In recent months, chaos has erupted between telecom giants Verizon and AT&amp;T and the U.S. aviation industry over the safety implications of their latest 5G technology.
The aerospace industry and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are concerned that C-Band 5G — which relies on radio waves at 3.7 to 3.98 GHz — could interfere with flight safety technology such as radio altimeters that use a 4.2 to 4.4 GHz range.
“[R]adio altimeters cannot be relied upon to perform their intended function if they experience interference from wireless broadband operations,” <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-statement-5g">the FAA said</a>, adding it would require “limitations prohibiting certain operations requiring radio altimeter data when in the presence of 5G C-Band interference.”
“If bad weather means pilots can’t see a runway near those cell sites after AT&amp;T and Verizon light up C-Band frequencies Jan. 5, expect them to land elsewhere. Or not take off at all,” <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/12/21/5-g-phones-airplanes-flight-delays-faa/8947513002/">USA Today</a> explained. 
“You’ll be forced to divert the flight to an airport that is not 5G-covered,” said Robert Mann, president of the aviation-industry consulting firm R.W. Mann. &amp; Co. “Or you’ll have to not dispatch the plane.” 
In October 2020, Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) released a <a href="https://www.rtca.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SC-239-5G-Interference-Assessment-Report_274-20-PMC-2073_accepted_changes.pdf">report</a> that provided clear indication &#8220;that the risk will be widespread and has the potential for broad impacts to aviation operations in the United States, including the possibility of catastrophic failures leading to multiple fatalities, in the absence of appropriate mitigations.”
What is the aerospace industry saying?
Boeing and Airbus Americas
Both Dave Calhoun, Chief Executive of Boeing, and Jeffrey Knittel, the CEO of Airbus Americas, have urged the Biden administration to delay the rollout of 5G.
In a statement, Boeing said the aerospace industry was “focused on fully evaluating and addressing the potential for 5G interference with radio altimeters,” according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/21/1066240779/boeing-airbus-5g-wireless-delay-aircraft-safety-concerns">NPR</a>.
“We are collaborating with aviation authorities, government leaders, airlines, and industry groups to ensure the continued operational safety of aircraft throughout the aviation system worldwide,” it said.
“5G interference could adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate,” Calhoun and Knittel asked U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a letter, adding it could have “an enormous negative impact on the aviation industry.”
United Airlines
“If there’s any kind of weather, if there’s high winds, if the visibility isn’t good because of smog, you can’t use that equipment,” United Airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/airlines-brace-for-flight-restrictions-in-5g-standoff-11639929603">said</a>. “You can’t land at airports — at Chicago O’Hare, at Atlanta, at Detroit — just think about what that means. This cannot be the outcome.”
Airlines for America
“Immediate intervention is needed to avoid significant operational disruption to air passengers, shippers, supply chain and delivery of needed medical supplies,” wrote the chief executives of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and others in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/airlines-warn-of-major-disruption-if-5g-deployment-continues-will-cause-a-completely-avoidable-economic-calamity">letter</a> to U.S. aviation authorities.
The airline leaders then explained that “[t]he harm that will result from deployment on January 19 is substantially worse than we originally anticipated for two key reasons.”
Trilogy of delays
In response to concerns over safety, Verizon and AT&amp;T have delayed the rollout of 5G on three occasions. 
On November 4, 2021, Verizon and AT&amp;T <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/att-verizon-delay-c-band-spectrum-use-pending-air-safety-review-2021-11-04/">agreed</a> to “delay by a month the commercial launch of C-band wireless service pending an assessment of any impact on aviation safety technologies,” with the launch pushed to January 5, 2022.
On January 4, 2022, shortly after refusing a last-minute federal request, AT&amp;T and Verizon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/att-verizon-postpone-5g-rollout-near-airports-amid-pressure-from-government-aviation-officials">agreed</a> to postpone the rollout of 5G technology near airports by two weeks.
And on January 18, 2022, in another eleventh-hour move, Verizon and AT&amp;T <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/verizon-and-att-voluntarily-limit-5g-near-airports-to-avoid-flight-chaos-americans-have-been-clamoring-for-5g-and-tomorrow-we-will-deliver-it">agreed</a> to temporarily limit some 5G services in the vicinity of key airports.
Flight cancellations
Emirates Airlines
