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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 2017)
TECHNOLOGY Wednesday, November 22, 2017 East Oregonian FCC chairman sets out to scrap rules for open internet access By RYAN NAKASHIMA and MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writers MENLO PARK, Calif. — The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission set out Tuesday to scrap rules around open internet access, a move that would allow giant cable and telecom companies to throttle broadband speeds and favor their own services if they wish. Ajit Pai followed through on a pledge to try to repeal “net neutrality” regulations enacted under the Obama administra- tion. The current rules treat internet service providers such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon as if they were utility companies that provide essential services, like electricity. The rules mandate that they give equal access to all online content and apps. Pai said those rules discourage investments that could provide even better and faster online access. Instead, he said new rules would force AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File ISPs to be transparent about Federal Communication Commission Commissioner Ajit Pai their services and management speaks during an open hearing in February 2015 and vote on policies, and then would let the “Net Neutrality” in Washington. market decide. “Under my proposal, the “Under my proposal, the federal government federal government will stop micromanaging the internet,” Pai will stop micrmanaging the internet.” said in a statement. Pai distributed his alternative — Ajit Pai, FCC commissioner plan to other FCC commis- sioners Tuesday in preparation are concerned that repealing net the private sector to build out for a Dec. 14 vote. Pai promised neutrality will give ISPs even the networks especially in rural to release his entire proposal more power to block or slow America,” Pai said. Wednesday. Although the down rival offerings. In a Wall Street Journal edito- FCC’s two Democrats said A repeal also opens the ability rial published Tuesday, Pai cited they will oppose the proposal, for ISPs to charge a company a report by a nonprofit think tank, the repeal is likely to prevail as like Netflix for a faster path to the Information Technology & Republicans dominate 3-2. The its customers. Allowing this Innovation Foundation, that said vote for net neutrality in 2015 paid-priority market to exist investment by the dozen largest was also along party lines, but could skew prices and create ISPs fell about 2 percent from Democrats dominated then. winners and losers among 2015 to 2016, to $61 billion. The Equal treatment for all web fledgling companies that require group didn’t link the drop solely traffic has been a fundamental a high-speed connection to end to the stiffer rules introduced in principle of the internet since users. 2015. its creation but companies Pai, who was appointed by The attempt to repeal net have increasingly put their President Donald Trump, said neutrality has triggered protests thumb on the scales of access. in an interview on Fox News from consumer groups and AT&T, for example, doesn’t Radio that Trump did not have internet companies. A data count use of its streaming any input on his proposal. Asked firm called Emprata that was service DirecTV Now against whether deregulation would backed by a telecom industry wireless data caps, potentially result in higher prices and put group found in August that making it seem cheaper to its speedy internet access out of the after filtering out form letters, cellphone customers than rival reach of blue-collar Americans, the overwhelming majority of TV services. Rivals would have Pai said “it’s going to mean comments to the FCC — about to pay AT&T for that privilege. exactly the opposite.” 1.8 million — favored net Regulators, consumer advo- “These heavy-handed regu- neutrality, compared with just cates and some tech companies lations have made it harder for 24,000 who supported its repeal. Carmen Scurato, director of policy and legal affairs for the National Hispanic Media Coali- tion, said ISPs’ ability to impose monthly caps on data use already act to raise prices and limit access. Repealing net neutrality, she said, “is just erecting more barriers.” Among those that will be hit hardest are startups that depend on high-speed internet connec- tions for growth, said Colin Angle, co-founder and CEO of iRobot, maker of the Roomba robot vacuum cleaners. He said his own company wouldn’t be dramatically affected in the near term, but the nascent robotics industry overall might. “The need for these robots to consume bandwidth is certainly on the rise,” Angle said. Google said in a statement that net neutrality rules “are working well for consumers and we’re disappointed in the proposal announced today.” Other tech companies were more muted, with some referring instead to their trade group, the Internet Association. Netflix, which had been vocal in support of the rules in 2015, tweeted that it “supports strong #NetNeu- trality” and opposes the rules rollback. But the streaming-video company