press release

Chairman Pai Releases Summary of First Year Accomplishments

The Federal Communications Commission released an 8-page document outlining "A Year of Action and Accomplishment" led by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, broken down into the following categories: bridging the digital divide, promoting innovation and investment, protecting consumers and enhancing public safety, transparency and process reforms, and cutting and modernizing outdated regulations. 

UN Broadband Commission sets global broadband targets to bring online the world’s 3.8 billion not connected to the Internet

Fifty percent of the world's population is expected to be connected to the Internet by the end of 2019. This leaves the other half – an estimated 3.8 billion people – unconnected and unable to benefit from key social and economic resources in our expanding digital world. In response, the United Nations' Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development has set seven ambitious yet achievable 2025 targets in support of  "Connecting the Other Half" of the world's population. 

Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development 2025 Targets:

Truth in Broadband: NYC Mayor's Office Issues RFI to Promote Open and Transparent Internet

The Mayor's Office of the Chief Technology Officer for the City of New York released a "Truth in Broadband” Request for Information (RFI) to establish transparency and accountability in how carriers provide internet service to consumers. The goal of the RFI is to gather input from industry and subject matter experts to help implement a system for monitoring the quality and performance of internet service providers.

House Communications Subcommittee Introduces Third Round of Broadband Infrastructure Bills

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced a third series of bills introduced by subcommittee members on expanding broadband infrastructure in rural America. The bills aim to advance broadband deployment in disaster areas, as well as support innovation and remove obstacles to expansion.

USDA Invests in e-Connectivity to Restore Rural Prosperity by Providing Training and Health Care Services

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing in e-connectivity which will provide virtual access to job training, educational, and health care opportunities for rural communities. USDA is awarding 72 grants totaling $23.6 million through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program. This program invests in equipment that uses broadband to help rural communities connect to educational and health care services.

FCC Names Shuldiner New Audio Division Chief

The Federal Communications Commission announced the appointment of Albert Shuldiner as Chief of the Media Bureau’s Audio Division. To ensure a smooth transition, current Audio Division Chief Peter Doyle will, on a temporary basis, assume a new part-time role as Senior Advisor in the Division.  Shuldiner brings decades of legal experience to the FCC, including positions at DTS, Inc., Ibiquity Digital Corporation, and Vinson & Elkins, LLP. He received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University. 

Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Increase Broadband Access in Local Communities

Representatives Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Jared Polis (D-CO) introduced the Community Broadband Act, legislation that will empower local communities to ensure their residents have broadband access by preserving the right to provide community-owned service to consumers. According to the Congressional Research Service, twenty states have passed laws that either restrict or outright prohibit local communities from investing local dollars in building their own broadband networks.

Fact Sheet on FCC's Draft 2018 Broadband Deployment Report

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has circulated a draft 2018 Broadband Deployment Report to his colleagues and below are the key findings and additional information:

Chairman Pai Appoints Nirali Patel As Special Counsel

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced the appointment of Nirali Patel as Special Counsel. Patel joins the Office of the Chairman from the Office of Commissioner Brendan Carr, where she has been serving as a Legal Advisor since August 2017.

House Communications Subcommittee Introduces Bills on Broadband Infrastructure and Innovation

A second round of broadband infrastructure bills have been introduced by members of the House Communications Subcommittee. The bills focus on supporting innovation and advancing broadband infrastructure in rural communities. 

Co-Chairs of Senate Broadband Caucus Urge President Trump to Include Dedicated Funding for Broadband Deployment

In a letter to President Donald Trump, Sens Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Angus King (I-ME), John Boozman (R-AR), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)—the co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus—call for the prioritization of direct funding support for broadband deployment in an infrastructure package that will help close the digital divide and ensure our country maintains its global competitiveness. Stand-alone funding for broadband will ensure that telecommunications infrastructure is advanced alongside needed upgrades to our roads, rail, bridges, ports and waterways

Reps Eshoo and McKinley Introduce ‘Dig Once’ Legislation to Reduce Cost of Expanding Broadband

Reps Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and David B. McKinley (R-WV) introduced the Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2018. This commonsense legislation, commonly referred to as ‘Dig Once’, would mandate the inclusion of broadband conduit—plastic pipes which house fiber-optic communications cable—during the construction of any road receiving federal funding. This practice will eliminate the need to dig up recently-paved roads to expand broadband infrastructure, significantly reducing the cost of increasing Internet access to underserved communities across the country.

New America Challenges FCC Chairman Pai’s Net Neutrality Repeal by Filing Protective Petition for Review in DC Circuit

New America's Open Technology Institute became one of the first parties to challenge the Federal Communications Commission’s harmful order repealing the net neutrality rules by filing a protective petition for review in the DC Circuit. OTI filed the protective petition in an abundance of caution to ensure that, if a lottery is held determining the proper venue for the case at this stage, the DC Circuit is included in the selection process. 

The following statement can be attributed to Sarah Morris, Director of Open Internet Policy at the Open Technology Institute:

House Communications Subcommittee Reps Introduce First Round of Broadband Infrastructure Bills

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced a series of bills introduced by subcommittee members aimed at reducing the regulatory barriers to broadband infrastructure expansion:

Free Press Among First to Take FCC to Court for Unpopular and Unjustified Net Neutrality Decision

Free Press filed a petition for review of the Federal Communications Commission’s unpopular Dec. 14 order that repealed the agency’s Net Neutrality rules and reversed the Title II “telecommunications services” classification of broadband-internet access. Free Press filed its challenge in the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Massachusetts, the state where the organization’s main office is based. As the papers submitted to the court make clear, today’s filing is preliminary and protective in nature. The FCC released its Net Neutrality decision on Jan. 4.

FCC Chairman Pai Proposes Over $500 Million In Funding To Promote Rural Broadband Deployment

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai shared with his fellow commissioners an order to promote more high-speed broadband deployment in rural areas. If adopted, it would provide over $500 million in additional funding for cooperatives and small rural carriers. The order would also put in place strong new rules to prevent abuse of the high-cost program.

House Commerce Committee Leaders Request Additional Information from Apple on Throttling iPhone Processor Speeds

House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (R-OH), and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Gregg Harper (R-MS) sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook expressing concern over recent reports that Apple throttles processor performance for older iPhone models.

House Commerce Committee Republicans Lay Out Principles for Broadband Infrastructure

The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), introduced a series of resolutions laying out principles for broadband infrastructure:

 

Supporting President Trump’s Vision for Expanding Broadband in Rural America

Recently, President Donald Trump attended the American Farm Bureau Federation's Annual Convention in Nashville (TN) to announce the recommendations of the interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity. The Administration is taking immediate steps to reduce barriers to deployment of broadband in rural America. An executive order released on Jan 8 – Streamlining and Expediting Requests to Locate Broadband Facilities in Rural America – instructs agencies to remove obstacles to capital investment and broadband services and more efficiently employ government resources.

Senate Commerce Committee Announces Hearing to Examine Extremist Propaganda on Social Media Platforms

Senate Commerce Committee Chiarman John Thune (R-SD) will convene a hearing titled “Terrorism and Social Media: #IsBigTechDoingEnough?” at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2018. The hearing will examine the steps social media platforms are taking to combat the spread of extremist propaganda over the Internet.  Representatives from major technology firms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube will testify. 

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for January 2018 Open Meeting

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the January Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 30, 2018:

Statements of the FCC on Brendan Carr's Renomination

On Jan 9, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr was Renominated for a full five-year term by President Donald Trump.

FCC Commissioner Carr: "I want to thank President Trump for renominating me to a second term as a Commissioner of the FCC. Serving on the Commission is a tremendous honor and privilege, and I am proud of the work we have already accomplished. If reconfirmed, I look forward to many more years of working with my colleagues at the FCC on policies that will create jobs, spur investment, and grow the economy for the benefit of all Americans."

Chairman Pai Proposes Improvements To Wireless Emergency Alerts

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai issued the following statement on the proposal he circulated to improve Wireless Emergency Alerts:  

NTIA: Renewal of the Digital Economy Board of Advisors Charter

On Dec 20, 2017, the Department of Commerce renewed the Charter for the Digital Economy Board of Advisors. It has been determined that the Committee is necessary and in the public interest.  The Digital Economy Board of Advisors was established on December 22, 2015, as a
federal advisory committee to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Commerce, through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, on a broad range of issues concerning the digital economy and internet policy.