In exchange for obtaining a valuable license to operate a broadcast station using the public airwaves, each radio and television licensee is required by law to operate its station in the “public interest, convenience and necessity.” This means that it must air programming that is responsive to the needs and problems of its local community of license. In addition, how other media facilitate community discussions.
Localism
The Emergency Broadband Benefit cannot be overlooked
Baltimore City has a digital divide. COVID didn’t create this; rather, our digital divide is an outgrowth of pre-existing disparities, exacerbated by a global pandemic. The result is that Black and Latinx communities in our city are disproportionately harmed by both the COVID-19 virus and the economic recession.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s Leadership Could Shape Broadband Access for Decades to Come
In February 2021, Next Century Cities collected feedback from local officials on ways to improve broadband over the next four years. This letter includes several of their submissions. Their words echo sentiments of local leaders nationwide, calling for higher broadband Internet speeds, lower prices, and improved service quality. The Biden-Harris Administration’s leadership would not only have an immediate impact on their communities and others but would pave the way for inclusive and equitable broadband policies for years to come.
A Bill to Expand Internet Access and Protect Local Communities’ Broadband Networks
Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Jared Golden (D-ME) and Sen Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Community Broadband Act (H.R.
How Local Leaders Are Expanding Broadband Access
An interview with Francella Ochillo, executive director of Next Century Cities. Although discussion about broadband deployment has long focused on federal efforts, local governments and communities have been working to close the digital divide. The pandemic has exposed the many reasons why we simply can’t wait to achieve widespread broadband access and why local leaders are so important to helping us get there.
Justices May Usher In the Modern Broadcast Age—Two Decades Late
Two judges on the Third US Circuit Court of Appeals have spent the past 17 years blocking a congressionally mandated modernization of antiquated broadcast-television regulations. The Supreme Court will hear an appeal on Jan 19, FCC v.
2021 Policy Priorities
Next Century Cities is focused on improving broadband access and increasing adoption while advocating for a robust, competitive broadband marketplace. The high-level priorities below provide examples of NCC’s work at various levels of government. Each is aimed at providing access to high-speed, affordable, and reliable internet connections to every resident in every community.
FCC Denies Permanent Waiver for WWOR/New York Post Combination, Instead Grants Temporary Waiver
The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau denied a permanent waiver request of the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership rule sought by Fox Corp regarding the continued common ownership of WWOR-TV, Secaucus, New Jersey, and the New York Post. Instead, the Bureau granted a temporary waiver to preserve the status quo while the fate of the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership rule is resolved. Absent a waiver, the current rule prohibits common ownership of a daily newspaper and a broadcast station serving the same geographic market, in this case, New York (NY).
Outstanding Issues at the FCC
As the tenure of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and his deregulatory Republican majority winds down, DC policy watchers are looking for action on some big issues yet to be resolved one way or the other.
Broadcast Deregulation Foes File Supreme Court Brief
In advance of the Supreme Court's Jan.
Mediacom files lawsuit against city of West Des Moines over Google Fiber build
MCC Iowa, which is a subsidiary of Mediacom Communications, has filed a lawsuit against the City of West Des Moines and its city council. MCC's petition of declaratory judgment alleges the West Des Moines City Council improperly used taxpayer-based financing bonds that were intended for urban blight and poverty projects to build a $50 million city-wide conduit network for exclusive use by Google Fiber. Filed in Iowa District Court for Polk County, the petition outlined seven specific violations of the law and requested that West Des Moines suspend activities related to the conduit network.