Masha Abarinova

House Judiciary

Broadband Roundup: House Democrats Criticize FCC on T-Mobile Merger, Kansas City Broadband, 5G in LA

House Energy Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., sent a letter Monday to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai regarding the lack of transparency in the FCC’s approval of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger. Pallone and Nad

FCC

FCC Takes Two Actions Promoting Spectrum Sharing, Also Implements 988 as Suicide Hotline

WASHINGTON, December 13, 2019 – The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday took two actions to open up the “mid-band” of radio frequency spectrum, freeing up 5.9 GigaHertz (GHz) spectrum for Wi-Fi, and beginning the process of opening up more spectrum at 3.1 GHz. Spectrum in these “mid-band”

NTCA

Lifeline Remains the Best Method for Connecting All Americans, Says FCC’s Geoffrey Starks

WASHINGTON, December 11, 2019 – The most vulnerable members of the population need to have the critical services they need from the Lifeline Program, Federal Communication Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said Tuesday at a Practicing Law Institute conference. Lifeline remains the best method to keep eve

Smart Cities

Connectivity and Mobility Are Key Pillars of Metropolitan Development, Say Congresswomen at Smart City Event

WASHINGTON, December 11, 2019 – Connectivity, mobility, sustainability and the workforce are the main pillars of smart city development, said Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., at an Axios panel Tuesday. Cities must have reliable sources of energy to maximize efficiency, she said, which makes infrastructur

Privacy

Lawmakers, Prosecutors and Big Tech Companies Spar at Senate Hearing Over Unlocking Encryption

WASHINGTON, December 11, 2019 – Lawmakers remain concerned about law enforcement’s inability to access highly encrypted devices for investigations. Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing questioned some representatives from big tech on the matter. This isn’t going to be a world where social me

Antitrust

Advocates for Antitrust Enforcement Say Consumer Welfare Standard Only One Layer of Competition Law

WASHINGTON, December 6, 2019 – Antitrust enforcement must adapt to the changing structures of the media market, according to experts at a Capitol Forum conference Thursday. Economic change, said Jonathan Kanter of Paul, Weiss, has introduced questions about the goals of enforcement as well as how to

CTIA

In Law More Than a Year, MOBILE Now Advocates Say Act Requires Further Implementation for 5G Deployment

WASHINGTON, December 6, 2019 – Even though the so-called MOBILE NOW law has been effect since March 2018, former Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., highlighted ongoing implementation needs at a Thursday hearing. Dubbed the Making Opportunities for Broadband Investment and Limitin

FCC

Broadband Roundup: Texas Reaches T-Mobile Settlement, Closing the ‘Homework Gap,’ Broadcast Ownership

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday that his office reached a settlement with T-Mobile, resolving the state’s antitrust claims against the proposed merger of mobile wireless telecommunications service providers Sprint and T-Mobile. The terms of the agreement commit the new T-Mobile to

FCBA

The California Consumer Privacy Act Lets People Know What Information is Collected, But Can’t Stop It

WASHINGTON, November 20, 2019 – At its core, the California Consumer Privacy Act is a law that allows individuals to know how their personal information is used by companies, but does not protect that information from being used, legal experts said at a Federal Communications Bar Association panel T

FCC

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Announces Public Auction of C-Band, Connecticut Peels Back Broadband Barriers

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced Monday that the FCC will hold a public auction of mid-band wireless spectrum to fuel the deployment of 5G. The agency plans to auction 280 MHz of the block of spectrum, Pai said, while preserving about 200 MHz that will continue to be use

FCC

T-Mobile’s Acquisition of Sprint Passes Federal Muster, But 16 States Press On in Opposition

WASHINGTON, November 14. 2019- Despite the approval of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice, 16 state attorneys general are still determined to block the acquisition. Policy experts at Thursday’s Capitol Forum conference advocated both the

FCC

Comcast Touts 100 Gigabit Service, SHLB Seeks Reconsideration on Telehealth, Senate Clears Emergency Communications

Comcast announced Wednesday that it would begin broadband marketing plans reaching speeds up to 100 gigabits per second to businesses, Post and Courrier reports. The company also announced that it has finished a $14-million upgrade to its fiber network in the Charleston, South Carolina, area. Comcas

FCBA

As Next Year’s C-Band Auction Looms, FCC Officials Reflect on Innovation in Spectrum Auctions

WASHINGTON, November 12, 2019 – Increased attention surrounding next June’s impending C-Band spectrum auction was the occasion for legal experts to address the ways in which the Federal Communications Commission has improved its auction process – as well as how clients can improve communication duri

CDT

Problems of Lack of Transparency Pervade Issues of Algorithms in Artificial Intelligence

WASHINGTON, November 12, 2019 – The advent of artificial intelligence raises the concern of whether online algorithms harm or help user bias, experts said at a Tuesday Brookings panel. The remarkable lack of transparency is evident in how companies analyze algorithms, said Solon Barocas, information

New Hampshire Plans a Broadband System, Microsoft on Californian Privacy, and Google Collects Medical Data

New Hampshire state legislature is in the works of forming a bill authorizing multi-town districts for the purpose of establishing a broadband system, Government Technology reports. Although the bill has yet to be finished, said State Sen. Jeanne Dietsch, its framework will help the smallest towns t