July 2021

Team Trump quietly launches new social media platform (Politico)

Submitted by Grace Tepper on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 13:55

Which Biden priorities are not included in the bipartisan infrastructure deal? (Washington Post)

Submitted by Grace Tepper on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 13:54

Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Connect SNAP Recipients to Internet

Reps Elaine Luria (D-VA) and John Katko (R-NY) introduced the Ensuring Phone and Internet Access for SNAP Recipients Act of 2021 (H.R.4275). This bipartisan bill would lower the cost of phone and internet access for households that benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP recipients automatically qualify for the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline Program, which offers discounted phone and internet service.

Op-ed | Why prisoners like me need internet access: I haven’t been online in almost two decades. Being able to would help me pre (Technology Review)

Submitted by benton on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 12:14

Sponsor:

Office of Native Affairs and Policy and the Wireline Competition Bureau

Federal Communications Commission

Date:

Thu, 07/15/2021 - 14:00 to 16:00

The Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Native Affairs and Policy and the Wireline Competition Bureau will host a virtual training and listening session for Tribal leaders, staff, and outreach partners on its Emergency Connectivity Fund (Fund) Program.

Read more about Emergency Connectivity Fund Tribal Training and Listening Session

FCC Reinstates Media Ownership Rules

On June 4, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau released an order, consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in FCC v.

WideOpenWest deals sell five service areas for $1.79 billion

US broadband provider WideOpenWest (WOW!) inked a pair of deals to sell off five service areas for a combined $1.79 billion. WOW!’s move includes two separate transactions: a $1.13 billion deal with Atlantic Broadband covering its Cleveland and Columbus (OH) markets and a $661 million sale of its Chicago (IL), Evansville, (IN), and Anne Arundel (MD) service areas to Astound Broadband. The deals are expected to close in the second half of 2021.

What does breaking up Big Tech really mean?

Over the past four or five years, scholars, politicians, and public advocates have begun to push a new idea of what antitrust policy should be, arguing that we need to move away from a narrow focus on consumer welfare—which in practice has usually meant a focus on prices—toward consideration of a much wider range of possible harms from companies’ exercise of market power: damage to suppliers, workers, competitors, customer choice, and even the political system as a whole.

New FTC Chair Lina Khan Wants To Redefine Monopoly Power For The Age Of Big Tech (NPR)

Submitted by Grace Tepper on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 11:24

Lawmakers and industry groups disagree over plans for broadband funding

Congress's record $65 billion for broadband infrastructure funding has the potential to make the White House's goal of connecting all Americans a reality—unless it gets mired in squabbling. The way the money will be divided up is still very much in flux as the Senate considers how to turn the framework into legislation.

Benton

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