Education
September 20, 2020 – Sens. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, and Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, argued that the fastest way to close the homework gap is through Federal Communication Commission funding. “We have a homework gap that is leading to a learning gap that will lead to an opportunity gap for 16 mi
5G Wireless
September 18, 2020 — Karl Rove, former senior advisor to President George W. Bush, on Tuesday argued that in order for the country to remain competitive in 5G, it is necessary to build disaggregated, open radio access networks and introduce a wholesale marketplace. Rove, speaking at the 2020 INCOMPA
5G Wireless
September 15, 2020 — “Open Radio Access Networks can transform 5G network architecture, costs, and security,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said Monday during opening remarks at an all-day forum about this new technological buzzword O-RAN. Pai argued that open RAN solutions wou
Section 230
September 14, 2020 — Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on Wednesday blasted the Trump administration for its efforts to impose President Donald Trump’s political agenda upon an independent agency. Speaking during a webinar hosted by the Center for Democracy and Technology, Starks c
Privacy
September 11, 2020 – Given the way that robocalls “implicate a wide jurisdiction,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai stressed the need for collaboration to end the crisis of unwanted calls and specifically lauded the so-called STIR/SHAKEN protocol for phone number verification. Iro
broadband roundup
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai shared his plan Tuesday (PDF) to make the 3.45-3.55 GigaHertz (GHz) band available for commercial use in the United States, setting aside 100 megahertz for commercial 5G use. “With this 3.45 GHz band proposal, the upcoming C-band auction of 280 megahertz of spectrum, and the re
broadband roundup
On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission announced the conclusion of bidding in its auction of Priority Access Licenses in the 3550-3650 MegaHertz band. Auction 105 made available the greatest number of spectrum licenses ever in a single FCC auction. Pai attributed the strong demand for lice
5G Wireless
August 12, 2020 — The United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld major portions of the Federal Communications Commission’s attempts to speed up 5G deployments on existing infrastructure. The City of Portland v. Federal Communications Commission filing questioned the FCC’s One-Touch Ma
broadband roundup
The White House announced a massive transfer of electromagnetic spectrum traditionally used for military operations to become available for commercial 5G use, reported Breaking Defense on Monday. The move is aimed at dramatically expanding 5G access for all Americans. The Federal Communications Comm
Digital Inclusion
August 6, 2020 — The Federal Communications Commission established bidding procedures for a coming C-Band auction and moved to reform rates for inmate calling services during its August open meeting on Thursday. Auction 107 will open additional C-Band spectrum in the 3.7-3.98 GHz band. The motion in
FCC
July 27, 2020 — Health care institutions have reported a rise in the number of robocalls and I.D.-spoofed calls during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of robocalls has drastically increased since January, according to Dave Summit, chair of the Hospital Robocall Protection Group. Speaking at the gr
Broadband's Impact
July 23, 2020 — Tech policy experts gathered virtually Wednesday and Thursday for IGF-USA 2020, a digital event held by the Internet Governance Forum to facilitate conversations between internet stakeholders. Panelists discussed issues relevant to the future of internet governance, such as policies
broadband roundup
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is urging state governments to impose price caps on prison phone calls, Ars Technica reported. Pai sent a letter to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners on Wednesday, saying that it was up to state governments to cap intrast
FCC
July 16, 2020 — The Federal Communication Commission’s five members voted to finalize the designation of ‘988’ as the three-digit number Americans can dial to reach the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The agency discussed the suicide hotline decision, as well as numerous other issues, at
FCC
July 15, 2020 — Continuing to expand access to telehealth to facilitate health care during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond is essential, said Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday. In a virtual event sponsored by Axios, Pai explained why the fight for telehealth accessib
FCC
July 13, 2020 — Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai praised the role of broadband tower workers in facilitating a recent “broadcast repack” as part of the agency’s broadcast incentive auction. The repack saw several television broadcasters change their frequencies to make room for wi
