According to the Federal Communications Commission’s last-published report, 24 million Americans lack access to high-speed internet service, with 19 million of them in rural areas. But last week the New York Times offered new numbers and they’re problematic, too. It found that 162 million people across the country do not use internet service at broadband speeds. There’s a big delta between 24 million and 162 million. 

The FCC distributes billions of dollars each year to help accelerate the build-out of broadband so we can connect all our communities. It’s irresponsible for the agency to do so without having a truly accurate picture of where those resources should go. In the interest of keeping is simple, I’ve distilled my ideas for a do-over down to the three C’s of broadband cartography:

• The first c is coordination. Policymakers need to work collaboratively across all levels of government to get our maps right.
• The next c is for correct. We need to put a premium on accuracy. 
• The next c is for creative. We need to explore new ideas about how we can improve our maps. Why not give  the Universal Service Administrative Company  a role validating the data before we make the funds available to carriers? We can use [FCC offices around the country] to spot check the data in our existing maps. We could start a pilot project with postal trucks and have them collect wireless deployment data as they go about their routes in rural communities. Finally, we need to fully embrace crowdsourcing.

The best map will be coordinated, correct, and creative. It will be a Citizens Broadband Map. And the time to startbuilding it is right now. 

In a letter recording a meeting between the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) and the legal advisors to two Federal Communications Commission commissioners, the industry group "emphasized that the Commission’s goals would be better served by directing support to areas that lack any service at all and those that have access only below 10/1 Mbps."  "WISPA supports the Commission’s goal that all consumers nationwide, including in rural areas, should ultimately have access to 25/3 Mbps service. However, WISPA believes that, in this instance, the Commission has not yet allowed the unsubsidized market to mature sufficiently, and threatens private investment in areas that would have no service but for the presence of an unsubsidized provider." In other words: you should pay us to introduce internet speeds from 2010 – when the definition of broadband was raised to 4Mbps down and 1Mbps up.

Google’s chief executive, in perhaps the most public display of lawmakers’ unease with his company’s influence, was grilled about everything from search result bias and the data Google collects about its users to plans for a censored service in China. Sundar Pichai, an engineer who rose through Google’s ranks to become its leader three years ago, faced more than three hours of questions from the House Judiciary Committee. Republicans expressed concerns about unfair treatment of conservatives, and lawmakers in both parties zeroed in on privacy issues. In his opening statement, Pichai said, “Even as we expand into new markets we never forget our American roots," and that Google cares about privacy and supports federal privacy legislation.

“Mr. Pichai, it was necessary to convene this hearing because of the widening gap of distrust between Silicon Valley and the American people,” said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). He is not a member of the Judiciary Committee but made a point of attending the hearing. “All of these topics—competition, censorship, bias, and others—point to one fundamental question that demands the nation’s attention,” Rep. McCarthy said. “Are America’s technology companies serving as instruments of freedom—or instruments of control?

A partisan divide quickly emerged. Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) dismissed the fears of anti-conservative bias as “fact-free propaganda” and a “right-wing conspiracy theory.” Even if Google were politically biased, Ranking Member Nadler said, it would be within its rights as a private company. He cited the example of right-leaning media companies such as Fox News and Sinclair Broadcasting.

Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) followed on Majority Leader MacCarthy's statement by saying that he was concerned that Google's power had the potential for wide-ranging abuse, including of free speech. He also said he was concerned that Google could be censoring conservative voices. Additionally, he raised concerns with Google’s privacy practices, a day after it revealed its latest data mishap: A security lapse that exposed personal information about more than 50 million users of Google+, the company’s soon-to-be shuttered social network. 

Drew Harwell wrote for the Washington Post that the hearing, "was designed from the jump as a scene of performative political outrage at Big Tech, which has spent much of the year as a punching bag over claims of anti-conservative bias. And like previous hearings involving Twitter chief Jack Dorsey and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, Pichai’s hearing had the trappings of a modern Washington circus."

The digital era has spurred tremendous advancements throughout human society, but it has also led to immense instability and inequality. Now, a handful of companies maintain unfettered dominance over key components of economic activity, with little signs of slowing. In this paper, Tom Wheeler sheds light on the issues of the information age by demonstarting its parallels with the Gilded Age, during which rapid industrial expansion led to centralized power and eventually gave way to massive reforms.

Republican leaders of the House Oversight Committee released a scathing report about the Equifax data breach on Dec 10, detailing a series of security failures that preceded the 2017 compromise of 140 million Americans’ personal information. A few hours later, committee Democrats released a competing report about the consumer credit reporting agency, lashing out at their Republican colleagues for not demanding new cybersecurity laws to prevent the next major data breach. The competing reports highlight how cybersecurity, which was once considered a largely bipartisan topic, has been infected by partisan conflict.

The Democrats’ Oversight report called for new laws that would raise financial penalties for data breaches, simplify how consumers are notified about breaches and boost federal regulators’ cybersecurity efforts. The Republican report hit many of the same issues — but urged government cooperation with the private sector rather than mandates. The Democratic report proposed broadening the Federal Trade Commission’s regulatory power over credit ratings agencies, such as Equifax, for example, while the Republican report simply urged studying those regulatory powers.

A recap of the Federal Communications Commission's 2018 work to strengthen emergency calling and highlight some of our next steps for 2019. 1) Improving 911 Calling from Multi-Line Telephone Systems, 2) Examining How to Route Wireless 911 Calls More Quickly, 3) Helping First Responders Locate Wireless 911 Callers, and 4) Promoting Transparency About State 911 Fees.

The Federal Communications Commission officially opened of the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA). This new office will help consistently and thoroughly incorporate economic and data analysis into the policy-making work of the agency. OEA strengthens and centralizes the role of economic analysis by housing the vast majority of Commission economists in one office, including the entire staff of the former Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis. The new office includes four divisions:

1. The Economic Analysis Division, which provides analytical and quantitative support for rulemakings, transactions, reviews, adjudications, and other matters.
2. The Industry Analysis Division, which designs and administers significant, economically-relevant data collections.
3. The Auctions Division, which leads auction design and implementation issues, including for spectrum and universal service auctions.
4. The Data Division, which develops and implements best practices, processes, and standards for data management.