1. Monthly archive
  2. April 2020

April 2020

FCC Under Pressure on Controversial 5G Bid

All eyes are on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on whether he’s about to unveil a potential order to approve a long-pending application from Virginia-based satellite company Ligado Networks, which wants to light up 5G operations in some airwaves it currently holds. Lawmakers have nudged him for months to make a call on this industry request, but the Pentagon and other parts of the Trump administration have cried foul and said Ligado’s plans would disrupt their own critical operations in nearby airwaves — charges Ligado disputes.

Google and Apple's COVID-19 Plans Under the Microscope

Google and Apple’s plan to team up to create new contact tracing technology to combat the coronavirus is already raising eyebrows among key policymakers in Washington.

Benton Editorial

Remembering Henry Geller

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Monday, April 13, 2020

WiFi, crunched by coronavirus, is set for a boost

With the coronavirus pandemic binding Americans to their home internet service, policymakers are moving to bolster the WiFi networks those homes use. WiFi use has already been exploding as consumers connect more devices to their home broadband networks, a trend that's only accelerated with the coronavirus. Yet it's been years since the spectrum dedicated to carrying that load has been expanded. The Federal Communications Commission is expected to approve a plan to augment WiFi capacity. The changes the FCC has in store for WiFi won't be immediate.

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