“Due to operational concerns associated with the planned deployment of 5G mobile network services in the US at certain airports, Emirates will be suspending flights to the following US destinations from 19 January 2022 until further notice: Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Houston (IAH), Miami (MIA), Newark (EWR), Orlando (MCO), San Francisco (SFO) and Seattle (SEA),” the company said in a <a href="https://www.emirates.com/us/english/help/travel-updates/">statement</a>.
Japan Airlines
“Boeing has notified us that 5G signals for U.S. mobile phones, which will begin operating in the U.S. on January 19, 2022, may interfere with the radio wave altimeter installed on the Boeing 777,” the airline <a href="https://twitter.com/ByERussell/status/1483518596722614278">announced</a>. “We have decided not to use this aircraft-type on the U.S. mainland routes until safety is confirmed, and we regret to cancel the flight that cannot be changed to Boeing 787.”
ANA
“With the launch of 5G service in the U.S. on Wednesday, January 19, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has indicated that radio waves from the 5G wireless service may interfere with aircraft altimeters,” the airline <a href="https://twitter.com/ByERussell/status/1483519092912971781">announced</a>. “As a result, Boeing has announced flight restrictions on all airlines operating the Boeing 777 aircraft, and we have canceled or changed the aircraft for some flights to/from the U.S. based on the announcement by Boeing.”
Air India
“Due to deployment of 5G communications in USA,  our operations to USA from India stand curtailed/revised with change in aircraft type from 19th January 2022,” the airline <a href="https://twitter.com/airindiain/status/1483454608026607619">announced</a>.
What has the Biden administration said?
On December 31, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg <a href="https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2021-12/12.31.2021%20-%20DOT%20and%20FAA%20Letter%20to%20ATT%20and%20Verizon%20.pdf">wrote</a> to the heads of Verizon and AT&amp;T, offering a “near-term solution for advancing the co-existence of 5G deployment in the C-Band and safe flight operations,” which was rejected by the heads of the telecom giants.
“The United States has the safest aviation system in the world. We achieve this every day by actively identifying risks and eliminating them. Passengers have confidence that when they board one of the daily 45,000 commercial flights they will safely reach their destination,” Buttigieg wrote. “We are an aviation nation because flying is safe. Our safe aviation systems and thriving aviation industry are profoundly important to America’s economy and our way of life. We know you share the desire to keep aviation safe and efficient, and we urge you to seriously consider this solution as a common-sense way forward.”
On January 18, 2022, President Joe Biden thanked the telecom giants for agreeing to delay the deployment for a third time.
“I want to thank Verizon and AT&amp;T for agreeing to delay 5G deployment around key airports and to continue working with the Department of Transportation on safe 5G deployment at this limited set of locations,” Biden said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/18/statement-by-president-biden-on-5g-agreement/">statement</a>. “This agreement will avoid potentially devastating disruptions to passenger travel, cargo operations, and our economic recovery, while allowing more than 90 percent of wireless tower deployment to occur as scheduled. This agreement protects flight safety and allows aviation operations to continue without significant disruption and will bring more high-speed internet options to millions of Americans. Expanding 5G and promoting competition in internet service are critical priorities of mine, and tomorrow will be a massive step in the right direction.”
Does this problem exist elsewhere?
The main difference between the U.S. and other countries regarding 5G technology is the frequencies used by networks. In the European Union, for example, networks use lower frequencies than U.S. providers, thereby reducing the risk of interference. In France, however, “buffer zones” have been imposed around airports and antennas have been tilted downwards.
In the United Kingdom, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60042178?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bbbc.news.twitter%5D-%5Bheadline%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D&amp;at_medium=custom7&amp;at_campaign=64&amp;at_custom2=twitter&amp;at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&amp;at_custom3=%40BBCNews&amp;at_custom4=1B96D920-786B-11EC-8128-6FFE4744363C">said</a> that &#8220;there have been no confirmed instances where 5G interference has resulted in aircraft system malfunction or unexpected behavior.&#8221;
The CAA also noted that &#8220;different national mobile telecommunication strategies may mean that some [countries] have a higher threat exposure than others&#8221;.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Readers-Pass—Haworth—Why-Is-5G-Causing-Air-Travel-Chaos–Everything-You-Need-To-Know

