Policymakers

Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel  announced the establishment of a Task Force dedicated to implementing long-overdue improvements to the agency’s broadband data and mapping tools. The Acting Chairwoman also named Jean Kiddoo as Chair of the new Broadband Data Task Force and announced other senior staff. The announcement was accompanied by a staff update on the agency’s current broadband data collection efforts. The Broadband Data Task Force will also feature Chelsea Fallon as Senior Implementation Officer and C. Sean Spivey as Senior Counsel. Ms.

President Joe Biden is under pressure from advocacy groups to name a permanent Federal Communications Commission chairman and a third commissioner who will give that chair the Democratic majority needed to do big things. The FCC is currently locked in a 2-2 political tie. Past chairs have pointed out that the vast majority of the agency’s decisions are unanimous, but that doesn't change the fact that many of the highest-profile rulings are not.

Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the appointment of Paloma Perez to serve as FCC press secretary. Perez joins the FCC’s Office of Media Relations after having served as communications director for then-Rep Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM). In addition to her tenure in Rep Torres Small’s office, Perez also served as deputy communications director and legislative aide to Rep Marc Veasey of (D-TX). She also worked at public relations firms Burness and Kivvit.

Early-career opportunities offer people a pathway to build careers in technology policy. Public Knowledge conducted research into the challenges tech policy organizations face in reaching people of color interested in the field. The research explores racial and ethnic diversity in early-career roles in technology policy, offers ideas for increasing diversity in such roles, and outlines the impacts of technology policy on people of color. A survey of technology policy organizations and found that:

One of the oldest standing legislative committees in the U.S. Senate, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has jurisdiction over communications, interstate commerce, science, and technology policy. In the 117th Congress, broadband access will likely remain a priority. With the results of the 2020 elections, the Commerce Committee is experiencing a change in leadership. On February 3, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said leaders of both parties had finalized the organizing resolution for the new Democratic-controlled Senate.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) officially became the first woman to chair the Senate Commerce Committee, and she pledged to use the gavel to work on improving diversity in STEM fields. "To my fellow colleagues, all of you but particularly the women, I hope that we can do a better job on strategies to help women in the workforce, particularly in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math," she said.

February 12 is the last day for you to nominate digital equity leaders for the Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion awards! 

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Executive Director Adrianne B. Furniss named Simmons University Associate Professor Colin Rhinesmith as the new Benton Senior Faculty Research Fellow. Rhinesmith (pronouns: he/him) is the Director of the Community Informatics Lab in the Simmons School of Library and Information Science (iSchool). He is also the Editor-In-Chief of The Journal of Community Informatics.

A key goal for President Joe Biden is to expand broadband access to everyone in America. Since at least November, he's been laying the groundwork with Congressional Democrats to increase federal broadband spending to improve both access and affordability so people stay online during the pandemic in the short term — and to help rebuild the nation's economy going forward. Key panels in each chamber of Congress will likely play an important role in shaping any legislative efforts.

The Senate Commerce Committee approved the presidential nomination of Gina Raimondo, Governor of Rhode Island, to be Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce. The vote was 21-3. Gove Raimondo has said she will work with Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration to stand up an Office of Connectivity and Growth “to amplify the work of NTIA’s BroadbandUSA” activities. And not only is she a no on nationalizing 5G but she is “unaware of any present intention” to build such a government network.