Upcoming event

Sponsor: 

Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council

Date: 
Tue, 02/06/2018 - 14:00 to Wed, 02/07/2018 - 02:00

The summit highlights how the intersection of media, telecom, and tech policy impacts us all, from the digital elite to our most vulnerable communities. Thought leaders from government, industry, and advocacy groups address the top issues:



FCC Chairman Ajit Pai canceled his appearance at CES because of death threats

Apparently, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai canceled his scheduled appearance at a major upcoming tech industry trade show after receiving death threats. It’s the second known incident in which Chairman Pai’s safety may have been at risk, after a bomb threat abruptly forced the chairman to halt his controversial vote to scrap net neutrality rules in December 2017.

Sponsor: 

Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee

Federal Communications Commission

Date: 
Tue, 01/23/2018 - 15:00 to Wed, 01/24/2018 - 22:00

At this meeting, the BDAC will consider recommendations from its Model Code for Municipalities, Model Code for States, Competitive Access to Broadband Infrastructure, Removing State and Local Regulatory Barriers, and Streamlining Federal Siting Working Groups. In addition, the BDAC will continue its discussions on how to accelerate the deployment of broadband by reducing and/or removing regulatory barriers to infrastructure investment. 



Critics of Chairman Pai's Sec. 706 Broadband Deployment Review Create #MobileOnly Challenge

The Federal Communications Commission's decision to review what qualifies as high-speed broadband has drawn a crowd of critics armed with smartphones and other devices. Almost a dozen groups including Public Knowledge, New America’s Open Technology Institute, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) have launched the #MobileOnly challenge. Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, participants will spend an entire day only accessing the internet via a mobile device. The idea is to demonstrate that mobile has various limitations that make it not a sufficient substitute for wired broadband.

Sponsor: 

Federal Communications Commission

Date: 
Tue, 01/30/2018 - 16:30 to 18:30

Topics selected for FCC open meeting agendas will be posted on the Commission's website approximately three weeks prior to the Commission's next monthly meeting. The Commission will also issue a public notice of the "Commission Meeting Agenda" one week before the meeting and announce at that time the items that are scheduled for the agenda.



Sponsor: 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Department of Commerce

Date: 
Wed, 01/17/2018 - 20:00

 Effective digital inclusion programs are essential for communities, supporting efforts such as workforce development, educational attainment, financial literacy, and better access to health care. Finding financial support for such programs requires creative partnerships, coordination with civic leaders, and messaging that articulates the benefits of such programs to communities. Join BroadbandUSA's webinar to learn how communities have funded digital inclusion programs using a variety of funding options such as local philanthropies, city budget mechanisms, and private sector support.



Sponsor: 

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Department of Commerce

Date: 
Wed, 12/20/2017 - 20:00 to 22:00

The Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (“The Framework”) was issued on February 12, 2014. This voluntary framework – based on existing standards, guidelines, and practices – provides a prioritized, flexible, repeatable, performance-based, and cost-effective approach to managing cybersecurity risk at all levels in an organization and is applicable to organizations of all sizes and sectors. The Framework was developed in a year-long, collaborative process in which NIST served as a convener for industry, academia, and government stakeholders.



Sponsor: 

Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition and Consumer Rights

Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Date: 
Wed, 12/13/2017 - 20:30

Witnesses



Activists, Democratic Lawmakers plan net neutrality rally outside FCC

Activists are planning a protest outside the Federal Communications Commission on Dec 14 as the agency is expected to vote to repeal its landmark network neutrality rules. The rally will feature speakers like Rep Keith Ellison (D-MN), Rep Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Symone Sanders, a former spokeswoman for Sen Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign. The event will be hosted by a coalition of consumer groups called the Voices for Internet Freedom.

Sponsor: 

Fiber Broadband Association

Date: 
Tue, 12/12/2017 - 15:30


Sponsor: 

Federal Communications Commission

Date: 
Tue, 12/12/2017 - 19:00 to 23:00

The CSRIC is a Federal Advisory Committee that will provide recommendations to the FCC to improve the security, reliability, and interoperability of communications systems. The meeting on December 12, 2017, will be the third meeting of the CSRIC under the current charter

 

Call to Order  -- Jeffery Goldthorp, DFO, FCC

Opening Remarks  -- Brian King, T-Mobile

Working Group Updates                                              

WG1 - Transition Path to NG911  -- Mary Boyd, West Safety Services

WG2 - Emergency Alerting -- Farrokh Khatibi, Qualcomm



Sponsor: 

Cato Institute

Date: 
Wed, 12/13/2017 - 15:00 to 23:30

From front-page news stories featuring transcripts of wiretapped campaign officials to dramatic cyberattacks using hacking tools stolen from the National Security Agency, intelligence and surveillance issues have saturated the news in 2017. Yet there were also plenty of important surveillance stories that didn’t get the exposure they deserved: the ongoing debate over reauthorizing the NSA’s controversial section 702 spying authority, set to expire at year’s end; the Supreme Court’s pending consideration of Carpenter v.



