Press Release

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Doug Jones (D-AL) introduced the American Broadband Buildout Act of 2019 (ABBA), a bipartisan bill to ensure that rural Americans have access to broadband services at speeds they need to fully participate in the modern society and economy by directing the Federal Communications Commission to provide up to $5 billion in matching grants to help states improve broadband infrastructure. The American Broadband Buildout Act of 2019 would:

President Donald Trump appointed Chad Rupe as Administrator of the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service. Rupe has served as Acting Administrator for the Rural Utilities Service since April 30. Prior to stepping into that role, he served as USDA Rural Development State Director of Wyoming from 2017 to 2019. During his tenure there, Rupe was a leader for rural broadband, serving on the Rural Development State Directors Broadband Working Group and assisting state government with efforts to deploy broadband in rural WY. R

Sens Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to Facebook urging the company to institute policy changes in light of evidence that third party game developers manipulated children into spending their parents’ money. Previous reporting by the Center for Investigative Reporting demonstrated that Facebook personnel had direct knowledge that children were spending large sums of their parents’ money on in-app purchases without parental knowledge or permission. New evidence now reveals that Facebook has still not instituted key policy changes to address this issue.

Rep Doris Matsui (D-CA), vice chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, released the “WIN 5G Act”. This draft legislation proposes a consensus-based, compromise approach to rapidly and equitably reallocating spectrum between the frequencies of 3.7 GHz-4.2 GHz, commonly referred to as the “C-band”.

The House Small Business Committee's Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure held a hearing focused on improving broadband mapping in rural areas across the country. The hearing featured testimony from rural broadband carriers on the challenges that they face and ways broadband mapping can be improved going forward. 

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS), Committee, Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet Subcommittee Ranking Member Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Rep Doris Matsui (D-CA), and Rep Brett Guthrie (R-KY) introduced the “Supplementing the Pipeline for Efficient Control of The Resources for Users Making New Opportunities for Wireless (SPECTRUM NOW) Act”.

On May 13, Sens Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai with a straight-forward request: don't allow wireless companies to operate in a 24 GHz band until vital weather forecasting operations are protected. 

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and introduced a resolution on June 24, both concerning US development and deployment of 5G wireless technology. The senator’s letter to Sec Ross raises concerns that the Department of Commerce may be intentionally delaying progress in the race to 5G. 

Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and the head of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Makan Delrahim, urging close scrutiny of Sinclair Broadcast Group's recent acquisition of 21 Regional Sports Networks and Fox College Sports (RSNs) from the Walt Disney Company in a deal valued at $10.6 billion.

Next Century Cities has selected a new executive director: Francella Ochillo. Most recently the Vice President of Policy and General Counsel for the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Ochillo is a digital rights advocate who is committed to expanding access for underserved and unserved communities. She earned a BS in Marketing from Morgan State University and a JD from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois.