Montana's Five-Year Plan for BEAD Funding
Friday, July 28, 2023
July 2023
Researchers Poke Holes in Safety Controls of ChatGPT and Other Chatbots (New York Times)
Submitted by benton on Fri, 07/28/2023 - 06:29Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest
Analysis
Analysis
Congress Seeks Your Input on Universal Service Fund
Thursday, July 27, 2023
Next Century Cities Hosts a Congressional Briefing for Local Leaders to Share Community-Based Insights on the ACP
Congressional briefings are used to communicate information to policymakers in Washington, DC. Oftentimes, they highlight stakeholder views on government programs and proposals. However, they rarely include local officials who can provide community-based insights. On July 19, 2023, Next Century Cities invited broadband leaders from Texas, Ohio, Maryland, and Massachusetts to Washington, DC. Speakers shared community impact stories and administrative needs for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Key takeaways include the following:
The Urgent Need to Reimagine Data Consent
2023’s upsurge in forced migration represents the intensification of an ongoing trend. As policymakers struggle to respond to the unfolding human catastrophe, they have increasingly turned to the possibilities offered by technology, and data in particular. Civil society and humanitarian organizations are attuned to the reality that these streams of people generate massive amounts of data that can, for instance, help channel aid to the neediest, predict disease outbreaks, and much more. Yet as is so often the case with technology, the potential for good is accompanied by certain risks.
AT&T's new fixed wireless access product 'performing well,' but being used selectively
AT&T CEO John Stankey said Internet Air, the company's new fixed wireless access (FWA) product, is "performing well" in the early going. But Stankey stressed that Internet Air will continue to be used on a limited, targeted basis.
Verizon says FCC 'should create an Office of Civil Rights'
Verizon told the Federal Communications Commission that it supports the idea of creating an Office of Civil Rights within the FCC. The matter was discussed in a meeting between Verizon and the FCC, and then summarized in a letter, regarding the FCC's ongoing digital discrimination proceeding. That proceeding began in 2022, as mandated by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
Comcast Reports 2nd Quarter 2023 Results
Comcast reported results for the second-quarter (Q2) ended June 30, 2023.
Rep. Guthrie Introduces Bill to Deplatform Drug Dealers
Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) introduced the Deplatform Drug Dealers Act, which will amend Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 to remove liability protections for online platforms relating to illegal sales of controlled substances on their sites. Section 230 of the updated Communications Decency Act protects technology companies from being held liable for any content someone else has posted on their site.