February 2018

House Communications Subcommittee Vice Chair Leonard Lance (R-NJ) is joining subcommittee Ranking Member Mike Doyle (D-PA) in introducing bipartisan legislation that will help bring 5G wireless service closer to reality and help close the digital divide.  The "Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum", or AIRWAVES Act, will encourage the federal government to free up more spectrum for commercial licensed and unlicensed use.  More spectrum will improve data service from all providers and help close geographic gaps in coverage.

The Loveland (CO) City Council voted on four measures that will allow the city to begin developing a municipal broadband network. The city will spend $2.5 million from the general power fund to gather more information about the network.  Loveland’s broadband task force recommended the city pursue a community broadband network through a retail — or utility — model or through a public-public partnership model. But nothing precludes the city from potentially pursuing partnership options with private entities.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut has released its legislative priorities for 2018 and securing state-level net neutrality rules is at the top of the list.  "If the Federal Communications Commission has its way, big telecommunications companies could slow down access to lawful websites they disagree with or charge more money for faster internet access,’’ the ACLU of Connecticut stated in a fact sheet outlining its legislative agenda.

The U.S. technology industry has grown into one of America's most powerful and prestigious business sectors, now including 4 of the 5 most valuable companies in the world. But as the United States becomes a more diverse country overall, tech has increasingly come under fire for its striking lack of diversity. Even the most sincere efforts to fix the problem face one big obstacle, however: There are frustratingly few corporate policies that have been shown to work, over the long term, to improve diversity.