Monday, April 6, 2020
Headlines Daily Digest
Today: Easing the Home Connectivity Crunch
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Networks Holding Up for First Responders
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As schools are mothballed, businesses close, colleges move wholly behind a computer screen and cocktail hours are increasingly held at a distance and on couches, the need for digital connectivity has seemingly never been greater. The coronavirus pandemic has upended societal norms, pushing countless workers, students and parents-turned-teachers online. The virus outbreak has put internet access at "the top of the list," said State Rep. Bill Taylor, "because broadband, having an internet connection, is now a critical need. I mean, this falls into the same category as having water, having electricity. And without this, you are literally in a desert of information." Taylor, a Republican, represents South Carolina House District 86, a largely rural region in Aiken County's northeast. It's not unusual, he said, for his constituents to leave home to make a call or get online. But what was once a nuisance or inconvenience is now a potential liability.
AT&T reports that FirstNet -- the high-speed, nationwide wireless broadband network it’s building for use by first responders -- is performing well. More than 1.2 million first responders and other emergency response workers have connectivity. Additionally, more than 11,000 public-safety agencies and organizations nationwide have subscribed to the network, which gives responders preemption across voice and data with multiple priority levels that they can apportion as needed, too. To ensure that things run smoothly, FirstNet liaisons are embedded at state and federal emergency operations centers. When connectivity needs a boost, FirstNet users have access to 76 deployable cell sites that the FirstNet Response Operations Group put in place. The team comprises former first responders who manage the program with the National Incident Management System and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Response Framework.
Executive Order on Establishing the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector
President Donald Trump established the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector, the primary objective of which shall be to assist the Federal Communications Commission in its public interest review of national security and law enforcement concerns that may be raised by foreign participation in the United States telecommunications services sector. The function of the Committee shall be: (i) to review applications and licenses for risks to national security and law enforcement interests posed by such applications or licenses; and (ii) to respond to any risks presented by applications or licenses by recommending to the FCC, as appropriate and consistent with the provisions of this order, that it dismiss an application, deny an application, condition the grant of an application upon compliance with mitigation measures, modify a license with a condition of compliance with mitigation measures, or revoke a license. The Committee is comprised of the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the head of any other executive department or agency, or any Assistant to the President, as the President determines appropriate. The new committee will be chaired by Attorney General William Barr and funded by the Department of Justice.
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org) and Robbie McBeath (rmcbeath AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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Kevin Taglang
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Benton Institute
for Broadband & Society
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