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  2. August 2018

August 2018

Verizon is lifting data restrictions on HI first-responders after CA firefighters complained of throttled speeds

In the wake of a customer-service backlash involving CA firefighters, Verizon is apologizing for slowing down the data speeds of first-responders — and says it will begin offering emergency workers a new unlimited data plan to avoid future mishaps. The telecom company also said it will refrain from imposing mobile data speed restrictions on first-responders on the entire West Coast for now as they continue battling some of the worst wildfires in the region’s history.

MMTC Names Maurita Coley Flippin President and CEO

The Multicultural Cultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC)’s Board of Directors has named Maurita Coley Flippin President and CEO of the organization. Coley previously has served as Acting President and CEO of MMTC, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and as Member of the MMTC Board of Directors. A former network executive, law partner, and nonprofit executive, she brings over 30 years of experience in law, business, and nonprofit management to the organization.

Losing net neutrality made it harder for Santa Clara County to fight its wildfires

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and his staff are fond of taking to Twitter to assert that, in the just over two months since the repeal of the FCC’s 2015 network neutrality rules took effect, the “Internet remains free and open” — and that opponents’ concerns that unconstrained broadband providers will act in a way that harms consumers and competition are overblown.

Sponsor 

Federal Trade Commission

Date 
Thu, 09/13/2018 - 14:00 to Fri, 09/14/2018 - 22:15

The Federal Trade Commission will begin its Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century with two full-day sessions, co-sponsored with and held at the Georgetown University Law Center, on September 13 and 14, 2018.


Related Headlines 
FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra Weighs in on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century
FTC Prepares to Wade in to Digital-Age Competition
FTC Hearings Add to Efforts That Threaten Tech Industry
Privacy Role Sparks Debate at FTC Hearing
Sponsor 

Senate Commerce Committee

Date 
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 15:00

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold an executive session to consider legislative measures and nominations including:

  • Nomination of Kelvin Droegemeier, of Oklahoma, to be Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
  • Nomination of James Morhard, of Virginia, to be Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Stark Limbo of Geoffrey Starks

It's been about two months of stall on the Senate floor for the nomination of Geoffrey Starks, the preferred choice of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to fill the vacant seat at the Federal Communications Commission. But the Senate is still spinning its wheels on the nominee, despite bipartisan support for moving Starks alongside fellow-Commissioner Brendan Carr’s nomination for a second term. The delay comes as Republicans have sought to assemble a bigger package of Trump administration nominees that could advance by unanimous consent.

Tech wants Washington to step up in global privacy rules race

Tech companies long averse to regulation are starting to embrace the idea of federal data privacy rules as they nervously eye foreign governments' moves toward more tightly regulating their expansive businesses. It's too late for tech to escape sweeping new privacy rules like Europe's General Data Protection Regulation. But clear rules from the US could serve as a global standard as countries around the world look to impose or tighten privacy laws.  As it stands, Europe's first-mover regulations are already resonating globally.

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