June 2024

How the Supreme Court Used Fish to Undermine Government Agencies

On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a bedrock principle of administrative law called the Chevron doctrine. The vehicle was an opinion for two cases, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce.

FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel Proposes Strengthening Security of Emergency Alert Systems

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has shared with her fellow commissioners draft final rules that, if adopted, would strengthen the security of the nation’s public alert and warning systems—the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts—against emerging cybersecurity threats. The Emergency Alert System delivers warnings to the public thorough radio and television. Wireless Emergency Alerts deliver warnings to consumers’ wireless phones.

Prison Phone Rates Set for Drastic Reduction Under New FCC Rules

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed new rules to reduce phone and video call rates for incarcerated people, a move that could dramatically reshape the business of prison telecom providers such as ViaPath Technologies and Avent

Musk’s Starlink faces rough weather in Indonesia

Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink, is facing stiff resistance from Indonesian internet service providers (ISPs). The Indonesia Internet Service Provider Association is asking the government to ban Starlink’s license to sell services to consumers because ISPs see satellite provider as a threat to their market share. The ISPs have invested heavily in setting up a terrestrial network.

AT&T claims U.S. industry first with RedCap launch

AT&T claims it is the first carrier in the U.S. to introduce 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) technology for the IoT sector, with commercial service now available in select areas of the Dallas metro area. The service was launched on June 14 via a software upgrade from Ericsson, but AT&T is working with both Ericsson and Nokia on its RedCap rollout, according to Jason Sikes, AVP of Device Architecture at AT&T. RedCap stands for “reduced capability,” which sounds like something’s gone missing, but it actually refers to reduced complexity and therefore, reduced costs.

Purdue University gives itself a Wi-Fi glow-up

You didn’t need testing equipment to measure the state of Purdue University’s Wi-Fi network. You just needed to look on Reddit, where complaints were flying. That was the situation Ian Hyatt walked in to when he took a job as CIO of Purdue University three years ago.

So long, equitable internet

The US Supreme Court just overturned Chevron v. The Natural Resources Defense Council, a 40 year old precedent for how government works. This is big news for anyone interested in the way technology (and Big Tech) shape public policy, and vice versa. Why does Chevron matter? As ordained by our political system, Congress is supposed to set rules and regulations that protect our rights. In today’s world, no elected representative can be an expert on every topic where they are called to make a decision.

Updated Digital Navigator Definition and New Standards

In 2020, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) convened a group of digital inclusion practitioners to establish a definition for the term “digital navigator.” The term described a model for digital inclusion built upon years of similar work, tailored for the new realities of the time.

Chairwoman Rosenworcel's Response Regarding Competitive Broadband Access in Multiple Tenant Environments

On May 20, Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) wrote to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to express concerns regarding the Chairwoman's proposal to prohibit bulk-billing arrangements in multi-dwelling units. On June 10, Chairwoman Rosenworcel responded, explaining that the proposed rulemaking has the potential to "empower consumer choice and boost competition." "As you note in your letter, the last time the Commission revisited this issue was in 2010, when it found that these arrangements can predominately offer benefits to consumers.