What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
Fiber Connect 2023 will offer unique opportunities for business and market development, technology demonstration and peer-group interaction. The event will feature executives from a broad scope of industry sectors — traditional audiences as well as new audiences — commercial network operators, mobile network operators, electric cooperatives, municipalities, digital infrastructure asset owners and developers, investors, technology suppliers, enterprises and more.
Witnesses
Andrew Von Ah, Director, Physical Infrastructure, Government Accountability Office
The Need for Mid-Band Spectrum
5G Americas recently released its annual white paper discussing the lack of activity at the Federal Communications Commission in making more mid-band spectrum available for cellular broadband. Midband spectrum is an industry-defined term for the spectrum between 1 GHz and 7 GHz spectrum. This is the sweet spot for cellular broadband because these bands of spectrum can cover the distances needed for cell phone data with a decent amount of bandwidth. The paper laments that there are no actions currently at the FCC to consider
Next Century Cities Launches Nationwide Leadership Search; Executive Director Francella Ochillo to Depart This Summer
After four years at the helm, Francella Ochillo announced that she will move on from her role as Executive Director of Next Century Cities (NCC), an organization committed to bringing connectivity within reach for every resident in every community. Since joining Next Century Cities in 2019, Ochillo has been recognized as one of the most impactful digital rights advocates in the country.
Buy America and BEAD
In the State of the Union speech earlier in 2023, President Biden made it clear that he wants to see the monies spent on infrastructure projects follow the Buy America rules. The law says that purchasing funded by the US government should have a preference for using American-made products. The rules allow for waivers from this provision, but the presumption is that without a waiver that American goods must be used.
Air travel chaos looms as US keeps 5G altimeter refit deadline
The US will not delay a deadline for airlines to refit planes with new sensors to address possible 5G interference, despite concerns the cut-off date could cause travel disruption. Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that airlines were told the July 1, 2023 deadline would remain in place. Airlines have warned that they will not be able to meet the deadline and may be forced to ground some planes. Telecoms firms have previously delayed 5G rollout to allow airlines to adapt. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aviation companies have previously raised concerns that C-Band spectr
Earlier this year, Public Knowledge published Back to the Spectrum Future: The 20th Anniversary of the Spectrum Policy Task Force, a white paper that proposes a backcasting model rooted in core public interest principles to help guide our spectrum policymakers toward a wireless future that serves and includes all Americans.
Hearing from the American People: How Are Automated Tools Being Used to Surveil, Monitor, and Manage Workers?
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is releasing a public request for information (RFI) to learn more about the automated tools used by employers to surveil, monitor, evaluate, and manage workers. The RFI seeks to advance our understanding of the design, deployment, prevalence, and impacts of these automated technologies. Employers are increasingly investing in technologies that monitor and track workers, and making workplace decisions based on that information. Through this RFI, we hope to gather:
This webinar will provide information about the Broadband Technical Assistance Funding Opportunity Announcement. The webinar will cover: