Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has been working with Congress on ways to use government subsidy money for in-home devices by teachers, students and patients. The FCC is trying to subsidize distance learning and telemedicine tech during the coronavirus crisis, but is not authorized to do so.
Ten years after the National Broadband Plan, coronavirus teaches us why its so important
Eleven years ago Congress asked for a National Broadband Plan. Ten years ago, we delivered it. If Congress were to ask for such a plan for the next decade, what would it contain? What did we learn from doing the 2010 Plan that would be useful for a team doing one in 2021 to know? I will address those questions by discussing four key differences between then and now, delineating three key learnings, and closing with some eternal truths that animated our effort and should animate the next as well as making one quick suggestion relating to broadband in time of the coronavirus.
The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau granted Verizon’s request for Special Temporary Authority (STA) to use additional spectrum to help meet increased customer demand for broadband during the coronavirus pandemic. This STA will allow the company to operate for 60 days in spectrum licensed to Northstar Wireless LLC and SNR Wireless LicenseCo in the AWS-3 Band in order to provide additional capacity to Verizon customers across the country. The FCC has granted similar requests by T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular in recent days.
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