[Chapter-delegates] FW: Internet Society North America Updates – June 2017

Fri Jun 16 03:45:56 PDT 2017

Hi, all,

Please find below the June 2017 edition of the North American Bureau’s newsletter.

Thanks!

Mark Buell

Regional Bureau Director, North America

Internet Society

Skype: mark_at_isoc

Twitter: @mebuell and @isoc_na

www.isoc.org 

From: Mark Buell <buell at isoc.org>
Date: Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 11:03 AM
To: "northamerica-chapters at elists.isoc.org" <northamerica-chapters at elists.isoc.org>
Subject: Internet Society North America Updates – June 2017

Welcome to the June 2017 edition of the Internet Society North American Bureau’s monthly newsletter!

In the News:

Global: 

70% of global Internet traffic will flow over CDNs over the next five years:

The internet is being reshaped by private networks owned by the world’s tech giants: firms like Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and Google. The majority of internet traffic already flows over such private networks, called content delivery networks (CDNs), but that proportion is set to increase to over 70% of global internet traffic over the next five years, according to Cisco’s annual forecast of internet traffic trends.

According to Harvard Business Review, cyber awareness training is your best bet for cyber defense. 

No matter what technology is made available to stop cybercrime, cyber threats will not completely disappear as long as humans are involved. Humans are imperfect and cybercriminals have taken advantage of this to scam people and organizations out of billions of dollars each year. Companies often spend large amounts of their cybersecurity budget on complex security systems like anti-malware/anti-virus software, intrusion detection programs, and more. However, what companies are missing in their cyber strategy is the piece centered around people. 

Freedom of Expression and the Digital Access Industry: Five Key Takeaways

The Internet, a historically unparalleled source of information and expression, has also become a playground for censorship, punishment and propaganda. Not a day goes by where an individual is not arrested, prosecuted or threatened for the content of a tweet or a post. States are ordering internet shutdowns in times of public protest, elections, and even school exams. Governments enjoy surveillance capabilities that drill deep into the lives of journalists, activists, political opposition, and regular citizens.

United States:

Is the Internet a utility? San Francisco may be the first U.S. city to answer "yes"

In a city where so much information is tweeted, emailed, Skyped or texted, thousands of people are getting left behind.

Digital divide persists even as lower-income Americans make gains in tech adoption 

Nearly 30 years after the debut of the World Wide Web, internet use, broadband adoption and smartphone ownership have grown rapidly for all Americans – including those who are less well off financially. But even as many aspects of the digital divide have narrowed over time, the digital lives of lower- and higher-income Americans remain markedly different.

United States ranks only 10th fastest average Internet connection worldwide 

Internet connections are getting faster in the United States, but several other countries are outpacing it.

David Redl Nominated to Head NTIA 

David Redl, chief counsel of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be assistant secretary for Communications & Information at the Department of Commerce.

Trump Signs Executive Order Aimed at Protecting U.S. Infrastructure, Homeland Security

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a wide-ranging executive order aimed at bolstering U.S. cybersecurity, setting the stage for modernization of the government’s aging information technology infrastructure, in part by moving toward cloud computing.

Canada

Government of Canada launches $50-million coding program for young Canadians 

Young Canadians will get the skills they need for the well-paying jobs of the future as a result of a $50-million program that gives them the opportunity to learn coding and other digital skills.

Internet service fully restored after Northwestel repairs damaged fibre optic cable west of Yellowknife

Northwestel is reporting internet, telecom and cellphone service have been fully restored in the Yellowknife region, including Behchoko, after disruptions Tuesday afternoon that began at approximately 1 p.m.

Making Sense of Jean-Pierre Blais 

My learned colleague Michael Geist has published an appreciation of the departing chairman of the CRTC, Jean Pierre Blais. I am glad he has done so because he reminded me of several aspects of Blais’ term that were highly positive innovations. The most important of them was to make the Internet the foremost consideration of policy, and on this I would like to dwell.

Canada’s privacy czar raises flag over planned U.S. border password searches

Canadian privacy could be imperiled by apparent U.S. plans to demand cellphone and social media passwords from foreign visitors, a federal watchdog says.

Iqaluit Mayor: Slow Internet Holds Back Canada's Eastern Arctic 

Without a high-speed fiber-optic link, Nunavut remains dependent on a sluggish, satellite-based internet service. That’s increasingly a problem for the territory’s economy and government, says Madeleine Redfern, the mayor of Nunavut’s capital, Iqaluit.

Dempster Highway fibre optic line cost could soar to $80M, twice the original estimate

An engineering report recently done for Northwestel found the cost of a proposed fibre optic line up the Dempster Highway could be more than double the original estimate.

ISOC’s Work:

Our Policy Statement at the WSIS Forum: The answer lies in partnerships. Support Your Local Heroes! 

The WSIS +10 Review made explicit the link between the WSIS process and the 2030 Agenda. A link that highlights the unprecedented ability for information technology to support human progress, and to reduce the world’s geographic and social barriers. A link that clearly demonstrates that connectivity enables socio-economic development. 

What net neutrality is (and isn't)  

There are few Internet policy issues as divisive as net neutrality, neither are there many issues that apparently elicit such passion. At the root of the debate is, in my opinion, not necessarily the principles of net neutrality; rather, I believe it is in the mechanism used to enforce it.

The Future Internet I Want for Me, Myself and AI

Artificial Intelligence has the potential to bring immense opportunities, but it also poses challenges.

Upcoming Events:

6/26-28/17 – US Ignite, Smart Cities Innovation Summit, Austin, TX

6/15/17 – Qualcomm, 5G Promises The Massive Internet of Things But do we have to wait for 5G?, Webinar

6/16/17 – FCC, Disability Advisory Committee Meeting, Washington, D.C. 

6/16-18/17 – Entertainment Software Association, E3, Los Angeles, CA

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If you have any events, news or announcements you would like to include in the North American newsletter, please let me know.

Mark Buell

Regional Bureau Director, North America

Internet Society

Skype: mark_at_isoc

Twitter: @mebuell and @isoc_na

www.isoc.org 

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