Over the last three years, Le Sueur County (MN) has assembled a task force of citizens, local officials, and business leaders which have succeeded in dramatically improving broadband for thousands of residents who previously had poor or no connectivity. In doing so, they’ve also forged relationships, inventoried local resources, and created a model which is likely to see the landscape go from one where nearly all residents in the county were under- or unserved by basic broadband at the beginning of 2018 to one where the vast majority of the community will have access at 100/20 Mbps in the next couple years. And if efforts continue to succeed, it’s possible we might see full fiber coverage in Le Sueur by the end of the decade, making it one of the most connected counties in the state.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai signed an arrangement to implement a modernized framework for cross-border radio frequency spectrum coordination between the United States and Canada. This Transitional Arrangement with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) facilitates the provisional application of the new General Coordination Agreement (GCA) which the two countries signed on January 12 and 13. The agreement on the use of the radio frequency spectrum by terrestrial and earth stations, after almost two decades of negotiations, modernizes the existing spectrum coordination framework. Under the new framework, the FCC, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and ISED will have flexibility to create and update spectrum coordination arrangements in response to rapidly evolving communications needs. These decisions also ensure that all stations and frequencies coordinated prior to GCA’s entry in force maintain their coordinated status. The General Coordination Agreement and the Transitional Arrangement will enable the FCC, NTIA, and ISED to continue to facilitate rapid deployment of radio communications systems while minimizing harmful interference, as well as strengthen both countries’ ability to manage their spectrum resources efficiently and effectively along the United States-Canada border.

The Federal Communications Commission announced an initial set of 14 pilot projects with over 150 treatment sites in 11 states that have been selected for the Connected Care Pilot Program. A total of $26.6 million will be awarded to these applicants for proposed projects to treat nearly half a million patients in both urban and rural parts of the country. Overall, this Pilot Program will make available up to $100 million over a three-year period for selected pilot projects for qualifying purchases necessary to provide connected care services, with a particular emphasis on providing connected care services to low-income and veteran patients. The Pilot Program will use Universal Service Fund monies to help defray the costs of connected care services for eligible health care providers, providing support for 85% of the cost of eligible services and network equipment, which include: (1) patient broadband Internet access services; (2) health care provider broadband data connections; (3) other connected care information services; and (4) certain network equipment. [see list of awardees] 

In 2017, Facebook said it was testing a new way of selling online advertising that would threaten Google’s control of the digital ad market. But less than two years later, Facebook did an about-face and said it was joining an alliance of companies backing a similar effort by Google. Facebook never said why it pulled back from its project, but evidence presented in an antitrust lawsuit filed by 10 state attorneys general last month indicates that Google had extended to Facebook, its closest rival for digital advertising dollars, a sweetheart deal to be a partner. Executives at six of the more than 20 partners in the alliance said that their agreements with Google did not include many of the same generous terms that Facebook received and that the search giant had handed Facebook a significant advantage over the rest of them. The executives said they had not known that Google had afforded such advantages to Facebook.

Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai says online platforms should be forced to explain their practices in the much the same way he required of broadband providers like Comcast and AT&T. Chairman Pai paired those transparency requirements with his 2017 repeal of net neutrality rules. He also took a dig at online companies that supported net neutrality rules for broadband providers who appear to be "unwilling to abide by" similar rules themselves. While he stopped short of calling for regulation, he said he believes most consumers don't understand what is and isn't allowed online, and would benefit from additional transparency on content moderation decisions. And while Chairman Pai said he didn't second-guess the immediate actions Twitter and Facebook took against President Trump's accounts in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, he did question Twitter's subsequent decision to permanently ban Trump.

The House Republican Steering Committee selected eight new members to serve on the House Commerce Committee:

1. Representative Kelly Armstrong (R-ND): A member of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee in the 116th Congress, Rep Armstrong has supported tweaks to US antitrust laws to address concerns about competition in the online marketplace. And he’s called for giving regulators who oversee the industry more resources and staffing. He’s also expressed concern about issues around data privacy and facial recognition.
2. Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-TX): The former Navy SEAL has railed against tech companies over accusations they “use their power to censor speech and amplify progressive agendas” and called for revamping Section 230 to address concerns over alleged bias. He’s been sharply critical of Chinese telecom giants like Huawei competing with the US on 5G.
3. Representative John Curtis (R-UT): Two of Curtis' bills were included in a package of 26 bills that House Republicans proposed in the summer of 2020 to streamline the deployment of broadband infrastructure.
4. Representative Neal Dunn (R-FL) said, "My constituents have also reached out to me about expanding rural broadband infrastructure to help with the rise in remote work and telehealth. These priorities will not only strengthen our economy and help grow my district but as we saw through Operation Warp Speed, they can save lives."
5. Representative John Joyce (R-PA) is a champion of rural broadband access.
6. Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ): After a slew of tech companies pulled the conservative-friendly Parler app off their products, Rep Lesko called it “Big Tech protecting their monopolies.” And she’s slammed the industry over the anti-conservative bias claims.
7. Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL) is an opponent of net neutrality rules, saying, “By putting internet content under the thumb of federal bureaucrats, this ruling threatens free speech." 
8. Representative Greg Pence (R-IN): The brother of Vice President Mike Pence, Rep Greg Pence called boosting rural broadband investment a “major priority” of his for the panel.