Tuesday, May 14, 2019
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House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) has launched the House Task Force on Rural Broadband to try and help close the rural digital divide and eliminate "digital deserts." “High-speed internet is an essential service in America today—yet too many of our fellow citizens in rural communities are being left behind," said Rep Clyburn. "I have heard numerous stories of families traveling many miles to places where their children can access the internet to do their homework. It’s unacceptable in 2019 that many rural communities have limited to no access to the internet. If rural America is to thrive in the 21st century information economy, it must have affordable and accessible internet service to every community.” The rollout of the task force coincides with Infrastructure Week and in the wake of President Donald Trump's commitment to a $2 trillion infrastructure package to include broadband. Priorities for the task force include:
- highlighting success stories and innovative approaches;
- ensuring that federal funding for rural broadband is spent effectively;
- identifying necessary steps to position the United States to lead the world in universal broadband deployment; and
- passing legislation to advance a transformative agenda on rural broadband that accomplishes the goal of affordable universal access by 2025.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai urging the FCC to redouble its efforts to make mid-band spectrum available for 5G. The Sens wrote, "Currently, the United States lags far behind our competitors in the availability of mid-band spectrum for 5G. While Citizens Band Radio Service will make 70 MHz of licensed spectrum available under a novel licensing scheme, much more is needed. In MOBILE NOW Congress directed the FCC to evaluate commercial wireless use of spectrum in the 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz band, and the Commission has begun the process. In the year since passage of that law, the need for action has become even more acute. It has been estimated that accelerating infrastructure deployment by one year could drive an additional $100 billion in economic impact in the next three years. Therefore, we urge the Commission to act quickly to make spectrum in the 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz band available for 5G.”
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced another significant step in ensuring implementation of more reliable caller ID information to combat malicious spoofed robocalls. Chairman Pai expects major phone companies to implement SHAKEN/STIR caller ID authentication standards in 2019, and he will host a summit on July 11, 2019 to examine industry’s progress toward meeting this deadline. The summit will also identify any challenges to deployment of the SHAKEN/STIR framework and discuss how best to overcome them.
Apple suffered a significant defeat at the Supreme Court, when the justices ruled that consumers could forge ahead with a lawsuit against the tech giant over the way it manages its App Store. The 5-4 decision allows device owners to proceed with a case that alleges Apple has acted as a monopoly by requiring iPhone and iPad users to download apps only from its portal while taking a cut of some sales made through the store. The legal question in the case was whether the suit was barred by a 1977 decision, Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois, which allowed only direct purchasers of products to bring federal antitrust suits. Apple argued that it was an intermediary and so not subject to suit. The court’s opinion — led by conservative Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, who joined its liberal justices in the majority — did not rule on the merits of the lawsuit itself. But, the ruling could have serious repercussions for one of Apple’s most lucrative lines of business, while opening the door for similar legal action targeting other tech giants in Silicon Valley.
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org) and Robbie McBeath (rmcbeath AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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