LEDE: The House is pressing the Obama administration to articulate a broad strategy to thwart terrorists’ use of social media.
The lower chamber by voice vote approved the Combat Terrorist Use of Social Media Act on Wednesday, which would commission a number of reports on the subject and require Obama to follow through on a commitment to present a broad strategy.
{mosads}The bill would also put pressure on the Obama administration to work more closely with social media companies in the fight. Companies like Twitter and Facebook already have policies to remove terror-related posts when they are flagged.
“I will say this, that Facebook has a done a fairly decent job of bringing down terrorist sites and Facebook has seen a drop in the number of terrorists who try to use their site. But not all social media companies have been as responsive to terrorism,” said Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), who sponsored the bill.
Some lawmakers have pressed for more action to actually require those Internet companies to remove the content when it surfaces and report it to law enforcement. The issue has gained momentum in the wake of attacks in San Bernardino, even as conflicting information has emerged about the shooters’ social media use.
ROYALTY BOARD RAISES KEY RATE FOR PANDORA: The Library of Congress’ Copyright Royalty Board said Wednesday that Pandora and other webcasters will pay 17 cents for every 100 non-subscriber streams in 2016. That’s up from the 14 cents per 100 songs Pandora pays for non-subscribers, the vast majority of its user base, right now. The board did not set rates for the four years following 2016.
PEREZ PLANTS FLAG FOR ON-DEMAND ECONOMY: Labor Secretary Tom Perez spoke Wednesday at an Aspen Institute event about the on-demand economy. He declined to endorse any one policy approach to creating a safety net for contractors at companies like Uber and Lyft — but laid out principles guiding his thinking on the issue. They include the idea that workers who have a full-time job should not have to live in poverty and ensuring that they have a voice and a safe workplace.
The timing of any Labor Department action on the issue remains unclear. “I don’t have a precise answer on when we will see policymaking at a federal level,” he told The Hill when asked him after his appearance when the agency might produce concrete policy options for the on-demand economy. “What I am confident about is that we can drive a set of principles that we think can command a bipartisan social consensus and through that we can drive some policy.” Perez is planning to visit Silicon Valley next year to continue discussions on the issue.
AND WARNER CALLS ON COMPANIES TO DO MORE: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the most prominent lawmaker voice on the issue, said at the same event that more companies in the on-demand space need to get actively involved in dealing with the safety net questions posed by the fast growth of platforms. “For us to not have this legislative, top-down solution on you, you’ve got to be in this discussion,” he said. “Candidly, in a much more active way that you’ve been so far.” Some companies have been more active than others, with the heads of several, including Lyft and home-services firm Handy, signing on to a statement for more portable benefits for workers.
FCC ASKED TO KEEP MORE RECORDS ON TECH TRANSITION: The Government Accountability Office called on the Federal Communications Commission to bolster its plans to collect data on the transition from traditional copper-wire, landline telephones to phone service over the Internet. The watchdog pointed to a number of steps the FCC and other agencies are taking, but said the FCC “lacks a detailed strategy” about addressing some gaps in the information. There is concern that voice service over IP is more vulnerable during emergencies and power outages, compared to traditional voice service.
DHS GIVES TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER: The Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team this week released a series of tips for users to secure their home Internet network and steps to take before you connect a new computer to the Internet. The recommendations are meant to help keep your information secure and away from “the threat of malicious exploit.”
FTC TECH CHIEF MOVING TO WHITE HOUSE: Ashkan Soltani is not moving very far after his stint as technology chief at the Federal Trade Commission is over. White House officials said Wednesday that Soltani would be taking a job at the White House, working with the tech team. Before joining the government, Soltani did a stint with The Washington Post, where he worked with reporters on stories about secret National Security Agency surveillance programs revealed by Edward Snowden’s leaks.
ON TAP:
Starting at 10 a.m., The Capitol Forum is hosting its second annual “broadband competition conference” at the National Press Club.
At 10:30 a.m., the FCC will hold its last open meeting of the year.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
The House passed legislation on Wednesday requiring the president to provide Congress with a strategy for combating terrorists’ use of social media.
Tuesday night’s GOP presidential debate was the third most viewed debate in this cycle, according to Nielsen ratings reported by CNN.
The Federal Communications Commission announced on Tuesday evening that it was extending by a year an exemption for small Internet providers from part of its net neutrality rules approved in February.
The omnibus spending bill released by congressional leaders early Wednesday morning seeks to block some federal employees from using a personal email account similar to the one used by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
A proposal that could have blunted parts of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) net neutrality rules didn’t make its way into a year-end spending bill to fund the government.
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