1. Monthly archive
  2. May 2017

May 2017

The FCC’s Step Forward for Rural Internet Service

[Commentary] When the Federal Communications Commission made its decision two years ago to regulate the internet as a public utility, the harm came to small towns and rural communities almost immediately. Internet companies nationwide slowed or stopped plans to invest in improving and expanding their services due to new legal and compliance costs. For rural America, those regulations presented yet another hurdle to gaining access to modern broadband services that urban areas have enjoyed for years.

Recently, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced his plan to correct that mistake. Pai’s plan has sparked an unusual amount of handwringing by some people with misguided ideas on how to ensure the internet economy continues to thrive.

[Betsy Huber is president of National Grange.]

Rep Kelly introduces bill to make government websites mobile-friendly

House Oversight Subcommittee on Information Technology Ranking Member Robin Kelly (D-IL) is introducing a new bill aimed at bridging the digital divide by requiring all future government websites to be mobile friendly. The bill is aimed at making government policy more accessible to lower-income individuals, particularly in inner cities that can’t afford broadband access on their computers and often access the web through their mobile phones.

“In 2017, it’s unreasonable that one in ten Americans cannot effectively connect with their government because they only use mobile devices,” Rep Kelly said. “Deep urban and remote rural communities are the most affected by our government’s failure to provide mobile-accessible websites. Without broadband coverage, these Americans are tied to the mobile-only Internet.”

You Cannot Encrypt Your Face

[Commentary] From the Boston Tea Party to the printing of Common Sense, the ability to dissent—and to do it anonymously—was central to the founding of the United States. Anonymity was no luxury: It was a crime to advocate separation from the British Crown. It was a crime to dump British tea into Boston harbor. This trend persists. Our history is replete with moments when it was a “crime” to do the right thing, and legal to inflict injustice.

The latest crime-fighting tools, however, may eliminate people’s ability to be anonymous. Historically, surveillance technology has tracked our technology: our cars, our computers, our phones. Face recognition technology tracks our bodies. And unlike fingerprinting or DNA analysis, face recognition is designed to identify us from far away and in secret.

[Alvaro Bedoya is the founding executive director of the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law. ]

FDA denies memo saying it only allows Fox News on TVs

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied the validity of a memo circulating on social media that claims that Fox News will be the only news channel allowed on televisions for one of the agency's units. “There was no directive or memorandum from the Administration that went out to employees about broadcast news channels displaying on monitors in common areas throughout the FDA’s White Oak campus,” an FDA spokeswoman said. The memo, which was apparently sent to employees at the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, says that administration officials have "requested that all monitors, under our control, on the White Oak Campus, display FOX news."

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Statement on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017

The US Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017, which provides $445 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's (CPB) FY 2019 advance appropriation, $50 million for upgrading and replacing the public broadcasting interconnection system and $25.741 million for the Department of Education’s Ready To Learn program. The legislation reaffirms that federal funding for public media is an investment that continues to deliver proven value and service to all Americans.

On behalf of the millions of Americans who consume and connect with public media every day, CPB would like to thank Congress for its continued strong support. The federal appropriation provides the foundation of this unique public-private partnership, essential funding for the nearly 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations across the country. Federal funding ensures that public media serves rural, small town and urban communities alike, and makes possible stations’ service in early childhood education, public safety, connecting citizens to our history, and promoting civil discussions.

Technology Policy Institute and the Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
11:45 am -- 2:00 pm
https://techpolicyinstitute.org/events/the-future-of-the-internet-in-a-p...

This event will explore what's ahead for the internet and internet users in a post-internet regulation world.


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