The Washington Post reports that Iran's state media boasted Jan. 29 that they flew a radio-controlled drone over a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. A U.S. Navy spokesman would not confirm the authenticity of the video released in Iran, but said that on Jan. 12 an Iranian drone was spotted over the French carrier Charles de Gaulle and the American carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Navy says they were in international waters, and the drone was unarmed, so they left it alone. A U.S. Navy helicopter was launched from the Truman to view the drone. The same day, ten U.S. sailors were detained by Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces nearby, closer to Farsi Island, after their boat veered off course with mechanical trouble. Those U.S. sailors were paraded, hands-up, on Iranian television before being released.

“Astro Noise,” from filmmaker and activist Laura Poitras opens at the Whitney Museum in New York Feb. 5, running through May 1. The images in the exhibit broke news last week -- some of the pictures in the show are descrambled images from Israeli and Syrian drone feeds. "The Intercept" Jan. 29 published documents leaked from Edward Snowden that showed the United States and Britain have hacked transmissions from secret drone flights and communications from the Israeli Air Force since 1998. Yuval Steinitz, the minister of national infrastructure and energy told Army Radio last week, “We will now have to look and consider changing the encryption, certainly.” Poitras is forever linked to Snowden, and has been detained, interrogated, and searched dozens of times at airports, and also won an Academy Award, for “Citizenfour.” The Whitney describes "Astro Noise" saying, "This immersive installation of new work builds on topics important to Poitras, including mass surveillance, the war on terror, the U.S. drone program, Guantánamo Bay Prison, occupation, and torture."

Click here to play or download an audio version of this report. Republicans held their final debate Jan. 28, before voters begin casting ballots around the nation, and by our count, less then two minutes were devoted to internet- or broadcast-related matters. Ohio Gov. John Kasich was asked about encryption, and said it was better not to talk about it. And Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul repeatedly inserted that the rest of the candidates were ignoring basic rights of Americans by supporting warrantless government surveillance. Click here to hear what they said.

Click here to download or play the Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2016 edition of "This Week in Radio News." This week tune in Federal Communications Commissioner Tom Wheeler, and his press conference following the FCC's January 28 Open Meeting. Also, new transmission art from Daniel Thomas, and a new song from Chris Forsyth and the Solar Motel Band. Some radio headlines this week: FAA says 300,000 drones were registered in U.S. in first month; Ukraine, Israel electrical recent targets for hackers.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy, "When Thy Song Flows Through Me" from "Pond Scum" (Drag City)




Daniel Thomas "Broadcast" (Cherry Row) album.




Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band "High Castle Rock" from "The Rarity of Experience" (No Quarter)




Woods, "Sun City Creeps"




Middle Grey, "We Are Lifting Off in Hopes to One Day Touch the Ground" from Hyperobjects (New Hive). Middle Grey is a collaboration between Anastasia Clarke and Jackson Randall.

The Commission considered items on Expansion of Online Public File; Improving the Nation's Public Alert and Warning Systems; and the Broadband Progress Report. Held on Thursday, January 28, 2016 at FCC Headquarters in Washington, DC. For more information, see https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/events/2016/01/january-2016-open-commission-meeting

The evil plots of superhero movies are beginning to become reality around the world. On Dec. 23, Ukraine claims computer hackers caused blackouts across the Ivano-Frankivsk region, perhaps using so-called “BlackEnergy” malware to disrupt local energy provider Prykarpattyaoblenergo. Ukraine believed Russia was behind the attack. Now this week, Israel's Electricity Authority was hacked, though no electricity delivery was disrupted. "The virus was already identified and the right software was already prepared to neutralize it," Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told The Times of Israel on Jan. 26. "We had to paralyze many of the computers of the Israeli Electricity Authority. We are handling the situation and I hope that soon, this very serious event will be over … but as of now, computer systems are still not working as they should." Israel did not point fingers at suspects, but it is clear there is all sorts of state-sponsored terrorism going on on the information superhighway.

The Guardian reported that nearly 300,000 radio-controlled drones have been registered in the United States, since the Federal Aviation Administration started requiring owners tell the government they have a drone on Dec. 21, 2015. Now, small unmanned aircraft weighing between 250g and 25kg must be registered and pilots must be aged 13 or older. FAA administrator Michael Huerta said, “The registration numbers we’re seeing so far are very encouraging. We’re working hard to build on this early momentum and ensure everyone understands the registration requirement.” Since Jan. 21, there's been a $5 registration fee. Drones must get marked with a registration number, so they can be identified if there is a problem. The industry was expecting one million drones would be sold in the U.S. in 2015, which would mean only a third are registered.

Eleanor Friedberger, a member of The Fiery Furnaces, and her song "He Didn't Mention His Mother," from "New View" (French Kiss) album recorded with producer Clemens Knieper in his converted barn studio in Germantown, New York.


Explosions in the Sky, "Disintegration Anxiety," off the forthcoming album "The Wilderness."


Half Japanese, "That Is That" from Perfect (Joyful Noise).

NOAA is testing a new weather radio voice. Click here for a sample of the new voice, and here for a sample of the old voice.

Paul Riismandel at Radio Survivor reports that Live365, a streaming audio service that started in 1999, will shut down Jan. 31. The service made setting up an internet radio station easy for anyone. “We are sad that we are closing our doors at the end of this month. There are always possibilities that we can come back in one form or another, but at this point in time, January 31, 2016 is the last day that Live365’s streaming servers and website will be maintained and supported,” the company said in a statement. Live365 recently lost some important investors and saw the expiration of the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009, which caused costs for its services to webcast around 5,000 internet radio stations to skyrocket. Some online radio activists hope to renegotiate a lower royalty rate for internet stations, but there's no doubt it is more difficult to launch an independent internet radio station now.

European courts recent rulings might outlaw mass surveillance. In Roman Zakharov v. Russia the court said a surveillance authorization “must clearly identify a specific person … or a single set of premises.” And, then, from Hungary, a court gets more specific. Sharon St. Vincent at CDT writes, "In [the court case] Szabo and Vissy [the court] considered whether the challenged Hungarian laws provide, 'adequate and effective guarantees against abuse.' The answer was no: the phrase 'strictly necessary in a democratic society,' the Court explained for the first time, means not only that a surveillance measure must be strictly necessary for 'safeguarding the democratic institutions' at a general level, but must also be 'strictly necessary … for the obtaining of vital intelligence in an individual operation.' Crucially, the Court added that the Hungarian authorities must therefore interpret a law allowing surveillance authorizations to apply to 'a range of persons'—which, as the Court observed, could potentially include everyone in Hungary—very narrowly. According to the Court, the body authorizing the surveillance must 'verify whether sufficient reasons for intercepting a specific individual’s communications exist in each case.' Analysts are waiting to see if courts cite these precedents to strike down mass surveillance programs in Europe.

The three Democratic candidates for president were asked about encryption, and their views on the balance between privacy and security, at the latest debate, Jan. 17. Click here to hear the candidates on encryption.

Susan Ashworth reports in Radio World that broadcasters are turning to "national security" to get cell phones to play AM and FM radio signals. The National Association of Broadcasters and National Public Radio are now crowing about how they can help free up bandwidth in a national emergency. Usually, when lobbyists cry "national security" they are usually just trying to pile on extra funding, but they may have something of a point. Putting aside whether consumers want to receive AM and FM radio signals on their phones, their argument before a Congressional hearing on improving wireless emergency alerts, was that, if the plan to send important public safety alerts to cell phones included a link to an internet site, the flood of immediate traffic to that site would probably cause problems. Remember on Sept. 11, 2001 how difficult it was to make a call? Imagine now if every cell phone got an alert telling the user to go to a certain website for more information. “Adding a URL that simply drives users to the Internet will only exacerbate the congestion of wireless networks that already plagues mobile communications and impedes public safety during times of crisis,” NPR and the NAB argued in the comments on a new emergency alert policy. Instead, broadcasters argue, why not send citizens to their local AM and FM radio stations for more information. That way no additional bandwidth is being used, as terrestrial radio stations do not crash from too many listeners. They may be correct, but they just want cell phone users to be able to tune in to local frequencies from their cell phones, so adding an "emergency" component makes a good political argument. "Several phone manufacturers already support the activation of FM chips in mobile devices, including T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint. However, even though a majority of smartphones sold in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2015 were equipped with an FM tuner, the NAB said, FM reception was disabled by phone manufacturers and wireless carriers in 63 percent of these devices," Radio World reports. The FCC is accepting reply comments on the issue through Feb. 12 for Proceeding Number is 15-91.

Bob Mould, "Voices in My Head" from "Patch The Sky."

John Koblinjan in The New York Times reports that the cable news channel Al Jazeera America is closing in April. The Quater-based network was recorgnized for high-quality, sober journalism and very low ratings. Al Jazeera began distributing a radio show as WGXC went on the air, which aired on 90.7-FM until 2013, when the American Al Jazeera television network debuted and the radio show ended. Locally, Mid-Hudson Cable dropped the channel soon after Al Jazeera America launched. Two weeks ago, the network aired their largest profile story, with accusations that NFL quarterback Peyton Manning's wife was mailed HGH, a drug not allowed in the football league, around the time that Manning struggled with neck surgery. While two other athletes have sued for the story, the Manning story has not been disproven. Read the full story in The New York Times.

On Jan. 12 the U.S. House Communications and Technology Committee considered the Amateur Radio Parity Act 2015, the first time the committee has moved it along. A similar bill that would supersede local private land use restrictions and regulations from applying to amateur service communications died in previous Congressional sessions. This time 117 representatives have co-sponsored the bill. But during the Jan. 12 hearing, it was clear the bill is a battle between the weak amateur radio lobby and the more powerful homeowners lobby. Ranking Member Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) expressed her skepticism about the bill. Click here to hear an excerpt of what Eschoo said Jan. 12 at the House Communications and Technology Committee hearing.

The House Subcommittee on Information Technology "Cybersecurity and Export Control" hearing from Jan. 12.
• To review the interagency export control policy and process implementing the 2013 Wassenaar Arrangement cybersecurity technologies additions. • To review the Department of Commerce’s (Commerce) rule-making process for implementing the Wassenaar export controls. • To highlight the impact on American businesses and the cybersecurity industry. • To discuss how the Department of State (State) and their interagency partners should proceed on cybersecurity matters at Wassenaar moving forward.

Tim Cushing at TechDirt reports that New York Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-Staten Island) introduced a bill this week that bans the sale of smartphones that can't be cracked by their manufacturers. This anti-encryption legislation would, presumably, ban most cell phones from being sold in New York. Most phones contain many parts that are encrypted, such as apps that allow monetary transactions. Consumer payments are safe online because of encryption. Titone originally introduced this bill last year, and re-introduced the legislation this week as Albany re-opened for business. TechDirt says they believe this is the first proposal of its kind in the United States. "Apple Stores would apparently be unable to sell any smartphones and every service provider would have to eliminate any phones with default encryption from their lineups," Cushing writes. Encryption only makes certain transactions, or conversations, private. Read the full story at TechDirt.

The Federal Communications Commission just released its latest broadband status report, and it says 34 million Americans, or about 10 percent of the country, "still lack access to fixed broadband at the FCC’s benchmark speed of 25 Mbps for downloads, 3 Mbps for uploads." If there is broadband available in the U.S., usually there is only one choice, as two-thirds of the country has only one choice for broadband. That ranks the U.S 16th out of the top 34 developed countries on the planet, a very average score. Recently the FCC has taken some action: reclassifing ISPs under Title II, passing new net neutrality rules, improving middle-mile network funding, and redefining broadband as something 25 Mbps or faster. Karl Bode has a complete examination of the report at TechDirt.