Headlines

Laurene Powell Jobs and Anonymous Giving in Silicon Valley

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:49:49 +0000

The tale of Laurene Powell Jobs.

Apple Pumping More Money Into Lobbying

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:48:43 +0000

Apple has never had much of a profile inside the Beltway. But now, as it finds itself under increasing scrutiny for its business practices and tax policies, the company is ramping up its Washington lobbying efforts.

Will Sprint-SoftBank Get Tangled in the Flag?

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:46:37 +0000

In making a case against the SoftBank-Sprint deal, Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen has lots of financial arguments for why his offer is better. But Ergen also makes the case that Sprint would be better in the hands of an American than controlled by a foreign entity. That argument appears to be getting some legs.

These 12 technologies will drive our economic future

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:44:37 +0000

The things that will determine standards of living a generation from now have almost nothing to do with this month’s jobs report or the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting. Those determinants, instead, depend on companies’ innovations — in particular, whether those innovations turn out to have major economic consequences. Researchers at the McKinsey Global Institute, the in-house think tank of the giant consulting firm, have a new study in which they have taken their best shot at predicting exactly that.

Sen Paul offers bill to protect privacy of electronic communications

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:42:44 +0000

Sen Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced a bill that would extend Fourth Amendment rights to electronic communications.

Chairman Rockefeller Still Targeting June for Wheeler Hearing

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:42:00 +0000

According to a Senate Commerce Committee source, Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) is targeting June for a nomination hearing for Tom Wheeler as the next Federal Communications Commission chair.

Comment Cycle Established For Technology Transitions Policy Task Force Public Notice Regarding Potential Trials

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:37:27 +0000

On May 10, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission’s Technology Transitions Policy Task Force (Task Force) released a public notice proposing to move forward with real-world trials to obtain data that will be helpful to the FCC in determining what policies are appropriate to promote investment and innovation while protecting consumers, promoting competition, and ensuring that emerging all-Internet Protocol (IP) networks remain resilient. Comments will be due by July 8, 2013, and reply comments will be due by August 7, 2013.

Verizon goes on offensive in Voice Link deployment

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:34:41 +0000

As criticism mounts over Verizon's move to replace its copper-based voice lines with its new Voice Link service in areas of New York and New Jersey impacted by Hurricane Sandy, the carrier went to work explaining the logic behind its actions.

Emergency Alerting: Capabilities Have Improved, but Additional Guidance and Testing Are Needed

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:32:19 +0000

An effective system to alert the public during emergencies can help reduce property damage and save lives. The Government Accountability Office was asked to review recent efforts to implement the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and improve the Emergency Alert System (EAS).

Inside Amazon's tax fight

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:30:44 +0000

For many years, Amazon enjoyed a crucial leg up compared to traditional retailers like Barnes & Noble, Sears, and Wal-Mart: The e-tailer didn't charge sales taxes to its customers. The result: Amazon benefited from as much as a 10% pricing advantage over its rivals, one key reason behind the company's meteoric rise.

Experimental Evidence on the Effects of Home Computers on Academic Achievement among Schoolchildren

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:29:39 +0000

Researchers find computer ownership and use have no effects on any educational outcomes, including grades, test scores, credits earned, attendance and disciplinary actions.

The Truth About kids and Social Media

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:26:59 +0000

Most people cringe at the thought of these two terms used in the same sentence, and it falls into the same scary category of kids and drugs. Why?

Today's Quote 05.24.2013

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:22:12 +0000

"I e-mailed my boss to ask what would happen if we don't free up enough spectrum. He wrote, 'It will be the end of the world as we know it.' He didn't put a smiley face at the end or anything."
-- Tom Sugrue, T-Mobile's vice president of government affairs

President Obama, in Nod to Press, Orders Review of Inquiries

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:19:56 +0000

President Barack Obama ordered a review of the Justice Department’s procedures for legal investigations involving reporters, acknowledging that he was “troubled” that multiple inquiries into national security leaks could chill investigative reporting.

NBC: AG Holder signed warrant to seize Fox reporter's private e-mail

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:19:05 +0000

Attorney General Eric Holder personally signed off on the search warrant that named Fox News reporter James Rosen as a potential criminal "co-conspirator," a law enforcement official told NBC News.

The future of wiretapping

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:18:06 +0000

Pushed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Obama administration may ask Congress for the power to snoop on more types of communication online. The timing couldn't be worse.

A Cyberattack Campaign for Syria

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:15:08 +0000

As American policy makers debate additional measures to pressure President Bashar al-Assad and aid moderate elements of the opposition, they should consider a military cybercampaign to give Syrians the ability to communicate freely online.

Some in Congress Grow More Wary of Selling Sprint to SoftBank of Japan

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:13:32 +0000

Congressional concern over the proposed takeover of Sprint Nextel by SoftBank of Japan on national security grounds grew.

Sprint’s Offer for Clearwire Fails to Sway Opponents

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:11:53 +0000

Sprint Nextel’s sweetened bid for wireless-network partner Clearwire has failed to persuade opponents to the takeover, raising speculation that the company will have to raise its price again.

Potential Setback for Apple in E-Books Case

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:09:22 +0000

In a potential major setback for Apple, a federal judge who will preside over a coming antitrust trial that will determine whether it engaged in a conspiracy to raise prices for e-books said that the government is likely able to prove its case against the computer maker.

FTC Begins Probe of Google's Display-Ad Business

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:07:54 +0000

Apparently, the Federal Trade Commission has begun to examine complaints by rivals of Google that the Internet giant abused its power in the market for selling online-graphical and video ads.

Chernin, Guggenheim, pay-TV distributors bid for Hulu

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:06:21 +0000

The initial bids are in for online media's most talked-about sale: Hulu.

FCC hopes to avoid 'end of world' for cell phones

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:05:31 +0000

The path to clearing up enough airwaves to satisfy the insatiable demand for mobile downloads is a confusing, complicated mess.

Sen McCain urges FCC to consider security risk of Sprint-Softbank deal

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:11:06 +0000

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) urged the Federal Communications Commission to consider the potential national security risk of allowing SoftBank, a Japanese company, to buy Sprint.

Chairman Walden Sees Aereo as Potential Marketplace Disruptor

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:09:37 +0000

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) says Aereo could be a major disruptor in the marketplace -- as could Dish's Hopper -- and suggests he understands why Fox would warn that such disruption could move programming off the broadcast model.

Commissioner Pai: FCC Should Let Marketplace Decide Price of Auctioned TV Spectrum

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:08:39 +0000

Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai told a CTIA audience in Las Vegas that if the FCC tries to set "initial offers" for broadcast stations in the reverse spectrum auction, it should not do so based on the population it serves or the value of its station business.

Agriculture Community Pulling for LPTVs

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:06:53 +0000

Several agriculture and conservation organizations are urging the Federal Communications Commission to hold a public hearing about the impact an incentive auction could have on low-power television stations that provide programming for rural America.

Oklahoma Cities Collaborate on Mobile Policy

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:04:50 +0000

Implementing a technology program takes funding and manpower — items that often are in short supply in government agencies these days. But a group of local government IT directors in Oklahoma are stretching resources by working together, and the effort is paying dividends throughout the state and the US.

Making Mobile Government a Reality

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:02:50 +0000

At the May 2012 launch of the President’s Digital Government Strategy, only 35% of U.S. adults owned a smartphone. Today, on the one year anniversary of the Strategy, that number is nearly 50%.

Presiding Governor Lynton Steps Down From The BBG Board

Benton Foundation — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:01:53 +0000

Broadcasting Board of Governors leader Michael Lynton has informed the White House that he is leaving the BBG effective May 23.