June 2019

President Trump signals US government ‘should be suing Google and Facebook’

President Donald Trump said the US government “should be suing Google and Facebook and all that,” then wagered that “perhaps we will,” in a new broadside against Silicon Valley at a moment when it already faces heightened antitrust scrutiny in Washington.

Another Ajit Pai plan could harm weather forecasts, expert groups warn

Meteorologists and other experts are urging the Federal Communications Commission to drop a spectrum-sharing plan that they say could interfere with transmissions of weather-satellite imagery. The dispute is over the 1675-1680MHz frequencies and is separate from the other FCC/weather controversy, which involves the 24GHz band and has pitted the FCC against NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the US Navy. 

ReConnect Program Receives 53 Applications Worth $635M for Rural Broadband Loan/Grant Funding

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development received 53 applications requesting more than $635 million in loan-grant combination funding in the first round of the USDA ReConnect Pilot Program. The USDA made $200 million available for loan-grant combination projects in the first round of funding. The applications came from rural areas across 33 states, representing 1,099 farms and 859 businesses. Though the loan-grant application process is closed, the government will still accept applications for low-interest loans through July 12.

Hearing on Improving Broadband Mapping to Tackle Digital Divide

The House Small Business Committee's Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure held a hearing focused on improving broadband mapping in rural areas across the country. The hearing featured testimony from rural broadband carriers on the challenges that they face and ways broadband mapping can be improved going forward.