Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared with her colleagues a proposal to begin a rulemaking to implement the FCC’s expanded authority over rates charged for incarcerated people’s audio and video communications services. The recently adopted Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022 directs the FCC to adopt just and reasonable rates no later than 24 months after enactment. The proposal includes a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order that, if adopted by a vote at the March 2023 Open Meeting, would begin the process of implementing the law. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking circulated, if adopted, would invite comment on how the Commission should interpret and implement the Martha Wright-Reed Act, including seeking comment on: 

• The expansion of the FCC’s authority over incarcerated people’s communications services to include advanced communications services (including audio and video services) and intrastate services;
• The meaning of “just and reasonable” in the context of the Martha Wright-Reed Act’s other provisions;
• The appropriate rate-making approach given the Commission’s authority to compute just and reasonable rates;
• The safety and security costs necessary for incarcerated people’s communications services; and
• The FCC’s ability to ensure that incarcerated people’s communications services are accessible to and usable by people with communication disabilities.

Ookla has data from Q3 and Q4 2022 for SpaceX’s Starlink and Sky Logic in Europe and Oceania, as well as new Starlink markets Ookla hadn't yet featured in its ongoing series on satellite internet. With the Federal Communication Commission greenlighting Amazon’s Project Kuiper and many other exciting satellite developments launching in 2023, all eyes will be on the sky in 2023 as new orbital connectivity options become available for consumers. Several developments from the analysis include:

• Starlink is mostly speeding up again from Q3 to Q4 2022, but is still slower than a year ago: Q4 2022 data shows many countries are experiencing a modest rise in median download speeds when compared to Q3 2022. 
• Starlink in Denmark and Switzerland had the fastest satellite internet in Europe during Q4 2022: Speedtest Intelligence reveals there was no fastest satellite provider in Europe during Q4 2022, though Starlink in Denmark (147.52 Mbps) and Switzerland (136.03 Mbps) led the pack for fastest median download speed. In all, Starlink download speeds were faster than 100 Mbps in 10 out of 15 European countries during Q4 2022 — a rise from just 5 out 15 in Q3 2022. 
• Starlink in New Zealand was the fastest satellite provider in Oceania:  During Q4 2022, Starlink in New Zealand had the fastest median download speed among satellite providers in Oceania at 124.72 Mbps, followed by Starlink in Australia (106.43 Mbps), and Starlink in Tonga (35.15 Mbps). However, New Zealand fixed broadband outperformed Starlink, while Starlink in Australia outperformed fixed broadband providers. In Tonga, speeds were too close to call. 
• New Q4 2022 Starlink countries show very promising results: Speedtest Intelligence shows the six new countries where we found new Starlink data are off to a roaring start in Q4 2022, which include Bulgaria, Finland, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, and Malta.

The Supreme Court heard arguments over whether internet platforms may be sued for aiding and abetting international terrorism by failing to remove videos supporting the Islamic State. The case, which concerns a federal law allowing suits for “knowingly providing substantial assistance” to terrorists, was linked to one argued that considered the separate question of whether platforms are immune from lawsuits under a 1996 law that shields them from liability for what their users post. As a practical matter, the court’s ruling in Twitter v. Taamneh, No. 21-1496, could effectively resolve both cases and allow the justices to duck difficult questions about the scope of the 1996 law, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The argument was technical. The justices teased apart elements of the law before them, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, parsing its provisions and posing hypothetical questions about what sort of conduct it covered. Chief Justice John Roberts said that “the discussion this morning has really taken on a very academic tone.” The case concerned Nawras Alassaf, who was killed in a terrorist attack at a nightclub in Istanbul in 2017 for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility. His family sued Twitter and other tech companies, saying they had allowed ISIS to use their platforms to recruit and train terrorists.