Press Release

In an effort to provide a much-needed forum for Members of Congress and staff to learn about Wi-Fi-related issues affecting their constituents, Reps Jerry McNerney (D-CA) and Bob Latta (R-OH) announced the launch of the bipartisan Congressional Wi-Fi Caucus to open a dialogue about appropriate policy solutions that can address today’s pressing concerns. Wi-Fi is the primary technology for internet access, delivering more than half of all internet traffic and over sixty percent of mobile network traffic offload.

The Federal Trade Commission announced the agenda for its Hearings initiative with three full-day sessions, co-sponsored with the Global Antitrust Institute and held at the Antonin Scalia Law School of George Mason University in Arlington (VA) on Oct 15-17, 2018. The three-day event will examine the potential for collusive, exclusionary, and predatory conduct in multi-sided, technology-based platform industries.

I had the opportunity to attend the White House 5G Summit. The event was focused on discussing issues such as 5G deployment, spectrum and standards that will enable the US to win the race on 5G.

I write on behalf of the American Cable Association (ACA) regarding your upcoming hearing on antitrust enforcement. [W]e believe we can provide a unique perspective on two sets of issues facing antitrust enforcement:

The Federal Communications Commission will consider an item at its next Open Meeting to revise its existing rules governing the Citizens Band Radio Services (CBRS), which will utilize spectrum between 3.55 to 3.70 GHz. In doing so, the focus will be on correcting policy mistakes made pertaining to the Priority Access Licenses (PALs) back when rules were adopted in April 2015 and May 2016.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the October Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Oct 23, 2018:

Cox Communications announced the overwhelmingly positive results of a survey of Connect2Compete program participants, a program designed for low-income families in need of internet access at home. The vast majority of parents agree low-cost internet service at home gives children a leg up for high school graduation (91 percent) and helps students get higher grades (89 percent).

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) and the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that Edward Parkinson will serve as Acting Chief Executive Officer, following the recent resignation of Mike Poth, who had served as CEO since 2015. Parkinson joined the FirstNet Authority in 2013, after working on the House Homeland Security Committee for then-Chairman Peter T. King (R-NY). During his time with the committee, he drafted the initial bill that began the effort to create FirstNet.

Gov Jerry Brown (D-CA) signed a network neutrality bill into law.  A hefty thank you to the Golden State for your effort to get right what the Federal Communications Commission got wrong when it wiped out our open internet protections late in 2017. The FCC's misguided decision to roll back net neutrality gave broadband providers the green light to block websites, throttle services, and censor online content. That’s why the CA law is a welcome development—it’s good for consumers, good for businesses, and good for anyone who connects and creates online.

While not surprising, California’s net neutrality effort reaffirms its leaders’ total lack of understanding of how technology or our economy actually works, particularly its ban on paid prioritization. If allowed to stand, the law would be incredibly detrimental to American consumers and the continued growth of the Internet.