Press Release

Public Knowledge welcomes Jenna Leventoff, Senior Policy Counsel, and Bertram Lee, Policy Counsel, as new additions to our government affairs and policy teams. Prior to joining Public Knowledge, Leventoff served as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Workforce Data Quality Campaign (WDQC) at the National Skills Coalition, where she led WDQC’s state policy advocacy and technical assistance efforts on state data system development and use.

The Federal Trade Commission has revised the list of companies from which it is seeking information as part of its examination of broadband companies’ privacy practices. In March, the FTC announced it was sending orders seeking information about their privacy practices to AT&T, AT&T Mobility, Comcast doing business as Xfinity, Google Fiber, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Cellco Partnership doing business as Verizon Wireless.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced the appointment of Jeffrey Prince as chief economist of the FCC. Dr. Prince currently serves as a professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. He will begin work at the FCC on Sept 3.

New America’s Open Technology Institute filed reply comments with the Federal Communications Commission urging it to reject its proposal to impose restrictions on funding for programs that help low-income consumers, schools and libraries, health care providers, and rural telecommunications providers. OTI submitted the reply comments to illustrate the broad range of initial comments that, similar to OTI's initial comments, oppose the FCC’s plan to implement a spending cap for all four Universal Service Fund (USF) programs.

A broad coalition of some of the largest network neutrality advocacy groups is launching an activism site and pledge, which asks all 2020 presidential candidates to support strong net neutrality and reject telecom donations. “It’s not enough for candidates to simply say they support net neutrality,” said Mark Stanley, director of communications for Demand Progress.  “We’re looking for specific commitments from candidates to appoint commissioners who will restore the Title II-based net neutrality protections repealed by the [Federal Communications Commission], and who will close dangerous lo

On Dec. 13, 2017, The Walt Disney Company entered into an agreement to acquire certain assets and businesses from Twenty-First Century Fox, including Fox’s 22 regional sports networks (RSNs).  After an investigation, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit on June 27, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to block the proposed transaction.  At the same time, the Department filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the Department’s competitive concerns.

The Federal Communications Commission authorized support over the next decade for maintaining, improving, and expanding affordable broadband in 44,243 homes and businesses on Tribal lands nationwide. In most of these Tribal homes and businesses – 37,281 of them – carriers must deliver speeds of at least 25/3 Mbps. The authorization on Tribal lands in 13 states was part of a nationwide authorization of over $4.9 billion in support over the next decade for 455,334 homes and businesses served by 171 carriers in 39 states and American Samoa.

Every facet of society depends on broadband connectivity.  2020 presidential candidate Gov Jay Inslee’s (D-WA) is committed to confronting the rural broadband challenge, by:

Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) sent eight letters to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai with results from speed tests across West Virginia to highlight incorrect broadband coverage maps of WV and support the need for the formation of a public feedback system to better assess broadband coverage across rural states like WV. In the letters, Sen Manchin included the results of speed tests taken in Wheeling, Sandyville, Renick, Petersburg, Masontown, Great Cacapon, Charleston, and Bruceton Mills.

The week of Aug 12, Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks visited Tribal communities in New Mexico where he discussed the challenges of internet inequality with House Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and community leaders. Commissioner Starks toured the Pueblos of San Felipe and Santo Domingo with Rep Luján, visited the Mescalero Apache Tribe with members of the NM Public Regulation Commission, and met with the leadership of the To’Hajiilee Navajo Chapter.