Broadband Roundup: City Leaders Call For Overturn of Local Broadband Bans
Broadband Roundup, Broadband's Impact, FCC
July 28th, 2014
WASHINGTON, July 28, 2014 – City leaders in Wilson, North Carolina, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, want the Federal Communications Commission to pre-empt state laws that would prevent them from expanding their municipal networks, Broadcasting & Cable reported. With an existing ban in place in North Carolina, Wilson can only serve its municipal network, Greenlight, to residents […]
Broadband Roundup: Battle of the Lobbyists, Holding Comcast Accountable and Satellite Reauthorization
Broadband Roundup, Broadband's Impact, FCC, Net Neutrality
July 23rd, 2014
WASHINGTON, July 23, 2014 – Broadband providers are outspending internet search and content firms on lobbying lawmakers and regulators, Recode reported. However, among single companies, Google spent more than any internet provider in both of the past two quarters. ISPs and their trade associations have collectively spent $42.4 million this year. Content creators spent only […]
Critics at Digital Policy Institute Say Net Neutrality Is a Solution In Search of a Problem
Net Neutrality
July 22nd, 2014
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2014 – As the Federal Communications Commission received more than a million comments on the agency’s push for net neutrality regulations governing the conduct of broadband providers, critics argued on July 15 that net neutrality is a counter-intuitive solution in search of a problem. Moreover, these critics said, “common carriage” regulation under […]
Broadband Roundup: More Than a Million Comments on Net Neutrality, Plus Seattle Goes Again for Gigabit Broadband
Broadband Roundup, FCC, Fiber, Gigabit Networks, Net Neutrality
July 21st, 2014
WASHINGTON, July 21, 2014 – More than one million comments were received by the Federal Communications Commission on net neutrality before the Friday night deadline, Reuters reported. The second round of comments will give the public until Sept. 10 to respond. AT&T pitched to the FCC its proposal that “fast lanes” could be regulatorily barred […]
Broadband Roundup: FCC, Congress and Broadband Providers Clash On Municipal Broadband
Broadband Roundup, Broadband's Impact
July 17th, 2014
WASHINGTON, July 17, 2004 – The House of Representatives passed an amendment Wednesday in a 223-220 vote to prevent the Federal Communications Commission from preempting state laws that forbid municipal broadband networks, the National Journal reported. U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., spearheaded the proposal, according to Ars Technica, on the argument that the FCC has […]
Broadband Roundup: Comcast Seeks Lighter Regulation on Net Neutrality, Mozilla and CCIA Want Heavier Touch
Broadband Roundup, FCC, House of Representatives, Net Neutrality
July 16th, 2014
WASHINGTON, July 16, 2014 – Due to an “overwhelming surge in traffic to its website,” the Federal Communications Commission delayed its deadline for comment submissions on net neutrality until midnight Friday, Forbes reported. As of Wednesday, the FCC had received 780,000 comments, thus far. The traffic was enough to crash the site earlier in the […]
In Partisan Vote, FCC Passes a Modified E-Rate Proposal for Spending Funds on Wi-Fi Connectivity
FCC, Universal Service
July 15th, 2014
WASHINGTON, July 15, 2014 – The Federal Communications Commission on Friday voted to modernize of its E-Rate program Friday, reallocating funds from technologies considered obsolete to Wi-Fi based connectivity in schools and libraries. However, owing to strong skepticism from opponents over funding, the proposal was scaled back to $2 billion, down from its original $5 […]
In Lead-up to July’s FCC Meeting, Agency Laid Groundwork for Supportive Vote on E-Rate Changes
FCC, Universal Service
July 15th, 2014
WASHINGTON, July 15, 2014 - In a phone conference on July 1, in the lead-up to last week’s open meeting of the Federal Communications Commission, agency officials discussed Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposal to modify the E-rate program. The agency seeks to spend more funds on Wi-Fi gap connectivity within schools around the country and maximize the […]
New Coalition for Local Internet Choice Aims to Spur More High-Speed Municipal Builds
Broadband's Impact, Fiber, States
July 15th, 2014
WASHINGTON, July 15, 2014 – While interest in high-bandwidth internet is growing every year, many communities remain unserved because state laws inhibit local networks, according to local broadband activists. That’s why the Coalition for Local Internet Choice launched last month: to demonstrate the importance of giving local communities authority over their own networks. “It’s hard […]
FCC Announces Universal Service Fund Strike Force in Effort to Combat Wasteful Spending
Broadband's Impact, FCC, Universal Service
July 14th, 2014
WASHINGTON, July 14, 2014 – In an effort to combat ongoing complaints of inefficiency within the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund, Chairman Tom Wheeler on Monday announced a strike force dedicated to “rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse.” To be led by Loyaan Egal, a former public corruption attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office […]