American Broadband Initiative to Expand Connectivity for all Americans February 13, 2019 by David Redl, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Expanding America’s broadband connectivity is critical to our nation’s economy, and a top priority for President Trump and the Department of Commerce. Today, we join with our partners in government to announce the American Broadband Initiative (ABI), a comprehensive effort to stimulate increased private sector investment in broadband. NTIA is proud to share leadership of the ABI, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the White House Offices of American Innovation, Management and Budget, Science and Technology Policy, and the National Economic Council. In a report released today <https://www.ntia.doc.gov/report/2019/american-broadband-initiative-milestones-report>, over 20 federal agencies set out strategies for streamlining federal permitting, leveraging federal assets, and maximizing the effectiveness of federal funding for broadband. We congratulate the Department of Interior on the launch of the new Joint Overview Established Location Map <https://www.doi.gov/broadband>, which pulls data related to federal lands and assets from multiple agencies into a single map. This map will help the broadband industry more easily identify the location of available assets. It is an important first step in one of the Initiative’s core priorities: making it easier for the private sector to leverage federal assets to promote investment. NTIA also has begun work on a map to update nationwide broadband availability data, initially partnering with eight states – California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia – to give policymakers a deeper understanding of which parts of the country lack broadband access. Our mapping work complements a number of significant contributions we are providing to the ABI effort. In early 2019, we will update the BroadbandUSA website <https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/> to provide a one-stop shop for federal permitting information. We will also update and expand the federal funding information provided on the site. And our new mapping tool will make it easier to ensure that federal funding is directed to the areas of greatest need. We are also working with land management agencies to streamline application siting procedures, as required by the MOBILE NOW Act <https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-115hr1625enr/pdf/BILLS-115hr1625enr.pdf%5d>. This will make it easier for carriers to use federal resources to expand service in rural areas. The BroadbandUSA program will continue to support industry, state, and local leaders with technical assistance, tools, and programs that help communities plan and build sustainable partnerships. The American Broadband Initiative and our work to create a National Spectrum Strategy <https://www.ntia.doc.gov/blog/2018/president-s-national-spectrum-strategy-will-give-america-boost-5g> set the stage for the next wave in the technology revolution – one that encourages more private sector investment in fiber, 5G, and other technologies. Above is an interesting development that perhaps we should emulate. Regards Delano Kiilu *SECRETARY GENERAL* *PROTECTIVE AND SAFETY ASSOCIATION OF KENYA* *www.prosak.or.ke <http://www.prosak.or.ke>* On Wed, Feb 13, 2019, 6:02 PM <kictanet-request@lists.kictanet.or.ke wrote:
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: [hate speech etc] Facebook to hire 100 content reviewers (Patrick A. M. Maina)
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Message: 1 Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2019 17:42:11 +0000 (UTC) From: "Patrick A. M. Maina" <pmaina2000@yahoo.com> To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>, Ebele Okobi <ebeleokobi@fb.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] [hate speech etc] Facebook to hire 100 content reviewers Message-ID: <90947207.5207525.1549561331334@mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
Thank you Ebele. It's is definitely a positive gesture from FB and hopefully will be welcomed by stakeholders who are concerned about risks of platform weaponisation. Would you be able to share the approximate ratio of moderators to users in Africa? That will really help in establishing perspective & expectations. Given the diverse cultures in Africa as well as hundreds of languages and dialects, how will FB ensure that the moderators are able to correctly interpret nuance / subtlety e.g. in coded vernacular exchanges - including locality specific or ethnic specific slang?? Africa is much more complicated culturally (and much more volatile - due to various contributing factors which make hate speech / fake news much more potent here) compared to other diverse regions like India and it would be good if this complexity is reflected in FB's Africa strategy / measures taken and the amount of resources committed for Africa should be higher than anywhere else. Have a great evening, Patrick. ? On Thursday, February 7, 2019, 7:54:11 PM GMT+3, Ebele Okobi < ebeleokobi@fb.com> wrote:
It?s important to note that these are not the only content reviewers covering Africa. We already have reviewers covering the Continent and based in our other locations. So it is inaccurate to say that there are only 100 reviewers covering Africa. This is meant to be a further investment in the Continent, and to allow us to support even more communities and languages. We also anticipate that it, like every other centre, will grow. Regarding mental health-excellent question. - Our partners (Samasource in Nairobi) are required to provide a comprehensive program of additional benefits that includes health care support.? - We absolutely recognize this work can be difficult, and we take very seriously our responsibility to care for the people that do this job. - We go to great lengths to look after our reviewers.
- Psychological support: Every person reviewing FB content is offered psychological support & a variety of wellness resources. This typically includes:
- Extensive training around wellness and stress - to focus on prevention - 24/7 counselling with trained experts - Breakout areas if you need to step away from your desk
- We also have a team of clinical psychologists who are tasked with designing, delivering and evaluating the resiliency programs we have in place for everyone who works with graphic and objectionable content. - Training to ensure they are prepared: We have a comprehensive training program that includes at least 80 hours of instructor-led training, as well as hands-on practice for all of our reviewers; and on-going coaching sessions and learning huddles so they are prepared for this type of work
- Anyone that reviews content for Facebook ? whether full-time employees, or those employed by our partner ? has access to mental health and wellness resources, including trained professionals onsite for both individual and group counseling.
I?m happy to answer any questions from the group!
On Feb 7, 2019, at 4:27 PM, Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Listers, ICYMI.. Facebook will reportedly hire 100 content reviewers.. finally something concrete in recognition of reality; though certainly not be an optimal number imo because it's still a 1:2Million moderator-to-user ratio, and the ideal target is ~1:1000 users meaning if they truly care about the societal impact, they need to hire at least 200,000 moderators to cover all of Africa to guarantee a clean and safe experience! FB will have to eventually establish culture mapped moderation teams across (or for) different countries in Africa because each unit will only be as effective as its ability to detect cultural nuances, local slang and coded hate / mobilisation messages.
FB will also need to be upfront with potential hires that moderation is one of the dirtiest and most psychologically stressful jobs in ICT so hopefully FB will provide full mental health support and insurance? for them, including post contract counselling cover over several years. They also need to boost the headcount very quickly so they can rotate them and minimise repeated exposure to visual trauma i.e. to mitigate the risk of PTSD. Their next moves in the coming weeks/months will signal whether their primary motivator is greed (hence this is just a PR stunt) or socially responsible profits. My thoughts...
https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2019/02/facebook-to-open-sub-saharan-af... Brgds,Patrick <https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2019/02/facebook-to-open-sub-saharan-africa-content-review-centre-in-nairobi/amp/Brgds,Patrick> A. M. Maina[Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations]
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