What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
A discussion on how local and state governments can engage with the Federal Communications Commission’s Fabric Challenge Process.
The FCC’s national broadband map hinges on a fabric of “broadband serviceable locations” on top of which providers report service availability . Fixing inaccuracies in the initial versions of the FCC’s map will be vital to accurately distributing broadband funding from the infrastructure bill.
FCC's ACP Pilot Programs Coming Soon
The Federal Communications Commission set guidelines for two pilot programs aimed at increasing both awareness of and participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households (and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands). On October 11, the FCC provided an update on the implementation of the pilot programs.
The Black Women’s Roundtable will host a virtual panel discussion on the discriminatory uses of personal data and how provisions of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) would address digital civil rights violations.
Host
Melanie Campbell
President & CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
National Convenor, Black Women’s Roundtable
Moderator
Joycelyn Tate
Senior Technology Policy Advisor
Black Women’s Roundtable, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
Washington Public Works Board invites public input on changes to broadband funding program
The Washington State Public Works Board (PWB) is seeking public participation to help identify and prioritize issues that stakeholders believe should be addressed in the Board’s broadband funding program as a result of changes made to the program by the 2022 State Legislature. Input from two public workshops in November and a public hearing session in December will also help guide implementation.
How much will it cost to reach universal broadband availability in the United States? Answering that question requires understanding network construction costs, estimating the number of unserved and underserved locations, and defining “broadband” – and that is exactly what Vantage Point Solutions has done in their recent whitepaper, Cost of Bringing Broadband to All.
Larry Thompson, PE, co-author of the paper, will discuss the methodology and findings of the report during this Fiber for Breakfast presentation.
The Federal Trade Commission is hosting a virtual public event to explore the risks and harms associated with a growing array of marketing practices that make it difficult or impossible for children to distinguish ads from entertainment in digital media and how to protect children in this advertising landscape.
The event will feature remarks by FTC Chair Lina M. Khan, as well as a presentation and three panel discussions.
A new space race to provide high-speed broadband service from orbit is shifting into high gear. These wireless broadband networks are literally ‘out of this world,’ as companies like SpaceX and Amazon launch thousands – soon, tens of thousands – of low earth orbit (LEO) satellite. Their success could be key to truly universal connectivity, especially in rural areas and developing nations, but they are not free from controversy.
Don't Discount the Investments in Internet Infrastructure that Content and Application Providers are Making
Should network usage fees be imposed on content and application providers to support internet infrastructure? New research from Analysys Mason shows such a mandate would be harmful to end users and the global internet ecosystem.
Silicon Valley's Rep Ro Khanna offers a midterm warning
Although Rep Ro Khanna (D-CA)'s district includes a wide swath of the tech industry's homes in towns like Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Santa Clara, and Fremont, he is an advocate for laws that would curb Big Tech's power. Among the restrictions Rep Khanna favors would expand privacy protections beyond California's existing law as well as a change in antitrust law that would shift the burden of proof in large deals, requiring the acquiring company to prove a deal won't hurt competition. Members of Congress have proposed new bills around privacy and antitrust and children's online safety, but so far
The 2022 Future Security Forum continues with a discussion of the issue of disinformation and how the United States does and should respond to it.