Open government
FCC Ordered To Disclose Data About Net Neutrality Commenters
Siding with The New York Times, a federal judge has ordered that the Federal Communications Commission must disclose information about users who submitted comments during the 2017 net neutrality proceeding, despite the agency's objections that doing so could compromise people's privacy. US District Court Judge Lorna Schofield in the Southern District of New York ruled that disclosure of the data -- including commenters' IP addresses, time stamps, and user-agent headers -- is in the public interest, particularly given concerns that many comments were fraudulent.
Crisis requires co-ordinated digital response
The challenges we face demand an unprecedented alliance between business and government. Broadband is needed everywhere to support vulnerable populations. What’s happening in Seattle (WA), the first US city affected by the coronavirus outbreak, provides a glimpse. A public-private alliance of the region’s largest employers, Challenge Seattle, became the town square for sharing data and best practices, managing the crisis and planning our return to work.
FCC Made Significant Progress, but Needs to Address Remaining Control Deficiencies and Improve Its Program
The Federal Communications Commission uses the Electronic Comment Filing System to receive public comments about proposed regulation changes. In May 2017, a surge of more than 22 million comments disrupted the system making it unavailable. We issued a Sept 2019 report with 136 recommendations for improvements in this and other FCC systems. The report was not publically released because it contains security information. This is the public version of that report—with the sensitive information removed.
Governments must promote and protect access to and free flow of information during pandemic – International experts
In light of the growing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the monitors for freedom of expression and freedom of the media for the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, and the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe issued the following joint statement:
A Broken System Helped the FCC Kill Net Neutrality. It Afflicts the Whole Government.
It is clear that the online comment system at the Federal Communications Commission, and very likely other public agencies, is easily exploitable and likely broken to the point that it’s causing more harm than good. Though it may seem like an arcane issue, it’s a big problem. When it comes to crafting new federal policies, the notice and comment process might be the only direct way a member of the public can have a voice in federal decision-making. Regulators are legally required to consider opinions shared by Americans.
Groups Seek Probe of Senate Task Force Meetings
Groups are calling on the Senate Rules Committee to launch an investigation into whether a closed-door meeting of the Senate Judiciary tech task force violated the chamber’s procedures for public notice. The working group, led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), met in the Judiciary hearing room for an off-the-record session with privacy officers from Snap, Match, Salesforce, and Mozilla.
Selected Agencies Should Clearly Communicate Practices Associated with Identity Information in the Public Comment Process
Members of Congress asked the Government Accountability Office to review issues related to identity information associated with public comments on proposed rulemakings.
Chairman Pai Introduces Two New Proposals To Modernize FCC Processes
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that he has presented his colleagues with two new proposals to modernize and streamline the agency’s processes. Under the first, the FCC would continue the agency’s move toward electronic filing and correspondence by fully transitioning the Universal Licensing System—the agency’s largest licensing system—from paper to electronic format. The second proposal would expedite the Commission’s hearing processes by expanding the use of written hearings (i.e. hearings conducted without live testimony).
Broadband access today is as varied as communities across Minnesota. Some enjoy a gig, others are working hard for any service, and the rest are somewhere in between. This conference is for all communities, regardless of where they are on the spectrum – because we’ve learned that having broadband isn’t enough. It takes inspiration, encouragement and guidance to reap the full benefits. We’ll be talking about how to make the most of what you’ve got and/or get more.
This year’s conference will shine a light on local broadband heroes as well as look at several aspects of broadband:
FCC Battles New York Times Over Net Neutrality Comments
Striking back at The New York Times Company, the Federal Communications Commission is urging a judge to rule that the agency need not disclose information about net neutrality commenters because doing so would compromise their privacy. “If the FCC is compelled to disclose an individual’s IP address, operating system and version, browser platform and version, and language settings, and that information is linked to the individual’s publicly-available name and postal address, that disclosure would result in clearly unwarranted invasions of personal privacy,” the FCC argues in papers filed wit