What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
A screening and discussion of the short documentary Do Not Pass Go (see trailer)
Do Not Pass Go follows filmmaker Cullen Hoback’s visit to Pinetops, North Carolina, to investigate the battle between municipal networks and private providers. This event will discuss the value of local internet solutions, existing legislative and regulatory barriers, and actions that local and federal government can take to support municipal broadband and internet access for all.
Next Step on Net Neutrality? Legislation
House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said this week's hearing on net neutrality won’t be the last — and a bill is forthcoming: “It’s going to be quickly followed after a couple hearings with legislation that would repeal the repeal, if you will, of net neutrality, bring back net neutrality,” Chairman Pallone pledged during a video update.
On February 1, 2019, the Federal Communications Commission went to court to attempt to defend its 2017 decision to gut the agency's net neutrality consumer protections and eliminate all FCC oversight of internet service providers (ISPs).
FCC struggles to convince judge that broadband isn’t “telecommunications”
Federal Communications Commission General Counsel Thomas Johnson faced a skeptical panel of judges of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit as he defended the agency's repeal of net neutrality rules and deregulation of the broadband industry.
Net neutrality court case preview: Did FCC mess up by redefining broadband?
Oral arguments in the case against Ajit Pai's net neutrality repeal are scheduled for Feb 1, and net neutrality advocates are confident that they will be victorious. Courts generally give deference to FCC classifications, so Pai's opponents will have the burden of proving that the FCC's reasoning wasn't legally sound. Net neutrality proponents spoke to reporters about the upcoming oral arguments in a press conference on Jan 30.
A hearing on the effects of the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality
Agenda
1. Budget Resolution for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
2. Subcommittee assignments for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
This hearing will focus on key steps to maintain U.S. global leadership in next-generation communications technology,spectrum needs to accelerate deployment, and new applications and services consumers can expect with 5G deployments. The hearing will also examine current efforts to modernize infrastructure siting policies and the security of 5G networks.
Witnesses
A talk with Susan Crawford on her new book, Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution and Why America Might Miss It. The book explores how fiber optic connections will enable virtual presence and dramatically change our daily lives and institutions, from agriculture to healthcare to education. Combining legal expertise with on-the-ground reporting, Crawford argues that the current providers of internet access in the U.S.
Net Neutrality Oral Argument Shaping up As Epic Battle
The Feb. 1 oral argument in the legal challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's Restoring Internet Freedom order (the case is Mozilla Corp. V. FCC) is going to be an epic event, at least in terms of the time allotted for both sides to make their cases. It is the only case slated for argument that day.