Upcoming policy issue

Telecom and consumer groups are preparing to make a major push for including billions of dollars for rural broadband funding in any infrastructure deal, even as lawmakers and advocates struggle with tough questions ahead. Democratic leaders signaled that broadband investment could be a major part of the $2 trillion infrastructure deal they are pursuing with President Donald Trump. USTelecom, which represents the country’s largest internet service providers, and the Telecommunications Industry Association responded with statements supporting funds for rural broadband in the package. 

House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) confirmed that anxiety over Chinese telecom giants’ wireless advances could creep into House lawmakers’ must-pass defense policy legislation. “There might be a couple things on 5G that we include,” said Chairman Smith.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the progressive firebrand whose rebukes of the tech sector drew headlines on the 2018 campaign trail, supports the outlines of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) sweeping proposal to break up tech firms like Amazon and Facebook. “The idea itself is something that I am supportive of because taking an antitrust approach I believe is absolutely relevant and it’s appropriate to take,” said Rep Ocasio-Cortez. Amazon’s role as “both the marketplace, producer, seller … creates an antitrust issue,” she said. Rep.

As the House Commerce Commerce settles in after the latest recess, Telecommunication Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA) has been talking up Democrats’ near-term tech and telecom policy plans. He and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) both reaffirmed their plans to soon bring in Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission commissioners before their respective subpanels for separate hearings (the telecom panel was eyeing May 15 for an FCC oversight hearing).

Apparently, the Trump administration has signaled in recent weeks that it may seek the permanent renewal of a surveillance law that has, among other things, enabled the National Security Agency to gather and analyze Americans’ phone records as part of terrorism investigations. The White House was prepared to issue a public statement calling on Congress to reauthorize in full Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which in the past has been the focus of heated debate over the acceptable bounds of government surveillance.

Top Democratic congressional leaders pitched President Trump on a “big and bold” infrastructure bill ahead of a White House meeting on the issue, insisting there are “significant majorities in both the House and Senate” ready to act. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E.

Gigi Sohn, a former counselor to former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said, “I just have to push back a little bit on this [claim the bill] doesn’t have a chance in the Senate. I know what leader [Mitch] McConnell said — I believe the American people will resuscitate the dead on arrival bill.  Referring to a case that is challenging the decision to end the Obama-era rules on net neutrality, she added, "What you must understand is that there is litigation going on right now to challenge the 2018 repeal.

A group of privacy experts from organizations including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union is advocating for better laws and technologies that keep data collection from hurting you. One of these tools could be regulation that gives consumers more rights over their data, like the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation.

Facebook now faces investigations into its business practices from a variety of federal agencies. Officials have opened inquiries into possible civil and criminal violations of laws related to privacy, corporate governance and discrimination. Facebook has largely denied wrongdoing in each of the investigations and said it was cooperating with regulators and law enforcement. Here are the agencies looking into Facebook, and some of the issues involved.

Washington policymakers and advocates are reacting to news that the Federal Communications Commission will propose to cap the Universal Service Fund.

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks took to Twitter: "How can we talk about capping our Universal Service programs at a time when the Commission doesn’t seem to have a good handle on who currently has broadband and who does not?"