Today’s Events:
- International Conflicts of Law Concerning Cross Border Data Flow and Law Enforcement Requests, House Judiciary Committee:https://www.benton.org/node/234680
- An Introductory Survey of Business Models in Building Broadband Public-Private Partnerships, Coalition for Local Internet Choice:https://www.benton.org/node/234459
- Digital Globalization, panel at New America Foundation:https://www.benton.org/node/234496
EDUCATION
The White House and Michelle Obama Release $250M ‘Open eBooks’ App for Title I and Special Education Teachers
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Reps Compromise on Net Neutrality Transparency Waiver
Google Fiber coming to San Francisco, using someone else’s fiber
Comcast responds to Huntsville’s (AL) Google Fiber announcement [links to Benton summary]
West Virginia Passes Middle-Mile Network Broadband Plan [links to Benton summary]
Telecom companies band together in SD and MN [links to Benton summary]
Some web sites turning law-abiding Tor users into second-class citizens [links to Benton summary]
POLICYMAKERS
President Obama nominates first black, female librarian of Congress
COMMUNITY MEDIA
Building Connected Communities
SECURITY/PRIVACY
Julia Angwin: What’s Really at Stake in the Apple Encryption Debate [links to ProPublica]
Apple vs FBI: Real issue is Apple could be forced to make the data on any iPhone available to any law-enforcement agency demanding it. [links to Wall Street Journal]
Apple Is Said to Be Trying to Make It Harder to Hack iPhones [links to New York Times]
Apple to boost customers’ iCloud encryption [links to Financial Times]
Apple’s legal strategy v FBI has roots in case heard in 2015 [links to Financial Times]
In the Apple v. FBI clash, the public is still on the sidelines [links to Christian Science Monitor]
Editorial: The fight between Apple and law enforcement should not be left to the courts [links to Washington Post]
The Apple Case Will Grope Its Way Into Your Future – NYT analysis [links to Benton summary]
Forget the 1st Amendment, Apple to plead the 5th in iPhone crypto flap [links to Benton summary]
Everyone wants a bite of the Apple debate [links to Benton summary]
From Fines To Jail Time: How Apple Could Be Punished For Defying FBI [links to Benton summary]
Is Apple putting profits over patriotism? – op-ed [links to Benton summary]
Why you hear conflicting stories about whether people support Apple or the FBI[links to Washington Post]
Poll: People Know Their Info Is Being Shared but Do Little About It [links to Benton summary]
The Internet Is Undermining America’s Power – op-ed [links to Benton summary]
The hackers that took down Sony Pictures are still on the attack, researchers say[links to Benton summary]
The problem with ‘unlocking’ [links to Verge, The]
Facebook and Amazon Seem to Be Increasingly Concerned About Your Data [links to AdWeek]
State of California Says Companies Should Embrace NSA-Developed Data Protections [links to nextgov]
Since Internet adoption accelerated in the 1990s, the US has proven it can successfully strike adversaries online, but in doing so we’ve ushered in a dangerous – and unpredictable – new military era [links to Christian Science Monitor]
OWNERSHIP
New Jersey Okays Charter-TWC
The difference between Google and Alphabet, explained [links to Washington Post]
ACCESSIBILITY
A Search for Innovative Solutions that Inspire – FCC press release
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
U.S. Asks Tech and Entertainment Industries Help in Fighting Terrorism [links to New York Times]
For 2020, Census Bureau plans to trade paper responses for digital ones [links to Pew Research Center]
How Sen Cory Booker handles haters on Twitter [links to Benton summary]
Idea to retire: The “best practice” of doing more with less – Brookings op-ed [links to Benton summary]
US General Services Administration Extends 18F’s Silicon Valley Expertise to Cities, States [links to Government Technology]
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
Sen Cruz spars with CEO of Web Domain Organization [links to Benton summary]
These 6 charts show how much sexism Hillary Clinton faces on Twitter [links to Washington Post]
CONTENT
6 Ways Netflix Viewing Habits Vary Around the World [links to Benton summary]
Netflix: Half of all users watch video on phones, but only 10% of total viewing is mobile [links to Fierce]
As publishers lose control, are newspaper web sites a dead parrot? – The Guardian analysis [links to Benton summary]
Google Joins Race to Speed Up Mobile Delivery of News Articles [links to New York Times]
Frontier Sets Video Service Expansion [links to Multichannel News]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Rep Pallone Hopeful Viewer Protection Act Will Pass [links to Benton summary]
Verizon touts field testing as rush to 5G intensifies [links to NetworkWorld]
ADVERTISING
As publishers lose control, are newspaper web sites a dead parrot? – The Guardian analysis [links to Benton summary]
CHILDREN & MEDIA
A Smarter Way To Think About "Screen Time" And Kids’ Tech Use [links to Fast Company]
JOURNALISM
11 innovative media and information projects receive support from Knight Prototype Fund [links to Knight Foundation]
DIVERSITY
These 6 charts show how much sexism Hillary Clinton faces on Twitter [links to Washington Post]
Intel Gives $1.3 Million to Diversity in Tech Group CODE2040 [links to USAToday]
Despite On-Screen Diversity, Streaming Media Lacks Minority Faces Behind The Scenes [links to Fast Company]
Hollywood Wrestles With Diversity [links to Wall Street Journal]
COMPANY NEWS
Facebook adds ‘love,’ ‘haha,’ ‘wow,’ ‘sad’ and ‘angry’ to its ‘like’ button [links to CNNMoney]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Crackdowns on Free Speech Rise Across a Europe Wary of Terror [links to New York Times]
What’s Next For Google In Its Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad European Antitrust Case? [links to Revere Digital]
