Policymakers

Here are the names you'll hear a lot as Biden builds out his tech policy apparatus at the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission:

President Biden and Vice President Harris announced the appointments of additional policy staff who will serve with the White House COVID Response Team, Domestic Climate Policy Office, Domestic Policy Council, and National Economic Council. A couple of note:

Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr is in Mississippi for events focused on his 5G jobs initiative, which centers on standing up community college and trade school programs so that Americans earn the skills needed to land good-paying jobs in the tower and telecommunication industries. Those programs have already been launched in SC, SD, NC, and OK. His visits will also focus on telehealth, infrastructure builds, and enhanced use of technology in K-12 classrooms.

Gov. Gina Raimondo (D-RI) won Senate confirmation as the next US commerce secretary, a post that will thrust her into some of the most contentious economic and security questions confronting the Biden administration. The Senate easily approved her nomination by a vote of 84 to 15. She is expected to be sworn in on March 3. Gov. Raimondo, a former venture capitalist who was reelected to her second term as Rhode Island’s chief executive in 2018, will assume command of a federal agency with sweeping responsibilities and an increasingly important portfolio.

A Q&A with Bernadine Joselyn, director of public policy and engagement for the Blandin Foundation and member of the Minnesota Governor's Broadband Task Force. 

I am a Senior Broadband Program Specialist with the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) BroadbandUSA Program promoting the expansion of broadband access across America. In my role, I manage the BroadbandUSA Technical Assistance Program and serve as a principal liaison between BroadbandUSA and key strategic partners and external stakeholder groups.  This includes representatives from state and local governments, telecommunications companies, for-profit and non-profit corporations and colleges and universities.

Without the fear of Republican obstruction, tech and public interest advocates have begun pushing for President Joe Biden to act quickly to fill out the Federal Communications Commission. They say the president has come at a "critical opportunity" to pick a "bold" choice. President Biden can go one of two ways to fill out the FCC. He could elevate Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to become the permeant chair of the agency, or he could nominate someone who would come in with the expectation that they would become the chair.

Greg Walden, former Chairman of both the House Commerce Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, announced the creation of Alpine Advisors, a new policy and strategic advisory firm. Alpine Advisors is a partnership between Walden and the Alpine Group, a leading Washington government affairs firm. Walden will serve as Chairman of Alpine Advisors, which will service a wide range of clients, with a particular focus on the energy, technology, telecommunications and health care sectors. The Alpine Group is consistently ranked one of the top lobbying firms in Washington.

Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), senior member of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and Rep. Jackie Speier (CA-14), Co-Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, led a letter to White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain in support of Jessica Rosenworcel to be named the permanent Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission. The letter is signed by 33 Democratic women. Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel would be the first woman to permanently chair the FCC in its nearly 90-year history.

I believe that it is incredibly important to revisit the conversation we had in 2020 about the intersection of the digital divide and Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) – so that we can understand the work that has been done, what remains, and cross-collaborate on what we can all do to keep pushing forward, even in the face of headwinds. It is past time that we have an equitable and connected country, but where there are gaps, we’re going to be dependent on the folks listening in and participating here today to make investments in our HBCU students, bolster our anchor inst