Speculation grows over Trump FCC pick
President Trump must fill two vacant seats on the Federal Communications Commission, an important decision that could set the tone for his administration’s policies on tech companies. –The Hill
Consumer groups worry as internet privacy rules face the axe
Republicans are close to killing off Obama-era privacy rules on internet service providers, a move that critics warn could have major implications for customers’ personal information. –The Hill
Windstream asks FCC to ensure ILECs’ TDM-to-IP transition won’t strand small businesses with high costs
Now that Ajit Pai has been firmly established as the new FCC chairman, Windstream has made a new plea asking that he consider how business data services (BDS) reform will affect competitive carriers and their business customers. –Fierce Telecom
Virtual lemonade sends colour and taste to a glass of water
When life hands you digital lemons, make virtual lemonade. A system of sensors and electrodes can digitally transmit the basic colour and sourness of a glass of lemonade to a tumbler of water, making it look and taste like a different drink. The idea is to let people share sensory experiences over the internet. –New Scientist
FCC’s Spectrum Auction Finally Ending This Week
The end is coming this week for the broadcast incentive auction. The reverse auction (broadcaster portion of the auction) has been over since Jan. 18, but the assignment-phase auction for forward auction bidders is scheduled to close March 30. –B&C
Study: Google Fiber Ended 2016 With 84,232 Pay-TV Subs
Google Fiber ended 2016 with 84,232 pay-TV subs, marking a sharp decline in the rate of growth, MoffettNathanson found in an analysis based on fresh data from the U.S. Copyright Office. –B&C
FCC’s Pai Praises Charter’s $25B Infrastructure Investment
FCC chairman Ajit Pai Friday praised Charter for its announced $25 billion infrastructure investment pledge over the next four years, which came at an Oval Office photo op Friday with President Donald Trump and even took some credit for the new regulatory climate Charter’s Tom Rutledge said had made and would make that investment possible. –B&C
You can now call your congressman through Facebook
Since the election in November, U.S. lawmakers have received a deluge of phone calls from Americans weighing in on the GOP’s congressional agenda. Now, those floodwaters may rise even higher as Facebook rolls out new tools making it easier for users to contact their representatives. –The Washington Post
Solution Providers Cheer Proposed Bill To Require Public Company Cybersecurity Disclosures With SEC
A recent bill proposed in the Senate could require boards of directors at public companies to disclose their cybersecurity risk and competencies, a move solution providers said is a much needed step to increase board-level accountability for cybersecurity. –CRN
Podcasting comes of age: What’s behind a recent boom
Podcasting has been around for more than a decade, but we still tend to think of it as a new technology. Like any new technology, you’d expect that its growth would be driven by Millennials and Generation Z, who are drawn to technology like moths to flames. – Media Life Magazine
Ending digital copyright act would fundamentally change Internet
Everyday we turn to the Internet for the seemingly endless amount of information and entertainment it provides. We learn to build houses from online tutorials; we seek advice from other parents; we share our creations with customers throughout the world; sometimes we can even turn a road trip from Texas to DC into a nationwide conversation. We tweet, snap, post, listen, watch, and share on platforms all over the web.
But most people don’t realize that we can only do these things because of a law passed in 1998—the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). –The Hill
EUGNet Offers Uncommon Gigabit Deployment Model
An uncommon model for municipal broadband network deployment comes from Eugene, Oregon, where the local utility company is partnering with the city and other entities to build the network, dubbed EUGNet. –Telecompetitor
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The Digital Daily Dozen is distributed weekdays (usually) by Dom Caristi or Heather Vaughn as a service of the BSU Digital Policy Institute. The articles are culled from various e-newsletters. The content is not original – only their compilation in this mailing is. ________________________________________________________________