John Eggerton

Legislators Push for $2 Billion for Broadband

Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Reps. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) have written to their respective leadership asking to set aside $2 billion in the next Covid recovery/stimulus bill for rural broadband connectivity. “In recent weeks, unemployment claims have surged, and schools across the country have closed in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus, leaving many Americans—including low-income families and students—without critical internet connectivity," they said.

Rural Broadband: Go Big and Stay Home

Cable operators are telling the Federal Communications Commission that if it wants to attract cable operators and other terrestrial broadband providers to its massive subsidy program for rural broadband buildouts, it should retain census blocks as the smallest biddable unit in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) reverse auction. NCTA–The Internet & Television Association has suggested that if the FCC goes big, cable operator bidders may stay home.

Pandemic Amplifies Calls for Universal Broadband

The coronavirus is putting a klieg light on an already hot topic in Washington, the digital divide, and is fueling new government subsidies for high-speed broadband in rural areas and new calls for more from Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and industry by those pushing to close the divide. “Our longstanding digital divide has morphed into a monstrous new COVID-19 divide,” said FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. FCC Chairman Ajit  Pai has been waiving regulations and calling on Internet service providers to keep America connected, a call they have been answering.

President Trump Thanks Carriers for COVID-19 Response

President Donald Trump held a call with top communications company CEOs to check in with those working to maintain and extend essential connections in a pandemic-driven world of sheltering- and quarantining-in-place. According to the White House, the President thanked them and their employees for their work to keep the country connected for work, education, shopping and bridging the physical distances with virtual socializing. The President talked about the strength of a free-market based network system that remained strong. The President called the system the envy of the world and thanked

FCC Gets Together, Apart, in Age of COVID-19

The Federal Communications Commission held its mandatory monthly meeting via a brief, video-less, teleconference call March 31, with commissioners dialing in from home and the public able to access it over a never-more-important broadband connection. The commissioners had already voted to approve all the meeting agenda items, and their time — the meeting lasted less than 20 minutes — was spent mostly talking about the pandemic and how they and the industry were dealing with it. 

FCC Will Seek Distance-Learning Dollars from Hill

The Federal Communications Commission was looking for money from Congress for remote education in the COVID-19 aid bill that passed recently, but didn't get it. An FCC official signaled on background March 30 that it is not giving up. The FCC official said to look for the FCC to renew the funding pitch for the next round of COVID-19 aid that is almost surely coming. He also cited the efforts Internet service providers are taking on their own dime, including offering free service to low-income residents with school-age children currently lacking home broadband.

Satellite Internet Company OneWeb Files for Bankruptcy

OneWeb, one of the companies looking to use constellations of satellites to provide competition to terrestrial and wireless broadband providers, has filed for bankruptcy and will try to sell the company.  OneWeb suggested it was on the verge of getting financing when the pandemic hit.

USTelecom Seeks Major Temporary Deregulation Help from FCC

Telecommunication Internet service providers have provided the Federal Communications Commission with a laundry list of coronavirus-related temporary deregulation, including waiving deadlines, suspending rules, and providing more funding, all to address the teleworking and telemedicine and distance-learning load of a homebound workforce and student population. In its letter to the FCC, USTeecom conceded it could be costly and said they would press Congress to appropriate the money. 

Coronavirus Bill Buttresses Rural Broadband Buildout Funding

The $2 trillion coronavirus aid bill includes $125 million dollars to buttress the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) telemedicine and distance learning and broadband buildout loan and grant programs. The bill must still be passed by the House — a vote is scheduled for March 27, but that is expected to happen and the President to sign it the same day. 

House Commerce Ranking Member Walden Calls on Wireless ISPs to Boost Hot Spot Data

House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) says wireless broadband providers need to do more to help families connect to broadband during the coronavirus pandemic. While he praised the efforts to date, including waiving overage fees and encouraged "all providers [to] temporarily make as much data available as possible, as quick as possible," he also called on them to provide more data for mobile hot spots during the Covid-19 crisis. "This is an unprecedented time, and wireless providers have already stepped up to the plate in a big way," he said. “But more can be done.

Over 250 Groups Seek More Expansive Lifeline Response from FCC

Some 250 groups, from the American Civil Liberties Union to the Benton Insitute for Broadband & Society, have gotten together to tell the Federal Communications Commission it needs to take further actions to help low-income residents stay connected during the coronavirus crisis. 

AT&T CEO addresses major surge in mobile, Wi-Fi usage as more people work from home

AT&T’s networks have seen a surge of usage since companies around the United States have asked employees to work from home and schools have moved online following the COVID-19 outbreak.

