1. Monthly archive
  2. September 2021

September 2021

Reps Matsui and Doyle Introduce the Spectrum Innovation Act

Reps Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) introduced the Spectrum Innovation Act (H.R.5378) to free up new airwaves for wireless broadband use by the public. The Spectrum Innovation Act would ensure faster speeds and more responsive networks for consumers. In addition to up to 200 megahertz of spectrum auctioned for mobile broadband, this bill would help usher in new, innovative wireless uses through opportunistic and other flexible spectrum uses.

New York Digital Inclusion Fund Opens Requests for Proposals

The New York Digital Inclusion Fund launched with exciting new grant opportunities for New York-based digital inclusion work.

T-Mobile and Dish take CDMA network showdown to California Public Utilities Commission

To get an idea of how the Dish/T-Mobile case went in front of the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC), this one bit of testimony might shed some light: They literally started to shut off the lights in the building before all was said and done. The purpose of the hearing was to determine if the CPUC should penalize T-Mobile for lying to the Commission about its obligations in the merger with Sprint. The CPUC approved the transaction in April 2020 with conditions.

Sponsor: 

Communications and Technology Subcommittee

House Commerce Committee

Date: 
Wed, 10/06/2021 - 12:00

A legislative hearing on 12 communications bills:


Virginia company connects mobile phones directly to satellites

Space startup Lynk says it has successfully demonstrated the ability to use ordinary, unmodified mobile telephones to connect to satellite Internet services. The Virginia-based company sent its "Shannon" satellite into orbit as part of a rideshare mission on a Falcon 9 rocket. After some initial tests, the company said "hundreds" of mobile phones in the United States, United Kingdom, and the Bahamas were able to connect with the satellite as it passed overhead, as if it were a virtual cell phone tower in space.

SiFi to Launch Open Access Fiber Networks in 30 US Cities by the End of 2022

SiFi Networks CEO Ben Bawtree-Jobson announced his company’s aggressive plans to launch Open Access FiberCities in 30 US communities by the end of 2022. SiFi will be committing $2 billion from private investors and will begin deploying fiber in 30 cities by the end of next year at no cost to taxpayers, and is working actively with nearly 100 cities total. To help close the digital divide, SiFi Networks will ramp up FiberCity Aid, a groundbreaking digital inclusion program that subsidizes gigabit-speed broadband for low-income residents in SiFi FiberCities.

Sponsor: 

Technology Learning Collaborative Philadelphia

Date: 
Wed, 10/06/2021 - 14:00

Hear from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) about the federal Infrastructure Bill (as of now passed by the Senate but not the House) and its implications on digital inclusion work. We’ll also have the opportunity to discuss national and regional best practices in the field.

This event is being hosted jointly by the Digital Inclusion Practitioners of New Jersey (DIPNJ) and Technology Learning Collaborative (TLC Philly) and is a part of national Digital Inclusion Week.


FCC is laser-focused on erasing the digital divide

For Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the moment is now to get the US on the right track toward ending the digital divide. That's what she's been trying to do with an influx of federal funding aimed at getting Americans connected to the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis, which has hit low-income Americans and people of color especially hard, has brought attention to the digital divide and has spurred Congress to act, Rosenworcel said.

© 1994-2024 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.