What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
The Battle Lines Around Broadband
Lawmakers and industry groups are jockeying to shape the broadband internet investments likely to be embedded in President Joe Biden’s infrastructure efforts. Senior Democrats like House Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) are eyeing a revival of their $100 billion package aimed at connecting the unconnected and funding programs to bolster digital equity, which is likely to take center stage in coming weeks. But Republicans, bless their hearts, bristle over bigger price tags and instead point to less costly ways to close the digital divide.
Democrats attack fake news, and Republicans cry foul
Democrats are morphing their scrutiny of online falsehoods into a broader campaign against misinformation on right-leaning television outlets — a development that Republicans and some media organizations are calling a government attack on the First Amendment. The Democratic efforts include a House hearing where lawmakers lambasted conservative-leaning broadcasters and ca
Progressives want President Joe Biden to go big for FCC chair. Does President Biden?
Without the fear of Republican obstruction, tech and public interest advocates have begun pushing for President Joe Biden to act quickly to fill out the Federal Communications Commission. They say the president has come at a "critical opportunity" to pick a "bold" choice. President Biden can go one of two ways to fill out the FCC. He could elevate Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to become the permeant chair of the agency, or he could nominate someone who would come in with the expectation that they would become the chair.
A fireside chat with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Nathan Simington and telecommunications expert Joel Thayer Attorney at Phillips Lytle LLP and Outside Policy Counsel for Lincoln Network.
The FCC’s agenda on broadband buildout and how the FCC’s policies will develop in the coming months with this new administration.
A discussion on whether and how market power could lead to political power.
Sarah Miller, Executive Director, American Economic Liberties Project
As schools rely on technology and data to provide instruction amidst COVID-19, they continue to grapple with issues of privacy protection, responsible technology use, and digital equity. Our recent research found that twice as many teachers described edtech as “very important” during COVID-19 as they did prior to the pandemic, yet a third of parents and teachers reported increased concerns about student privacy during the pandemic.
Twenty-five years after it was signed into law, Section 230 is more endangered than ever. Republicans blame it for censorship, Democrats blame it for misinformation, and nearly everyone thinks it needs reform. But if policymakers aren’t smart about structuring reform, there could be broad, unanticipated consequences for free expression and commerce.
Keynote from Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) that broadly addresses her vision for reining in big tech, antitrust enforcement, and her new bill which touches on 230 reform, the SAFE TECH Act.
FCC March 2021 Open Meeting Agenda
A flurry of orders, rulemakings, inquiries, and adjudications aimed at advancing the United States’ economic recovery and preparing for a post-COVID world.: