Eighty percent of Americans say they support net neutrality, according to a new poll from Comparitech. The Comparitech survey, which tracks with other polls that have found high levels of support for net neutrality among US voters, was conducted a week after Democrats introduced the Save the Internet Act in early March. Almost 87 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of Republicans surveyed said they support net neutrality, the principle that Internet service providers should allow users to access all content without fees or interruption. Three in five Democrats said the issue is "very important" to them, while 31 percent of Republicans said the same. More than sixty-seven percent of respondents said they are concerned Internet content will be blocked or censored, while 63.5 percent said they fear customers will receive different services and web speeds.

The Baltimore (MD) City Council is considering asking voters to block the sale of Baltimore’s 700-mile, century-old underground conduit system, a move supporters say could encourage a public broadband system in the future. The terra cotta system dates to 1898 and contains telephone, electric and fiber-optic cables. Owning the system leaves open the possibly for the city to create a public broadband network. Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young is the lead sponsor on a bill that would seek a charter amendment in Nov 2020 to permanently revoke the authority of city officials to sell the vast system. “I am introducing these two pieces of legislation to think further about how city government can better preserve and improve internet access for Baltimore residents, businesses, students and visitors,” Young said. “I have always been a proponent of keeping our city assets public.” A public broadband network, Young said, could ensure residents have access to affordable, high-speed internet.

In a report and order adopted March 20, the Federal Communications Commission has sent the signal that allowing the so-called white spaces between TV channels to be used for fixed and mobile wireless devices are ready for prime time. The FCC also resolves a number of petitions to reconsider (recon) the TV White Spaces Order that initially opened up the spectrum to broadband.  Specifically, the FCC finalized its reconsideration proceeding and its database accuracy proceeding so that broadband providers can invest in rural connectivity.  The FCC is permitting the use of white space devices (notably computers), both fixed and mobile, in unused channels, ch. 37, guard bands between broadcast and wireless spectrum and between uplink and downlink spectrum in the 600 MHz band--which they are sharing after the incentive auction. 

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) wrote to the Federal Trade Commission asking how it would use additional resources to protect consumer privacy and increase data security enforcement activity. The Committee leaders asked how the FTC would deploy resources under three different scenarios – if it received an additional $50, $75 or $100 million for consumer protection and privacy. Chairmen Pallone and Schakowsky requested responses from the FTC to a series of questions by April 3, 2019, including:

• What resources would the FTC require to dramatically boost its enforcement activity with respect to privacy and data security?
• If Congress were to direct the FTC to hire technologists to aid in case development, enforcement, rulemaking and/or policy recommendations, what resources would the FTC need to fulfill its consumer protection mission, and how would the agency deploy those new resources? 
• If the FTC received notice-and-comment rulemaking authority with respect to privacy and data security, would the FTC require additional resources to develop and update new rules without detracting from the agency’s enforcement activity? 
• What would the FTC be able to accomplish with 100 new attorneys focused on privacy and data security that it cannot do with current resources?

From constructing, reforming, and operating more efficient subsidy programs, to installing regulatory flexibility for operators, to striking the byzantine regulatory straightjacket of socalled “net neutrality,” this Commission has taken necessary actions to facilitate nationwide broadband deployment by the private sector. Of course, more needs to be done, but considering the starting point and where we are today, it is fair to say the Commission is on the right path. In reality, the Commission plays a small role in improving broadband deployment. The heavy lifting comes from broadband providers, like you, who are willing to put capital at risk, build out your respective networks, and serve those within your area. Deregulatory efforts: The Federal Communications Commission has been committed to removing existing Commission rules and regulations that no longer make sense in the current competitive media environment. And, we have more items in the pipeline awaiting Commission action. But now it’s time for more substantial reform to be done at a far quicker pace than previously imagined.

As lawmakers prepare to weigh in on high-profile tech issues like artificial intelligence, 5G and online privacy, the Government Accountability Office wants to make sure they know what they’re doing.  On March 20, GAO submitted a letter to Congress outlining its vision for the group. The plan, which has not yet been made public, will include specifics on the size and scope of the office. The organization, officially created in Jan, comes as both “an internal merger and a great expansion” of the agency’s science and tech operations, according to GAO Chief Scientist Tim Persons, who will co-lead the office with John Neumann, the agency’s former director of science and technology issues. The group will pull in experts from the agency’s audit and science teams, as well as some new hires, creating a single spot where Congress can access a wide variety of advisory services. By the end of 2019, the office will house some 60 engineers, physicists, data analysts, computer scientists, federal auditors and other diverse specialists. And in the coming years, the staff could potentially double in size.