Upcoming event

This is the first meeting of the Technological Advisory Council for 2018. At its prior meeting on December 6th, 2017, the Council had discussed possible work initiatives for 2018. These initiatives have been discussed in the interim within the FCC, with the TAC chairman, as well as with individual TAC members. At the March meeting, the FCC Technological Advisory Council will discuss its proposed work program for 2018.

The INCOMPAS Policy Summit will offer a special opportunity for communications and technology leaders to connect in Washington, D.C. Attendees will hear about the current state of affairs and the future landscape of the communications atmosphere from leaders in the industry, Members from Capitol Hill and the FCC.

The hearing will examine the policy concerns surrounding the use and effectiveness of Emergency Alert Systems including Wireless Emergency Alerts, as well as recent system failures, including but not limited to the mistaken missile alert in Hawaii.

Witnesses:

The State of the Net Conference provides unparalleled opportunities to network and engage on key policy issues.

See agenda

Witnesses

Jonathan Spalter 
President and CEO, USTelecom

Brad Gillen 

Executive Vice President, CTIA

Matthew Polka 

President and CEO, American Cable Association

Nancy White 
President and CEO, North Central Telephone Cooperative, Inc.

Agenda

The hearing will focus a path forward for improving broadband infrastructure in rural America. The following legislation will be discussed:

“Our national journey from the county poorhouse of the nineteenth century to the digital poorhouse today reveals a remarkably durable debate between those who wish to eliminate and alleviate poverty and those who blame, imprison, and punish the poor.”

Today, automated systems control which neighborhoods get policed, which families obtain needed resources, and who is investigated for fraud. While we all live under this new regime of data analytics, the most invasive and punitive systems are aimed at the poor. 

Agenda

9 - 9:45 a.m. Registration and Breakfast

9:45 a.m. Welcome Remarks and Address by the Hon. Ajit Pai, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Panel Discussions

Members will explore the effects of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its application to the manufacturing sector. These devices can help increase efficiency for manufacturers. For example, IoT connected machines can communicate the need for more raw materials, when they need replacing, and provide information about productivity.

Witnesses

Mr. Thomas D. Bianculli 
Chief Technology Officer, Zebra Technologies Corporation

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s BroadbandUSA Program, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, will host a Broadband Summit about ‘‘Creating Partnerships to Ensure Access for All’’ on March 20, 2018. Speakers and attendees from Tennessee, federal agencies, and across the country will come together to explore ways to increase broadband deployment and improve broadband adoption to advance their overarching business, social, economic, and community goals.

Free speech has long been a cornerstone of American democracy, but the ubiquity and intimacy of online content is now challenging our society’s once-unshakable belief in the appeal of unfettered speech. In this age of hacks, trolls, fake news, and digital hate speech, lawmakers, citizens, and the tech companies that control our access to the Internet and social media are rethinking how much we should police online content for veracity and for its potential to do harm.