Lauren Frayer

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission Internet service provider privacy rules had many reasonable protections. Judging from the extensive media attention and negative public reaction, it strikes many people as creepy and wrong for ISPs to share their browsing history or health information without affirmative consent. Given these sentiments, I don’t think that repealing the FCC rules will be the last move.

[Daniel J. Solove is a professor at George Washington University]

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that he has appointed Brian Hart as Director of the FCC’s Office of Media Relations. With Hart’s appointment, Acting Director Mark Wigfield will return to his role as deputy director.

Hart most recently served as communications director for Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO). Prior to his work for Sen Blunt, Hart worked for then-Senators Sam Brownback of Kansas and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire. Hart has also worked on policy and media relations in the private sector for Hill and Knowlton Strategies, Ketchum Public Relations, H&R Block, and the Southeastern Conference.

A federal appeals court rejected a request to review its decision upholding the Federal Communications Commission's network neutrality regulations. The victory for net neutrality supporters comes just days after FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that he is starting proceedings to repeal the rules, and could set the stage for a Supreme Court showdown.

In its denial for what's called an en banc review, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals cited FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's plans to repeal the net neutrality rules. "En banc review would be particularly unwarranted at this point in light of the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the FCC’s Order," the decision reads. "The agency will soon consider adopting a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would replace the existing rule with a markedly different one." "In that light, the en banc court could find itself examining, and pronouncing on, the validity of a rule that the agency had already slated for replacement."

[Commentary] In the coming storm, it will be important not to lose sight of what should be the ultimate policy goal: finding a workable, balanced solution that promotes flourishing innovation throughout the entire Internet, both on the edge and within the core of the network. Under Tom Wheeler, the left-leaning activists got everything they asked for, to the determinant of innovation. Now, under Republican control, we can only hope the other side will resist the same temptation, lest the pendulum keep swinging forever.

The best solution to this issue should be balanced and stable—I say give Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai a shot at stopping the pendulum’s momentum at the bottom of its arc. But at the fourth attempt at net neutrality rules, this is starting to get ridiculous. Congress would do well to start seriously discussing the contours of a compromise so we can put this perennial problem to bed and move on to the real pressing Internet problems, such as closing the digital divide.

[Doug Brake is a senior telecommunications policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation]

[Commentary] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is moving rapidly to resolve the net neutrality mess bequeathed to him by his predecessor, a complicated task under the best of circumstances. In addition to its more obvious benefits, however, this effort offers an early opportunity for the FCC to showcase the chairman’s plan to institutionalize the role of economics in agency decision-making.

The commission has never subjected any of the “net neutrality” options it has considered over the course of many years to a cost-benefit analysis. In its new notice of proposed rulemaking, the FCC proposes to correct that omission.

[Thomas M. Lenard is a senior fellow and president emeritus at the Technology Policy Institute]

No major Internet service provider has done more to prevent implementation of network neutrality rules in the US than Verizon. After years of fighting the rules in courts of law and public opinion, Verizon is about to get what it wants as the Federal Communications Commission—now led by a former Verizon lawyer—prepares to eliminate the rules and the legal authority that allows them to be enforced.

But Verizon's general counsel, Craig Silliman, wants you to believe that Verizon never opposed net neutrality rules, even though it sued the FCC to eliminate them. He's also making the claim that the FCC isn't even talking about eliminating the net neutrality rules, even though FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is proposing to do exactly that.

[Commentary] The SHLB Coalition has offered our own proposal to Congress that would focus on deploying high-capacity broadband to and through anchor institutions to the surrounding rural community. Our “Rural American Broadband Connectivity” (Rural ABC) plan is fiscally prudent, promotes “dig once” and streamlined infrastructure policies, and is intended to ensure that high-speed broadband is available for public use in every single American community. Most importantly, it calls for a variety of financial mechanisms (including tax credits, grants and loans) and an open application process. Internet2 has also released an significant paper that documents the important role of the research and education networks in connecting anchor institutions.

[John Windhausen is the executive director of the SHLB Coalition]

AT&T is all but pulling out of programs that subsidize phone service for low-income customers in Kansas and Missouri. The telecommunication company notified regulators that it will pull out of the Kansas Lifeline Service Program in most parts of the state. AT&T will end its participation in urban areas, but will continue to offer Lifeline discounts in some rural areas. While participation in the program has increased to 62,000, AT&T serves fewer than 3,000. AT&T previously notified Missouri officials that it will end its participation in voluntary Lifeline and Disabled programs in the state as of July 5. The company said it now serves only about 4.2 percent of Missouri’s 156,000 Lifeline customers.

Reps Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA) launched the Digital Trade Caucus, which aims to protect cross-border digital trade from government protectionism. “Trade has gone digital and protectionist policies don’t work in an internet-age,” said Rep DelBene. “We need continued American leadership in the digital economy and for that to happen our laws need to be up to date with the way the world works."

President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a new technology council to help advise the government on streamlining its IT operations. The American Technology Council will be run by Chris Liddell, an assistant to the president and former CFO of Microsoft. The council will meet with Silicon Valley leaders sometime in June to discuss ideas on modernizing government operations. The council is part of Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner’s White House Office of Innovation, which was established in March to try to streamline government operations.