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  2. June 2022

June 2022

Senators Call on Mental Health Apps to Provide Answers on Data Privacy and Sharing Practices

Sens Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent letters to BetterHelp and Talkspace, two leading mental health apps, expressing deep concerns about the companies’ use of patients’ personal health data and requesting more information about their data sharing and privacy practices. Their letter follows reports that mental health apps are collecting, mining, and disseminating private client information to third parties, including data brokers and Big Tech companies like Google and Facebook.

Sponsor: 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Date: 
Mon, 08/15/2022 - 23:59

Congress has set up a three-step process for states to receive their infrastructure money: submitting and gaining approval for 1) a letter of intent, 2) an initial proposal, and 3) a final proposal (collectively, a “covered application”). Upon receipt of the Letter of Intent, NTIA will provide the Point of Contact for each Eligible Entity instructions on how to submit a request for Initial Planning Funds through the application portal at https://grants.ntia.gov/.


Sponsor: 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Date: 
Mon, 07/18/2022 - 23:59

Congress has set up a three-step process for states to receive their infrastructure money: submitting and gaining approval for 1) a letter of intent, 2) an initial proposal, and 3) a final proposal (collectively, a “covered application”). Letters of intent must include:

A statement that the Eligible Entity intends to participate in the Program;


Creating and Expanding a Diverse Broadband Workforce with Good Jobs and Career Pathways

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program's Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) includes workforce development as a critical component of state plans and applications for funding—and appropriately so, as creating good jobs and developing the broadband workforce necessary to deliver on this historic investment is a critical first step for any state or territory seeking to expand broadband to its unserved and underserved residents.

Southern Vermont Communications Union District member towns to be wired by end of 2023

The Southern Vermont Communications Union District (CUD) says its partnership with Consolidated Communications — and investments by that company, and federal and state government — will make the goal of finally making universal high-speed internet access possible. The Southern Vermont CUD, one of several statewide, is a municipal government entity representing 14 towns in Bennington County. In 2021, it partnered with Consolidated Communications in a plan to extend high-speed broadband to unserved and underserved communities, leveraging state and federal funds.

Will Broadband Labels Do Any Good?

The Federal Communications Commission is still considering using broadband labels that are supposed to explain broadband to customers. This sounds like a really good idea, but I wonder if it’s really going to be effective. Some of the items included on the FCC sample label are great. The most important fact is the price. It has become virtually impossible to find broadband prices for many internet service providers (ISPs). Many ISPs, including the largest ones, only show special pricing online that applies to new customers.

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