Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Free Press

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Hundreds of Groups Urge Congress to Extend Funding for Essential Broadband-Affordability Program That Serves Tens of Millions of U.S. Households

zwalker@benton.org — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 18:25:07 +0000

On April 15, a coalition of 271 civil-society groups and local, state and Tribal governments sent a letter to the House of Representatives that urges all members to sign a discharge petition filed by Rep Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in support of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Extension Act. By filing a discharge petition, a member of Congress can bring a bill out of committee to be voted on by the entire chamber. "The continuation of the ACP is critical not only for the futures of the families the program connects but also to other recent federal investments in closing the digital divide ... Unfortunately, in less than two weeks, the internet bills for one out of every six homes in the US are going to rise because Congress has thus far failed to appropriate more funding to keep those households online with ACP support. Just a few weeks after that, the program will lapse entirely. We urge you to sign the discharge petition put forth by Rep. Clarke because time is of the essence. We cannot let these families lose their vital connections merely because Congress failed to vote on an immensely popular bill with a bipartisan majority’s support."

Benton Content:

Teaser:

A coalition of 271 civil-society groups and local, state and Tribal governments sent a letter to the House of Representatives that urges all members to sign a discharge petition filed by Rep Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in support of the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act

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Tue, 04/16/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/15/2024

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Publish Date:

Mon, 04/15/2024

Coverage Type:

Letter

Agenda

Upcoming policy issue

Federal Broadband Programs

Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

Affordability/Cost/Price

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Level of Government

Federal

Marginalized Populations

Low-income

Headlines Specific Topic:

Benton Foundation

More Than 200 Groups Urge Leading Tech Platforms to Implement Election-Integrity Policies to Protect Democracy Worldwide

zwalker@benton.org — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 14:46:07 +0000

A coalition of more than 200 civil-society organizations, researchers and journalists sent a letter to the top executives of the leading social-media platforms that calls on them to strengthen platform-integrity efforts to protect democratic elections worldwide in 2024. The letter, which was sent to top executives at Discord, Google, Instagram, Meta, Pinterest, Reddit, Rumble, Snap, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter and YouTube, urges these companies to make six distinct interventions to keep online platforms safe and healthy in 2024. These include investing in greater platform accountability by reinstating election-integrity policies and staffing up critical trust and safety teams to better enforce policies across languages. The letter also calls on platforms to improve transparency by enabling civil-society oversight of their enforcement practices, and to require clear disclosure of AI-generated political content while prohibiting the use of deepfakes in political ads. (Read the full list of interventions and letter signers here.) The coalition asks that companies provide substantive responses to the letter by April 22, 2024.

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https://www.freepress.net/news/press-releases/more-200-groups-urge-leading-tech-…

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https://www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/2024-04/Free_Press_ISP_Financal_An…

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Wed, 04/10/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/9/2024

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Publish Date:

Tue, 04/09/2024

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Refuting Bogus Broadband Lobby Claims that Title II Harms Investment in Networks

benton — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:32:34 +0000

The claim that restoring light-touch Title II authority and basic Open Internet rules would harm—or did harm, from 2015 through 2018—ISPs’ broadband network investments is extraordinary. Not only because mountains of evidence from the ISPs themselves demonstrate its falsity; it is also extraordinary because the mechanism by which this supposed harm would occur is illogical and unreasonable, and has been proven ever more outlandish over time. ISPs exist to generate economic returns for their shareholders. They do so by meeting the strong customer demand for robust and open broadband telecommunications services, not by creating artificial scarcity in the hopes that edge companies will pay for prioritized delivery. The real-world record over the past decade bears out the claim’s falsity.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

The record is clear: ISPs are strongly committed to deploying and upgrading their networks ahead of consumer demand, because they are confident that doing so is key to future financial prosperity in the face of increasing competition.

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Send date:

Wed, 04/03/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/2/2024

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Publish Date:

Wed, 04/03/2024

Coverage Type:

Analysis

Agenda

Upcoming policy issue

Regulatory classification

Infrastructure

Communications Act of 1934

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Big Tech's Voluntary Accord: More Empty Promises to Build AI Guardrails and Protect Democracy (Free Press)

zwalker@benton.org — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 22:56:27 +0000

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Big Tech's Voluntary Accord: More Empty Promises to Build AI Guardrails and Protect Democracy

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https://www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/2023-12/Free-Press-T2-Comments-Dec…

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Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 2/16/2024

Free Press Calls on the FCC to Prioritize a Public-Interest Internet by Restoring Title II Oversight and Safeguarding Net Neutrality

benton — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 22:22:47 +0000

Free Press explains that the Federal Communications Commission's Title II authority allows it to safeguard Net Neutrality and hold companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon accountable to internet users across the United States. Title II is not just a legal framework that protects Net Neutrality. The ability to access quality broadband service no matter where one may live, or no matter one’s racial or ethnic identity, still matters. The ability to subscribe to broadband at an affordable price still matters. The need for the network to work—keeping people connected on the daily, but also before, during, and after times of emergency—still matters. And the assurance that network operators respect their customers’ privacy still matters, arguably more so in the data era.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

FCC’s Title II authority allows it to safeguard Net Neutrality and hold companies accountable

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Send date:

