Letter

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Rosenworcel sent a letter to Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-IN) in response to his letter on the efforts of the FCC to collect more precise and reliable broadband deployment data, and urging the FCC to include veterans in the FCC’s data collection and reporting. Chairwoman Rosenworcel said when the FCC completes its initial efforts to improve broadband data collection, veterans across the country will have better access to information about what services are available where they live.

Reps Kat Cammack (R-FL) and Jim Costa (D-CA) led a letter with their colleagues to urge US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack to ensure the ReConnect Pilot Program serves rural America and the underserved communities that need it most.

Seventeen Democratic members of the House Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee wrote to Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), outlining their recommendations and priorities as the agency implements the broadband programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

A coalition of organizations focused on broadband policy, housing, and addressing challenges facing under-resourced communities in our nation’s cities and throughout the country (including the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society) called for urgent action to ensure unserved households in multifamily residential housing (MDUs) are correctly identified when broadband funding is allocated. In a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the group, led by the national non-profit EducationSuperHighway, urged the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to use

Given rapid advancements in the American space sector, we appreciate the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) raising questions about how to update its satellite rules to ensure they keep pace with innovation. With recent efforts by Congress and the FCC’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), we have an opportunity to continue American leadership in a competitive global satellite marketplace.

Rep Doris Matsui (D-CA) urged Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson to prioritize the important task of reviewing current federal assignments and quantification of spectrum usage within the 7125-8400 MHz (7GHz) band. A National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) review will be crucial to determining how much of the band could accommodate commercial use. To ensure the United States remains the global pacesetter in wireless communications technology, a reliable pipeline of spectrum is needed.

Sen Roger Wicker (R-MS) urged the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) to conduct an oversight review into pandemic-related spending to ensure broadband funds were used appropriately for assisting unserved communities and those economically affected by the pandemic. In response to the need for broadband amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress created multiple broadband accessibility programs that allocated billions of dollars to assist Americans in their participation in remote activities.

House Republican Leaders sent a letter to US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy regarding the Biden Administration's approach to COVID-19 related misinformation on tech platforms. "We write with significant concerns that the Biden Administration continues to undermine the First Amendment by pressuring technology companies to censor specific users and certain speech," reads the letter sent by Reps Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Steve Scalise (R-LA) and James Comer (R-KY). "The First Amendment prohibits the government from directly censoring speech it finds objectionable.

Access Now, Wikimedia Foundation, and over 35 civil society organizations called on President Joe Biden and his administration to ensure the people of Russia and Belarus are not cut off from the internet. The signatories deplore Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urge that further restricting the internet in Russia and Belarus will only accelerate violence and repression. Signatories to the letter are concerned that the US government and like-minded governments may be considering disrupting internet access in Russia and Belarus through new sanctions.

"As the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) takes significant steps to close the digital divide and bring broadband to more Americans under the bipartisan infrastructure law, we write to encourage the Agency to prioritize and protect competition, high quality jobs, affordability, and consumer protection standards in its grant programs," said Sens Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ed Markey (D-MA) in a letter to NTIA Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson. Regarding the broadband programs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the senators urge the NTIA to: