Washington Post
White House proposes smaller $1.7 trillion infrastructure package to try to sway skeptical Republicans
The White House told Senate Republicans it is open to reducing its infrastructure proposal down to $1.7 trillion in the hopes of securing a bipartisan deal, but GOP lawmakers signaled they are still disinclined to support a package carrying that price tag. The new offer, described afterward by White House press secretary Jen Psaki, appears to mark a decrease from the total $2.2 trillion President Biden proposed earlier this spring. The new plan is expected to lessen the money available for broadband, and reduce the money set aside for roads and bridges, to bring the president
Google announces new privacy features for Android phones — but stops short of limiting ad tracking (Washington Post)
Submitted by benton on Wed, 05/19/2021 - 06:39Chinese businessman with links to Steve Bannon is driving force for a sprawling disinformation network, researchers say (Washington Post)
Submitted by benton on Tue, 05/18/2021 - 13:14Op-ed: Millions of fake commenters asked the FCC to end net neutrality. ‘Astroturfing’ is a business model. (Washington Post)
Submitted by benton on Mon, 05/17/2021 - 16:14
The government has a program to cut your Internet bill. Verizon is using it to force you onto a new data plan.
The government has a new program, the Emergency Broadband Benefit, to help Americans pay their Internet bills. Unfortunately, companies like Verizon are twisting it into an opportunity for an upsell. All Internet service provider participation in the program is voluntary, and each ISP gets to write some of its own rules for how to hand out the money.
The federal government is rolling out record amounts of broadband funding. It could be just the beginning
The new broadband affordability programs [the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and the Emergency Connectivity Fund] are just temporary — and advocates say lawmakers need to develop a long-term program that will ensure low-income Americans can afford the Internet. “We’re not going back to 2019,” said Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate Gigi Sohn. “The digital divide doesn’t end when the pandemic ends.