Agenda

Sponsor: 

The Verge

Date: 
Wed, 05/12/2021 - 12:30

After a year of work, school, political organizing, and socializing via remote video, the pandemic has made clear how essential connectivity is to American life. 

It’s also revealed deep inequalities in internet access: millions are unable to run multiple video calls at once, with many lacking in-home access entirely. Meanwhile, the future of net neutrality remains uncertain. With states like California enforcing their own open internet rules, the federal government may be forced to solve the issue once and for all.



Windstream racks up 13k broadband adds in Q1

Windstream lit up 129,000 new locations with its Kinetic fiber service in Q1 2021, as it pushed toward a goal of extending gigabit capabilities to a total of 1 million homes and businesses by the end of 2021.

How Does the Emergency Broadband Benefit Discount Work?

The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program launches on May 12. Here's what you need to know

Funding - Congress dedicated $3.2 billion to the Emergency Broadband Benefit.

Discounts – eligible households can receive discounts off monthly broadband service:

Capital Projects Fund

The Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CCPF) will address many challenges laid bare by the pandemic, especially in rural America and low- and moderate-income communities, helping to ensure that all communities have access to the high-quality, modern infrastructure needed to thrive, including internet access. The American Rescue Plan provides $10 billion for payments to States, territories, and Tribal governments to carry out critical capital projects that directly enable work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the public health emergency. The America

Now is the Time to Get the Questions Right

For those of us who spent the last four years fighting a totally depressing battle against the last Administration’s nuclear attack on the public interest, springtime has brought the hope of rebirth, regeneration, and reform.   In media and telecom (my beat) we already see the budding of policies and programs to reverse the nation’s embarrassing broadband shortfalls.  Broadband is now seen as essential infrastructure, as important to twenty-first-century life as electricity was to the twentieth.  Not only that, but understanding broadband as a civil right seems to be taking hold.  Better la

Sponsor: 

Senate Commerce Committee

Date: 
Wed, 05/12/2021 - 10:00

The committee will consider a number of bills and nominations including:

  • S.1260, Endless Frontier Act; Sponsors: Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Todd Young (R-IN)
  • Nomination of Lina M. Khan, of New York, to be Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (PN254)


How the homework gap may actually be the key to solving our digital divide

Beyond supporting students, information being collected by schools across the country could prove useful when addressing the problem of the digital divide. The work to close the so-called homework gap, exacerbated when the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools and forced 50 million students to suddenly adopt remote learning, could also provide the federal and state governments a roadmap toward fixing the broader digital divide problem. The homework gap is a subset of a much larger d

Competitive Carriers Association warns up to $1 billion of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund could be wasted

The Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) warned the Federal Communications Commission is about to misspend millions in federal broadband funds, sending money to locations where it isn’t actually needed, due to faulty coverage maps. Specifically, CCA flagged money set to be distributed as part of Phase I of the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program. CCA CEO Steve Berry said, “We knew the data was not accurate.

Broadband Equity: Addressing Disparities in Access and Affordability

The House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing on the disparities that exist in accessing affordable, reliable high-speed internet in the US. The panel heard from the National Urban League's Joi Chaney, Public Knowledge President Chris Lewis, Francella Ochillo of Next Century Cities, and George Ford, the chief economist at the Phoenix Center.

Priorities and Policies To Connect the Unconnected Worldwide in Light of the 2021 International Telecommunication Union World Telecommunication Development Conference

The World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC–2021) will set the priorities and activities for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Development Sector in areas such as connectivity and digital inclusion.

Developing a Grant Strategy in an Evolving Funding Landscape

In light of many moving pieces and the potential broadband funding streams, we recommend communities take the following steps to develop a funding strategy and position themselves competitively for federal dollars:

State and Local Stakeholders are Key to Making Emergency High-Speed Internet Programs Long-Term Successes

Heartland Forward has created a multi-year, multi-pronged initiative, Connecting the Heartland, that includes a new workshop series to bring together decision-makers and influencers from the Beltway with the problem-solvers and doers in the Heartland who are working to expand high-speed internet access.

