October 2018

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to update the national broadband availability map in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission and the states. NTIA is to acquire and display available third-party data sets to the extent it is able to negotiate its inclusion to augment data from the FCC, other federal government agencies, state government, and the private sector. NTIA intends to collect broadband availability data at a more granular level than that available via the FCC Form 477 process.

President Donald Trump directed the Secretary of Commerce to work with agencies and policymakers on all levels to develop a National Spectrum Strategy to guide our country’s spectrum policy in the years to come. The Strategy will examine how to improve spectrum management and assess research and development priorities to create new technologies and improve United States competitiveness. The Strategy will provide a comprehensive roadmap for policymakers on all levels so that we can successfully lead the way to a connected future.

Trained reporters play a critical role in identifying news events through following social media. When reporters have both professional training and experience with the organizers and actors on social media they can not only anticipate important news events, but they can also contextualize them for followers and authenticate the raw footage and real-time reporting. Even when considering the crisis of trust and generalized suspicion, it is important to distinguish the nuances.