Fiber
Barriers to Last-Mile Fiber Include Affordability: Connected America Conference
Industry experts agreed that reaching each individual consumer is the key to a full-fiber future.
broadband roundup
Apple and Google Called ‘Gatekeepers,’ Huawei Trade Restrictions, Meta’s Antitrust Win
The NTIA claims that Apple and Google take advantage of their app stores to put unfair limitations on their competitors.
Antitrust
Broadband Breakfast Preview Session for Big Tech & Speech Summit on March 9
Summit moderators will set the stage for timely discussions on content moderation, privacy and competition.
china
New Leadership and Priorities for Republican-Led Energy and Commerce Committee
The new chair renamed three subcommittees, hinting at the GOP’s goals for the coming term.
Privacy
Industry Leaders Urge Biden to Tread Lightly With Federal Privacy Legislation
While generally supportive of a federal privacy law, some experts warned it could harm competition.
china
Unrealistic Fears About Chinese Tech Distract From Real Privacy Concerns, Panelists Say
Panelists argued that ethical concerns about digital privacy and AI are not unfounded, but rather unfairly targeted at certain countries.
Big Tech
Broadband Breakfast Announces Big Tech & Speech Summit on March 9
The summit, live in Washington, will address Biden’s recent challenges to Big Tech: Section 230, privacy and competition.
Broadband's Impact
Senate Bill Subsidizing U.S. Semiconductor Production Clears House, Going to White House
Bill aims to strengthen American self-reliance in semiconductor chip production and international competition.
Big Tech
American Innovation and Choice Online Act Has Panelists Divided on Small Business Impact
The bill is intended to prohibit product preferences on tech platforms, with some saying it could harm small companies dependent on those platforms.
broadband roundup
Global Tech Competition Bill, AT&T Hits 20 Gbps Symmetrical, Hargray Fiber in Georgia
The American Technology Leadership Act would establish a federal office to monitor U.S. tech competitiveness versus global players.
Innovation
Secretary of State Blinken Says Research and Development Critical For Competition Against China
Blinken was touring the University of Maryland laboratories last week.
Antitrust
Sen. Amy Klobuchar Calls For More Aggressive Competition Policy Action
January 28, 2021—Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, said the administration of President Joe Biden needed to address competition and privacy in a speech concluding the State of the Net Conference on Wednesday. In the middle of stating that large U.S. corporations are growing at an unprecedented rat
Digital Inclusion
Removing Roadblocks on Bridge Over Digital Divide: Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act
While the bulk of the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All (AAIA) Act proposes to invest $100 billion to expand broadband access in unserved and underserved parts of the country, the legislation also looks to build an essential bridge across the digital divide that goes beyond new infrastructure.
Antitrust
FTC and Almost All States Launch Antitrust Suit Against Facebook, Seek Divestment of Instagram and WhatsApp
December 9, 2020 — Facebook has used illegal monopoly power and an “unlawful scheme” to stifle competition, degrade personal privacy, and crush rivals, according to two separate antitrust lawsuits filed Wednesday by 46 state attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission. In particular, the FTC
Antitrust
Once Characterized as an Antitrust Strategy, Data Portability May Not Be the Competition Remedy Many Believe
October 6, 2020 — As technological advances allow for more data to be generated on consumers, the public has become more attuned to the need for national data privacy legislation. Yet there is a countervailing trend: Data portability as possible antitrust remedy against dominant tech platforms. On M
broadband roundup
5G Design Raises Privacy Concerns, OneWeb to Receive $1 Billion, Streaming Prices Raising
Vint Cerf, who co-founded the TCP/IP protocols that underpin the internet, criticized the design of upcoming fifth generation networks in a recent op-ed. Cerf, widely known as a “father of the internet”, said that he feared 5G networks will erode consumer privacy because they are designed to give te
