A Biden Federal Communications Commission needs to tackle exorbitant jail and prison call prices: extending reform efforts to jails and intrastate communications, tackling exploitative video call contracts for the first time, and addressing the problems of fees and monopolistic bundled service provision in addition to fully dismantling the regressive commission system.
Promised to be a faster, more reliable cell network, 5G requires the construction of thousands upon thousands of small cell towers just a few blocks apart. Indigenous nations like the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas are in a difficult situation. The offices are woefully underfunded, which makes it impossible for Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs) to process the hundreds of 5G requests each week, and if tribes don’t respond, construction of a tower could damage religious places, cemeteries, or other historic sites.
In Dec 2019, I spoke to the members of Gov Roy Cooper’s (D-NC) broadband task force and noted how, from the viewpoint of anyone looking objectively at the issue of broadband access, the public-private partnership model advocated by the NC League of Municipalities (NCLM) is a “no-brainer.” Obviously, a lot has happened in the world since then.
The Senate on Dec 19 failed to move forward on two inspectors general because 12 Senate Republicans were absent, potentially costing President Donald Trump some lame duck appointees. In back-to-back 39-48 votes, the Senate was unable to take procedural steps to confirm John Chase Johnson to become inspector general of the Federal Communications Commission and Eric Soskin to become inspector general of the Department of Transportation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voted against the nominees, a move that allows him to bring them back to the floor whenever he wan
Dozens of tech hubs around the world have dreamed of nipping at Silicon Valley’s heels, but in 2020 those dreams are starting to look like reality. Thanks to Covid-19, “the spreading out of tech is having a 10-year acceleration,” says Rana Sarkar, Canada’s consul general for San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Before the pandemic, mid-size cities across North America and Europe and major Asian centers would create startup accelerators only to struggle to retain their local talent or attract venture capital — one of the leading measures of success, pre-pandemic.
Congress is set to pass a $900 billion Covid-19 aid bill. The legislation includes $7 billion for broadband.
More questions for the FCC's rural broadband fund
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