AT&T calls for net neutrality laws after fighting to end FCC rules

Few people would call AT&T a champion of net neutrality, but that isn’t stopping it from trying to claim the title. CEO Randall Stephenson has posted an open letter calling on Congress to write an “Internet Bill of Rights” that enforces “neutrality, transparency, openness, non-discrimination and privacy protection” for American internet users. They would not only defend consumer rights, Stephenson argues, but establish “consistent rules of the road” that give internet companies and telecoms an idea of what they can expect.

The company chief also insisted that AT&T honored an open internet and doesn’t block, throttle or otherwise hinder access to content.

The problem, as you might suspect, is what the company isn’t saying. The US already had protections for net neutrality that do what it’s asking for, but AT&T and other telecoms (including our parent Verizon) have spent years fighting net neutrality regulation whenever it comes up. The carrier spent over $16 million in lobbying just in 2017, and it maintained its anti-regulatory stance throughout the FCC’s repeal process. While it has argued that FCC regulation isn’t predictable (policies tend to swing back and forth depending on who’s in power), why champion for an end to the rules now, when Congress is less likely to pass neutrality laws?

Also, while AT&T says it won’t slow down content, that doesn’t mean it’s advocating for a strictly level playing field. Stephenson’s open letter says nothing about the possibility of charging extra to speed up access, and AT&T is one of multiple providers who pushed Netflix into peering deals to ensure smooth traffic. A full commitment to net neutrality would include a promise not to create de facto “slow lanes” by requiring that customers or internet companies pay extra to guarantee a good connection, and there’s no mention of that here.

Source: AT&T

When is a planet too big to be called a planet?

There have been quite a few discussions on what makes a planet (and what doesn’t) in the past, the most famous of which resulted in the infamous demotion of Pluto from planet status. But now, there’s some rumblings on the upper end of things. This week, Kevin Schlaufman published an article in The Astrophysical Journal proposing the maximum size something can be and still be considered a planet: between four and ten times the mass of Jupiter. Jupiter is, in turn, approximately 317 times as massive as Earth.

Schlaufman specifically narrows in on the difference between gas giants, like Jupiter or Saturn, and brown dwarfs. Brown dwarfs are, essentially, failed stars and occupy a strange in-between place in the hierarchy of planets and stellar objects. Brown dwarfs are more massive than your typical planet, but don’t have quite enough mass to sustain the nuclear fusion of hydrogen in its core.

The problem is that there is murkiness in the definition of what actually is a very large planet versus a small star. Right now, the IAU (International Astronomical Union) definition for a star is that it has to be massive enough to ignite and sustain the process of nuclear fusion. This occurs in objects that are roughly 13 times the mass of Jupiter. Does this mean that everything smaller is a planet? That’s the ambiguity that Schlaufman is attempting to address.

His solution, limiting planets to anything with a mass of ten times Jupiter’s and under, derives from taking a close look at 146 solar systems. Basically, he found that gas giants virtually always orbit stars that are metal-rich (or, rich in elements heavier than helium that can help in planet formation). Brown dwarfs do not. Therefore, he aimed to discover the mass at which an object disregarded the metal content of the star it orbited. That magic number was between four and ten times Jupiter’s mass.

It’s certainly an interesting proposition, and the data-driven approach is appealing. Schlaufman notes that the ESA satellite Gaia, which launched in 2013 and aims to chart a three-dimensional map of our galaxy, will help support these findings in a large-scale way. It will be interesting to see what that five-year mission turns up, and to see whether scientists do, indeed, put a cap on the definition of a planet as a result.

Via: Popular Mechanics

Source: The Astrophysical Journal

Ubisoft’s Sam is a virtual assistant meant solely for gamers

Apple has Siri, Amazon has Alexa, and now, Ubisoft has Sam. Yes, really. It’s a virtual assistant geared specifically toward gaming, and Ubisoft has started to weave a beta version of the service into its Ubisoft Club companion app… well, for Canadian gamers, anyway. Ubisoft is clearly treating Sam as a test balloon of sorts, meant to gather data and gauge people’s reactions to the idea of a game-fluent concierge. After a brief demo, though, it seems pretty clear that not everyone will find Sam useful in the short term.