said in January that weaker net neutrality wouldn’t hurt it because it’s now too popular with users for broadband providers to interfere. AT&T executive vice presi- dent Joan Marsh said new rules requiring ISPs to disclose their management practices will keep them honest. “Any ISP that is so foolish as to seek to engage in gatekeeping will be quickly and decisively called out,” she said in a statement. Comcast said its commitment to consumers will remain the same. “We do not and will not block, throttle, or discrimi- nate against lawful content,” Comcast’s senior executive vice president David Cohen said. Pai’s plan also restores the Federal Trade Commission as the main watchdog to protect consumers and promote compe- tition. But Democratic Commis- sioner Mignon L. Clyburn said the proposal was “a giveaway to the nation’s largest communica- tions companies.” After pushback, AT&T prepares to fight for Time Warner By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer NEW YORK — Seeing an attempt to block its buyout out of Time Warner as a “radical” departure by the U.S. govern- ment, AT&T is preparing for a fight to see the $85 billion deal through. One key asset owned by Time Warner, CNN, could create problems for the U.S. and President Donald Trump, whose very public spat with the news network has raised suspicions that he might have interfered with the department’s decision. DOJ’s antitrust chief, Makan Delrahim, insists that Trump did not tell him what to do. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday she wasn’t aware of any specific action related to the case taken by the White House. In a press release, Delrahim said that a combined AT&T-Time Warner would “greatly harm American consumers” by hiking television bills and hampering innovation, particularly in online television service. The DOJ said AT&T would be able to charge rival distributors such as cable companies “hundreds of millions of dollars more per year” for Time Warner’s programming — payments that would ultimately get passed down to consumers through their cable bills. In an emailed statement Monday, AT&T general counsel David McAtee said the lawsuit is a “radical and inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent” and that the AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File In this Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, photo, AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson, left, testifies on Capitol Hill in Wash- ington, before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the proposed merger between AT&T and Time Warner, as Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Bewkes listens at right. company is confident that it will prevail in court. AT&T runs the country’s second largest wireless network and is the biggest provider of traditional satellite and cable TV services. Time Warner owns HBO, CNN, TBS and other networks, as well as the Warner Bros. movie studio. The government’s objections to the deal surprised many on Wall Street. AT&T and Time Warner are not direct compet- itors, and “vertical” mergers between such companies have typically had an easier time winning government approval than deals that combine two rivals. The last time the U.S. government won a court victory in a vertical merger antitrust case DENTAL Insurance Physicians Mutual Insurance Company A less expensive way to help get the dental care you deserve If you’re over 50, you can get coverage for about $1 a day* Keep your own dentist! NO networks to worry about NO annual or lifetime cap o n the cash benefi ts No wait for preventive care and no deductibles – you could get a checkup tomorrow Coverage for over 350 procedures including cleanings, exams, fi llings, crowns…even dentures you can receive FREE Information Kit 1-877-599-0125 www.dental50plus.com/25 *Individual plan. Product not available in MN, MT, NH, RI, VT, WA. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150(GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN) 6096C MB16-NM001Gc was in 1972, when the Supreme Court said Ford’s takeover of a spark-plug business violated antitrust law. Many had expected govern- ment approval of the deal because Obama-era antitrust officials approved a similar deal — Comcast’s purchase of NBCUniversal — in 2011, after imposing restrictions on Comcast’s behavior that were meant to protect consumers. As a candidate, however, Trump vowed to block the pending AT&T-Time Warner deal because it would concen- trate too much “power in the hands of too few.” As president, Trump has often blasted CNN for its coverage of him and his administration, disparaging it and its reporters as “fake news.” At a press conference Monday, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson addressed spec- ulation over whether the government’s lawsuit was “all about CNN,” saying, “Frankly, I don’t know.” But Stephenson said AT&T would not agree to anything that would result in it losing control of CNN. A person familiar with the matter, who could not go on the record, previously told the Asso- ciated Press that DOJ wanted the combined company to sell either Turner — the parent of CNN, TBS and other networks — or DirecTV to satisfy its antitrust concerns. A DOJ offi- cial, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss a pending legal case, said Monday that the government is still willing to work with AT&T on “structural relief,” or selling off assets. AT&T has argued that buying Time Warner would let it package and deliver video more cheaply, over the internet, rather than in expensive cable bundles. It already has a DirecTV Now streaming service, which puts popular live TV networks online, and costs $35 a month and up, cheaper than traditional cable bundles. Consumer advocates and some Democratic politicians applauded the lawsuit as a blow against media consolidation. Consumers Union, an advocacy group that opposes the deal, said there were “legitimate reasons” to block the deal to protect consumers, but called reports of political pressure “concerning.” Page 9A Oregon Tech starts Cyber Defense Center in Wilsonville Aims to help businesses address security threats By ANDREW THEEN The Oregonian/OregonLive PORTLAND — Kris Rosenberg’s oven has Wi-Fi, and it makes the Oregon Institute of Technology cybersecurity professor a bit nervous. Rosenberg said the design feature in and of itself isn’t an issue. But the oven presents a risk, in theory, because it could be hacked and remotely activated. In a world of smartphones, ever-changing passwords and cameras everywhere, the oven is just another device that needs to be managed and protected. “There is no such thing as perfect security,” Rosenberg said in an interview Monday. “That’s never the goal. The goal is to manage risk, and as we increase our risk, we need to make smarter and better decisions.” On Monday, OIT launched its Cyber Defense Center, a public-private partnership that Rosenberg and school officials hope will go a long way toward helping Oregon businesses make smarter decisions about security issues big and small. Rosenberg modeled the cyber center after a teaching hospital. OIT students will be paid $15 an hour in the suburban lab and work under the guidance of cybersecurity professionals. Cybersecurity, like the medical world, is predicated on trust and skill. “You don’t want somebody who just went to med school performing their first surgery on you with no supervision,” Rosenberg said. The school said students will create weekly threat reports for the companies, track ongoing internal and external vulner- abilities and offer recommendations to beef up security. The setup positions students for good-paying jobs upon graduation and allows small businesses benefit from cyber- security work that would otherwise cost tens of thousands of dollars more. Gov. Kate Brown, who was on hand for the Wilsonville center’s unveiling, declared a “Day of Cyber” to draw more attention to cybersecurity. A public-private website, CyberOregon. com, also started Monday with links to resources and more information about the cyber threat. Brown and U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici spoke about the importance of cybersecurity to a room filled with industry professionals and students. Brown said she’s had her own experience with a security breach, citing a 2014 hack of the Secretary of State’s office which cost taxpayers $177,000. “We all have to have confidence in these systems,” she said. Brown recently signed Senate Bill 90, which creates a statewide cybersecurity council to tackle the issue across state bureaus and private industry. Her office also is supposed to establish a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence by January 2019 to coordinate and relay relevant security threats across public and private sectors in Oregon. Nagi Naganathan, OIT’s president, said cybercrime is an “epidemic” that requires constant vigilance. The Equifax data breach was among many incidents that compromised the personal information of millions of people this year. The credit reporting agency estimated that cybercriminals stole Social Security numbers, birth dates and other information from more than 145.5 million consumers. Naganathan said OIT wants to be a “solu- tions magnet” for small and medium-sized businesses. Large and wealthy companies have the resources to pay for cybersecurity firms. “This is the place where we really want a great melding of practitioners and students,” he said. Rosenberg said the cybersecurity industry has about 2 million open jobs but a lack of skilled workers. OIT set aside $250,000 in non-tuition related funds to start the cyber defense center. Rosenberg said it will be self-sufficient, with companies that contract with OIT paying the salaries of the instructors and the students’ hourly wages. Already, Rosenberg said, the school is working with four companies and is in discussions with others to work on cybersecurity issues. Currently, about 200 OIT students are in the information technology bachelor’s degree program, with about half of those students focusing on cybersecurity. OIT is starting a dedicated cybersecurity degree program, Rosenberg said, with hopes of enrolling its first cohort of students in 2018. MORE HD CHANNELS, FASTER INTERNET AND UNLIMITED VOICE. 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