WASHINGTON, January 14, 2015 — The White House’s recent report on “Community-Based Broadband Solutions” relies heavily on an Open Technology Institute report from the fall that compared the quality and cost of U.S. broadband Internet with the rest of the world. The third annual Cost of Connectivity report from OTI, the technology program of the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 9, 2014 – The Media Institute announced a new initiative on November 24 aimed to protect the group’s view of internet freedoms around the world. Entitled Global Free Speech and the Internet, this program will be “guided by a number of underlying principles, based on the belief that the internet should be an… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, November 19, 2014 – Although some believe that the digital divide is not a problem, there are Americans who have not adopted broadband due to the cost or lack of access. Some states have played an active role in getting their citizens online, and one such organization is the California Emerging Technology Fund, which… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, November 17, 2014 – Federal Communications Committee Chairman Tom Wheeler and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., on Monday proposed increasing the $1.5 billion cap to the E-rate portion of the Universal Service Fund. Schools and libraries, who would benefit from such an increase, have been calling for it for years now. Despite requests for E-rate… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, November 13, 2014 – Net neutrality has been the hottest topic in tech policy for months. Politicians on the left say their opponents stand foursquare against the tenets of a free and open internet. Politicians on the right that their adversaries are trying to apply outmoded and outdated legislation to cripple the innovative essence… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, November 12, 2014 – President Obama sparked both praise and anger on Monday when he urged the Federal Communications Committee to classify broadband as a regulated utility under Title II of the Communications Act. With liberals pushing for Title II regulation and with conservatives decrying more regulation, many observers had seen an alternative route proposed… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, November 7, 2014 — In the wake of the Republican victory in the Senate on Tuesday, some see tech policy as one area for the party to deliver on the rallying cry of post-partisan compromise, commented TechFreedom President Berin Szoka. Tech policy issues like net neutrality has been the biggest tech issue of the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, November 4, 2014 – Internet television services like the constantly beleaguered Aereo may soon be regulated like cable TV, if the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has his way. In a recent blog post, Tom Wheeler stated the possibility of making the rules that govern video content and providers “technology neutral.” If the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, November 3, 2014 – New York State voters will decide on Tuesday on whether to make a $2 billion investment in school technology. The Smart Schools Bond Act of 2014, which was proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo and adopted by state Legislature, will appear on the ballot as Proposal Number 3, reported Auburnpub.com. The proposal… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 30, 2014 – Members of the White House Rural Council and the trade group NTCA, or Rural Broadband Association, met on Tuesday at the Executive Office Building to discuss the group’s Smart Rural Community Initiative. Additionally, the NTCA held a telecom executive policy summit and lobbying event with more than 100 association members… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 29, 2014 – Small business owners, teachers, librarians and representatives broadband industry official gathered at the 2014 Michigan Broadband Conference in the city of Lansing on Wednesday to discuss affordable and innovative ways to enhance Michiganians’ internet access. The conference was hosted by Connect Michigan, a Michigan subsidiary of the non-profit national group… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 27, 2014 – An Alliance for Excellent Education webinar on Tuesday highlighted the integral role that high-speed internet access in schools plays in the success for both the institutions and their students. As highlighted in the Pew Research Center’s recent report, next generation high-speed networks will help to bring about the next generation… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 20, 2014 – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said that he and President Barack Obama agree in their opposition to paid prioritization, Multichannel News reported. Obama stated his objection to the practice during his remarks at an innovation forum in California on October 9. Although the two haven’t discussed it directly, Wheeler… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 16, 2014 – Three-dimensional holograms, immersive virtual reality environments, instant face-to-face meetings that match physical meetings and inch closer to a real-life virtual hug.
These are among the technologies made available by Gigabit Networks, according to “Killer Apps in the Gigabit Age,” a report released last week by the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project.
“What is striking about the answers in the report is that technologists are way ahead of current reality,” said Lee Rainie, the Director of the Internet Project, in an interview.
The report surveyed more than 1,400 experts from academia, tech firms and the industry about their thoughts on the report’s two titular topics: apps and connectivity in 2025.