Why Is 5G Causing Air Travel Chaos? Everything You Need To Know

Air Travel

AT&amp;T

Boeing

Readers Pass

Verizon

On Tuesday, Verizon and AT&amp;T agreed to “voluntarily” delay the rollout of C-band 5G technology near key airports, following a warning from the country’s largest airlines that the deployment would cause “major disruption” to flights across the country.
President Joe Biden thanked the telecom giants for agreeing to delay the deployment for a third time.
“I want to thank Verizon and AT&amp;T for agreeing to delay 5G deployment around key airports and to continue working with the Department of Transportation on safe 5G deployment at this limited set of locations,” President Biden said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/18/statement-by-president-biden-on-5g-agreement/">statement</a>. “This agreement will avoid potentially devastating disruptions to passenger travel, cargo operations, and our economic recovery, while allowing more than 90 percent of wireless tower deployment to occur as scheduled. This agreement protects flight safety and allows aviation operations to continue without significant disruption and will bring more high-speed internet options to millions of Americans. Expanding 5G and promoting competition in internet service are critical priorities of mine, and tomorrow will be a massive step in the right direction.”
“My team has been engaging non-stop with the wireless carriers, airlines, and aviation equipment manufacturers to chart a path forward for 5G deployment and aviation to safely co-exist – and, at my direction, they will continue to do so until we close the remaining gap and reach a permanent, workable solution around these key airports,” Biden added.
“Verizon is proud to lead the nation in 5G. Tomorrow, Verizon will launch its 5G Ultra Wideband network which will enable more than 90 million Americans to experience the transformative speed, reliability and power of this game-changing network on the go or in their homes or businesses,” Verizon announced in a <a href="https://twitter.com/KaraKenney6/status/1483509116006019079">statement</a>. “Americans have been clamoring for 5G and tomorrow we will deliver it. As the nation’s leading wireless provider, we have voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and our nation’s airlines have not been able to fully resolve navigating 5G around airports, despite it being safe and fully operational in more than 40 countries. Thanks to the best team in the industry for delivering this technology which promises a revolutionary next step in wireless communications including tremendous benefits for our nation.”
&#8220;At our sole discretion we have voluntarily agreed to temporarily defer turning on a limited number of towers around certain airport runways as we continue to work with the aviation industry and the FAA to provide further information about our 5G deployment,&#8221; an AT&amp;T spokesperson said in a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/att-verizon-5g-airports-catastrophic-disruption-travel/">statement</a>.
The concerns raised by both the aerospace industry and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relate to potential interference of 5G with flight technology such as radio altimeters.
“[R]adio altimeters cannot be relied upon to perform their intended function if they experience interference from wireless broadband operations,” <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-statement-5g">the FAA said</a>, adding it would require “limitations prohibiting certain operations requiring radio altimeter data when in the presence of 5G C-Band interference.”
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at<a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth"> @ighaworth</a>.

Joe Biden

Biden Thanks Verizon And AT&T For 5G Delay, Will Avoid ‘Potentially Devastating Disruptions’ To Air Travel

In another eleventh-hour move in the ongoing saga over an upcoming 5G rollout, Verizon and AT&amp;T have both agreed to temporarily limit some 5G services in the vicinity of key airports, after the largest U.S. airlines warned that the deployment would cause “major disruption” to flights across the country.
“Verizon is proud to lead the nation in 5G. Tomorrow, Verizon will launch its 5G Ultra Wideband network which will enable more than 90 million Americans to experience the transformative speed, reliability and power of this game-changing network on the go or in their homes or businesses,” Verizon announced in a <a href="https://twitter.com/KaraKenney6/status/1483509116006019079">statement</a>. “Americans have been clamoring for 5G and tomorrow we will deliver it. As the nation’s leading wireless provider, we have voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and our nation’s airlines have not been able to fully resolve navigating 5G around airports, despite it being safe and fully operational in more than 40 countries. Thanks to the best team in the industry for delivering this technology which promises a revolutionary next step in wireless communications including tremendous benefits for our nation.”
&#8220;At our sole discretion we have voluntarily agreed to temporarily defer turning on a limited number of towers around certain airport runways as we continue to work with the aviation industry and the FAA to provide further information about our 5G deployment,&#8221; an AT&amp;T spokesperson said in a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/att-verizon-5g-airports-catastrophic-disruption-travel/">statement</a>.
This is now the third time Verizon and AT&amp;T have delayed the launch of this 5G technology.
“The ripple effects across both passenger and cargo operations, our workforce and the broader economy are simply incalculable. Every one of the passenger and cargo carriers will be struggling to get people, shipments, planes and crews where they need to be. To be blunt, the nation’s commerce will grind to a halt,” the heads of ten U.S. airlines <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/airlines-warn-of-major-disruption-if-5g-deployment-continues-will-cause-a-completely-avoidable-economic-calamity">wrote</a> to U.S. aviation authorities. “Given the short time frame and the exigency of this completely avoidable economic calamity, we respectfully request you support and take whatever action necessary to ensure that 5G is deployed except when towers are too close to airport runways until the FAA can determine how that can be safely accomplished without catastrophic disruption. We stand ready and eager to continue our work with the U.S. government and mobile wireless providers on finding a solution set that allows 5G to expand to the ‘C-Band’ while also protecting aviation from devastating operational restrictions. However, immediate action is necessary to provide ample time for those discussions to move forward in any meaningful way.”
The concerns raised by both the aerospace industry and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relate to potential interference of 5G with flight technology such as radio altimeters.
“[R]adio altimeters cannot be relied upon to perform their intended function if they experience interference from wireless broadband operations,” <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-statement-5g">the FAA said</a>, adding it would require “limitations prohibiting certain operations requiring radio altimeter data when in the presence of 5G C-Band interference.”
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at<a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth"> @ighaworth</a>.

