Upcoming event
Despite years of effort and billions of dollars, many parts of rural America remain stubbornly unconnected to robust broadband networks, because unlike dense urban and suburban markets, widely dispersed populations in rural areas simply cannot be served profitably with conventional technologies. Thankfully, broadband likely will be included in a legislative package that aims to significantly upgrade America’s infrastructure.
Autocrats around the world are manipulating access to the internet as a means of state control, especially in the face of protests and dissent. From Myanmar to Venezuela to Iran, we’ve seen a rise in blackouts cutting off critical channels of communication, an increasingly dangerous prospect in the middle of a pandemic. This public program will feature experts in human rights, technology, and cyber access to understand the implications of blocking freedom of information, and what can be done about it.
Speakers
The advent of 5G has prompted a shift in mobile network architecture towards a disaggregated approach that uses open and interoperable interfaces in the radio access network (RAN).
Open RAN allows networks to be deployed with a more modular design without being dependent on a single vendor. It can also lower barriers to entry for new innovators and create economic opportunities while increasing innovation and promoting competition and diversity in the wireless supply chain.
A European court's July ruling against the Privacy Shield framework, which allowed U.S. firms to transfer Europeans' personal information stateside, created confusion around transatlantic data flows that are key to the digital economy.
Witnesses
- Ashley Baker
Director Of Public Policy
The Committee for Justice
Washington, D.C.
- George Slover
Senior Policy Counsel
Consumers Union
Washington, D.C.
- Barry Lynn
Executive Director
Open Markets Institute
Washington, D.C.
- Jan Rybnichek
Counsel
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Washington, D.C.
- Nancy Rose
Charles P. Kindleberger Professor Of Applied Economics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Underscored by the pandemic, lack of broadband access is a significant contributor to systemic inequality. In a remote-everything world, broadband is critical to ensuring that all Americans can telework, participate in remote learning, benefit from telehealth, and much more. The digital divide has been closing in recent years, but digital inequality remains due to lack of broadband infrastructure where geographic barriers have made build-out uneconomical, as well as the issue of broadband affordability, which is a problem that’s three times larger than broadband availability.
Net neutrality. Closing the digital divide. The future of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Whether the protections provided to social media platform by Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act will be transformed. These and a host of other communications policy issues await the FCC under President Biden. Policy changes could have profound impact on businesses of all shapes and sizes and all parts of the country.
The Federal Communications Commission rolled out details of the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which provides discounts of up to $50 a month for broadband services, or $75 a month for those on tribal lands. How does the $3.2 billion federal initiative work? How will it help those at risk of digital disconnection? In this special breaking Broadband Breakfast Live Online, panelists will explore the program and how it will make a difference.
Panelists:
The Lifeline program's monthly webinar to hear updates about the program and an overview of the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD). During the webinar, you can ask questions and participate in a collaborative dialogue with USAC and stakeholders throughout the industry.