Press Release

August 30th could very well mark the official beginning of the end for the Open Internet. With the closing of the public comment period for the Federal Communications Commission’s proceeding to repeal the 2015 Net Neutrality rules, the record is now full of tens of millions of comments, many of them demonstrably fake. Incredibly, it doesn’t even matter if the facts are real or alternative because FCC Chairman Ajit Pai intends to ignore them all so that he can eliminate the rules and protections for Internet users and innovators as quickly as possible – which also explains why he refuses to make public information that is critical to his FCC’s decision making.

It’s no secret that American consumers regardless of party affiliation overwhelmingly support basic rules that protect them and the Open Internet they increasingly depend upon. They expect and deserve the freedom to choose what they see, buy, hear and share. They made that abundantly clear earlier this year when Congress rushed to repeal another set of Internet consumer protections, the broadband privacy rules, and they will do so again. If Chairman Pai intends to pursue that same rash, anti-consumer agenda and expects a different result, he is fooling himself.

The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit remanded the SNR Wireless v. Federal Communications Commission case to the FCC. Senior Vice President at Public Knowledge Harold Feld said, “We’re extremely pleased that the D.C. Circuit agreed with our analysis that although the FCC had the authority to deny the small business credit, the agency should have given DISH Network, SNR Wireless and Northstar a chance to remedy the problem. As we noted in our amicus brief, the small business credit put licenses in the hands of new competitors and constituted the single largest win of FCC licenses by minority-owned businesses like SNR Wireless and Northstar."

[Commentary] Giant Internet service providers and their armies of policy allies often try to frame the effort [to dismantle network neutrality] as a noble quest for deregulation, often insisting they're somehow "restoring internet freedom" in a bare-knuckled attempt to pander to partisan constituents. But by any sane measure the Federal Communications Commission's quest is little more than a massive gift to despised duopolies like Comcast -- at what might be the worst possible time for a severely dysfunctional industry. But there are signs that even many traditional big ISP allies think Ajit Pai's plan is absurdly extreme.

Telecom isn't a normal industry; it suffers from regulatory capture on both the state and federal level, which acts to prop up noncompetitive duopoly fiefdoms nationwide. Removing oversight of this sector without fixing any of the underlying corruption and dysfunction doesn't magically forge Utopia; it simply makes companies like Comcast less accountable than ever. And again, with broadband competition diminishing as many telcos refuse to upgrade their networks, that's a recipe for disaster.

To date, the storm has most severely impacted communications networks near where Harvey made landfall. In Aransas, Calhoun, and Refugio Counties, for instance, most wireless cell sites are currently out of operation. We are also keeping close tabs on the effect that widespread flooding could have on communications networks in Harris County and surrounding areas in the hours and days to come.

Today [Aug 28], I have talked with Federal Communications Commission public safety and enforcement staff, including field agents who have been traveling throughout the storm zone, to thank them for their efforts. I am also speaking with representatives from network operators in the affected areas to get first-hand assessments of the situation and make clear that the FCC stands ready to help however we can. The worst of tragedies brings out the best in people. In Harvey’s wake, first responders and everyday citizens have heroically stepped up to the plate to help their fellow Americans. Broadcasters and other news outlets have also played a critical role in conveying emergency information, and in some cases, even coordinating live, on-air rescues. Everyone who is pitching in deserves our gratitude and support. We’re all in this together.

So how, exactly, do we define “public interest technology”? Depending on context and conversation, the phrase can refer to a field, a profession, a methodology, a solution, or an aspiration. In turn, each of those has its own definition. Public interest technology, the field, is a space funders and foundations want to bring into being, but one still in the process of making itself. In its final definition and at its heart, public interest technology is an aspiration. It’s the hope that one day, the norm, not the exception, will be 21st-century technology and tools integrated horizontally, vertically, and daily into solving 21st-century problems faced by the public. It’s the move toward measurable, sustainable, long-lasting impact and equal access to modern solutions to improve modern daily life. It’s a small phrase for big dreams.

[Commentary] The "era of objectivity", grounded in the once-sacred ideal of Journalistic Objectivity, may be over. But before we decry the end of an era, we should actually celebrate this moment—and the accompanying crucible of the industry’s restructuring—as an opportunity for democracy. Journalism, and those who love it, can now turn the page to a new ideal: legitimacy.

If you remove the self-delusion of Objectivity, you still have a legitimate product, appealing to a discernible audience. Anything from a blog to an international news network has to earn its legitimacy by practice, not through inheritance or the money to buy a local TV station. Legitimacy is an ideal separate from the simple crucible of market demand. Market success won’t be a shield to help carry you through unpopular reporting, or even a mistake, but legitimacy will. Legitimacy also fosters credibility, considered the coin of the realm by journalists. While credibility can be episodic (a single report of something previously unknown) or personal (a doctor reporting on medical news; a well-connected political reporter), legitimacy is more institutional and also typically assigned to the management or ownership of a news organization.

[Commentary] In early April, the US Digital Service and 18F launched login.gov, a single sign-on solution for government websites that will enable citizens to access public services across agencies with the same username and password. Login.gov is currently in action at the US Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where Tom Mills is driving transformation of CBP customer experiences. Right now, it’s being used for the CBP Jobs App, which allows candidates to see the status of their progress as they’re moving through the recruitment and hiring pipeline. Logging into this system was previously so cumbersome that some candidates dropped out. We designed login.gov to transform the way people interact with the federal government online, and plan to roll it out gradually in 2017.
[Joel Minton, a member of the US Digital Service, is working with GSA’s Technology Transformation Service as the director of login.gov. Tom Mills is the Chief Technology Architect at US Customs and Border Protection.]

As the eye of Hurricane Harvey bears down on the Texas coastline, the Federal Communications Commission is taking action to protect the American public and our nation’s communications networks. We are working in close coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and state and local partners to prepare for the impacts of the storm. We have activated our Disaster Information Reporting System, deployed personnel to Texas, and provided emergency response officials and licensees with emergency contact information. These actions will enable us to monitor the extent of communications outages and, working with industry and government partners, support restoration efforts. And, as always, the FCC’s Operations Center will be open on a 24/7 basis. Our thoughts and prayers are with those on the Gulf Coast, and we urge residents of the affected areas to take shelter and other necessary precautions.

During my confirmation hearing last month, I spoke about the important role that tech and telecom policies can play in creating jobs, spurring investment, and growing the economy for the benefit of all Americans. It is one of the reasons that I am focused on policies that will promote broadband deployment. Whether it is the workers that manufacture and deploy broadband infrastructure, the app economy that runs over high-speed networks, or the businesses that use these connections to reach customers around the world, I testified about the ability of broadband to harness the talents of all Americans, to create good-paying jobs, and to help drive our nation’s economic growth.

[Commentary] Yes, mistrust of the media was growing even before President Donald Trump emerged on the political scene. But this much is unmistakable: The president is significantly adding to what is, without question, the worst anti-press atmosphere I’ve seen in 25 years in journalism, and real, chilling consequences have surfaced, not just in the United States, but around the world.

What seemed to particularly sting on Aug 23 was the way that Trump had impugned journalists’ patriotism. “Claim bias. Fine. Claim elitism. Fine,” Jim VandeHei, chief executive of Axios, wrote on Twitter. “But to say reporters erase America’s heritage, don’t love America, turn off cameras to hide truth, are to blame for racial tension, is just plain wrong.” Anyone with a passing interest in history knows that the founders viewed an independent press as essential to democracy. Talk about heritage.