Federal Communications Commission

In prisons and jails across the country, a bulky tablet enclosed in a screwed-on plastic case has become the hottest new device. Featuring limited online access, the tablets allow incarcerated people to make calls, send messages and watch movies from their cells.

The process of creating effective, pro-consumer policies is often filled with opportunities, challenges, and ambiguity. The process has been no different for the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which allowed 23 million low-income households an opportunity to reliably connect to affordable high-speed internet.

Two very real Universal Service Fund (USF) problems need to be addressed: funding and spending. The way the program is funded is inefficient, unsustainable, and regressive. Regardless of the judicial outcome, the tax that the court declared unconstitutional is both inefficient, by taxing a small, price-sensitive, declining base, and regressive, with a higher proportional burden falling on those least able to afford it. The program spends too much money on the wrong things. The High Cost Fund in particular, which accounts for about half of total spending, is outdated and wasteful.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules to move forward with targeted investments in the deployment of advanced, 5G mobile wireless broadband services in rural communities.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules to enable initial drone operations in the 5 GHz spectrum band for wireless communications necessary to safely control the flights of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). The use of UAS in the United States is growing quickly: during this decade, UAS operations are expected to triple in terms of the number of devices and see the market expand into in the tens of billions of dollars.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne to strengthen information sharing and enforcement cooperation between the two regulators.

Rural areas, low-income communities and individuals, and racial and ethnic minorities still often have less access to quality, affordable broadband.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau seeks nominations for the following Board member positions on the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) listed below for a three-year term. In addition to the six positions that are expiring as a matter of course at the end of 2024, the FCC also seeks nominations for two additional vacancies resulting from a resignation and carryover vacancy of USAC Board members. All nominations must be filed with the Office of the Secretary by October 28, 2024.

Danielle Thumann has rejoined FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr' office as Legal Advisor. Thumann previously served in this role from March 2021 until July 2023. She rejoins the office following a year in the private sector where she led on state and local government relations matters for a nationwide telecommunications infrastructure provider.  Before her first stint with Commissioner Carr’s office in 2021, Thumann was an Associate Attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of Wilkinson Barker Knauer.

In issuing a temporary stay of the Federal Communications Commission 2024 Net Neutrality order, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has gone beyond recent teachings of the Supreme Court to erroneously block exercise of regulatory authority that Congress clearly intended the FCC to exercise. From the Federal Reserve Board to the Federal Trade Commission and beyond, expert agencies have been created as a means for Congress to ensure that durable legislative principles keep up with the times. The current Supreme Court seems not to share that view.