1. Monthly archive
  2. April 2020

April 2020

Chairman Pai's Response to Senators Wicker, Thune, Blunt, Fischer, Moran, Johnson, Blackburn and Young Regarding a Proposal to Establish a 5G Fund for Rural America

On March 9, 2020,  Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Thune (R-SD), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Fischer (R-NE), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Todd Young (R-IN) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai expressing concern as to having reliable underlying coverage data used to determine funding eligibility for a 5G fund for rural America. They urged the FCC to focus on ensuring that accurate data is available — including updates to the collection of coverage data as outline in the Broadband DATA Act. 

NTIA Updates Comprehensive Guide to Federal Broadband Funding

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has updated its BroadbandUSA website database of 57 federal broadband programs, spanning 14 federal agencies with billions of dollars for broadband grants, loans, and other resources.

Reps Pallone, Walden, Guthrie, and Matsui Introduce Bill to Promote Competitive and Secure 5G Equipment

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR), and Reps Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced the “Utilizing Strategic Allied (USA) Telecommunications Act of 2020“ in the House of Representatives. The bill would authorize up to $750 million for a grant program administered by the US Department of Commerce, in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission and other federal agencies, to promote and accelerate the deployment and use of open interfaced, standards-based, and interoperable 5G networks throughout the US.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Pallone Statement on GAO Report Confirming Failures During FCC's Net Neutrality Repeal

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) unveiled a report recommending that the Federal Communications Commission take aggressive action to enhance the cybersecurity of its Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) and other information systems: “I requested this report because it was clear, after the net neutrality repeal comment period debacle, that the FCC’s cybersecurity practices had failed.

FCC Made Significant Progress, but Needs to Address Remaining Control Deficiencies and Improve Its Program

The Federal Communications Commission uses the Electronic Comment Filing System to receive public comments about proposed regulation changes. In May 2017, a surge of more than 22 million comments disrupted the system making it unavailable. We issued a Sept 2019 report with 136 recommendations for improvements in this and other FCC systems. The report was not publically released because it contains security information. This is the public version of that report—with the sensitive information removed.

FCC Scrutinizes Four Chinese Government-Controlled Telecom Entities

The Federal Communications Commission issued Orders to Show Cause against four companies that are ultimately subject to the ownership and control of the Chinese government: China Telecom Americas, China Unicom Americas, Pacific Networks, and ComNet. The Orders direct the companies to explain why the FCC should not start the process of revoking their domestic and international section authorizations enabling them to operate in the US.

© 1994-2026 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.