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
Apple
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
Bill Cassidy
Coronavirus Roundup: Senators Tackle Children’s Online Privacy, Facebook Removes Conspiracy Theories, Broadband in Rural New Hampshire
May 11, 2020 — A bipartisan group of senators on Friday urged the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation into children’s data practices in the educational technology and digital advertising sectors. Sens. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Bill C
Privacy
Coronavirus Roundup: Senators Urge Distance Learning, Zoom Privacy, NTIA Broadband and RUS Grants
Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, on Thursday joined 31 of their colleagues in a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting funding for all K-12 students to have adequate home internet connectivity if their schools close
Net Neutrality
D.C. Circuit Court Upholds FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s Repeal of Net Neutrality, But Allows States to Fill the Void
WASHINGTON, October 1, 2019 — The Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of Obama-era network neutrality rules will remain, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on Tuesday. However, in a bit of a split decision, the court said that the agenc
FCC
Cloudflare Disconnects 8chan Web Forum, Democrats Seek Antitrust Civil Penalties, Verizon Lockdown on Phones
Cloudflare, an online service that helps websites mitigate DDoS attacks, will be terminating its services for the forum 8chan following the El Paso shooting, the Verge reports. This opens the site to potential attacks that could shut it down entirely. “While removing 8chan from our network takes hea
Congress
Historic Facebook Settlement Criticized for Ineffectiveness; FTC Calls For Federal Privacy Law
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2019 — The Federal Trade Commission announced on Wednesday details of its $5 billion settlement with Facebook over privacy violations such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal. In addition to the fine, the company will have to provide quarterly compliance reports and form an indep
