China
Biden Acts on Surveillance, Florida Broadband Maps, Free State Wants Constitutional Spectrum
The administration’s efforts are mostly directed at curtailing the Chinese government.
FSF
Celebrating Progress on 5G, the FCC’s Brendan Carr Urges Broadband Mapping
5G crusader Commissioner Brendan Carr voiced pride in the FCC’s focus on 5G over the past four years
Infrastructure
FCC Gridlock, FTC’s Investigating Amazon-MGM, Brendan Carr’s USF Proposal Raises Questions
FCC gridlock could hobble president’s wishes, FTC opens investigation into Amazon buy, law professor raises questions about Carr’s USF proposal.
EBB
Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr Optimistic About Finding Common Ground at Agency
March 24, 2021 — Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr said the regulator has since 2017 seen what he wanted: Broadband speed increases and lower prices. “The approach we adopted in 2017 is working,” he said at the Free State Foundation’s 13th annual telecom policy conference on Tuesday.
Randy May
Serious Conversation Needed on Net Neutrality, Says New FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington
February 16, 2021 – Federal Communications Commissioner Nathan Simington said Tuesday that serious conversations need to be had about reforming net neutrality rules. Simington sits on a very different-looking FCC, which includes net neutrality advocates including Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworce
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
Broadband Live
Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, October 7, 2020 — Champions of Broadband: Randy May
Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, 12 Noon ET — Champions of Broadband: Randy May Our guest is Randolph J. May, founder and president of The Free State Foundation, an independent, non-profit free market-oriented think tank founded in 2006. May is a past Chair of the Ameri
FSF
The FCC and Relinquished Authority Over Social Media, Amazon’s Worker Surveillance, White Spaces Database
Several trade associations last week notified the Federal Communications Commission that adhering to President Donald Trump’s executive crackdown on social media bias would reverse the agency’s decision to remove net neutrality regulations. In a comment filed on Wednesday, New America told the FCC t
Infrastructure
FCC Announces Winning Bidders in 3.5 GHz Band, Utility Pole Regulation, Cable Monopolization Problem
The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday detailed the results of Auction 105, the recently concluded auction of 70 megahertz of priority access licenses in the 3550-3650 MegaHertz (MHz) band. The auction made available the greatest number of spectrum licenses ever in a single FCC auction,
Infrastructure
Michigan Broadband Cooperative Calls Report Saying Municipal Broadband Has an Unfair Advantage ‘Laughable’
June 30, 2020 — The Michigan Broadband Cooperative is hitting back at a report from the Free State Foundation that claims that local governments in Michigan frequently abuse broadband restrictions placed on them. Theodore Bolema, professor of economics at Wichita State University, wrote that the gov
Funding
Broadband Roundup: GOP Broadband Framework, Reassessing Eligible Telecommunications Requirements, Boycotting Facebook Ads
June 22, 2020 — House and Senate Republican leaders released principles to guide legislation aiming to close the digital divide in the age of COVID-19 on Thursday. The connectivity initiative was led by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and House Energy & Commerce Ranking Mem
FSF
Broadband Roundup: Economic Benefits of 5G, Lifeline Process Streamlined for Tribes, Maine’s Effort to Protect User Privacy
5G is an important driver of economic growth, wrote James Prieger, a professor of economic and public policy at Pepperdine University, in a report for the Free State Foundation Monday. Investments in 5G networks contribute directly to national GDP, creating jobs, accelerating business practices, and
FCC
Tech and Telecom Companies Criticize Broadcasters Spectrum Usage (or the Lack Thereof) at Free State Foundation
WASHINGTON, March 24, 2020 – Telecom industry panelists criticized the broadcast industry’s lack of use of 90 percent of the spectrum licensed to them, officials said at the Free State Foundation conference on Tuesday, March 10. “Much of it is sitting fallow today,” said James Cicconi, senior execut
Randy May
Friendly Rivals: Former Colleagues Mike O’Rielly and Mignon Clyburn Amicably Disagree on Role of FCC
WASHINGTON, March 24, 2020 – Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O’Rielly and former agency commissioner Mignon Clyburn talked on March 10 about their respective visions at the FCC, while also sharing many laughs at the Free State Foundation’s 12th Annual Telecom Policy Conference. The event
Antitrust
Deputy Attorney General Blames Big Tech for Using Section 230 to ‘Enable Harm’
WASHINGTON, March 12, 2020 – “Is this third industrial revolution over? And if so, why?” That was the question Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen posed to the attendees of the Free State Foundation conference on Tuesday. “Some say innovation in the U.S. has been on the decline for the past two de
FSF
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Attempts to Broker Agreement Between Satellite and Broadband for the C-Band
WASHINGTON, February 6, 2020 – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced a reimbursement plan for incumbents offering satellite service in the C-Band in order to facilitate a public auction that is scheduled to begin December 8, 2020, Pai said Thursday. Speaking at the Informatio
