1. Monthly archive
  2. January 2020

January 2020

President Trump Nominates New FCC Inspector General

President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate John Chase Johnson of Oklahoma, to be the Inspector General at the Federal Communications Commission. Johnson is an attorney at Covington & Burling LLP, where he practices in the commercial litigation and government contracts groups. He also serves as a Major and Military Judge in the US Marine Corps Reserves. Before joining Covington, Johnson served on active duty in the US Marine Corps and deployed to Afghanistan. He clerked for Judge Edith Clement of the Fifth Circuit and Judge Victor Wolski of the Court of Federal Claims.

Sponsor 

Minnesota Rural Electric Association

Date 
Mon, 03/16/2020 - 12:00 to 22:00

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED

Other pre-conference:
NRECA BLC 918.1 Maximizing your grassroots strategy (Mon. March 16, 8:30-4:30)
 

Monday, March 16

7 am          Breakfast

8 am          Why are you here? Doran Dennis, CoBank

8:15 am     Understanding a feasibility study and the resulting business plan, TBD, Vantage Point

9:15 am     Deploying the right technology, TBD, NRTC


FCC's Ajit Pai Still Thinks Killing Net Neutrality Was a Brilliant Idea

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai continues to double down on the claim that net neutrality was a huge boon for American consumers, even if supporting evidence for that claim remains largely nonexistent. Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Chairman Pai once again insisted that his decision to ignore the public and repeal net neutrality protections resulted in faster broadband speeds for consumers—and a spike in overall network investment. “Since we made the decision in December 2017, broadband speeds are up 60 percent according to Ookla, infrastructure investm

Building a 100 Percent Clean Future Can Drive an Additional $8 Billion a Year to Rural Communities

Rural communities face many challenges, and climate change is only making matters worse. If done right, taking climate action will be a win-win for rural communities, counteracting the shifts to their way of life. Nearly one-quarter of rural Americans do not have access to broadband internet, which has major financial implications for farmers. According to the USDA, universal deployment of broadband-enabled precision technology could reduce water use by 30 percent, cut herbicide reliance significantly, reduce fuel use by 10 percent, and increase yi

Kicking Off the New Year in a Big Way

I'm sharing with my fellow commissioners a draft order that would establish the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, a modern approach for connecting those hardest-to-serve corners of our country. At the FCC's January open meeting, we'll vote on this order—our biggest step yet to close the digital divide. The new Fund will provide up to $20.4 billion over the next decade to support the deployment of high-speed broadband networks in those parts of rural America that currently lack fixed broadband service that meets the Commission's baseline speed standards.

© 1994-2025 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.