Report on past event

Based on what we’ve learned, we’ve formulated three basic broadband principles for community anchor institution policy.

The Federal Trade Commission’s $5 billion settlement with Facebook over the company’s deceptive privacy practices made a big splash, raising questions about the role the FTC should play in enforcing US privacy laws. While some observers criticized the FTC for not going far enough, others felt the record fine demonstrated the FTC’s willingness to set new precedents for punitive actions—and its unique ability to serve as the cop on the beat. But that isn’t the end of the conversation.

Three media justice advocates stressed the importance of retelling stories—and telling them accurately—at the 37^th Annual Everett C. Parker Ethics in Telecommunications Lecture and Awards Breakfast today in Washington, DC, sponsored by the United Church of Christ’s media justice ministry, the Office of Communication, Inc. Three media justice advocates stressed the importance of retelling stories—and telling them accurately—at the 37^th Annual Everett C.

The top Democratic presidential candidates wrangled over their differing views on how to take on the unprecedented power of Big Tech, marking the first time the contenders have been asked to discuss the issue on the debate stage. Most of the candidates drew a contrast between their own views and those of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has called for breaking up top tech companies including Facebook, Google and Amazon. While other candidates agreed the government should take on Big Tech, they said they don't believe "breaking up" the companies will properly address issues including data p

Only four states meet or exceed the federal minimum of 25 megabytes per second (Mbps) for broadband connectivity — and Pennsylvania isn't one of them. Sascha Meinrath, telecommunications chair at Penn State University, unveiled the results of a 2018 study analyzing over 250 million speed tests from across the U.S during a Pennsylvania state Senate Communications and Technology Committee public hearing. Effectively, more than half of Pennsylvanians do not have access to the minimum broadband connection. While the state Senate Committee hearing addressed concerns over un- and underserved comm

The essential point at the Nevada Broadband Workshop in Reno was this: Communities that want broadband should produce a plan that’s as comprehensive as possible. Hosted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) BroadbandUSA program, the workshop guided attendees through various aspects of broadband planning for smaller communities. Even if the cost for a project seems exorbitant, a plan can still be made.

The Charles Benton Early Career Scholar Committee has awarded Burcu Baykurt the 2019 TPRC Charles Benton Early Career Scholar Award Winner and Jacob Manlove the runner up. Burcu Baykurt wrote (Dis)connecting the Digital City which examines how the connectivity infrastructures of the digital city are laid over uneven terrains and the ways residents react to those changes. Assessing the Need for a Measure of Broadband Adoption Inequality, written by Jacob Manlove, proposes the use of the absolute value index which distinguishes between no mobile use, mobile only, fixed only,

Senior Program Manager Cat Blake presented on Fiber and the Future of Mountain Communities, an informational panel hosted by the town of Breckenridge (CO). Panelists discussed the importance of investing in broadband infrastructure and the future of connectivity in the region. The discussion began with a question on the value of internet access in a community like Breckenridge, with panelists noting potential job growth and new educational resources.

The Senate Antitrust Subcommittee pressed top antitrust regulators to aggressively investigate the power of the country’s biggest tech companies, with some lawmakers questioning whether the officials had the will or resources to take on Silicon Valley’s richest businesses. The lawmakers pushed for assurances that the agencies would provide vigorous oversight of the companies. But the regulators — Joe Simons, the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, and Makan Delrahim, the top antitrust official at the Justice Department — offered few details about their inquiries into the industry.

What if you held a Congressional hearing and consensus broke out? As strange as that proposition may appear to be in Washington these days, there does seem to be general consensus that the Federal Communications Commission isn't doing a good enough job collecting data on where broadband internet access service is available -- and where it ain't.