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WASHINGTON, October 10, 2014 – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said Tuesday that access to high-speed broadband is crucial to civic and economic participation in our society, his remarks at the 32nd annual Everett C. Parker Ethics in Telecommunications Lecture. This year’s lecture celebrated the 50th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Parker’s petition to the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 10, 2014 –High-capacity internet and networked services are the future of education because they will provide instructors and students with the necessary connectivity and capacity for 21st century educational technologies, said the Indiana state director of Education Networks of America at the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition conference here last week.
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WASHINGTON, October 7, 2014 – Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and wireless industry pioneer Marty Cooper took to the opinion page of the San Jose Mercury News to offer their thoughts on the future of wireless spectrum. As they emphasized the importance and centrality of mobile devices and Internet access, the two highlighted the limited… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 2, 2014 - Federal Trade Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen warned that reclassifying broadband under public utility regulation including in Title II of the Communications Act would put ISPs beyond the legal reach of the FTC, the Washington Post reported. The item was previously reported in Broadband Breakfast. Currently, the FTC is not able to… Keep Reading
October 2, 2014 – On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler addressed the importance of local choice and competition regarding broadband access during remarks at the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors Annual Conference in Minnesota. Wheeler did not make specific comments about recent petitions from two communities–Wilson, North Carolina, and Chattanooga, Tennessee–… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 1, 2014 – Smartphones are about to become “NSA-proof,” according to the Washington Post. In the wake of continued stream of information about surveillance by the National Security Agency, Google and Apple are making device encryption a standard feature in their newest software releases in an effort to ease consumer concern about government… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 29, 2014 – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said that the agency was committed to modernizing the E-rate program. He made the statement in remarks at the 2014 Educational Technology Summit here in Washington. Schools and libraries participating in the FCC’s E-rate program must pay the best rates available for high-speed connectivity. He said the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 29, 2014 – Whether or not mobile Internet providers will be subject to the same net neutrality rules as wired broadband providers has become an increasingly prominent factor in the current debate over net neutrality rules. The proposal laid out by the Federal Communications Commission in May would only be applicable to wired… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 24, 2014 –Verizon Communications and AT&T are urging the Federal Communications Commission to include the use of data caps in the agency’s definition of broadband. Including usage-based pricing in its definition is important because companies that use universal service funds to build networks in rural areas must accept the standards laid out in… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 23, 2014 – In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission noted that some of its regulatory authority would be lost if the FCC decided to regulate broadband as a public utility. The FTC protects the privacy and security of consumer data by imposing obligations on broadband service providers… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 22, 2014 – The Internet Association asked the Federal Communications Commission to carefully consider blocking state laws that inhibit municipalities from enlarging their government run Internet networks, The Hill reported. The association, while abstaining from directly asking the federal government to strike down laws in Tennessee and North Carolina, did say that the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 21, 2014 – At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, critics of net neutrality warned against the negative impacts of internet regulation while supporters of net neutrality said that practices by major communications demonstrated the need for such protections. Both former Federal Communications Commissioner Robert McDowell and economist Jeffrey Eisenach said that… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 18, 2014 – During a House Small Business Committee meeting on Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler comfortably discoursed on his years as a small business owner. The hearing covered topics including broadband’s impact on small businesses, that lack of rural broadband competition and network neutrality. The FCC “will continue to orient… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 18, 2014 – The pro-business advocacy group Broadband for America reinforced its opposition to public utility regulation of broadband providers during a Monday teleconference on net neutrality. Instead, the group said that they support efforts to use Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as a separate way to enforce open internet… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 17, 2014 – A variety of developments on the battle regarding network neutrality: FreePress Tells FCC Title II Ensures Net Neutrality Protections The advocacy group Free Press blasted Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler’s efforts to use Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as the means to enough to ensure network… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 15, 2014 – Set to pass a proposal enduring public utility regulation of broadband providers under Title II of the Communications Act, the California Public Utilities Commission instead put the proposal on hold, reported Multichannel News. The proposal endorsing Title II regulation was believed to have passed on a 3-2 vote on September… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 12, 2014 – In what would have seemed highly unlikely just a few months ago, growing support for public utility regulation is emerging. Tech companies, politicians, internet service providers, and component makers have started to outline their views regarding their policy approach to the issue of net neutrality. In order to understand the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 10, 2014 – The Senate Judiciary Committee announced that it had scheduled a hearing next Wednesday on the best means to protect an open internet. Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said he saw the hearing as an opportunity to hear testimony about his views regarding importance of a free and open internet. Leahy and Rep.… Keep Reading