February 14, 2019 - Americans love broadband. More accurately, they hate it when they can't get access to high-speed internet. Right now, Rural America faces a huge crisis, and it isn't getting better. According to a report, the "American Broadband Initiative," released yesterday by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, Rural America is woefully… Keep Reading
February 13, 2019 - The Trump Administration on Wednesday highlighted the importance of enhancing broadband internet service for America, particularly in rural areas, as it promoted a variety of existing federal initiatives under a new brand, the "American Broadband Initiative." Through the issuance of a new "Milestones Report" by the Agriculture Department and the Commerce… Keep Reading
Editor's Note: Around the time of Presidents' Day eight years ago, I wrote this piece about the connection between Abraham Lincoln's passion for infrastructure improvements and his belief in equal opportunity. I linked it to the then pressing - and still pressing - need for infrastructure improvements in Rural America. On Abraham Lincoln's 210th birthday… Keep Reading
At the Silicon Flatirons event at the University of Colorado, a heated (!) debate about economic harms, and how it should impact privacy law. 02/10/19 4:30pm - 5:30pm DEBATE: PRIVACY LAW SHOULD FOCUS ONLY ON ECONOMIC HARM Pierre de Vries — Moderator Spectrum Policy Initiative Co-director and Executive Fellow, Silicon Flatirons Danielle Citron Morton & Sophia… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: As Google says goodbye to the first of its fiber cities in which it has actually deployed connectivity, questions swirl about what happens to the network already in place. In its blog post, Google refers to "learn[ing]" by failing," and links to an article about challenges of exposed fiber lines and a… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, February 2, 2019 — Network Neutrality once again took center stage Friday as the Federal Communications Commission found itself defending its repeal of Obama-era Open Internet rules before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Friday’s oral argument was the most recent of many partisan clashes… Keep Reading
January 16, 2019 - One day after an event aimed at encouraging bipartisan solutions on technology policy, the non-profit group Next Century Cities launched its "Becoming Broadband Ready" toolkit together with Neighborly and the Internet Society. The 33-page toolkit (PDF) was set to be launched at an event at 1 p.m. ET in Washington (PDF),… Keep Reading
January 15, 2019 - Below is the link to, and livestream from, the Next Century Cities event, "Opportunities for Bipartisan Tech Policy." This half-day event aims to bring together members of Congress, community leaders, and policy experts. Keynote conversations and panel discussions will work to determine key policy goals and action steps for the new… Keep Reading
LAS VEGAS, January 9, 2018 - Here at the Consumer Electronics Show, it's impossible to avoid being bombarded by the energy - real and imagined - surrounding the 5G wireless standard that is just beginning to be deployed. Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg made the communications company's efforts to nurture, promote and deploy 5G the sum… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: We reported this news back in August, but it's worth highlighting again with this new new piece on SiFi Networks' project in Saratoga Springs, a city of 28,027 in upstate New York. Most notably, the article includes a link to the agreement between SiFi Networks and the city. Saratoga Springs to lay fiber… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: We've written about the California Consumer Privacy Act before in "European and Chinese Pressures are Squeezing Silicon Valley, Threatening a Global ‘Splinternet’. The fact of multiple states passing significant privacy legislation is one of the potential drivers for federal consideration of substantial privacy rules. Here, attorney Lauren Stickroth catalogs the various aspects… Keep Reading
A new breed of internet applications that some are calling the “livestream economy” is becoming increasingly popular in China and other Asian markets. The rise of Facebook Live in Taiwan and the growth of user-generated content has prompted much of this discussion, particularly relative to other Chinese markets.The following are three key points that emerge… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: We remember reading The Transparent Society 20 years ago, back in the days when Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy said, "You have no privacy; get over it." Brin's book was remarkably prescient in providing a pathway for how to live with the ever-decreasing private space occasioned by technological progress. Here, in an… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: A Senate confirmation prior to the end of the 115th Congress at Noon on Thursday brought a new head to the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The position has been vacant for nearly two years. In a statement, CCIA CEO Ed Black said, “This is a vitally important link to the administration… Keep Reading
Editor's Note: The Federal Communications Commission released the following press release, entitled "FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for January Open Meeting": WASHINGTON, January 3, 2019—Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the January Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 30, 2019. Should the current lapse… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, January 3, 2019 – The Senate on Wednesday night confirmed Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr to another term at the agency, and confirmed Geoffrey Starks, a Democratic appointee, to begin serving as a commissioner at the agency. The move means that the agency will finally have a full house of five commissioners, a first… Keep Reading
Editor's Note: The Federal Communications Commission issued this press release on Monday - it looks as though the agency will close down right as Congress is coming back into session. WASHINGTON, December 31, 2018—In the event of a continued partial lapse in federal government funding, the Federal Communications Commission will suspend most operations in the… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: It's about time that Metro began covering the Washington subway! Metro, AT&T, Sprint, T‐Mobile and Verizon Wireless announce major milestone in tunnel wireless coverage, from WMATA: December 19, 2018 - Today Metro and the nation’s leading wireless carriers, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless announced that more than half of Metro’s tunnels… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 13, 2018 – The Agriculture Department on Thursday unveiled the details of is $600 million broadband loan and grant program – dubbed “ReConnect” – and which was originally called for by appropriations legislation passed in March. “High-speed internet e-Connectivity is a necessity, not an amenity, vital for quality of life and economic opportunity,… Keep Reading