Verizon AT&T 5G

Verizon And AT&T ‘Voluntarily’ Limit 5G Near Airports To Avoid Flight Chaos: ‘Americans Have Been Clamoring For 5G And Tomorrow We Will Deliver It’

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Shortly after refusing a last-minute federal request, AT&amp;T and Verizon have now agreed to postpone the rollout of upcoming 5G technology near airports by two weeks, following concerns over safety.
Late on Monday evening, AT&amp;T and Verizon agreed to delay the activation of 5G services in the vicinity of airports until January 19. In the meantime, officials will continue to work on the application of restrictions used in France regarding 5G technology.
&#8220;At Secretary [of Transportation Pete] Buttigieg&#8217;s request, we have voluntarily agreed to one additional two-week delay of our deployment of C-Band 5G services,&#8221; an AT&amp;T spokesperson said in a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/03/tech/att-verizon-5g-rollout-postpone/index.html">statement</a>. &#8220;We also remain committed to the six-month protection zone mitigations we outlined in our letter. We know aviation safety and 5G can co-exist and we are confident further collaboration and technical assessment will allay any issues.&#8221;
Spokesman Rich Young confirmed that Verizon would also agree to the two-week delay, and that such a decision &#8220;promises the certainty of bringing this nation our game-changing 5G network in January delivered over America&#8217;s best and most reliable network.&#8221;
“The announcement comes as aviation industry officials had been expected to sue the Federal Communications Commission in a last-ditch bid to keep the rollout from taking effect on Jan. 5,” CNN reported. “Preparations to file the court petition were already underway when news of the agreement arrived, according to an airline industry official, who said that the litigation would be paused in light of the two-week extension.”
In a statement, the FAA thanked the wireless carriers.
&#8220;Safety is the core of our mission and this guides all of our decisions,&#8221; the agency said. &#8220;We look forward to using the additional time and space to reduce flight disruptions associated with this 5G deployment.&#8221;
This follows news that AT&amp;T and Verizon initially <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/att-verizon-reject-buttigiegs-last-minute-plea-to-delay-looming-5g-launches">rejected</a> U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s last-minute plea that their scheduled launch of the latest 5G wireless technology be delayed due to safety concerns.
“With continued COVID crises, it has never been more important that our country’s critical communications infrastructure have the spectrum needed to handle escalating traffic demands from our customers,” AT&amp;T CEO John Stankey and Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg wrote in <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000017e-1c36-dee4-a5ff-fe3e997f0000">a joint letter</a> on Sunday.
Earlier in December, the heads of aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-cannot-be-the-outcome-air-travel-industry-sounds-the-alarm-over-5g-interference">warned</a> against the upcoming plans to deploy new 5G wireless networks, arguing that the technology could endanger the reliability of vital aircraft safety systems.
Both Dave Calhoun, Chief Executive of Boeing, and Jeffrey Knittel, the CEO of Airbus Americas, urged the Biden administration to delay the rollout of 5G.
In a statement, Boeing said the aerospace industry was “focused on fully evaluating and addressing the potential for 5G interference with radio altimeters,” according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/21/1066240779/boeing-airbus-5g-wireless-delay-aircraft-safety-concerns">NPR</a>.
“We are collaborating with aviation authorities, government leaders, airlines, and industry groups to ensure the continued operational safety of aircraft throughout the aviation system worldwide,” it said.

