What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
Broadband-powered technology plays a critical role in spurring the competitiveness Minnesota’s Ag sector and Ag-dependent communities. Learn about how broadband and Ag-technology will affect the future of Minnesota’s agricultural sector, and what our farmers and farming communities are doing to take advantage of these opportunities.
Agenda
8:00 am Registration and Refreshments
9:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks
9:30 Keynote Presentation - Thom Petersen, MN Commissioner of Agriculture
The FCC will hold a workshop Aug. 20-21, 2019 to help Tribal Nations identify and evaluate opportunities to develop more robust broadband, telecommunications, and broadcast infrastructure and services in their communities. It will also provide information about the FCC and how it conducts its communications regulatory responsibilities, and to encourage Tribal participation in the regulatory process.
A combined meeting of the FirstNet Authority Board and the Finance Committee
The FirstNet Authority will post a detailed agenda for the combined meeting of the FirstNet Authority Board and Finance Committee on its website, http:// www.firstnet.gov, prior to the meetings.
Senators Briefed on DOJ Antitrust Probe
Justice Department Antitrust Division Chief Makan Delrahim has briefed Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on his unit’s newly launched investigation into the tech sector. Sen Klobuchar, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee's Antitrust Subcommittee, said, “My hope is that they’re very serious about this investigation.” And Sen.
Groups Seek Probe of Senate Task Force Meetings
Groups are calling on the Senate Rules Committee to launch an investigation into whether a closed-door meeting of the Senate Judiciary tech task force violated the chamber’s procedures for public notice. The working group, led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), met in the Judiciary hearing room for an off-the-record session with privacy officers from Snap, Match, Salesforce, and Mozilla.
What Dish swooping in to save T-Mobile-Sprint means for you
The fate of T-Mobile and Sprint's $26.5 billion merger may hinge on whether a federal judge sees satellite TV provider Dish Network as a viable fourth competitor in the US wireless market. But there isn't an easy answer -- especially when you balance its history of ignoring its obligations to build a wireless network with its newfound ambitions sparked by the mobile megamerger. Dish has been a major player in several past wireless auctions. And for years, the company sat on its assets without any plans for deployment.
The stubborn, misguided myth that Internet platforms must be ‘neutral’
Lately, politicians and news sources have been repeating a persistent myth about, of all things, technology law. The myth concerns a provision of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, generally known as Section 230 or CDA 230. CDA 230 isn’t about neutrality. In fact, it explicitly encourages platforms to moderate and remove “offensive” user content. That leaves platform operators and users free to choose between the free-for-all on sites like 8chan and the tamer fare on sites like Pinterest.
A TV Maverick Is Going All-In on a New Wireless Bet
Charlie Ergen has long tried to muscle his way into the US wireless business. When his rivals had no other choice, the billionaire behind Dish Network finally got his way. John Legere, the chief executive of T-Mobile US, called Ergen in late May after it became clear T-Mobile’s proposed takeover of Sprint was in trouble. Ergen had been the most outspoken corporate critic of the proposed $26 billion deal—a merger that would leave the US with three giant cellular companies.
President Trump Says US to Take Action Against France for Tax on American Tech Companies
President Donald Trump promised to take “substantial reciprocal action” against France after the nation’s President Emmanuel Macron signed into law a tax on American tech giants. “France just put a digital tax on our great American technology companies,” President Trump said on Twitter. “If anybody taxes them, it should be their home Country, the USA. We will announce a substantial reciprocal action on Macron’s foolishness shortly. I’ve always said American wine is better than French wine!”
States talk tech antitrust concerns with Attorney General Barr
A group of state attorneys general met with US Attorney General William Barr to discuss antitrust concerns related to major tech companies, as the Justice Department launches a review of whether online platforms are reducing competition. New York, Texas, Arizona, and Louisiana, sent representatives to the Justice Department for the meeting with senior officials.