You can engage it in idle chitchat and ask it general knowledge questions, but Sam is at its best when you ask it about (what else?) Ubisoft games. Ask Sam when a particular title comes out, for example, and it’ll respond with a link to Ubisoft’s online store and might highlight the most recent trailer for good measure. Casually drop an acronym like “ACO” into a conversation and Sam will understand that you’re probably talking about Assassin’s Creed Origins. You shouldn’t expect much in the way of useful, non-gaming answers though: in a demo with Ubisoft Club creative director Charles Huteau, Sam offered up fictional weather details for the world inside Assassin’s Creed instead of telling me it was raining in Manhattan. (Thankfully, you can upvote or downvote on Sam’s responses as needed.)

Sam’s real value lies in its chops as a sort of personal gaming assistant. Let’s say you’re a competitive Rainbow Six: Siege player — once you sign into the Ubisoft Club, Sam will helpfully chime in with a recap of your last match, tell you how many PVP rounds you’ve won so far, and most importantly, offer up a selection of curated YouTube videos to help you get even better. Assuming everything in this beta goes well, Sam will be tied more thoughtfully into more Ubisoft properties, to the point where it’ll begin to push specific stats and tips to you once you fire up a game. For now, though, the Sam team is just concerned about getting Sam out into the world so it can see what has to be polished and fixed.

Honestly, that Sam exists at all is pretty weird — the first big boom in popularity for chatbots is well behind us, and from what I’ve seen of its beta form, Sam is more helpful for competitive gamers than casual ones. It’s still early days for the one-time hackathon project, though, and the team is still figuring out what Sam could and should be able to do next, though. Future versions of Sam could potentially figure out how are a long you are in a specific game and offer helpful videos to help you navigate especially tricky segments, though Huteau concedes finding the right balance between helpful and obnoxious could take some work.

Vivo’s in-display fingerprint reader won’t play nice with screen protectors

It’s only been two weeks since Vivo’s latest attempt with an in-display fingerprint reader on a smartphone, and even though it didn’t work perfectly for us, the company thinks it’s ready for prime time. In China, consumers will soon be able to use this cool feature on the new Vivo X20 Plus UD, which is available today for 3,598 yuan or about $560, and it’ll be shipping from February 1st. As the “UD” in the name implies, the fingerprint reader here has been moved from the rear side to underneath the display, courtesy of Synaptics’ Clear ID sensor.

Apart from the special black-and-gold design, this device is otherwise identical to the original X20 Plus. You’ll find the same 6.43-inch 2,160 x 1,080 (18:9) AMOLED screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset, 4GB of RAM, a 3,905 mAh battery, a 12-megapixel-plus-5-megapixel f/1.8 dual camera on the back and a 12-megapixel f/2.0 camera on the front. As for storage, the X20 Plus UD here only comes in a 128GB flavor, and you can add up to a further 256GB via a microSD card. What makes both models stand out from other mid-rangers is their ES9318 DAC to please the mobile audiophiles — something that Vivo is best known for doing over the years.

One interesting point addressed by Vivo today was whether a screen protector would get in the way of the in-display fingerprint reader. Well, that depends: it’s actually fine as long as the screen protector doesn’t exceed a certain thickness, otherwise it will affect the fingerprint’s reflection as seen by Synaptics’ optical sensor. To save us the trouble, the X20 Plus UD will come with a film that works, though if you need a replacement, chances are you’ll have to buy one from Vivo to ensure compatibility.

While not everyone uses a screen protector, Senior Mobile Editor Chris Velazco had previously pointed out the potential issues with the in-display fingerprint reader when the screen is scratched or cracked, so it may actually be worth the additional protection on such a device. On the other hand, though, it’ll be interesting to see how well this feature holds up as the unprotected screen ages over time. Either way, if the in-display fingerprint reader does end up becoming a popular feature, then the screen protector manufacturers better be ready for it.

Via: Engadget Chinese

Source: Vivo

Samsung releases the official 2018 Winter Olympics app

If you’re an Olympics nerd, then take note: Samsung has released the official app of the PyeongChang 2018 games. It’s ready for download now in the App Store and Google Play Store. The app is available in Korean, English, French, Japanese and Chinese (it’s not clear whether this means Mandarin, Cantonese or both).

The app aims to deliver a smooth Olympics experience by functioning as a one-stop shop for athlete information, rankings, medal standings, records for both the Olympics and Paralympics and real-time updates. It’s powered by Samsung, which has been involved with the Olympic Games since 1998, when they were set in Seoul. Now, the games are returning to Samsung’s home country two decades later.

SpaceX tests the Falcon Heavy’s 27 engines ahead of first launch

Today, SpaceX performed a static fire test on its Falcon Heavy rocket. Also called the hold-down test, it involved loading the rocket with propellant and firing all of its 27 engines at once while the rocket was secured to the launch pad. The test appears to have been successful, though we are waiting on confirmation from SpaceX.

The Falcon Heavy has had a long road to this point; it was first announced back in 2011. The target launch date has been delayed multiple times, but that isn’t a surprise. This is an incredibly complex rocket, and the largest since the Saturn Vs that took us to the moon. Now that the static fire appears to have been successfully completed, assuming the rocket performed nominally, the company will likely set a launch date soon.

US government will investigate fake net neutrality comments

In December, a number of US Representatives sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) asking it to investigate fraudulent comments submitted to the FCC’s proposal to repeal net neutrality. Multiple groups found evidence that millions of the comments submitted during the FCC’s public comment period were linked to fake email addresses, were fraudulently posted under others’ names and addresses and were even attributed to people known to be dead. Congressional leaders, attorneys general and even FCC commissioners called for the FCC to delay its vote on the proposal while the extent of the fake comments could be properly investigated, though as we well know, the FCC went ahead with the vote anyway. Now, Ars Technica reports, the GAO has agreed to investigate the issue.

NEWS: GAO has accepted 10 Democrats’ request for an investigation of the pervasiveness of fraudulent comments made during a federal rule making process. pic.twitter.com/fVlBIxBAVG

— Energy Commerce Dems (@EnergyCommerce) January 23, 2018

In their letter to the GAO, the Representatives wrote, “We understand that the FCC’s rulemaking process requires it to address all comments it receives, regardless of who submits them. However, we do not believe any outside parties should be permitted to generate any comments to any federal governmental entity using information it knows to be false, such as the identities of those submitting the comments.” In a letter to Representative Frank Pallone Jr., GAO Chair Greg Walden said, “GAO accepts your request as work that is within the scope of its authority.” Along with their request for an investigation, the members of Congress also asked the GAO to look into the information the FCC has withheld from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s investigation of the fraudulent comments as well as if federal agencies have any controls in place for preventing false comment submissions.

Last September, the GAO also agreed to investigate the FCC’s claim that DDoS attacks caused a temporary outage of the public comment system after Senator Brian Schatz and Representative Frank Pallone Jr. sent the agency a letter requesting a review.

The GAO said it should be able to begin a review of the comment fraud in five months.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: House Committee on Energy and Commerce

AT&T Pledges Commitment to Open Internet Following FCC Vote to Repeal Net Neutrality

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson shared an open letter today on the topic of Net Neutrality, pledging that the company is “committed to an open internet” following the Federal Communications Commission’s vote last month to repeal Net Neutrality.

In the letter, Stephenson said that AT&T does not block websites, censor online content, or throttle, discriminate, and degrade network performance based on a website’s contents.

According to Stephenson, AT&T has committed to the support of an open internet “for over 10 years,” and will continue to do so. Furthermore, he urged Congress to pen new laws to govern the internet and protect customers, putting an end to the ongoing change in rules and regulations placed on the internet. Stephenson called this the “Internet Bill of Rights.”

But the commitment of one company is not enough. Congressional action is needed to establish an “Internet Bill of Rights” that applies to all internet companies and guarantees neutrality, transparency, openness, non-discrimination and privacy protection for all internet users.

Legislation would not only ensure consumers’ rights are protected, but it would provide consistent rules of the road for all internet companies across all websites, content, devices and applications. In the very near future, technological advances like self-driving cars, remote surgery and augmented reality will demand even greater performance from the internet. Without predictable rules for how the internet works, it will be difficult to meet the demands of these new technology advances.

Under the repeal of Net Neutrality, internet service providers are reclassified from “common carriers” under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934, to “information service” providers, which they had been previously between 1996 and 2015. This caused worry among Net Neutrality supporters, because companies like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and more will be legally allowed to block or slow down access to certain websites, or even charge access to sites.

While the FCC is still in the stages of finalizing the repeal of Net Neutrality, lawsuits have emerged aiming to stop the rollback of these rules and ensure that Net Neutrality remains. In the months ahead of the vote, Apple urged the FCC not to repeal Net Neutrality, which includes regulations that prevent “paid fast lanes” on the internet.