Sat, 12/16/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 12/15/2023

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Fri, 12/15/2023

Coverage Type:

Analysis

Regulatory classification

Communications Act of 1934

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Level of Government

Federal

Network Neutrality

Big Tech Backslide

zwalker@benton.org — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 19:32:32 +0000

After the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, tech companies finally seemed to accept that their failure to moderate content was undermining public safety and democracy. In the aftermath, most social-media companies removed users who spread anti-democratic conspiracies or used their online platforms to incite violence. Leading up to the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, tech companies promised users, civil-society groups and governments that they would safeguard election integrity and free expression on their platforms. In 2022, Free Press graded the four major platforms’ policies against 15 recommendations we helped develop that are designed to curb the spread of election disinformation and extremism. Our research found that although tech companies have long promised to fight disinformation and hate, there is a notable gap between what the companies say they want to do and what they actually do in practice. We found that in 2023, the largest social-media companies have deprioritized content moderation and other user trust and safety protections, including rolling back platform policies that had reduced the presence of hate, harassment and lies on their networks. These companies have also laid off critical staff and teams tasked with maintaining platform integrity. Taken together with the preferential treatment of VIP users — reflected in the reinstatement of Donald Trump’s accounts on Meta, Twitter and YouTube — these developments represent a dangerous backslide. In turn, this has created a toxic online environment that is vulnerable to exploitation from anti-democracy forces, white supremacists and other bad actors.

Benton Content:

https://www.freepress.net/big-tech-backslide-report

Teaser:

Social media companies have created a toxic online environment that is vulnerable to exploitation from anti-democracy forces, white supremacists and other bad actors

Source:

https://www.freepress.net/blog/what-net-neutrality

Author:

Nora Benavidez

Send date:

Fri, 12/08/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 12/7/2023

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Publish Date:

Thu, 12/07/2023

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What Is Net Neutrality? Myths and Realities

benton — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 21:27:02 +0000

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced her plan to restore the agency’s rightful authority to protect internet users. To undermine this effort, the industry has cranked up its Title II myth machine. Free Press is duty-bound to debunk these industry lies as we have an untold number of times in the past. So let’s set the record straight:

Myth #1: Title II is ‘heavy-handed internet regulation.’
Myth #2: Title II rules are a ‘solution in search of a problem.’
Myth #3: The Biden FCC should be focusing on ‘real problems,’ such as obstacles to broadband deployment and accessibility.
Myth #4: The FCC’s Obama-era Open Internet Order hampered capital investments, delaying new broadband deployment and innovation.
Myth #5: Net Neutrality is a ‘hyper-partisan, politicized’ issue.
Myth #6: The FCC lacks statutory authority over broadband-internet access; reinstating Title II is pointless because it won’t survive judicial review.
Myth #7: It’s been nearly six years since the Trump FCC repealed the Open Internet Order and nothing bad has happened.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Let’s set the record straight.

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Author:

Timothy Karr

Send date:

Tue, 10/17/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 10/16/2023

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Publish Date:

Mon, 10/16/2023

Coverage Type:

Editorial

Agenda

Upcoming policy issue

Digital Content

Regulatory classification

Communications Act of 1934

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Level of Government

Federal

Network Neutrality

Musk Escalates Speech-Chilling Attacks on His Critics

dclay@benton.org — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 15:11:30 +0000

Following nearly a year of sustained pressure on brands from the #StopToxicTwitter coalition, showing the dangers of advertising on Twitter (now “X”), Elon Musk is now singling out coalition members to blame for the company’s extensive revenue losses. Musk threatened to sue the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for these losses, continuing his penchant for using lawyers to silence his critics. Musk’s acknowledgment of these significant losses comes as X is also claiming — without evidence — that many major brands have returned to advertise on the platform. #StopToxicTwitter member ADL is among Musk’s chief critics, repeatedly calling out his amplification of antisemitic voices and memes.

Benton Content:

https://www.freepress.net/news/press-releases/musk-escalates-speech-chilling-att…

Teaser:

Elon Musk pursues legal action against members of the #StopToxicTwitter coalition.

Source:

https://www.freepress.net/blog/millions-households-are-risk-losing-internet-acce…

Send date:

Thu, 09/07/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 9/6/2023

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Wed, 09/06/2023

Coverage Type:

Affordability/Cost/Price

Platforms

Headlines Specific Topic:

Benton Foundation

Millions of Households Are at Risk of Losing Internet Access

dclay@benton.org — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 15:57:48 +0000

Starting after Labor Day 2023, classes will be back in session for members of Congress as they return to Washington (DC) from their August 2023 recess. At the top of their to-do list? Playing what’s become an annual game of chicken over whether to fund the federal government — including extending funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which ensures that tens of millions of households can stay online. The ACP is also on track to run out of money by spring 2024. Access to high-speed internet isn’t a luxury; it’s a human right. Without it, you can’t access basic things like education, health care, jobs, government services, and info about what’s going on in your community. Additionally, affordable internet access is even more crucial in light of the climate crisis. Being able to connect to critical services before and during an emergency can save lives — and a stable connection can help people pick up the pieces afterward. Without further funding for the ACP, untold numbers of low-income families won’t benefit from the newly built broadband networks in their communities.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Millions of Americans depend on affordable internet

Source: