October 2019

Rep. Greg Walden, top Republican on powerful House Commerce Committee, says he will retire

Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), the top Republican on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee will not seek reelection in 2020 — another sign that GOP lawmakers are pessimistic about retaking the House majority in 2020. Rep Walden served as chairman of the Commerce Committee from 2017 until Democrats reclaimed control of the House in 2019. In that position, he helped formulate the GOP’s ultimately ill-fated plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and worked closely on bipartisan efforts to address the national opioid crisis.

A Policymaker’s Guide to the “Techlash”—What It Is and Why It’s a Threat to Growth and Progress (Information Technology & Innovation Foundation)

Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Mon, 10/28/2019 - 13:51

Facebook Employees Tell Mark Zuckerberg: We ‘Strongly Object’ to Policy on Fact-Checking Political Ads (Wrap, The)

Submitted by benton on Mon, 10/28/2019 - 13:48

Digital Ads Turns 25 -- Ad Vets Reminisce On First Banner Ad (MediaPost)

Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Mon, 10/28/2019 - 12:13

AT&T loses another 1.3 million TV customers as DirecTV freefall continues (Ars Technica)

Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Mon, 10/28/2019 - 12:12

Experts Optimistic About the Next 50 Years of Digital Life

1969 was the year that saw the first host-to-host communication of ARPANET, the early packet-switching network that was the precursor to today’s multibillion-host internet. Heading into the network's 50th anniversary, Pew Research Center and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center asked 530 of technology experts how individuals’ lives might be affected by the evolution of the internet over the next 50 years. Some 72% of these respondents say there would be change for the better, 25% say there would be change for the worse, and 3% believe there would be no significant change.

Chairman Pai Response Regarding the Rural Health Care Program

On July 20, 2019, 13 senators wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai urging him to postpone adoption of a reform order of the Rural Health Care Program that was on the agenda for the FCC's Aug 1, 2019 meeting.

A New National Broadband Plan?

Christopher Terry recently published an article for the Benton Institute that details how the National Broadband Plan has failed. In my opinion, the National Broadband Plan never had the slightest chance of success because it didn’t have any teeth. Congress authorized the creation of the plan as a way for politicians to show that they were pro-broadband.

AT&T lays out three-year plan to satisfy activist investor, CEO Randall Stephenson to stay on for another year (New York Times)

Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Mon, 10/28/2019 - 09:55

Daily Digest 10/28/2019