Report on past event

Sixty different politicians had five minutes each to grill Zuckerberg about whatever they wanted, and they jumped at the opportunity to try and test him. Congress came across as prepared, serious, and thoughtful. While the hearing was supposed to be about Facebook’s push to create a new digital currency called Libra, about half of the back and forth centered on other topics, from its controversial political ads policy to Facebook’s record on diversity to particular congresspeople’s pet

2019 has been the Year of 5G. And most Americans know something about 5G by now. But we need to do a better job of explaining 5G in plain terms. It’s important that we meet this communications challenge. We have to shift our audience from those who are immersed in tech and telecom to ordinary people who aren’t interested in the latest 3GPP release but who are very interested in how new tools can make their jobs more rewarding, their kids’ schools more enriching, and their families closer.

Sen Tina Smith (D-MN) hosted a roundtable discussion in Granite Falls (MN) with local leaders and rural community advocates in an attempt to get to the root of rural needs in the broadband game. Sen Smith previously introduced the Revitalizing Underdeveloped Rural Areas and Lands Act (RURAL Act) to aid cooperatives impacted by new tax codes to retain their ability to get broadband implementation grants without affecting their tax-exempt status.

Senate Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Kennedy (R-LA) lit into Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai for even considering private spectrum deals with foreign owned satellite companies, which say they can free up C-Band spectrum for 5G faster than an FCC auction. Chairman Kennedy told Chairman Pai that his mind could be changed, but he was currently biased for a public auction so that the American taxpayer, not "Luxembourg" (where some of the satellite operators are based) should reap the profits from repurposing some of the band for 5G.

Based on what we’ve learned, we’ve formulated three basic broadband principles for community anchor institution policy.

The Federal Trade Commission’s $5 billion settlement with Facebook over the company’s deceptive privacy practices made a big splash, raising questions about the role the FTC should play in enforcing US privacy laws. While some observers criticized the FTC for not going far enough, others felt the record fine demonstrated the FTC’s willingness to set new precedents for punitive actions—and its unique ability to serve as the cop on the beat. But that isn’t the end of the conversation.

Three media justice advocates stressed the importance of retelling stories—and telling them accurately—at the 37^th Annual Everett C. Parker Ethics in Telecommunications Lecture and Awards Breakfast today in Washington, DC, sponsored by the United Church of Christ’s media justice ministry, the Office of Communication, Inc. Three media justice advocates stressed the importance of retelling stories—and telling them accurately—at the 37^th Annual Everett C.

The top Democratic presidential candidates wrangled over their differing views on how to take on the unprecedented power of Big Tech, marking the first time the contenders have been asked to discuss the issue on the debate stage. Most of the candidates drew a contrast between their own views and those of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has called for breaking up top tech companies including Facebook, Google and Amazon. While other candidates agreed the government should take on Big Tech, they said they don't believe "breaking up" the companies will properly address issues including data p

Only four states meet or exceed the federal minimum of 25 megabytes per second (Mbps) for broadband connectivity — and Pennsylvania isn't one of them. Sascha Meinrath, telecommunications chair at Penn State University, unveiled the results of a 2018 study analyzing over 250 million speed tests from across the U.S during a Pennsylvania state Senate Communications and Technology Committee public hearing. Effectively, more than half of Pennsylvanians do not have access to the minimum broadband connection. While the state Senate Committee hearing addressed concerns over un- and underserved comm

The essential point at the Nevada Broadband Workshop in Reno was this: Communities that want broadband should produce a plan that’s as comprehensive as possible. Hosted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) BroadbandUSA program, the workshop guided attendees through various aspects of broadband planning for smaller communities. Even if the cost for a project seems exorbitant, a plan can still be made.