FCC, Congress Working on Freeing Up Device Dollars

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has been working with Congress on ways to use government subsidy money for in-home devices by teachers, students and patients. The FCC is trying to subsidize distance learning and telemedicine tech during the coronavirus crisis, but is not authorized to do so. 

Senate Commerce Approves ACCESS BROADBAND Act

The Senate Commerce Committee approved the Advancing Critical Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources, Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand (ACCESS BROADBAND) Act (S. 1046), as well as two-other communications-related bills. The bill creates the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth within the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, the White House's chief communications policy adviser. The office will track the construction, use and access to broadband infrastructure built with federal subsidies.

FCC Chairman Pai Defends Mozilla Decision Comment Release

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai pushed back hard against suggestions by fellow-FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel that he was playing "hide the ball" with the way the FCC issues its request for comment on the remand of some of its net neutrality dereg order. Rep.

Coronavirus Cited In Request for Net Neutrality Comment Extension

A group of interested stakeholders has cited the coronavirus in asking the Federal Communications Commission to extend the comment deadline on a court's remand of portions of its Restoring Internet Freedom order. In a motion for extension of time, the groups said that "the staff, officials and line level first responders who possess the knowledge necessary to respond to these questions are preoccupied with preparing for, and conducting, emergency responses to a public safety crisis of unprecedented magnitude brought on by the rapid spread of COVID-19." They also pointed out that since the c

FCC Chairman Pai: FCC Lacks Resources to Implement BRODBAND DATA Act

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai told a House Financial Services Subcommittee budget hearing that he could not provide a timeline for when the FCC could improve its broadband availability maps, in part because of a bill Congress just passed to require better mapping. Asked for a best-guess for when better maps could be produced, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel (who was also testifying) said she thought the FCC could improve its maps within 3-6 months and again argued the FCC should hold off on handing new rural broadband buildout subsidies — $16 billion worth and the

House passes Secure 5G Act, which mandates Trump Administration 5G strategy

The House has passed the Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2020 (S 893). The legislation passed on unanimous consent, which is a way to pass noncontroversial bills, but only if there are no "no" votes. The bill directs the President to develop a "Secure Next Generation Mobile Communications Strategy” in consultation with the heads of the Federal Communications Commission, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Defense. The bill is the Senate version of an already-passed

FCC Commissioners Carr, O'Rielly Raise Big Tech Red Flags at CPAC

Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, addressing allegations of conservative bias on online platforms, said he did not think the answer was "to do nothing." He cited what he said was a leaked document from Twitter "that it would soon be able to allow political ideologues to stamp tweets as misinformation based on their perspective," saying: "I don't think that's the right thing." "If you don't want MSNBC fact-checking the information you see on Twitter," he said, "I think you should be empowered to make that decision and turn those types of bias filters off." Asked to weigh in o

Net Neutrality Docket is Now FCC's Busiest

The Federal Communications Commission's request for comment on its net neutrality deregulation has become the busiest docket at the commission, drawing over three thousand comments in the past 30 days. According to a thumbnail survey, the comments continue to be general ones calling for the return of the rules and Title II classification, rather than on the specifics of the FCC request.

President Trump State of the Union Touches on Tech Issues

President Donald Trump's Feb 4 State of the Union speech gave only a few lines to tech and broadband issues, though he did talk more about the trade deals that tech companies have applauded.

NCTA Warns Against Telecommunication Equipment Rip-And-Replace Efforts

NCTA-The Internet & Television Association said the Federal Communications Commission should not expand its ban of suspect tech identified as a threat to network security beyond participants in the FCC's Universal Service Fund broadband subsidy program. It said applying it to all networks regardless of whether or not the USF funds exceeds the FCC's authority and would duplicate efforts by other agencies. "There is no legal basis for the Commission to move from conditioning eligibility for a program it is statutorily authorized to administer on removal of certain equipment, to simply ban

Campaign Reformers Push Back on NAB Political Ad Ask

Campaign reform groups are telling the Federal Communications Commission to reject broadcasters' petition to 'clarify' the FCC's disclosure requirements for third-party political ads and follow the National Association of Broadcasters' "rationally tailored approach." NAB and others asked the FCC to narrow its definition of non-candidate ads on “any political matter of national importance" (i.e.

Broadband Associations Collectively Call For Changes in Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

The major broadband associations have gotten to together to urge the Federal Communications Commission to make changes to the proposed Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.