7.16.2014

GOOD TO KNOW: So, the FCC’s electronic filing system crashed. In just 24 hours, the number of comments submitted on net neutrality climbed from 677,000 to 780,000 (and counting). Good work, people.

THE SKINNY.

WHAT TO DO NOW?

The FCC pushed the deadline from midnight last night to Friday. For those of you planning to weigh in (looking at you, procrastinators), it’s a good time to let the Commission know what you think of its proposal.

THIS IS HISTORY.

Here’s a quick rundown of the highest number of comments federal agencies have seen:

FCC 2006 Change to Media Ownership: 236, 315
IRS Proposal to Curb Social Welfare Orgs’ Political Actions: 143,497
Keystone Pipeline: 127,206

About 1.4 million submitters sounded off on the Janet Jackson (and Justin Timberlake) Super Bowl debacle. However, that indecent exposure wasn’t part of an official rulemaking, comment period. Given that this is just the first round of comments, net neutrality is well on its way to reaching the 1 million mark. We don’t speak for others, but Tim Berners-Lee is probably proud.

LOOK WHO’S TALKING NOW.

Mozilla says the FCC’s proposal is “rife with risk.” It wants to see the Commission go down the Title II route and reclassify broadband services as a utility. The National Cable and Telecommunications Association, on the other hand, wants the FCC to avoid Title II like it’s the plague. Comcast has also chimed in and supports “putting in place legally enforceable rules to ensure that there is a free and open Internet, including transparency, no blocking, and anti-discrimination rules.”

SHOTS FIRED.

Meanwhile, Verizon doesn’t want over burdensome regulation and wants to be able to enter into “differentiated arrangements with broadband providers if they believe they can provide a service customers may want.” The ISP took this opportunity to point fingers at Google and Netflix as prime examples of content companies with growing market power. Verizon wants everyone to know that it cares about network openness and wants it just as much as the rest of us.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

NO ACTUALLY MEANS NO.

Ryan Block and his wife simply wanted to cancel their Comcast service. But, the customer service agent wasn’t having it. After 10 minutes into the conversation, Block decided to record the back and forth. The agent tries at all cost to convince the husband and wife otherwise. Trying to assess why your consumer is unhappy with your service is fair, but sometimes you just gotta “let it go.” Yup, we went there.

BUT, EVERYONE’S DOING IT.

Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen testified in front on Congress on the U.S. economy, which hasn’t quite fully rebounded. According to The Fed, people are overpaying for stocks in certain sectors, including for social media and biotech firms. Subsequently, shares of our go to social media sites declined.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Google is teaming up with Novartis, a European drug maker, to create “smart” content lens that could monitor blood sugar levels. This information could be transferred via smart devices for real time monitoring by doctors and patients. Pretty friggin’ cool.

Yahoo!’s ad prices decreased on average by 24% last quarter. The company previously saw improvements in its sales, but this step back may indicate that the company’s new ad offerings aren’t pulling in advertisers.

Amazon and Simon & Schuster are in the “talking” phase of a potential business relationship. No word yet on the exact nature of these discussions.

7.15.2014

GOOD TO KNOW: People that work for Amazon probably look better than you. According to social networking app, Hinge, its users went for Amazon employees about 14% more than others. In yo’ face, Google and Facebook!

THE SKINNY.

STORY OF THE DAY.

Today is the deadline for the Federal Communications Commission’s public comment period on its proposed net neutrality rules.

WHO CARES?

Turns out a lot of you give a d*mn and like your Internet just the way it is — open and free. The latest count is over 677,000 submissions to the Commission (thanks, John Oliver), and it looks like people aren’t digging Chairman Tom Wheeler’s plan.

ALL EYES ON THEM.

Everyone’s been waiting to see what Internet companies have to say about the proposed plan. Yesterday, The Internet Association, a D.C.-based group representing leading Internet companies, turned in their comments. The group, whose mission is to fight for Internet freedom, made it clear that regardless of whether you prefer mobile or wireline, paid prioritization for content on Internet platforms is a no-go. So far, individual companies like Etsy and Kickstarter have also weighed in, and they are also worried about paid prioritization . Etsy says if the proposal were in effect, the company wouldn’t even be able to exist. reddit’s also activating its user base on this issue and urging them to support the reclassification of broadband services under Title II of the Communications Act (Title II).

WHAT ABOUT TITLE II?

The argument is that reclassifying broadband services as a utility (like your common carrier phone service) Title II would prevent paid prioritization of content that most of us are concerned about at the moment. Some of us prefer not to pay more for us to watch or access certain content at faster speeds. Proponents say going down this route will protect the open Internet and allow for you and me to think up the next big Internet company. Others against this idea, think it’ll open up the Internet to regulation and deter innovation. And by others, I mean cable companies.

SPEAKING OF…

Cable companies have yet to submit their filings, but there’s still time.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

This is just the first round. The FCC will open another comment round for additional input from the public.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

NOT AGAIN.

In other news, privacy advocates, including ACLU and the Electronic Frontiers Foundations, are worried about CISA, the latest cybersecurity bill that would allow companies to share information with the federal government. These groups compare this bill to a similar bill, CISPA, which would have permitted the same thing if passed into law. They are writing to President Obama to speak out against the controversial bill.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Move over YouTube, Yahoo!’s got next. With its push to deliver more content to users, Yahoo! is teaming up with Live Nation to offer free live steam videos of concerts. If this bodes well, it’ll be a major boost in establishing Screen — the company’s answer to YouTube. Free Justin Timberlake concert? Please and thank you.

LinkedIn wants in on the content game too. The social network acquired Newsle, which lets people know when their connections have been mentioned in the news.

How about we acquire another dating site? IAC/InterActive Corp just purchased HowAboutWe, an online service that matches people based on date-suggestions. IAC already has OKCupid, Match, and Tinder in its portfolio.

Secret, an app people use to anonymously post gossip about their professional and personal lives, has raised $25 million to offer its services more broadly. It now wants to link its app to Facebook so users can easily connect with their “friends.”