August 2024

FCC Adopts New Alert Code for Missing & Endangered Persons

The Federal Communications Commission voted to establish a new alert code to help save missing and endangered persons by delivering critical alert messages to the public over television, radio, and wireless phones. In 2023, more than 188,000 people went missing who fall outside of the criteria for AMBER Alerts.

FCC Proposes First AI-Generated Robocall & Robotext Rules

The Federal Communications Commission proposed new consumer protections against AI-generated robocalls and robotexts.

SpaceX’s Gwynne Shotwell says Starlink is very interested in BEAD

At the Mountain Connect conference, one of Elon Musk’s top lieutenants—Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of SpaceX—regaled the audience with exciting stories about rocket launches, and she also touted SpaceX’s Starlink broadband service as a great way to close the digital divide in hard-to-reach rural locations. Shotwell also revealed SpaceX was working with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on some “structural elements” to determine if SpaceX will bid for Broadband Equity Access and D

AST SpaceMobile Gets Initial License Nod from FCC

AST SpaceMobile, which is preparing to offer low earth orbit (LEO)-based cellular broadband network services, says that it has gotten an initial license from the Federal Communications Commission for space-based operations in the United States. Initially, AST SpaceMobile’s services will include a cellphone-to-satellite offering.

Starry reaches for new heights in post-bankruptcy era

Like a phoenix, Starry is on the rise again. The fixed wireless internet service provider (ISP) took the world by storm a few short years ago before declaring bankruptcy in 2023. Besides climbing out of bankruptcy, much of the past year has been focused on upgrading its hardware and software to offer gigabit speeds (1,000 Mbps).

Native Nations and Federal Telecom Policy Failures: Lessons from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

As Tribes work in record numbers to close the significant digital divide across Indian Country, they need good policy that facilitates self-determined and sustainable solutions. To the contrary, the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), became, for many, yet another lesson in the dangers of investing significant sums of federal money into new Internet networks on Tribal lands without regard to local knowledge or priorities, leaving Tribal governments to spend their own time and resources to fix broken processes. This report exami

Commissioner Carr and Rep Joyce on Day 995

Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr joined Rep John Joyce (R-PA) in Blair County, Pennsylvania, for a roundtable discussion on the Biden-Harris Administration’s $42 billion plan for extending Internet service throughout rural America. Commissioner Carr and Rep Joyce heard directly from a range of stakeholders that want to see new Internet builds in their communities—from healthcare, education, economic, local government, and other leaders to the broadband builders that are ready to get the job done. Commissioner Carr said: