Tag Archives: U.S

Senate wants emergency alerts to go out through Netflix, Spotify, etc.

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Senators in Hawaii and South Dakota think so, having just introduced a bill (the “Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement,” or READI, act) that would “explore” broadcasting alerts to “online streaming services, such as Netflix and Spotify,” amongst other changes to the Emergency Alert System. – Greg Kimparak, TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2JAHkSi

Republican congressman introduces bill to make net neutrality law

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Today, Congressman Mike Coffman (R-CO) introduced the 21st Century Internet Act to the House of Representatives. This bill seeks to codify the principles of net neutrality into law, taking the decision out of the hands of the Federal Communications Commission. It adds an entirely new section to the Communications Act of 1934, Title VIII, and prohibits blocking, throttling and paid prioritization of legal internet content. – Swapna Krishna, Engadget https://ift.tt/2LfBB9r

NFL Broadcasting Stocks Slump As Protests Rise And TV Ratings Fall

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Ratings for the the NFL have been worse this season and attendance for some games has also been disappointing. The networks will pay over $5 billion this season to televise the NFL and were already facing unflattering margins on advertising profits. An article in The Hollywood Reporter reckons the drop in NFL ratings could trim the broadcaster’s earnings by $200 million. Disney’s ESPN, meanwhile, also continues to get hammered by cord-cutting. – Mike Ozanian, Forbes http://ift.tt/2xyvaqm

You have 30 more days to tell Ajit Pai not to neuter broadband

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While it’s attacking net neutrality, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is pushing a second proposal that could also limit internet freedom. Under Tom Wheeler, broadband was redefined to mean 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload speeds, but Pai’s FCC wants to change that to include mobile networks with meager 10Mbps/1Mbps speeds. That hasn’t been as well-publicized as the Title II issue, so many folks aren’t aware that the comment period expires tomorrow. After a letter from 12 Democrat Senators urging an extension, however, the FCC agreed to prolong it by 30 days. – Steve Dent, Engadget http://ift.tt/2xOrhLT

Many of the FCC’s record-breaking 21 million net neutrality comments are duplicates — or come from suspicious sources

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Start with the 21 million total comments in the agency’s possession. After a sentiment analysis, the FCC received about 13 million comments that support the current net neutrality protections, according to the Emprata report, and it received about 8.6 million comments in support of Pai’s push for repeal. The firm studied data received by the FCC until Aug. 22. – Tony Romm & Rani Molla, Recode http://ift.tt/2wnSswL

The FCC won’t let Charter/Time Warner put data caps on internet plans

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photo: Shutterstock/Everett, Re/Code

If you’re a broadband subscriber at one of those companies, here’s what that means for you: Go ahead and stream all you want, all the time — your internet company can’t penalize you for bandwidth consumption. New rules from the Federal Communications Commission mean that Charter Communications “will not be permitted to charge usage-based prices or impose data caps” for at least seven years after the merger. – Peter Kafka, Re/code

Smart TVs, Streaming Devices Outnumber Cable Boxes In U.S. Households: Report

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photo: MITA Stock Images/Shutterstock, Variety

[A] new report from the Leichtman Research Group. 65 percent of all U.S. TV households have at least one streaming device connected to their TV or a smart TV set connected to the internet, according to the report. That’s up significantly from previous years: In 2013, only 44 percent of all U.S. TV households had a smart TV or connected device hooked up to stream programming from the internet. In 2010, only one in five of these households had their TV hooked up. – Janko Roettgers, Variety

Breaking Down the FCC’s Proposal to Protect Broadband Privacy

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photo: Free Speech

The [Notice of Proposed Rulemaking] also asks whether there should be rules limiting or outright banning certain practices that may negatively affect customer privacy, no matter whether some customers might opt-in or not. The most troubling of these practices is making service contingent on waiving privacy rights, or reducing the price for service only if customers agrees to relinquish control of their data. Some companies and economists may portray such pay-for-privacy schemes as a valuable and fair market exchange. But they have the potential to harm the millions of internet users who already struggle to get online, and simply can’t afford to pay more for privacy. – Gaurav Laroia, Free Press
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