Policymakers

As he campaigns in rural Texas, Beto O’Rourke is accusing Gov Greg Abbott (R-TX) of stifling efforts to improve broadband internet access there, even after Abbott prioritized the issue in the regular legislative session earlier in 2021.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel hereby appoints seven members to the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). The term for the representative for commercial mobile radio service providers will end on December 31, 2022. All other positions are for a three-year term beginning on January 1, 2022. Chairwoman Rosenworcel appoints the following individuals to the USAC Board of Directors:

House Republican Leaders sent a series of letters to federal agencies asking about steps they are taking to close the digital divide. The letters were sent by Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Oversight and Reform Republican Leader James Comer (R-KY), Appropriations Committee Republican Leader Kay Granger (R-TX), Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Agriculture Committee Republican Leader Glenn Thompson (R-PA).

So far the bulk of the anger towards Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo over her skepticism about EU tech regulations has come from civil society groups, but the business community is now mobilizing. A coalition of eight companies, including Yelp, Genius, Felt, Patreon, Beeper and REX, wrote that they support the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, the two EU rules Raimondo slammed during a recent US Chamber of Commerce event.

Net neutrality is making a comeback. President Biden, who was vice president under former President Barack Obama when the Federal Communications Commission voted in favor of net neutrality in 2015, has made clear that, if he gets his way, the Trump administration’s efforts to unwind the rules won’t stand. He has a fight ahead of him. Biden started by hiring Tim Wu, the person credited with popularizing the term net neutrality, to work on tech and competition at the National Economic Council.

In a letter to Democratic leadership, the watchdog group Revolving Door Project is demanding Rep Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) recuse herself from oversight over the Justice Department (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) because of her financial investments in large tech companies, as well as recent r

Lina Khan's first six months leading the Federal Trade Commission has shown she's either shaken up a sleepy bureaucracy or pushed long-standing norms too far, depending on who you ask. As President Biden's first year ends, many are watching Khan's FTC to see whether it really can fundamentally change how the US regulates big companies and how tech should treat consumers.

While the logjam of Biden administration nominees is slowly loosening, Democrats say that it’s not happening equitably. Progressive activists and party officials are accusing Republicans of disproportionately delaying women and nominees of color in their quest for confirmation to the executive branch. Jeff Hauser, the executive director of the Revolving Door Project, said, "There are some very slow nominations.

European Union justice chief Didier Reynders is making the rounds in Washington (DC), meeting with top Biden officials to discuss ways to improve consumer protections online. He’s sitting down with Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director (and recently departed FTC commissioner) Rohit Chopra and Consumer Product Safety Commission Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. Reynders wants to work with the US consumer protection agency leaders to better protect consumer finance and product safety online.

Gigi Sohn, President Biden's nominee for the Federal Communications Commission, told Sen.