press release

Tully Friedman and Daniel D’Aniello, co-chairs of American Enterprise Institute’s Board of Trustees, announced that Arthur C. Brooks intends to step down as president in the summer of 2019, after a decade of distinguished service. Brooks had asked AEI’s Board of Trustees to commence the search for his successor at the annual executive board meeting, and informed scholars and staff of his decision March 14. Brooks joined AEI as a visiting scholar in 2007 while also teaching at Syracuse University.

The Internet & Television Association today announced two new senior hires for the organization. Mark Kulish joins as Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration, on March 12th and Robert N. Rubinovitz as Vice President, Research & Analysis, starting April 2nd.

“Interoperability” isn’t a word most people hear every day. But when it comes to the future of patient-centered healthcare in the United States, few technological developments may prove to be more important. Interoperability is essentially the ability of different computer systems to communicate with each other quickly and effectively. For healthcare specifically, that means being able to share patient data in an instant regardless of what hospital, pharmacy, laboratory, or clinic houses the information—and being able to do so with complete reliability and privacy protection.

A bipartisan group of Senators, led by Sen Roger Wicker (R-MS) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai expressing serious concerns about the agency’s recently released Mobility Fund Phase II (MF II) map. The purpose of this fund is to allocate $4.53 billion over the next 10 years to preserve and expand mobile coverage to rural areas.

Free Press has joined Common Cause, Communications Workers of America and the Office of Communication, Inc. of the United Church of Christ to file suit against Federal Communications Commission efforts to repeal local media-ownership limits.

[Press release] Sens Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Rob Portman (R-OH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Inmate Calling Technical Corrections Act to strengthen the nation’s criminal justice system by helping families keep in touch with incarcerated family members, which studies have shown can help reduce recidivism rates and thereby save taxpayer dollars. This targeted legislation would address long-standing concerns regarding predatory inmate calling rates at prison facilities across the US and would affirm the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to address a m

The Federal Communications Commission is warning consumers about “neighbor spoofing” scams where thieves manipulate caller ID information in ways that make calls appear to have been placed locally. In general, scammers use such spoofing to increase the likelihood that consumers pick up
the phone and to increase the consumer’s trust in the call.

Consumer Tips:

Sen John Kennedy (R-LA) filed the Open Internet Preservation Act to protect consumers by preventing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from slowing down and controlling web content.  The legislation also creates transparency by requiring ISPs to make public their terms of service.  The House companion of this bill was introduced in 2017 by House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

[Press release] Members of the House Subcommittees on a) Health and Technology and b) Agriculture, Energy, and Trade held a joint hearing on the challenges in the current regulatory and operational environment that limit the ability of small carriers to bridge the rural digital divide. The hearing examined the disparities between large, nationwide carriers and small, rural carriers that contribute to the urban/rural digital divide and the challenges inherent in the current regulatory and operational schemes that limit the ability of small carriers to deploy broadband in rural America.

We believe that San Franciscans and communities across the country deserve a better internet, with more choice and competition in the market than exists today. We both have been strong advocates for municipal fiber because we know that many consumers feel inadequately served by their private provider, if they are even served at all. This country has a history of allowing communities to take local control of important utilities such as water, electricity and sewer services – the internet should be no different.