1. Monthly archive
  2. December 2019

December 2019

Thoughts on Rural Broadband Subsidies for the New Decade

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai proposed the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, or RDOF, a ten-year, $20.4 billion program designed to support broadband deployment in those rural-remote areas left behind by the private market. RDOF will go a long way in bridging the digital divide if it is spent correctly. But there are major issues with RDOF that require attention. My concern is that companies that win this public support will build networks using antiquated or untrusted tech that are only capable of 25/3 service.

FTC Grants Final Approval to Settlement with Former Cambridge Analytica CEO, App Developer over Allegations they Deceived Consumers over Collection of Facebook Data

The Federal Trade Commission has granted final approval to a settlement with the former CEO of Cambridge Analytica, LLC and an app developer who worked with the company to resolve allegations they used deceptive tactics to collect personal information from tens of millions of Facebook users for voter profiling and targeting. As part of the settlement, app developer Aleksandr Kogan and Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix are prohibited from making false or deceptive statements regarding the extent to which they collect, use, share, or sell personal information, as well as the purposes for

Next National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier Launch in 3 States

A soft launch of the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier begins Friday, December 20, 2019 in California, Oregon, and Texas. Unlike all other states, territories, and the District of Columbia, these three states operate their own comprehensive systems, in place of the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD). As a result, the Lifeline program continues to rely on these states’ systems for eliminating duplicative Lifeline support. Similarly, each of these states has its own system in place to determine subscriber eligibility for the federal Lifeline program in addition to its own s

Launch of National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier in 9 States Announced

National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier launches in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Washington. Starting on January 22, 2020, eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) in these nine states will be required to use the National Verifier’s eligibility determination process for all consumers applying for Lifeline service and must cease using legacy eligibility processes for prospective Lifeline subscribers.

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