Infrastructure
Exclusive Drew Clark Column: Will the Broadband Infrastructure Deal Hold?
Many in Washington aren’t holding their breath for the broadband infrastructure deal to collapse.
FCC
FCC Creates Broadband Data Task Force, Public Knowledge Wants E-Rate Expansion, Report on Internet Latency
February 17, 2021 – FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on Wednesday announced the creation of a task force focused on enacting improvements to the agency’s broadband data and mapping tools. In addition to naming senior staff of the new task force, Rosenworcel named Jean Kiddoo as chair of the
Biden-Harris Administration
America Leads in Information Technology, But U.S. Big Tech Still Has to Heal Itself
January 18, 2021—“Congress needs to better organize itself around technology,” said Rep. Bill Foster, D-Illinois, a member of the Financial Services and Science, Space, and Technology Committees. Foster, along with a panel of tech innovators and policymakers, explained the steps the United States sh
Innovation
Evidence-Based Policy Making is Particularly Important in Managing Radio Frequency Spectrum
October 23, 2020 – Evidence-based policy making needs to be framed by the correct questions, agreed panelists at the Silicon Flatirons event on October 13 and 15. In the first panel, “Evidence-based policy making in perspective,” Adam Scott, director general of spectrum policy at Innovation, Science
Joe Biden
Biden Administration and GOP Critics of Big Tech Create ‘Perfect Storm’ for Antitrust Action
October 13, 2020—A presidential administration led by Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden would bring substantive changes to the enforcement of antitrust law, panelists predicted at a Brookings Institution event on October 6. Bill Baer, an expert in antitrust law and visiting fellow of g
AT&T
Government Support Necessary to Bridge the Digital Divide, Say AT&T and Others
September 4, 2020 – Government support will be needed to bridge the digital divide, said US Telecom CEO Jonathan Spalter and Amy Hinojosa, CEO of the national Latina organization MANA speaking on Tuesday at an AT&T policy forum. Ed Gillespie, senior executive vice president of AT&T, further request
Funding
Infrastructure Stimulus Bill Predictions, Call For Broadcast Reform, Big Tech Hearing Reactions
Panelists speaking on a Thursday Brookings Institution webinar expressed mixed views on the likelihood of Congress passing a federal infrastructure stimulus by the summer of 2021. Tracy Ross, director of federal policy at PolicyLink, said she was confident that Congress would pass such a bill by nex
Election 2024
Confirming 2020 Election Results Could Prove Challenging, Say Brookings Panelists
July 29, 2020 — According to governance experts, the upcoming November election will operate on a significantly different timeline than traditional U.S. elections. The majority of Americans, 60 to 65 percent, are expected to vote by absentee ballots in the 2020 election, said Elaine Kamarck, foundin
COVID
Stakeholders and Tech Experts Gather to Discuss the Future of Internet Governance
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
Digital Inclusion
States Must Increase Accessibility of Both In-Person and Remote Voting, Say Brookings Panelists
July 15, 2020 — The November election will be extremely vulnerable to widespread voter suppression, making it increasingly important for states to have robust plans for both absentee and in-person voting, said Brookings Institution panelists Wednesday. On what was formerly scheduled to be the third
FCC
National Broadband Plan Has Held Up Well, With Notable Downsides, Say Authors
June 29, 2020 — The National Broadband Plan has been successful, despite notable downsides, said panelists in a Federal Communications Bar Association webinar on Friday. The plan, first released ten years ago, aimed to increase competition, provide lower-cost service to more Americans and decrease r
Broadband Live
Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 — Public Input on Platform Algorithms
Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 — Public Input on Platform Algorithms: The Role of Transparency and Feedback in Information Technology This panel will consider what role governments have, or should have, in reacting to the power of tech platforms vis-à-vis their role in p
AI
Brookings Panelists Emphasize Importance of Addressing Biases in Artificial Intelligence Technology
June 19, 2020 — “The potential for discrimination increases with each generation of technology,” said Nicol Turner Lee, a fellow at the Center for Technology Innovation, in a Friday webinar hosted by the Brookings Institution about the intersection of race, artificial intelligence and structural ine
FTC
Federal Privacy Legislation More Crucial Than Ever, Says Federal Trade Commissioner Christine Wilson
June 4, 2020 — Federal privacy legislation is more important than ever, said participants in a Brookings Institution webinar Wednesday. Federal Trade Commissioner Christine Wilson said that privacy concerns are at an all-time high in the age of coronavirus, and the time was right for oversight of te
COVID
Artificial Intelligence Not Very Helpful in Addressing the Coronavirus, Say Experts on Brookings Panel
April 22, 2020 – With artificial intelligence coming up more and more frequently in every area of everyday life—from transportation, grocery shopping to Alexa and Siri— it might be natural assume that the technology would be helpful in addressing the coronavirus. “That at least so far hasn’t turned
AI
Biased Artificial Intelligence has Sinister Consequences for Marginalized Communities, Argue Panelists
WASHINGTON, February 13, 2020 – Biased artificial intelligence poses obstacles for marginalized communities when trying to access financial services like applying for a mortgage loan, said panelists speaking before the House Committee on Financial Services. In a statement before the committee on Wed
