Reporting

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Robert Menendez (D-NJ) says Public Media Lab, a nonprofit organization that is run by Michael Pack, is under investigation by the District of Columbia’s attorney general. Pack is President Trump’s nominee to lead the US Agency for Global Media, the federal media agency with oversight of Voice of America and other news outlets. The attorney general’s office is investigating whether Pack’s use of Public Media Lab funds was “unlawful and whether he improperly used those funds to benefit himself.” The DC attorney general informed the committee o

Despite Hamilton County (TN) Schools' efforts to ensure students had technology and teachers had a game plan, many educators say academic engagement wasn't where they'd like it to be. In many cases, access to broadband internet or Wi-Fi was the biggest barrier for student learning.

As the coronavirus pandemic lays bare America’s digital divide, some advocates argue that now is the time to make a big, bold investment in the country’s broadband infrastructure. So far, some critics argue, federal aid to rural areas — and federal money for rural broadband in particular — has fallen short.

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau says that Verizon's claims in TV ads that it is "building the most powerful 5G experience for America" is not supported by the evidence and recommended that it discontinue or modify that claim. AT&T had complained about the ads, which promote 5G service in sports venues, to the NAD, which is the investigative unit of the ad industry's self-regulatory unit.

The nation’s internet service providers, both for fixed and mobile services, are beginning to see the economic impacts from their pledge to not disconnect customers during the COVID-19 crisis.

An effort to protect Americans' browsing and search histories from warrantless government surveillance failed by a single vote in the Senate on May 13. The privacy measure, sponsored by Sens Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT) got 59 votes, one vote fewer than was needed to overcome a filibuster. The vote was over a section of federal surveillance law that was originally part of the USA Patriot Act in 2001. That provision, known as Section 215, gave the FBI the power to obtain "any tangible thing," including "books, records, papers, documents, and other items," without a warrant.

With most of the US under orders to stay at home, many people are relying on their phones and computers to stay connected to the outside world through the internet.

Efforts from the Federal Communications Commission to expand both fixed-wireless and mobile broadband across rural America will require more granular data to reach their full potential, but deployment efforts shouldn’t be delayed any longer, according to industry stakeholders and legislators testifying at a Senate hearing. The FCC has acknowledged that its data-collection processes are fundamentally flawed as carriers have overstated coverage in their self-reported map data.

Co-Chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus Deb Haaland (D-NM) and Tom Cole (R-OK), and Sen Martin Heinrich (D-NM), announced the introduction of the COVID-19 DISASTER in Indian Country Act to unleash emergency access to broadband internet in Indian Country. The bill will direct the Federal Communications Commission to grant Indian tribes emergency special temporary authority of available spectrum on tribal lands so they can immediately deploy broadband networks on tribal lands during this pandemic.

The Senate Commerce Committee examined the ongoing initiatives led by the Federal Communications Commission to maintain and expand high-speed and reliable broadband connections to all Americans during this national public health emergency. The hearing also examined the impact of funds provided through the CARES Act to support broadband initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels, and legislative proposals focused on addressing the digital divide during the COVID-19 outbreak. Senators were joined by four witnesses: