Upcoming event
As millions of homebound professionals, students, and more have become completely dependent on digital technologies to continue their lives and work, digital equity has never been more pressing. 141 million people in the US, nearly 43% of the population, don’t have home internet access at the FCC’s 25 Mbps down, 3 Mbps up broadband definition. While bridging the ‘digital divide’ is now imperative for remote work, education, and telehealth, the recent COVID-19 stimulus act did not address the need for internet access, raising the stakes for future relief bills.
Technology policy experts with inside experience at Facebook, the Department of Justice, the Council of Economic Advisors, MIT and the Federal Trade Commission will analyze the costs and benefits of congressional efforts to require data portability and interoperability from the big tech platforms.
Gideon Lichfield, editor in chief of MIT Technology Review, will discuss the future of our connected world with Vint Cerf, one of the people known as a "father of the internet."
Daily Yonder Editor, Tim Marema speaks with rural journalists about the impact of COVID-19 in America’s small towns and rural areas. Tim and journalists will be available via live chat to answer audience questions. Joining Tim for the discussion are:
To receive testimony on Department of Defense spectrum policy and the impact of the Federal Communications Commission’s Ligado decision on national security.
Witnesses
- Honorable Dana S. Deasy
Chief Information Officer, Department Of Defense
- Honorable Michael D. Griffin
Under Secretary Of Defense For Research And Engineering
- Admiral Thad W. Allen, USCG (ret.)
- General John W. Raymond, USSF
Chief Of Space Operations, United States Space Force, And Commander, U.S. Space Command
Local leaders are deploying smart technologies to address regional challenges, create economic efficiencies, improve sustainability, and enhance residential quality of life. Learn more about smart region efforts in Arizona, Colorado and the Great Lakes area. These initiatives focus on economic development, water quality, and the use of artificial intelligence to create stronger and more resilient communities. Speakers will also describe their work in the Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC) Smart Regions Collaborative.
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will virtually host this roundtable to discuss the connectivity needs of students, faculty, and staff at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) during this unprecedented crisis. This event will feature special remarks from U.S. Representative Alma Adams (NC-12) & U.S. Representative G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) and convene Presidents and leadership from HBCUs across the nation.
The heavily regulated world of political advertising on broadcast TV stands in stark contrast to the wild west of political advertising online. Broadcast TV is subject to strict rules on recordkeeping and disclosure, as well as limits on who can buy such ads and how much they can be charged. In contrast, social media companies, like print publications, are free to adopt whatever standards they want for paid political messaging. But given the opaque sourcing of online political ads and their potential virality, should we apply broadcast rules to online ads?
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the widening digital divide. Roughly one-in-five American adults are “smartphone-only” internet users with no access to home broadband service or laptops. Low-income Americans and communities of color are particularly disadvantaged.