Sponsor: 

The Hamilton Project at The Brookings Institution

Date: 
Wed, 12/13/2017 - 19:30 to 22:00

The recent slowdown in productivity growth has led to a renewed focus on policies that can support or interfere with technological progress and innovation. Researchers who study the rules governing intellectual property have become concerned that the current system functions poorly, often impeding innovation rather than promoting it. At the same time, inefficiencies in the research and development pipeline have unnecessarily limited innovation.



Sponsor: 

Consortium for School Networking

Date: 
Tue, 12/12/2017 - 19:00 to 20:00

One of the major challenges for education technology leaders is addressing digital equity, particularly out-of-school broadband access. Hear how school districts are working with local, regional, and national businesses in leveraging the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to close the digital access gap. School and business leaders will discuss how collaboration can improve school-to-home connectivity as well as access to devices and internet-based resources for families in need.

Moderator: Jayne James, CoSN Project Director

Presenters:



Sponsor: 

Public Knowledge

Date: 
Mon, 12/11/2017 - 19:00 to 20:30

Join Public Knowledge and other advocacy groups for a deep dive into the Federal Communication Commission’s wireline infrastructure proceeding, a significant downgrade for rural America.



How the FCC Might Soon Disconnect Students

The Federal Communications Commission has taken a series of worrying actions since former FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai ascended to the role of chairman in January 2017. On Feb 3, the FCC abruptly rescinded the glowing E-rate report that had just been released two and a half weeks prior.

Sponsor: 

National Religious Broadcasters

Date: 
Thu, 12/07/2017 - 15:00 to 18:00

National Religious Broadcasters will announce a new internet freedom initiative on Thursday, December 7, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event will feature an address by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and a panel, “Internet Freedom: Rights and Responsibilities,” with leading voices on the subject, including Craig Strazzeri with PragerU, a victim of internet censorship; former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell; and evangelical leader Ralph Reed.



Sponsor: 

Practising Law Institute in cooperation with the Federal Communications Bar Association

Date: 
Thu, 12/07/2017 - 15:00 to Fri, 12/08/2017 - 18:00

Features a faculty of expert practitioners, in-house counsel from telecommunications organizations, and key officials from the FCC who will provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of cutting-edge issues facing the telecommunications industry today. The program will address critical trends and the latest developments, including wireless, wireline telecommunications, broadband Internet, and international and privacy issues. The Institute also focuses on industry competition, convergence and consolidation.



Sponsor: 

Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet

Senate Commerce Committee

Date: 
Tue, 12/12/2017 - 16:00 to 20:00

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, will convene a hearing titled “Digital Decision-Making: The Building Blocks of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence,” at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 12, 2017. The hearing will examine the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in today’s digital economy, the development of algorithms powering AI, and what practices are in place or should be in place to ensure proper use of this technology.

Witnesses: 



Sponsor: 

Open Technology Institute at New America

Date: 
Tue, 12/05/2017 - 17:00 to 19:00

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released a draft of its controversial Order that would repeal the 2015 Open Internet Order.



Sponsor: 

R Street Institute and the Lincoln Network

Date: 
Tue, 11/28/2017 - 19:30 to 21:30

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, Commissioner Brendan Carr as well as Federal Trade Commission Acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen will each deliver remarks on the commission’s upcoming agenda.

The speeches by the Chairman and Commissioners will be followed by a discussion with our expert panel, featuring:



Sponsor: 

The Phoenix Center

Date: 
Tue, 12/05/2017 - 14:30 to 18:00

8:30 – 9:00: Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00 – 9:15: Welcome Remarks and Introduction

  • Lawrence J. Spiwak, President, The Phoenix Center

9:15 – 10:15: Panel Discussion – Is Schumpeterian “Creative Destruction” Still Possible in Today’s Regulatory Environment?

Panelists:



Sponsor: 

Center for Democracy & Technology and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) 

Date: 
Tue, 11/28/2017 - 15:30 to 17:00

On November 29, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Carpenter v. U.S., one of the most important technology policy cases pending at the Court this year. The Justices are expected to decide whether the Fourth Amendment permits the compelled, warrantless disclosure of increasingly precise and revealing stored cell phone location information.