November 2021

Sens Manchin and Sinema could end up deciding whether Biden secures a Democratic majority at FCC

Republicans are lining up against one of President Joe Biden’s long-awaited picks for the Federal Communications Commission — which means the outcome of this White House priority could come down, once again, to Sens Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). At stake are Democrats’ hopes for a majority on the five-member FCC, which has been mired in a 2-2 partisan split for all of Biden’s term. That in turn will determine whether the agency can get to work on progressives’ telecommunications priorities, including a revival of the agency’s Obama-era net neutrality rules.

FCC Announces Equity Council Members and Working Group Chairs

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has appointed members to serve on the Communications Equity and Diversity Council (CEDC). Additionally, Rosenworcel has appointed chairs for the three working groups of the CEDC. Robert Brooks, Digital Solution Specialist, WHUR-FM, Howard University, will chair the Innovation and Access Working Group. Dominique Harrison, Ph.D., Director, Technology Policy, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, will chair the Digital Empowerment and Inclusion Working Group.

Arkansas producers value upload speed more than download speed for precision agriculture applications

While access to broadband services has increased in recent years, many agricultural producers remain without access or are served by an inadequate connection. As many precision agriculture applications rely on data transfer through broadband networks, the expansion of broadband into rural areas has become critical for farm modernization. This study recruited Arkansas agriculture producers to complete a choice experiment on their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a broadband connection.

Making the metaverse safe (Axios)

Submitted by Grace Tepper on Tue, 11/02/2021 - 15:36

Cristiano Lima: US inches closer to resolving digital tax dispute, but major obstacles remain (Washington Post)

Submitted by Grace Tepper on Tue, 11/02/2021 - 15:30

FCC denies Connect America Fund Phase II Coalition's petition to modify the Eligible Locations Adjustment Process (Federal Communications Commission)

Submitted by Grace Tepper on Tue, 11/02/2021 - 15:26

Facebook, Citing Societal Concerns, Plans to Shut Down Facial Recognition System (New York Times)

Submitted by Grace Tepper on Tue, 11/02/2021 - 14:30

FAA issues warning on potential safety risks from 5G deployments in C-band frequencies

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) upped the ante in what has been an ongoing scuffle between communications regulators and the wireless industry with aviation stakeholders – as the agency issued a warning over potential interference to airplane safety systems from upcoming 5G deployments in C-band frequencies.

Dish Network files another round of comments in CDMA shutdown case between T-Mobile and Dish at the CPUC (Fierce)

Submitted by Grace Tepper on Tue, 11/02/2021 - 13:53

Lockheed Martin signs agreement to collaborate with Verizon on combining 5G with military communications (Fierce)

Submitted by Grace Tepper on Tue, 11/02/2021 - 13:49

Benton

Search