British Telecom avoids break-up but faces tougher regulation [links to Financial Times]
6 Ways Netflix Viewing Habits Vary Around the World [links to Benton summary]
How Ugandans Overturned An Election Day Social Media Blackout [links to Benton summary]
EDUCATION
WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES OPEN EBOOKS
[SOURCE: EdSurge, AUTHOR: Mary Jo Madda]
Do you remember how it felt when you first read what would eventually become your favorite book? For many students, that’s a feeling that’s hard to come by—books aren’t always cheap or easily accessible, especially when school budgets are stretched thin. However, the government is hoping to help schools save money and time by offering thousands of popular and award-winning titles—$250 million worth of books, in fact—to Title I, military base and special education teachers and librarians, and by extension, students. How, exactly? First Lady Michelle Obama and the White House are officially launching the Open eBooks app. As part of the Open eBooks initiative—an initiative highlighted by President Barack Obama last July—the app allows users to access thousands of free books on smartphones or tablets. The app is open to any educator, student or administrator at one of the 66,000+ Title I schools or any of the 194 Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools in the United States. Additionally, White House reps report that any of the hundreds of thousands of special education teachers in the country—no matter what type of school they work for—also have access.
benton.org/headlines/white-house-and-michelle-obama-release-250m-open-ebooks-app-title-i-and-special-education | EdSurge | White House
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
REPS COMPROMISE ON NET NEUTRALITY TRANSPARENCY WAIVER
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The House Commerce Committee has reached a compromise on a bill to make somewhat more permanent the Federal Communications Commission’s temporary exemption for smaller cable operators from enhanced transparency rules under the FCC’s new Open Internet order. According to a bipartisan amendment to the bill that is scheduled to be considered at a markup in the full committee, the definition of small business is now 250,000 subscribers (the FCC exemption applied to systems with 100,000 and fewer) and the exemption sunsets after five years. The FCC is also directed to report to the Committee, and the Senate Commerce Committee, which also has principal jurisdiction over the FCC, within six months of enactment its recommendations for whether the exemption should be permanent and whether that 250,000 figure should be adjusted. The amendment was co-sponsored by House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Rep Dave Loebsack (D-IA). Republican Reps had wanted a permanent waiver and Democratic Reps a term-limited one. The Democratic Reps won that one, though with the report caveat. The subscriber count was also closer to the Democratic Rep opening bids, so Chairman Walden was true to his word that he was searching for common ground and compromise and thought it could be achieved. That FCC recently extended the exemption for a year and put off a decision about making it permanent while it collected more info on the impact of the enhanced transparency requirements on small businesses, but Congress doesn’t want to wait that long.
benton.org/headlines/reps-compromise-net-neutrality-transparency-waiver |Broadcasting&Cable
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GOOGLE FIBER COMING TO SAN FRANCISCO, USING SOMEONE ELSE’S FIBER
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jon Brodkin]
Google Fiber announced plans to offer Internet service in San Francisco (CA) apartments, condos, and affordable housing properties. Instead of installing its own fiber cables, Google said it will use existing fiber, allowing it to bring service to the city more quickly. Google may need to do some work outside and inside buildings to connect properties to the existing fiber, but otherwise not much construction will be required. This is similar to a deal Google announced with a city-owned utility in Huntsville (AL). But in the San Francisco case, Google is not saying what entity it is leasing or buying fiber from or when it will start offering service. With the addition of San Francisco, there are now seven metro areas where Google Fiber plans to offer service in addition to the four where it already serves customers. Google Fiber lists another 11 metro areas as "potential" fiber cities. In most cities, Google says it is building fiber networks from scratch.
benton.org/headlines/google-fiber-coming-san-francisco-using-someone-elses-fiber |Ars Technica | Google | Revere Digital
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POLICYMAKERS
PRESIDENT OBAMA NOMINATES FIRST BLACK, FEMALE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Mario Trujillo]
President Barack Obama nominated Carla Hayden to be the new librarian of Congress — potentially marking the first leadership switch in nearly 30 years as criticism has mounted over the organization’s technology policies. Hayden, currently the chief executive of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore (MD), served as the president of the American Library Association more than a decade ago. If confirmed, she would be the first woman and first African-American to hold the position. There have only been 13 previous librarians. "Being the first female and the first African-American really brings together two aspects of — of course — my life that make this even more significant in terms of how people view the future of libraries, and what a national library can be," she said. "It’s inclusive. It can be part of everyone’s story."
benton.org/headlines/president-obama-nominates-first-black-female-librarian-congress |Hill, The | White House | ALA |