John Stankey

AT&T, Verizon Postpone 5G Rollout Near Airports Amid Pressure From Government, Aviation Officials

Pete Buttigieg

On Sunday, AT&amp;T and Verizon rejected U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s last-minute plea that their scheduled launch of the latest 5G wireless technology be delayed due to safety concerns.
“With continued COVID crises, it has never been more important that our country’s critical communications infrastructure have the spectrum needed to handle escalating traffic demands from our customers,” AT&amp;T CEO John Stankey and Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg wrote in <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000017e-1c36-dee4-a5ff-fe3e997f0000">a joint letter</a>.
Earlier in December,  the heads of aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-cannot-be-the-outcome-air-travel-industry-sounds-the-alarm-over-5g-interference">warned</a> against the upcoming plans to deploy new 5G wireless networks, arguing that the technology could endanger the reliability of vital aircraft safety systems.
Both Dave Calhoun, Chief Executive of Boeing, and Jeffrey Knittel, the CEO of Airbus Americas, urged the Biden administration to delay the rollout of 5G.
In a statement, Boeing said the aerospace industry was “focused on fully evaluating and addressing the potential for 5G interference with radio altimeters,” according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/21/1066240779/boeing-airbus-5g-wireless-delay-aircraft-safety-concerns">NPR</a>.
“We are collaborating with aviation authorities, government leaders, airlines, and industry groups to ensure the continued operational safety of aircraft throughout the aviation system worldwide,” it said.
On December 31, Buttigieg <a href="https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2021-12/12.31.2021%20-%20DOT%20and%20FAA%20Letter%20to%20ATT%20and%20Verizon%20.pdf">wrote</a> to Stankey and Vestberg, offering a “near-term solution for advancing the co-existence of 5G deployment in the C-Band and safe flight operations” which was rejected by the heads of the telecom giants.
“The United States has the safest aviation system in the world. We achieve this every day by actively identifying risks and eliminating them. Passengers have confidence that when they board one of the daily 45,000 commercial flights they will safely reach their destination,” Buttigieg wrote. “We are an aviation nation because flying is safe. Our safe aviation systems and thriving aviation industry are profoundly important to America’s economy and our way of life. We know you share the desire to keep aviation safe and efficient, and we urge you to seriously consider this solution as a common-sense way forward.”
The two companies&#8217; CEOs wrote in response: “Agreeing to your proposal would not only be an unprecedented and unwarranted circumvention of the due process and checks and balances carefully crafted in the structure of our democracy, but an irresponsible abdication of the operating control required to deploy world-class and globally competitive communications networks that are every bit as essential to our country’s economic vitality, public safety and national interests as the airline industry.” 
The CEOs also argued that “France provides a real-world example of an operating environment where 5G and aviation safety already co-exist.”
&#8220;If US airlines are permitted to operate flights every day in France, then the same operating conditions should allow them to do so in the United States,&#8221; they said.
According to <a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/at-t-verizon-reject-buttigieg-request-to-delay-their-5g-launches/">CNET</a>, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reviewing the letter.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at<a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth"> @ighaworth</a>.

AT&T, Verizon Reject Buttigieg’s Last-Minute Plea To Delay Looming 5G Launches

Department of Transportation

On Monday, <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/09/28/verizon-scrambling-to-unload-huffpost-as-losses-mount/">the New York Post</a> reported that Verizon, the parent company of Huffington Post, wants to dump the leftist news site.
Verizon purchased HuffPo in 2015 as part of the deal in its $4.4 billion purchase of AOL in 2015, but now, the Post reported, Verizon has contacted multiple digital-media companies to take the news site off its hands. Some of those possible targets reportedly have included Vox Media, Group Nine Media, Penske Media Corp., Bustle Digital Media and J2 Global.
The Post stated that Vox and Group Nine both declined to purchase HuffPo; the Post noted that Group Nine’s CEO is Ben Lerer, the son of Huffington Post co-founder Ken Lerer.
One digital media executive said of HuffPo, “This thing loses so much money. It’s such a mess, I wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole. I don’t think there’s any way you can make money.”
Two sources told the Post that HuffPo’s expenses range from $60 million and $70 million, but the site only brings in between $45 million to $50 million a year, and with the losses from the coronavirus pandemic, the site’s earnings could drop to $40 million this year.
HuffPo has roughly between 150- and 200 employees; one source told the Post that HuffPo suffers from a “toxic culture” with “distrust in the organization” and “in-fighting” over how “Left” HuffPo should be. The source added, “Who wants to buy ads on the thing? Nobody. If Verizon can’t make money on it, who can? And, you have to fire half the people? There goes the traffic. The brand means nothing anymore and it’s ultra-partisan.”
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/05/magazine/arianna-huffingtons-improbable-insatiable-content-machine.html?auth=login-email&amp;login=email">The New York Times</a> reported in June 2015, “The Huffington Post broke even last year on $146 million in revenue, according to someone familiar with the site’s finances.” In January 2019, HuffPo <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/verizon-media-huffpost-layoffs_us_5c48b986e4b083c46d64e85a?tjm">announced</a> it was laying off roughly 20 employees, which it said comprised 9.5% of its staff. HuffPost Editor-in-Chief Lydia Polgreen said:
<blockquote>It’s a tough day for HuffPost, and we’re losing some talented and beloved colleagues. We are deeply committed to quality journalism that reflects what matters most to our diverse audiences across the globe. HuffPost is aligning its talents and investments to areas that have high audience engagement, differentiation and are poised for growth at a time when our mission means more than ever.</blockquote>
In October 2019, HuffPo laid off 11 more employees; the site <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/huffpost-video-layoffs_n_5d9640f4e4b02911e117bc2c">reported</a>:
<blockquote>Among the cuts were five managers, video producers, camera operators, on-screen talent and several branded shows the department was working on. A company spokesperson released a statement, saying HuffPost was “realigning its video strategy.” The statement read: &#8220;We remain deeply committed to quality journalism and what matters most to our diverse audiences across the globe. HuffPost is realigning its video strategy to invest and allocate resources to support its core areas that have high audience engagement, differentiation and are poised for growth as we continue on our mission to provide a voice to all people.&#8221;</blockquote>

