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
WASHINGTON, December 12, 2018 — President Trump has not yet made a decision as to whether he would attempt to intervene to stop the Department of Justice from prosecuting Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Wednesday in an interview with BroadbandBreakfast.com. During a Tuesday interview with Reuters, Trump said he… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 11, 2018 – The CEO of search engine Google came to Washington on Tuesday and politely rebutted all charges that the world’s largest search engine is biased against conservative viewpoints. In the calm and controlled voice of an engineer, CEO Sundar Pichai said, “Our products are built without any bias,” responding to a… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 11, 2018 — Republicans and conservative activists used Tuesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing with Google CEO Sundar Pichai to revive claims that large technology companies are biased against them. But these same activists appear unwilling to accept any result that doesn’t validate their claim. One prominent Republican who has raised claims of censorship… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 11, 2018 - This is how bad it's gotten for Google in Washington: The company is taking out ads on the back of the conservative National Review while, and the same time, the story suggests gaslighting the company. The ad picks a conservative-friendly theme: "Now you can search 'jobs for veterans' and enter… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 10, 2018 — When Google CEO Sundar Pichai raises his right hand before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday morning, it’s possible the ensuing hearing will be a sober and judicious look into his company’s data collection practices. But Pichai is far more likely to become the latest punching bag for House members –… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: The first news report that we've seen on Thursday's argument before the D.C. Circuit. While the Trump Justice Department attempted to stop the merger between AT&T and Time Warner, the deal has already closed after it was blessed by district court judge Richard Leon. This report emphasizes the tone and mood in the closely-watched case.… Keep Reading
November 16, 2018 - With the launch of a group of communities in a "broadband accelerator" launched by the municipal finance portal Neighborly, the momentum behind open access broadband networks is continuing to build. On Thursday, Neighborly announced that it had selected 35 cities, including sizable communities of Cleveland, New Orleans and Richmond, as its… Keep Reading