Inside ‘Facebook Jail’: The Secret Rules That Put Users in the Doghouse

Facebook's newly formed Oversight Board—a group of 20 lawyers, professors and other independent experts who consider appeals to decisions made by the company—has been charged with interpreting Facebook’s numerous detailed rules governing everything from the depiction of graffiti to swearing at newsworthy figures.

Sponsor: 

Fiber Broadband Association

Date: 
Tue, 05/11/2021 - 15:00 to 16:00

The pandemic has laid bare what rural residents have known for a long time: Rural broadband in many places is lacking. However, help is on the way. Federal and state funding programs are providing much needed assistance for rural fiber builds, and there’s never been a better time for a rural fiber build than now. This webinar will discuss design and deployment for rural networks, reviewing strategies to take fiber to the farmhouse.



A Rescue Effort for 3G

The wireless industry is beginning to wind down 2G and 3G networks in an effort to repurpose that spectrum for ultra-fast 5G. But lawmakers and public interest groups are increasingly concerned that shutting down those old networks could leave millions of people who still rely on them without service, particularly in rural areas. And there’s new pressure for the Federal Communications Commission to intervene.

Sponsor: 

Democracy Reform Ranking Project

Date: 
Tue, 05/04/2021 - 19:00 to 20:45

History and influences that have led our country to the rapid proliferation of a propagandist media that is threatening truth and fomenting extremism.

The presentations will be followed by audience questions and answers and information-sharing on what we can do about the state of the media to address the democracy crisis.

With featured speakers:



Sponsor: 

Federal Communications Commission

Date: 
Wed, 05/12/2021 - 08:00

The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program will begin May 12. Providers participating in the EBB Program can begin enrolling eligible households into the program to receive EBB-supported service, and households will also be able to check their eligibility directly by using the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier) consumer portal available at www.GetEmergencyBroadband.org.



Sponsor: 

Federal Communications Commission

Date: 
Thu, 05/20/2021 - 10:30

Vice President Harris will lead the Biden administration's push to bring every American online

Vice President Harris will lead the Biden administration's unprecedented effort to ensure every American has access to affordable, high-speed Internet. President Biden announced the Vice President would take the lead on the issue during his first address to a slimmed-down joint session of Congress, where he touted his proposal to create new jobs through investment in expanding Internet access.

5G for 12 GHz Coalition: It’s Not Just About Billionaire Vs. Billionaire

The debate about plans for the 12 GHz spectrum band is not just about billionaire versus billionaire, said Harold Feld, senior vice president for Public Knowledge which is part part of a new coalition know as 5G for 12 GHz.

Sponsor: 

Communications and Technology Subcommittee

House Commerce Committee

Date: 
Thu, 05/06/2021 - 11:30

A hearing on the disparities that exist in accessing affordable, reliable high-speed internet.



President Biden wants local governments to provide broadband internet. Could they compete with Comcast and Verizon?

President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan has renewed debate over whether municipal broadband makes the internet more affordable and accessible. Advocates, including Democrats in Washington, argue that public networks give internet titans like Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc. much needed competition. That would drive down prices and create more options. But critics, including Republican lawmakers and the cable industry, say the taxpayer-funded networks are unfair competition, discourage private investment, and are ill-equipped to keep pace with technology.

Sponsor: 

Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law

Senate Judiciary Committee

Date: 
Tue, 04/27/2021 - 10:00

Witnesses

  1. Ms. Monika Bickert

    Vice President For Content Policy

    Facebook

    Menlo Park, CA

  2. Ms. Lauren Culbertson

    Head Of U.S. Public Policy

    Twitter

    San Francisco, CA

  3. Ms. Alexandra Veitch

    Director Of Government Affairs And Public Policy For The Americas And Emerging Markets

    YouTube

    San Bruno, CA

  4. Mr. Tristan Harris

    Co-Founder And President

    Center for Humane Technology

    San Francisco, CA

  5. Dr. Joan Donovan

    Research Director