Open government
House Passes IDEA Act, a Bill to Improve Government’s Digital Services
The House passed by bipartisan voice vote the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, or 21st Century IDEA, which would require agencies to improve online customer experience by making new websites more user-friendly. The bill ultimately aims to make citizens less reliant on paper processes when interacting with federal agencies. The bill would set minimum accessibility, searchability and security standards for all new government websites, and require agencies to adopt web analytics tools to constantly improve sites’ functionality.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/ivanka.jpg?itok=5VxF9L-V)
Ivanka Trump used a personal email account to send hundreds of emails about government business
In 2017, Ivanka Trump sent hundreds of emails to White House aides, Cabinet officials and her assistants using a personal account, many of them in violation of federal records rules. White House ethics officials learned of Trump’s repeated use of personal email when reviewing emails gathered by five Cabinet agencies to respond to a public records lawsuit.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/denise_DSC8632_0.jpg?itok=YAkg8Amo)
Inclusion and Civic Engagement in Public Technology Building and Planning
Whether they are Wi-Fi kiosks, urban sensors, fiber networks, or built-from-scratch “smart” neighborhoods, new urban technology deployments are under the microscope. Despite the potential of these projects to drive innovation and economic growth, they are often met with mixed reception and a myriad of justifiable questions. Take the Quayside project in Toronto led by Sidewalk Labs.
Judge: FCC can’t hide records that may explain net neutrality comment fraud
The Federal Communications Commission must stop withholding records that may shed light on fraudulent comments submitted in the FCC's network neutrality repeal proceeding, a US District Court judge ruled the week of Sept 10. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed in Sept 2017 by freelance journalist Jason Prechtel, who sued the FCC after it failed to provide documents in response to his Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) request.
The race to become "smart cities"
Cities are increasingly marketing themselves as "smart cities" — hyper-connected, sensor-equipped communities — in their latest economic development pitch to attract workers and businesses. Metropolitan areas across the country are trying to take advantage of new technologies to become more efficient and sustainable — two qualities that appeal to younger generations of workers, as well as the startups and big corporations who want to employ them.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/Ideas_Art_Curbs-Crawford.jpg?itok=0RrH1onl)
How Curbs Became the New Urban Battleground
It's common knowledge that city curbs are fiercely contested places, what with Ubers and Lyfts hovering inconveniently and blocking traffic; piles of shared bikes and scooters being dropped off and picked up; rapidly climbing numbers of deliveries being made by double-parked trucks; and buses and taxis pulling up—not to mention all the private-car parking going on. These daily dramas will only get more boisterous and difficult in the years to come, when fleets of city-licensed driverless cars join the fray.
Rep Pallone on FCC IG Report on Pai’s Ties to Sinclair
Chairman Pai’s relationship with Sinclair needed to be investigated in light of Sinclair’s ties to the President and the Chairman’s abysmal responses to Congressional Democrats’ numerous oversight letters. It should not take an IG investigation to get answers to basic questions regarding independence and integrity. The IG report provides the first detailed responses to Congress’ questions.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/fcc-seal_19.jpg?itok=Ws30_Iim)
Allegations of improprieties related to the Commission's review of the merger between Sinclair and Tribune
In response to requests from Congress made on November 13 and November 15. 20! 7, the Federal Communications Commission Oflice of Inspector General (OlG) conducted an investigation into whether FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Chairman Pai "has taken actions to improperly benefit Sinclair Broadcast Group and "is executing his leadership of the FCC free from influences that compromise his objectivity and impartiality," especially with regard to the proposed merger of Sinclair and Tribune Media."
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/paiajit_051718gn6_lead_0.jpg?itok=fZ9pQZmk)
Chairman Pai on Inspector General Report Concluding No Favoritism Toward Sinclair
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai issued the following statement regarding the Office of Inspector General’s independent report, which found no evidence or suggestion of impropriety, unscrupulous behavior, or favoritism towards Sinclair. Moreover, the Office of the Inspector General found no lack of impartiality related to the proposed Sinclair-Tribune Merger:
FCC Transparency Act Reintroduced
Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) has reintroduced the Federal Communications Commission Transparency Act (HR 6422), which would mandate that the FCC publish the drafts of items to be considered in a public meeting 21 days ahead of that vote.