On June 1, 2020, Republican Members of the House Commerce Committee wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai in support of the "5G Upgrade Order" which the FCC considered at the June 9, 2020 meeting. "Reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens to promote broadband deployment is a top priority for Congress, and we urge the Commission to approve this Order at your June Open Meeting," the Reps wrote.
On July 21, 2020, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai responded to several Members of Congress regarding a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled "Emergency Alerting: Agencies Need to Address Pending Applications and Monitory Industry Progress on System Improvements". The Report makes three recommendations for executive action — two addressed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and one addressed to the FCC.
How can Congress design an infrastructure stimulus that responds to today’s recession while still making forward-looking investments? This brief uses historical data and the earliest indicators from the COVID-19 downturn to make the case for a people-first approach to federal infrastructure stimulus. We specifically recommend that Congress:
The Federal Communications Commission announces the opening of the nomination period for the Ninth Chairman’s Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (“Chairman’s AAA”). The nomination period opens on Aug 3, 2020 and continues through 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sept 4, 2020.
The hearing will provide members an opportunity to examine policy issues before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and review the agency’s ongoing activities and proceedings.
Witnesses
The uses and effects of technological change permeate through all of our systems, including our democracy. Yet given political polarization and uncertain legal rules, our current climate presents unique challenges to our ideas and values of democracy. How might we use and think about technology to better serve our democratic institutions?
Wireless networks underpin almost every aspect of modern micromobility. Without them, it would be impossible to do things like manage a global fleet of scooters or track down a customer’s bike when it gets stolen or lost.
But the connectivity choices available to micromobility companies are limited. Both WiFi and Bluetooth have short range, and cellular data plans can be pricy. However, thanks to new advances in low-power, long-range networking technology, the connectivity landscape is changing.
The July tech antitrust hearing in the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee stands to be historic. With the CEOs of Silicon Valley’s four most important firms — Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Google’s Sundar Pichai — all testifying, this may be the moment Americans finally get answers about what makes Big Tech tick and the implications the industry holds for competition in an increasingly digital world.
An essential part of the 5G technology evolution is the rapid implementation and sanctity of 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) technology. By standardizing or “opening” the protocols and interfaces between the various subcomponents in the RAN, we will move to an environment where networks can be deployed with a more modular design without being dependent upon a single vendor.
Open RAN technology and how the U.S. Congress can help facilitate a network evolution with the potential to create economic opportunities while increasing supply chain diversity and promoting competition.
© 1994-2026 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.
