Report on past event

Federal Communications Commission nominee Anna Gomez left little doubt that if confirmed, she would vote in favor of classifying broadband as a Title II telecommunications service—a move that would enable the agency to prohibit carriers from blocking or throttling web traffic. Gomez told lawmakers that internet access was too essential to remain unregulated. “Title II gives the strongest oversight to the FCC over the service,” she added. Broadband is currently considered a Title I information service—and is largely unregulated. Title II classification, by contrast, would allow the FCC to im

Anna Gomez, President Joe Biden's nominee for the open Democratic seat on the Federal Communications Commission, told the Senate Commerce Committee that she supports reclassifying internet access as a Title II telecommunications service. Since Gomez’s bureaucratic background left little room for Republicans to attack her in the same way as Gigi Sohn, she’s got a seemingly better chance of getting confirmed. Currently, the FCC classifies internet access as an information service under Title I of the Communications Act, and not subject to common-carrier/open access regulations.

The House Commerce Committee convened an oversight hearing focused on the Federal Communications Commission. “There’s a lot on the agenda today,” said Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) since the last time the FCC's commissioners testified before the committee. A chief issue was the FCC's authority to conduct spectrum license auctions. “The agency’s lapsed spectrum authority not only deprives the Commission of a core agency function, but it impacts a massive sector of our economy and jeopardizes our global wireless leadership,” said Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ).

The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) testified on the importance of satellite connectivity before the House Committee on Agriculture hearing titled “Closing the Digital Divide in Rural America.” SIA President Tom Stroup provided testimony on behalf of the Association. “Americans without high-speed internet access are slipping further behind as more and more aspects of American society are conducted online… and too many communities are on the wrong side of the divide,” said Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA).

WISPA’s President and CEO David Zumwalt commended the House Agriculture Committee and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for their work in closing the rural digital divide, and offered numerous suggestions on how the 2023 Farm Bill may more effectively narrow the broadband gap, in testimony today before the full Committee. WISPA represents the wireless internet service provider (WISP) industry.

Electric cooperatives need Congress to improve critical broadband programs to bring high-speed internet service to rural America, said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. More than 200 electric co-ops across the US are deploying broadband or developing plans to do so. Matheson asked the committee to make key improvements to broadband programs at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as it develops the Farm Bill:

Six representatives from the broadband and satellite industries testified at a House Agriculture Committee hearing on the digital divide, or the lack of some digital services in rural America. Committee Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA) asked the witnesses if the Department of Agriculture (USDA) was the right agency to handle the issue of rural broadband. “They know rural America. They prioritize issues that matter in rural America in their broadband funding in terms of rurality or low population density. That’s one of the criteria they look at.

Federal Communications Commissioner Nathan Simington told Congress that he and his fellow commissioners need to serve as a check on the power of the chair. According to testimony for the House Commerce Committee FCC oversight hearing, Commissioner Simington, a Republican, said that if the agency does not adopt rules allowing for full commission oversight of decisions made by staffers under authority delegated by the chair, Congress should step in to mandate it. “The FCC chair has broad discretion in delegating matters to career officials and political appointees, which restricts those matte

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel sent a clear signal to Congress she is not looking to apply multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) regulations to streaming video services, and that she does not think the regulator has the authority to expand into that area in any event. Rep.