May 2020

Joe Biden doesn’t like President Trump’s Twitter order, but still wants to revoke Section 230

Former Vice President Joe Biden still wants to repeal Section 230, the pivotal internet law that provides social media companies like Facebook and Twitter with broad legal immunity over content posted by their users, a campaign spokesperson said. Still, the campaign emphasized key disagreements with the executive order signed by President Donald Trump May 28.

Verizon: As Lines Between Wireline and Wireless Blur, Home Broadband is Just Another Device

Verizon executive Ronan Dunne, group CEO for Verizon Consumer, laid out a vision for Verizon 5G Home that foresees a time when consumers will buy home broadband service in the same way they buy wireless service today. It is just buying another line, or another device in Dunne’s vision, just like consumers do today with their wireless buying habits. “The nature of the line between the wireless business and wireline business is blurring,” said Dunne.

Rural Broadband Provider Organizations Ask USDA to Relax "Onerous" ReConnect Award Rules

NTCA — The Rural Broadband Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) asked the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to relax certain rules for the ReConnect rural broadband funding program. The ReConnect program covers some of the costs of deploying broadband to unserved rural areas where build-out costs are high. ReConnect 100% grant awards require matching funds, and currently, recipients must spend all matching funds before they can begin using grant funding.

Broadband Subscriptions Are Up...But What's Behind the Numbers?

Back in April, a Pew Research Center survey found that 53% of U.S. adults say the internet has been essential for them personally during the pandemic. Another 34% say it has been important. Those attitudes are reflected in increased traffic over home broadband networks.

May 25-29, 2020
Weekly Digest

Getting to the Source of Infodemics: It’s the Business Model

This report argues that Facebook, Twitter, and Google’s targeted advertising business models, and the opaque algorithmic systems that support them, are the root cause of their failure to staunch the flow of misinformation. This report reinforces the need to adopt a human rights framework for platform accountability.