls to prevent fights from breaking out among passengers.

Station Stocks Slide As FCC Moves Shake Up Retrans

Rebecca — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 01:46:09 +0000

Stocks at some of the top station groups were clobbered after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed eliminating coordinated retransmission consent.

Shared spectrum: Tell the FCC to keep some wireless spectrum free

Rebecca — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 01:37:24 +0000

Wireless spectrum is such a central part of our daily lives that we forget how much we depend on it.

There's No Real Difference Between Online Espionage and Online Attack

Rebecca — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 01:33:53 +0000

Back when we first started getting reports of the Chinese breaking into US computer networks for espionage purposes, we described it in some very strong language. We called the Chinese actions cyber-attacks.

Broadband TV Sees Growing and Interesting Momentum

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:37:33 +0000

Over the top (OTT) video delivers video content over the open and unmanaged Internet directly to a consumer’s home. With broadband TV, service providers are delivering video over their closed and managed broadband network to that same home.

Liu Jianfeng Tests New Model for Chinese Journalists

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:32:44 +0000

In July 2013, veteran Chinese journalist Liu Jianfeng posted an announcement on the Chinese microblog Weibo confirming his intention to become an independent investigator and writer.

This Mobile Network In A Backpack Lets You Make A Call In A Disaster

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:30:23 +0000

In a disaster, cell phone networks can be one of the first things to go. But cell phone networks don’t have to be confined to giant towers: The latest mobile network can fit in a backpack.

AT&T’s new souped-up LTE network is live in Chicago, but you’ll have to wait to use it

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:27:44 +0000

AT&T’s LTE network in Chicago recently got a lot more powerful. AT&T is the first carrier in the US to use a new LTE-Advanced technique called carrier aggregation to bond together two 4G networks, the end result being a big boost in speed to the device.

Privacy groups urge FTC to probe Facebook's deal to buy WhatsApp

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:24:38 +0000

The Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy are urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Facebook’s $19 billion acquisition of mobile messaging service WhatsApp.

Meet Tribune Publishing's new marketing-savvy CEO

Benton Foundation — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 21:25:05 +0000

Incoming Tribune Publishing CEO and former magazine executive Jack Griffin has a history of finding new ways to make advertisers pay for content and he expects to do the same in his new job.

FCC Seeks Additional Comment on E-rate Modernization

Benton Foundation — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 21:20:00 +0000

In this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission seeks focused comment on three issues raised in the E-rate Modernization proceeding that merit further inquiry as the FCC moves towards modernizing the E-rate program to meet schools’ and libraries’ broadband connectivity needs.

Protecting Television Consumers By Protecting Competition

Benton Foundation — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 21:18:38 +0000

Every four years, the Federal Communications Commission is required by law to assess its media ownership rules and determine if they need to be modified to serve the public interest. This will be an open evaluation to understand how evolving market structures and competition should influence how we act to preserve the continuing values of competition, localism, and diversity of voices in our local media.

Chairman Walden Releases First Draft of STELA Reauthorization

Benton Foundation — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 21:15:37 +0000

House Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) released the first discussion draft of legislation to reauthorize the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA), which contains provisions that will expire on December 31, 2014. The subcommittee will discuss the draft legislation at a hearing Wednesday, March 12, 2014.

Presidential Innovation Fellows Round 3: Serve. Create. Innovate.

Benton Foundation — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 21:14:17 +0000

Applications are now being accepted for the third round of the Presidential Innovation Fellows program.

Ex-NSA Official Inglis Warns Tech Firms: Be Transparent

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 20:21:31 +0000

To a degree shared by few, John Inglis knows the risks of collecting a lot of data on people. Until January, Inglis, who goes by "Chris," was the number-two official at the National Security Agency.

‘Small Screens, Big Plans’ for K-12 Districts

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 20:15:21 +0000

With ever-increasing “anytime, anywhere” use of mobile devices, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) released a report charging schools to build mobile into their content and application strategies.

AT&T's Stephenson: Device subsidy model is 'fundamentally changing'

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 20:06:22 +0000

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said that the model that has prevailed in the US wireless industry for years of customers getting subsidized devices in exchange for signing two-year contracts is radically shifting.

Social Physics for Better Life

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 20:01:47 +0000

On May 1, 2013, the Data for Development (D4D) initiative of Orange, MIT, Louvain University, UN Global Pulse, and the World Economic Forum, gathered 90 research organizations from around the world to report results from their analysis of data describing the mobility and call patterns of the citizens of the entire African country Côte d’Ivoire.

Don’t bet against local broadcast TV

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 17:10:28 +0000

The regulatory and legal battles that broadcasters face will remain an unfortunate fact of life in our business. But there is one thing I know: Broadcasting is a remarkably ...

High schools confront social media minefield

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 17:06:41 +0000

In high schools today, snide comments, inside jokes and offensive language can explode online through new, quickly evolving outlets, where it can live on and be seen by thousands.

Verizon on Millennial Content Consumption: Generation Is Three Times More Likely To Watch Online

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 17:02:39 +0000

People in the millennial generation (age 16 to 34) are more likely than those in older generations to abandon an entertainment source if the quality of the experience is poor.

The Next Ailes: Newsmax's Chris Ruddy Preps TV Rival to Fox News

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 16:58:17 +0000

Christopher Ruddy, 49, the chief executive officer and founder of conservative media company Newsmax Media, plans to launch NewsmaxTV, a 24-hour cable news channel that will be, he says, a kinder, gentler Fox.

Australia’s failed experiment in government-owned broadband

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 16:53:54 +0000

Australia has spent $7.3 billion on its highly touted National Broadband Network, but made fiber available to only about 260,000 premises, which works out to over $28,000 each.

Computer Searches at Center of Dispute on CIA Detentions

Benton Foundation — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 13:14:43 +0000

Senior lawmakers contend that Central Intelligence Agency officers conducted unauthorized searches of the computers used by Senate Intelligence Committee staff members in an effort to learn how the committee gained access to the agency’s own 2009 internal review of its detention and interrogation program.

Colluding Against Programmers

Benton Foundation — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 13:13:48 +0000

A class action lawsuit brought on behalf of software programmers and other technical professionals against seven large employers in Silicon Valley -- including Apple and Google, Adobe, Intuit, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Intel -- has lifted the curtain on secret, anti-competitive deals that would warm the hearts of robber barons from the Gilded Age.

Examining a Generation Tied to Smartphones

Benton Foundation — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 13:12:27 +0000

AT&T has hired Vice Media, the chronicler of youth culture, to produce a video and advertising platform, the Mobile Movement.

For Bitcoin, Secure Future Might Need Oversight

Benton Foundation — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 13:11:14 +0000

The comparison between Citigroup’s $400 million loss and the fall of Mt. Gox highlights just how unusual and untamable digital currency can be.