What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
Senate Commerce Committee to Markup Broadband Bills May 15
The Senate Commerce Committee will convene on May 15 to consider two broadband bills:
How much progress have major companies made in the past year in respecting users' freedom of expression and privacy? How can the RDR Index findings inform global regulatory debates about privacy, disinformation, and hate speech online? An overview of the 2019 RDR Index results will be followed by a discussion of what needs to be done to ensure that technology is designed and governed in a way that is compatible with democracy and human rights.
Speakers:
Tyra Mariani
President and Chief Operating Officer, New America
The hearing will include a series of roundtable discussions with State Attorneys General, or their senior staff, on important consumer protection and antitrust issues. Participants will discuss areas of commonality and divergence between state and federal enforcers. The consumer protection panels will address big data and privacy, platforms, challenges unique to state enforcers, and federal/state collaboration.
At this meeting, the Federal Communications Commission's Consumer Advisory Committee is expected to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the committee and its members, issues that the FCC wishes the committee to address, meeting schedules, and any other topics relevant to the CAC’s work.
The CAC may also receive briefings from FCC staff on issues of interest to consumers.
Sen Graham: Can't We All Get Along
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is hoping to get key committees on the same page when it comes to the tech industry and data privacy. He’s drafting a letter to leaders on Senate Banking and Senate Commerce committees to sort out jurisdictional questions related to the sector. “I’m going to have Sen. [Dianne] Feinstein and myself, we’re going to write a letter to the other committees of jurisdiction and see if we can come up with sort of a common approach to the issues,” he said. Sen Graham said the letter will likely be sent next week.
An Update on Broadband Bills in the 116th Congress
While some may be preoccupied with the Save the Internet Act (the net neutrality legislation), it’s not the only broadband bill in town. Here are a few more broadband-related bills to keep an eye on. The ACCESS BROADBAND Act. The Digital Equity Act of 2019. The Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act. The Internet Exchange (IX) Act. The RURAL Act
A workshop for Tribal governments, Tribal employees, and Tribal members. This event is designed to provide information that will help Tribal Nations identify and evaluate opportunities to develop more robust broadband, telecommunications, and broadcast infrastructure and services in Tribal communities. It is also designed to provide information about the FCC and how it conducts its regulatory responsibilities, and to encourage Tribal participation in the regulatory process.
State and local governments are developing new policies that provide access to rights-of-way and leverage assets in order to incentivize broadband deployment. While it is in the public’s interest to speed up access to broadband, it is a balancing act. Policymakers need to consider cost, aesthetics, digital equity, and environmental mandates. Join BroadbandUSA and learn how local, state, and federal leaders are creating broadband access all.
Speakers:
A hearing on oversight of the Federal Communications Commission with all five commissioners