US-MEDIA-IT-INTERNET

Report: Verizon Trying To Unload HuffPo. No Takers Yet.

Huffington Post

California firefighters battling the huge blazes in Lake County got furious with Verizon Wireless, claiming the company slowed down the internet service that was critical in the firefighters&#8217; efforts.
According to Capt. Bill Murphy, the slowed service, which happened several weeks ago as firefighters battled the Mendocino County fire, affected email and the updating of documents that dealt with deployment.
According to <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-verizon-firefighters-slowdown-data-20180823-story.html">The Los Angeles Times</a>, the firefighters discovered that Verizon Wirless had slowed the fire department&#8217;s connection to 1/200 or less than previous speeds because the data plan limit had been exceeded.
Murphy commented, &#8220;It essentially rendered those very routine communications almost useless or completely ineffective. They were essentially dealing with dial-up type speeds.&#8221;
After a Verizon representative informed the firefighters they needed to upgrade their service to a $99.99 per month plan, doubling the bill, the department complied, and service improved.
Verizon spokeswoman Heidi Flato acknowledged, &#8220;In this situation, we should have lifted the speed restriction when our customer reached out to us. We are reviewing the situation and will fix any issues going forward.&#8221;
Santa Clara County Fire Chief Anthony Bowden <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/22/technology/verizon-firefighter-data-throttled/index.html">said</a> his department&#8217;s mobile communication center sent and received five to 10 gigabytes of data every day.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department is now suing Verizon Wireless, according to <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6091055/Verizon-sued-California-firefighters-slowing-speeds-biggest-wildfire-state-history.html">The Daily Mail</a>, which added the lawsuit claims the throttling resulted from the repeal of net neutrality rules.

CA Firefighters Furious At Verizon For Slowing Service While They Battled Huge Fires

California

Fire

Verizon Communications Inc. may announce it is giving bonuses as the company expects new U.S tax cuts instituted by President Trump which lowered its tax rate from 35% to 21% in last month&#8217;s bill would boost its cash flow by $3.5 billion to $4 billion in 2018. On Tuesday, the company stated that it would announce &#8220;how employees will further share in the company&#8217;s success.&#8221;
Verizon&#8217;s fourth-quarter earnings proved lower than expected, prompting the company to offer unlimited data plans to attract customers. According to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-23/verizon-sees-4-billion-tax-cut-boost-solace-from-wireless-woe">Bloomberg,</a> &#8220;Verizon posted 1.2 million retail postpaid net additions, including 647,000 phone users, according to its <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/P30C043RXUKJ">statement</a>.&#8221;
AT&amp;T Inc. has already promised to give 200,000 of its workers a $1,000 bonus, and is planning to invest an additional $1 billion in the U.S. this year.
Verizon offered a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/732712/000073271218000002/a2018_01x17x8-k.htm">filing</a> last week, stating that had increased its fourth-quarter earnings roughly $16.8 billion or $4.10 a share; the company is expected to record a net profit of $18.7 billion this year.
According to <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/01/verizon-wont-be-using-tax-cut-to-boost-spending-on-network-upgrades/">Ars Technica</a>, Verizon&#8217;s investments over the past few years have fluctuated; its network spending amounted to $17.2 billion in 2014, rose to $17.8 billion, dropped to $17.1 billion in 2016, stayed steady at $17.2 billion in 2017, and is projected to range from $17.0 billion to $17.8 billion in 2018. ARs Technica added, &#8220;If Verizon spends at the high end of $17.8 billion, it would merely match its highest annual capital spending total from when net neutrality rules were in place.&#8221;

Verizon’s Cash Flow Up, May Offer Bonuses

Donald Trump

Taxes

Shortly before the 2016 election, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved new stringent regulations that limited the way Internet Service Providers (ISPs), such as Verizon and cable companies, can use customer data. These rules essentially required ISPs to allow customers the option of opting-in before ISPs could sell their information to marketing/advertising firms.
In March, the Republican Congress overturned these new rules, resulting in much-undeserved backlash. These new regulations were unnecessary and usurped the traditional authority held by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the Internet. But this has not held back news outlets and commentators from making outlandish claims that the government just gut your privacy and that your browser history was up for sale. These claims are totally false for a variety of reasons.
To begin, the FCC rules never formally went into effect. The new regulations were supposed to go into effect on March 1st, 2017 but FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, effectively halted the implementation of them after receiving a petition put forward by eleven trade associations. Shortly after, Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to permanently prevent the new rules; this resolution was later signed on March 25th by President Trump. The prevention of these rules is not a sudden violation of privacy but rather a continuation of the status quo.
The FCC still has the power to regulate the privacy policies of ISPs. ISPs, for instance, cannot sell your Internet history along with personal information. This myth was debunked when a fundraising attempt to <a href="https://www.recode.net/2017/4/27/15453396/gofundme-campaigns-buy-lawmakers-web-histories-failed">purchase</a> the Internet history of Congress was unsuccessful since this information could be legally sold. In 2016, the FCC went after <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-fcc-privacy-rules-repeal-explained-2017-4/#all-that-said-the-data-isps-can-collect-isnt-omnipotent-14">Verizon</a> for incorporating &#8220;supercookies&#8221; with the intention of tracking the traffic of their mobile users. Verizon was forced to pay a sum of $1.35 million and have since been placed on a compliance plan that forces them to provide an opt out option for users when it comes to the company using their data. So it is clearly not the case that the FCC has lost all power when it relates to enforcing privacy laws and rules on private companies.
ISPs also have privacy policies that give the option of whether or not to opt into their target ads program. In January, the largest ISPs pledged to follow the privacy rule outlined by the FTC, which includes asking for consent to share sensitive information, such as your location, name and other pertinent information, in a notice called the CTIA. Granted, the CTIA still presents the possibility of ISPs selling large swaths of anonymous customer data. For example, if a customer uses ESPN.com continuously and stubhub.com to purchase baseball tickets, they will be lumped into a group of customers possibly defined as sports fans and receive advertisements personally tailored to that preference. But actual personal information, such as your name, social security number, health information and location, are not at risk.
These new rules were also not broadly applied. ISPs were the only ones subjected to them although other data-intensive companies such as Google and Facebook were exempted from them. Google and Facebook have the ability to collect nearly as much data and actually <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/no-republicans-didnt-just-strip-away-your-internet-privacy-rights/2017/04/04/73e6d500-18ab-11e7-9887-1a5314b56a08_story.html?utm_term=.45cc82c89d4f">more</a> &#8220;commercially valuable information about online users.&#8221; This data includes information provided in a social media profile, such as Facebook or Twitter, or Google having access to your personal search history. ISPs would not have direct access to this information.
It is often argued that an absence of competition in the ISP marketplace requires more stringent regulation on ISPs than social-media or search engine websites. However, there is a distinct lack of competition in the area of social media and search engines. Google, for example, dominates the search engine market in both desktop and mobile searches at 81% and 96%, respectively. Just think to yourself, have you ever met anybody who uses Bing or Yahoo as a search engine? These numbers can also be compared to Verizon&#8217;s share of their own respective market at 35%, although they are the leading broadband providers.
In terms of social media, there <a href="https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/">were</a> more than 1.94 billion active Facebook users in March 2017 and it has been increasing by wide margins every year. Social media is a market that also transcends traditional competition as each dominant social media website has a unique interface and approach to interacting with other users. In 2014, 52% of Internet users <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/social-media-update-2014/pi_2015-01-09_social-media_09/">used</a> two or more social media, which is trending upward from 42% in 2013 indicating that the percentage is in all likelihood higher today. Social media has become an extremely broad term when in reality there are niche markets within every sector of social media that are primarily dominated by one platform &#8211; i.e. Instagram for pictures, Twitter for news, and LinkedIn for professional connections &#8211; creating a monopoly of sorts in their individual markets. The individualism of social media platforms encourages users to sign up for multiple websites providing a wide range of data for these companies to sell. Claiming lack of competition is just not relevant in providing justification for not broadly applying the new rules by the FCC. Verizon, AT&amp;T and cable companies have to legitimately compete with each other since customers only need a maximum of two servers &#8211; one for home connectivity and the other for mobile support &#8211; versus social media outlets which lack any true outright competition.
Regulating the Internet is not a responsibility of the FCC as it has traditionally fallen under the jurisdiction of the FTC. In January 2015, the FCC wrongly reclassified ISPs, using Title II of the Telecommunications Act, as telecommunication providers. This initiated federal authority over the Internet as ISPs were then forced to regard the Internet as a public utility meaning that they could not prioritize certain customers or servers over others. This initial ruling catalyzed the continued broadening of the FCC&#8217;s power to regulate the Internet culminating in these new regulations, even despite the fact that the FCC lacks the knowledge and expertise that had been cultivated by the FTC after about two decades of regulating the Internet.
The government can play a role in protecting consumer privacy on the Internet, but the FTC, which has the legitimate experience of regulating the Internet, should pursue this privacy regulation along with a consistent policy that applies across the board and not just to ISPs. There also needs to be an update of the laws regulating the Internet, particularly if the FCC retains jurisdiction over the Internet. The FCC is currently using the Telecommunications Act to regulate the Internet, which was passed in the 1930s. Congress, not the bureaucracy, needs to move swiftly to update the laws governing the Internet and return proper jurisdiction to the FTC.
Daniel MacLane is a political science major at Rutgers University. He is a contributing writer for Third Dimension Strategies, has written columns for the Daily Targum, and is a contributor to Lone Conservative. Follow Daniel on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/dannymaclane">@dannymaclane</a>.