As pointed out by Recode, online fast lanes and “paid prioritization” are a few topics missing from Stephenson’s letter. This aspect of Net Neutrality prevents an ISP — like AT&T — from charging websites more so that users can gain access to that site at a faster rate, while sites that can’t afford the increased cost would see slow load times for users, leading to “fast lanes” and “slow lanes.” When asked about the topic, AT&T pointed towards previous public posts where it discussed support of banning forms of paid prioritization over the years.

In the new letter, Stephenson ended by stating AT&T will work with Congress, other internet providers, and consumer groups this year in an attempt to move forward with its “Internet Bill of Rights” in hopes of “permanently” protecting the open internet.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: net neutrality
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Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 11.3 to Developers With New Animoji, Business Chat, Health Records, iCloud Messages and More

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 11.3 update to developers, one week after releasing iOS 11.2.5, an update that focused primarily on bug fixes and security improvements.

Registered developers can download the iOS 11.3 beta from Apple’s Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.

Apple this morning shared a preview of iOS 11.3, outlining all of the new features we can expect to see in the update.

iOS 11.3 will bring four new Animoji characters to the iPhone X, like a lion, bear, dragon, and skull, giving iPhone X users new characters to play with, and it reintroduces iCloud Messages, a feature that was removed from the initial iOS 11 release.

The software update includes improved ARKit tools for developers. ARKit 1.5 can recognize and place virtual objects on vertical surfaces and it can more accurately map irregularly shaped surfaces like circular tables. ARKit is able to recognize the position of 2D images like signs, posters, and artwork, integrating them into AR experiences. Museums, for example, can be filled with interactive exhibits or a movie poster can be brought to life. The real-world view through the camera when using AR also offers 50 percent greater resolution (1080p) in ARKit 1.5 and supports auto-focus.

Business Chat, a feature that first debuted in iOS 11, is officially launching in beta capacity this spring with support from businesses like Discover, Hilton, Lowe’s, and Wells Fargo. You’ll be able to have customer support chats with these companies right within the Messages app.

In the Health app, Apple is adding a new Health Records feature to make it easier for customers with a participating medical institution to access their records right on their iPhone, even when those medical records are spread across multiple providers.

Supported providers include Johns Hopkins Medicine, Cedars-Sinai, Penn Medicine, Geisinger Health System, UC San Diego Health – San Diego, California, UNC Health Care , Rush University Medical Center, Dignity Health, Ochsner Health System, MedStar Health, Ohio Health, and Cerner Healthe Clinic.

A later beta of iOS 11.3 will feature new, more detailed information about the health of a device’s battery. The change comes following controversy over power management features implemented in older devices to prevent unexpected shutdowns. Those power management features throttle iPhones with degraded batteries at times of peak power usage to maintain stable performance.

The update should provide a lot more data about battery health, and there will also be an option to let customers turn off the power management feature entirely, though Apple does not recommend disabling it. The new features can be found in Settings –> Battery and are available for iPhone 6 and later.

Other new features included in iOS 11.3 include support for streaming unlimited music videos in Apple Music without ads, a new “For You” video of the day in Apple News along with improved Top Stories, HomeKit software authentication to make it easier for accessory makers to add HomeKit support into existing devices, support for Advanced Mobile Location (AML) to automatically send a user’s current location when making a call to emergency services in supported countries, and a new name for “iBooks,” which is now just “Books.”

Today’s beta is limited to developers, but Apple says a public beta will be released for public beta testers soon.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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Apple Seeds First Beta of macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 to Developers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 update to developers, one day after releasing the macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 update focusing on security improvements.

The new macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 beta can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store with the proper profile installed.

It’s not yet clear what improvements the fourth official update to macOS High Sierra will bring, but it’s likely to include bug fixes and performance improvements for issues that weren’t addressed in macOS High Sierra 10.13.3. It may also include some of the features that are coming in iOS 11.3, such as support for Business Chat and unlimited ad-free access to music videos in Apple Music, which Apple says will be the new “home” for music videos.

According to Apple’s release notes, macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 will begin sending warning notes when you open up a 32-bit app in preparation for phasing out 32-bit apps on the Mac. At this time, you’ll see one warning letting you know that a Mac app is 32-bit, and it will popup when you open the app after installing the macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 update.

The previous macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 update included security fixes and performance improvements, with no obvious outward-facing changes introduced.

Related Roundup: macOS High Sierra
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