Open government

How an Investigation of Fake FCC Comments Snared a Prominent DC Media Firm

Millions of records that the Federal Communications Commission’s top lawyer once fought to hold back from state law enforcement officials now serve as key evidence in a year-long probe into cases of Americans being impersonated during the agency’s latest net neutrality proceeding.

Inclusion and Civic Engagement in Public Technology Building and Planning

Whether they are Wi-Fi kiosks, urban sensors, fiber networks, or built-from-scratch “smart” neighborhoods, new urban technology deployments are under the microscope. Despite the potential of these projects to drive innovation and economic growth, they are often met with mixed reception and a myriad of justifiable questions. Take the Quayside project in Toronto led by Sidewalk Labs.

NTIA Recommends Improvements to the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection

Broadband providers--including both wired and wireless providers--complete Form 477 to report where they offer service, as well as what speeds they offer and the technologies they use, among other information. The data collected through Form 477 constitute a critical resource for the National Telecommunication & Information Administration, as well as other policymakers and researchers who are interested in understanding Internet access in the United States.

Maine Connectivity Resource Exchange

The Maine Connectivity Resource Exchange is Maine Connectivity Authority's home to resources and knowledge to support, enable, and empower municipal and Tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, subgrantees, and the public on all aspects of the broadband ecosystem in Maine. The first module is in support of the upcoming BEAD State-Led Challenge Process. This module contains 7 units that will work to guide our partners through this several months-long process.

FCC’s Net Neutrality Docket Heats Up — Again

Fans of Title II-based network neutrality rules are once again flooding the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality comment docket with identical calls for restoration of the rules, as the Democrat-controlled agency has proposed. The docket already has almost 20,000 comments and, as such, is the commission’s most active proceeding, far outstripping the second-place docket for rules on international communications and spectrum issues, which has less than 3,000.

BEAD program Initial Proposal Progress Dashboard

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's new dashboard allows anyone to track how Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program Eligible Entities are progressing through the major milestones necessary to submit their Initial Proposal by the December 27, 2023 due date.

FCC To Hold Open Commission Meeting Thursday, October 19, 2023

The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on Thursday, October 19, 2023. The FCC will consider:

SHLB Submits BEAD Recommendations to State Broadband Leaders

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition issued a set of crucial recommendations to State and U.S. Territory Broadband Leaders as they shape their BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) Five-Year Action Plans and Initial and Final Proposals. “Community anchor institutions play a crucial role in ensuring open, affordable, high-performance broadband for everyone in the US,” said Adrianne Furniss, Executive Director of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.

FCC Transitioning to New FOIA Solution on October 1

The Federal Communications Commission currently relies simultaneously on two online case management solutions: FOIA.gov available at https://www.foia.gov and FOIAonline.gov, available at https://foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/home. With the planned retirement of FOIAonline.gov by its host agency, the FCC will transition from FOIAonline to a new online case management solution beginning October 1, 2023.

What's a High-Cost Area for BEAD and ACP?

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to determine how much each state is to receive in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding based on the number of locations in their state unserved by high-speed internet service. One component in the allocation is a determination of the number of “high cost” unserved locations in each state divided by the nationwide total of high-cost unserved locations. Congress also tasked NTIA with defining what “high-cost areas” are.

Sens. Hickenlooper, Capito, Tester, Moran Reintroduce Bill to Strengthen Broadband Supply Chain

US Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) reintroduced the Network Equipment Transparency (NET) Act, a bipartisan bill to increase broadband supply chain transparency through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in order to ensure an on-time rollout of federal broadband programs. Broadband infrastructure projects have been affected by supply chain woes in the past.

Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

Twice a year, in spring and fall, the Federal Communications Commission publishes a list in the Unified Agenda of those major items and other significant proceedings under development or review. Items listed here include:

The Broadband Oversight Plan

As the 2022 elections essentially came to a close on December 6, 2022, then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) promised that the House of Representatives—under a new, Republican majority—would "conduct rigorous oversight of the federal government" in the 118th Congress.

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for January Open Meeting

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the agenda for the January 26, 2023 Open Commission Meeting. The FCC will consider:

FCC Consumer Advisory Committee Solicits Round of Nominations for Membership

The Federal Communications Commission is soliciting nominations for membership on the Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC). Nominations for membership are due September 21, 2022. The FCC seeks nominations from interested nonprofit organizations, corporations, trade associations, government agencies, or other entities from both the public and private sectors, who wish to be considered for CAC membership for a two-year term of service. Selections will be made based on factors such as expertise and diversity of viewpoints that are necessary to effectively address the topics before the CAC.

Please Make Broadband Grant Applications Public

Most broadband grant programs do not publish open grant applications for the public to see. But we are in a time when a broadband provider that is awarded funding for bringing a new broadband network is likely to become the near-monopoly provider in a rural area for a decade or two to come. The public ought to get to see who is proposing to bring them broadband so that these decisions are not made behind closed doors. It turns out that the Nebraska Public Service Commission posts grant applications online.

August 2022 Open Meeting Agenda

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the agenda for the FCC's August 5, 2022 Open Commission Meeting. The FCC will:

Incompas Submits Comments to FCC Regarding the State of the Communications Marketplace

Incompas submitted comments in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Notice that seeks input on the state of the communications marketplace to inform the FCC’s required assessment of the state of competition in the communications marketplace in its upcoming Communications Marketplace Report to Congress. Incompas states, in its comments:

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for July 14 Open Meeting

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the July Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 14, 2022:

FCC Updates Facility Policies to Allow Scheduled Visitor Meetings

On March 12, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Communications Commission restricted visitor access to its facilities to only those visitors with a clear operational necessity. In light of the improved pandemic conditions, updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that focuses on COVID-19 Community Levels and the associated Safer Federal Workforce Task Force guidance, beginning on June 9 the FCC will permit visitors with scheduled appointments, in conjunction with safety protocols identified by the Task Force, to enter its facilities.

FCC Announces June 2022 Open Commission Meeting Agenda

The Federal Communications Commission has announced its agenda for the June 2022 Open Commission Meeting:

FCC Announces April 21, 2022 Open Meeting Agenda

The Federal Communications Commission announced the agenda for its upcoming Open Commission Meeting on April 21, 2022. The following items are on the agenda:

FCC Holds Second Public Hearing on Broadband Consumer Labels

The Federal Communications Commission heard from the public on April 7 as the agency focuses on plans to create broadband consumer labels. This was the second FCC public hearing on so-called nutrition labels as the agency revives an effort from late in the Obama administration to stick the information on internet service provider (ISP) plans. One common thread was that even when information is available on internet service quality, consumers don't know enough about the specifics to grasp what it means for their own online needs.

FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System Undergoes Initial Upgrades

The Federal Communications Commission announced that its Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) has undergone a system upgrade which will help enable expanded features and functions to be introduced into ECFS in the coming year. The update transitions ECFS to a cloud-based platform, which will make the system scalable and more agile. In addition, reCAPTCHA functionality has been added to the system. This first phase of the multi-phase ECFS upgrade effort will enable development of new functions that take advantage of the upgraded technology platform.