Republicans Need To Repeal Obama’s Internet Power Grab

Barack Obama

Democratic Party

Facebook

Google

Internet

Republican Party

For those who argue that President Trump is too soft on Vladimir Putin and Russia, consider this: On Wednesday, the Justice Department is expected to announce the indictments of two members of the Russian government along with two criminal hackers for stealing into 500 million Yahoo user accounts in 2014.
The indictments are the first U.S. criminal cyber charges ever against Russian government officials, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-department-charging-russian-spies-and-criminal-hackers-for-yahoo-intrusion/2017/03/15/64b98e32-0911-11e7-93dc-00f9bdd74ed1_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_justice-1010a:homepage/story&amp;utm_term=.1d121d7b4e34">The Washington Post</a>. The two officials, Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Sushchin, his superior, work for the FSB, which is similar to the FBI&#8217;s cyber division. Dokuchaev, whose hacker alias was &#8220;Forb,&#8221; <a href="http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/27/russia-arrests-four-american-spies-working-as-top-cybersecurity-officials-6409849/">was arrested</a> in Moscow by the Russian government for passing information to the CIA, then allegedly agreed to work for the FSB to avoid prosecution for bank card fraud.
The two hackers are Alexsey Belan, who is currently under protection in Russia, and has been charged with hacking into three major tech firms in Nevada and California in 2012 and 2013, and Karim Baratov, born in Kazakhstan but later became a Canadian citizen. He was arrested in Canada on Tuesday.
All four men will be charged by the U.S. government with hacking, wire fraud, trade secret theft and economic espionage.
Yahoo reported the 2014 data breach &#8211; the largest in history ­&#8211; last fall, later revealing another hack that was made into over 1 billion user accounts in 2013. There is no evidence yet as to whether the two hacks are related.
The Post reported:
<blockquote>
The compromised accounts may have affected more than just email. Breaking into a Yahoo account would give the hackers access to users&#8217; activity on Flickr, Tumblr, fantasy sports and other Yahoo applications. In the 2014 hack, the FSB &#8212; Russia&#8217;s Federal Security Service, and a successor to the KGB &#8212; sought the information for intelligence purposes, targeting journalists, dissidents and U.S. government officials, but allowed the criminal hackers to use the email cache for the officials&#8217; and the hackers&#8217; financial gain, through spamming and other operations.
</blockquote>
Yahoo&#8217;s sale to Verizon was renegotiated after the two hacks; Yahoo had to lower its price.

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