As of 2019, over 20 million Americans—predominantly those living in rural areas—lacked access to high-speed broadband service according to the Federal Communications Commission. Federal subsidies underwritten by taxpayer funds and long-distance telephone subscriber fees have injected billions of dollars into rural broadband markets over the past decade—mostly on the supply side in the form of grants, loans, and direct support to broadband providers. Yet, adoption rates have leveled off after more than a decade of rapid growth, even as broadband providers have extended service to remote and hard-to-serve areas. The overall share of US adults using the internet has not grown significantly since 2013—a trend reflected in rural broadband subscription rates, which continue to lag significantly behind rates in urban areas. Observers note that weak demand in nascent broadband markets makes it more difficult for federal agencies to elicit private-sector program participation and investment in high-cost, high-risk rural areas. Even in subsidized markets, broadband infrastructure buildout ultimately rests on business decisions made in the private sector. On average, rural areas are less wealthy than urbanized areas, and have older populations with lower educational attainment—factors which negatively correlate with demand for broadband service. Related barriers to adoption, such as lower perceived value, affordability, computer ownership, and computer literacy, have persisted over many years.

Options for congressional consideration include measures to address obstacles to adoption and additional incentives for private sector investment in the rural broadband sector. These may include expansion of end-user subsidies, both within the broadband sector and other sectors that utilize broadband-enabled technologies. Congress may also consider measures to encourage broadband providers to increase investment in persistently underserved rural areas and more aggressively develop nascent broadband markets. These may include adjustment to subsidy rates and program rules, including introduction of adoption milestones for subsidy recipients. Additionally, Congress may consider measures to increase education and outreach.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai continues to double down on the claim that net neutrality was a huge boon for American consumers, even if supporting evidence for that claim remains largely nonexistent. Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Chairman Pai once again insisted that his decision to ignore the public and repeal net neutrality protections resulted in faster broadband speeds for consumers—and a spike in overall network investment. “Since we made the decision in December 2017, broadband speeds are up 60 percent according to Ookla, infrastructure investment is up, more Americans are getting connected to the internet than ever before,” he said. “More fiber was laid in 2019 to homes and businesses in the United States than in any year since they’ve been keeping records, breaking the record we set in 2018.”

“I would like to say that thanks to our efforts, more Americans than ever before, faster than ever before, are able to hate-tweet their favorite FCC chairman.”

The House has passed three bipartisan 5G bills, which passed out of the House Commerce Committee in Nov. The bills are primarily about considering and strategizing and encouraging, rather than commanding, which helped them get that bipartisan support. It is likely the bills will get Senate approval and President Donald Trump's signature. 

• H. Res. 575, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that all stakeholders in the deployment of 5G communications infrastructure should carefully consider and adhere to the recommendation of "the Prague Proposals," was introduced by Reps Bill Flores (R-TX) and Darren Soto (D-FL).  The resolution also encourages the President and federal agencies to promote trade and security policies on the international stage that are consistent with "The Prague Proposals."  The bill passed by voice vote.
• The Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2019 (HR 2881) was introduced by Reps Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Francis Rooney (R-FL), Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), and Susan Brooks (R-IN).  This legislation requires the President to develop the "Secure Next Generation Mobile Communications Strategy” with the heads of the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and Department of Homeland Security, as well as the Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Defense.  The legislation then requires the President to develop a separate implementation plan for the strategy for the NTIA to carry out. The bill passed 413-3.
• The “Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act of 2019 (HR 4500) was introduced by Reps. Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI).  This legislation directs NTIA to encourage participation by American companies and other stakeholders in standards-setting bodies.  It also offers technical assistance to stakeholders that do elect to participate in developing standards for 5G networks and future generations of communications networks.  The bill passed by voice vote.  

“The House continues to pass legislation that will help keep the American people safe. The whole-of-government approach of the Secure 5G and Beyond Act will force the Trump Administration to get serious about protecting Americans as 5G services are deployed," said House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA). " The timing is particularly important given the increased risk of cyberattacks arising from the conflict with Iran. All three of these bills are important for securing America’s wireless future, and we hope they won’t languish in the Senate.” 

Twitter recently announced that it will no longer allow political advertisements on its digital platform. Implementation of this decision, if possible at all, will have dire consequences for American democracy. Defining a political advertisement is nearly impossible. And social media helps under-funded candidates. And Twitter's ban will not eliminate disinformation. 

We already have readily available databases of advertisements that are aired on TV or radio. It is technically simple to have social media companies build similar databases about the political advertisements on their platforms. Congress has already taken steps towards this direction through bills like the Honest Ads Act, which requires an “online platform [to] maintain, and make available for online public inspection in machine readable format, a complete record of any request to purchase [political advertisements] on such online platform.” Improved ad transparency would help fight disinformation and give voters the information they need to protect their interests.

[Niam Yaraghi is a nonresident fellow in the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation and an assistant professor of Operations and Information Management at University of Connecticut's School of Business]