What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
Republican Lawmakers Urge Democrats to Hold NTIA Oversight Hearing
House Energy and Commerce Republicans Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Bob Latta (R-OH) urged Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) to hold an oversight hearing to review ongoing activities and programs at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). "The NTIA has not appeared before the Energy and Commerce Committee since the 115th Congress," said the lawmakers' letter.
Scott D. Woods is the Director of the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives in NTIA’s Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth. He also serves as a principal liaison between the BroadbandUSA and OIGC program offices and key strategic partners and external stakeholder groups, including representatives from state and local governments, telecommunications companies, for-profit and non-profit corporations, and colleges/universities.
S. 2992, American Innovation and Choice Online Act (Sponsors: Sens Klobuchar, Grassley, Durbin, Graham, Blumenthal, Kennedy, Booker, Hirono, Hawley). The American Innovation and Choice Online Act would:
Calls for tech regulation — from lawmakers, regulators, small businesses, even consumers — have become deafening. It now seems almost certain that antitrust action, privacy laws and more will influence the industry in some form in a bid to undermine the most powerful companies in the world's most powerful industry.
But those companies want a hand in shaping what that regulation looks like. And while lawmakers argue about what policy should actually look like, tech companies are able to change their behaviors and business models to prepare for what's coming down the pike.
It’s Time to Call the Vote on Gigi Sohn for a Fully Functioning FCC
President Biden has renominated Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] to be a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). With Alan Davidson confirmed to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), it is critical that we have a fully functioning FCC to implement much of the work Congress has directed the two agencies to do.
Is your city struggling to get all residents online? Do you want to spend Coronavirus Relief Fund money on connectivity, or apply for federal grant support, but don’t know what would be the most effective way to start? The first step in promoting digital equity is gaining a thorough understanding of your community’s challenges, gaps, and assets through a needs assessment.
Policy experts as they breakdown the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act statute. What are the key elements of this law? What policy decisions are NTIA and the States left to make? What are the requirements of receiving these funds? We will dive into next steps and answer questions that you may have about this historic program.
The webinar panel will include:
Advocacy Groups Push for FTC and FCC Confirmations
Privacy advocacy groups Free Press Action and Fight for the Future are urging Senate Democrats to quickly confirm Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] to the Federal Communications Commission and Alvaro Bedoya to the Federal Trade Commission. President Joe Biden renominated both nominees on January 4 after the Senate failed to confirm them in December 2021. Both the FCC and the FTC currently have 2-2 partisan splits, making it difficult for their Democratic chairs to advance controversial items.
Net neutrality will make a comeback in 2022
A new chapter in the ongoing saga of net neutrality and who governs the internet will take shape over the next year thanks to another shift in power at the Federal Communications Commission. With new appointees from President Joe Biden firming up a Democratic majority at the agency, reinstating Obama-era net neutrality rules thrown out under the Trump administration will be a top priority for the FCC. In late 2021, Biden named Jessica Rosenworcel the permanent chair of the FCC.