March 2017

Mayors and other city and county leaders from sixty-two Next Century Cities member communities, representing nearly 16 million Americans, sent a letter to President Donald Trump, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on the importance of including broadband in any infrastructure plan.

The letter asserts that broadband internet access is necessary infrastructure, and a key to prosperity. It has the power to expand entrepreneurship and economic growth, arm teachers and students for success in the classroom, and give citizens a voice on a both a local and national level. It was sent on the same day the United States Senate held a hearing on “Improving Access the Infrastructure,” focusing on transportation and information networks. The letter recommends three key broadband priorities for any federal infrastructure plan: access, affordability, and local solutions for connectivity. It also emphasizes that the internet is nonpartisan, and that federal leaders should work together across party lines to promote the deployment of next-generation broadband.

“Today’s letter, signed by representatives from sixty-one cities and counties across the country, shows significant support for the inclusion of broadband in any infrastructure bill,” said Deb Socia, Executive Director of Next Century Cities. “This letter, signed by cities large and small, serves as a reminder to state and federal lawmakers that there is widespread, bipartisan support for the deployment of high-speed, reliable internet access.”

The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office confirms former Attorney General Scott Pruitt used private email for state business.

Attorneys within the office conducted the search of Pruitt’s private, personal email account and did not find any documents that had not been captured in the search of official Oklahoma attorney general accounts. Open government advocate and media professor Dr. Joey Senat said the state law regarding open records indicates that private accounts cannot be used to shield government officials from transparency laws. Senat said one of the weaknesses of Oklahoma’s law on open records relies on trusting public officials that they have conducted appropriate searches of private accounts. It is not illegal to use a private email account for state business, as long as those records are included in searches for public documents. However, the revelation is in direct conflict with Pruitt’s written and oral testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee during the confirmation process. Pruitt, who is now the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, told lawmakers he had never used private email for state business.

The Senate Commerce Committee is adding Crystal Tully and Cort Bush to its staff ranks, a personnel influx that follows the departure of two of the panel's tech aides in the last couple of months. Tully, formerly an aide to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), will join the committee as a counsel, while Bush, who comes from Sen. Jerry Moran's (R-KS) office, will serve as a professional staff member.