House Delays Infrastructure Vote, Chinese Equipment Ban, Comcast Losses, Honoring Evan Kwerel
House Democrats delayed a vote on broadband infrastructure again, as $1.75 trillion reconciliation package brings greater party unity.
Social Media
Social Media Companies Noncommittal on Bipartisan Calls for Changes to Content Regulation
Platform representatives did not commit to legislation that would increase online protections for kids.
Defense
House Passes Ban on Chinese Equipment, 3.45 GHz Auction Reaches Reserve Price, Against a ‘Wi-Fi Tax’
Bipartisan Senate bill clears the House, FCC auction prices climb higher, tech groups oppose newly proposed fee
ECF
Craig Settles: Libraries, Barbershops and Salons Tackle TeleHealthcare Gap
Craig Settles describes the important role that community institutions have played in promoting connectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding
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.
marsha blackburn
Advocates Push For Higher Age Privacy Threshold As COPPA Proposal Hits Senate
Advocates want age 13 and over for privacy protection as Senate sees COPPA reform proposal.
Rural
Faster Rural Broadband Bill, Tools For Robocalls, Opposition To Instagram For Kids
Senators introduce rural broadband legislation, FCC tackles robocalling, advocates ask Facebook to stop developing Instagram for kids.
E-Rate
Democrats Celebrate E-Rate, Remote Alaska Gets Broadband, Openreach and ADTRAN in UK
February 11, 2021 – Democratic Senators applauded Wednesday increased spending on subsidized internet devices and access as part of the House’s coronavirus relief reconciliation proposal. Senators Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, Maggie Hassan, D-
FSF
Sen. Ed Markey Celebrates Telecom Act as Telecom Lawyers Tell Congress to Be Specific
February 2, 2021 – Democratic Sen. Ed Markey’s communications policy focus this Congress will be on net neutrality, children and climate change, the long-serving Massachusetts lawmaker said at a Federal Communications Bar Association event Tuesday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Telecommuni
Benton
Major Change on the Horizon? Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act
December 2, 2020 – As House GOP leaders ask the Government Accountability Office to audit the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect program because of concerns federal funds are being used to “overbuild,” Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have filed legislation that aims to build
Section 230
Google, Facebook and Twitter Defend Themselves as GOP Slams Big Tech and Dems Mock Hearing
October 30, 2020 – Tech platform companies Google, Facebook, and Twitter said they not in favor of redefining the phrase, “otherwise objectionable,” that has become a key source of controversy in the political firestorm surrounding Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The CEOs of the three
FCC
Sens. Ed Markey and Chris Van Hollen Urge Using E-Rate Funds to Close the Homework Gap
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
Justice
Broadband Roundup: Artificial Intelligence Endangers Protesters, Chinese Firms Face Investigation, Unconstitutional Attacks on Journalists
June 9, 2020 — “I urge you to take every step necessary to ensure that your technology will not force Americans to choose between sacrificing their rights to privacy or remaining silent in the face of injustice,” wrote Sen. Ed Markey, a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, i
FCC
Senators Criticize AT&T for Apparently Favoring HBO Max by Not Counting Streaming Against Data Caps
June 4, 2020 — Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., penned a letter to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, rebuking him for not counting HBO Max usage against users’ monthly data caps. AT&T owns HBO, a relationship the senators claimed violates the company’s stated
AI
Broadband Roundup: Zoom Fatigue is Real, Better Internet Data, AI Apps and Healthcare
While millions are working from home and attending several online meetings every week on platforms like Zoom, many have reported feeling unnaturally tired after using them. This “Zoom fatigue” is not caused merely by social interaction, scientists say, but a sudden disruption in the way that we comm
Coronavirus Roundup: Contact Tracing Gold Rush, Tech Companies’ Misinformation Criteria, Additional Telelearning Funds
May 12, 2020 — As the United States turns its focus to reopening, tech companies are looking at the opportunities for contact-tracing technology as the next tech gold rush, CNBC reported. Contact-tracing technology, as seen in South Korea, would use GPS technology to tell users if they have come wit
