Upcoming policy issue

Biden's call to restore net neutrality: What you should know

President Joe Biden wants net neutrality regulations back on the books. In his executive order on competition, Biden urged the Federal Communications Commission to restore Obama-era net neutrality rules and to take other measures to promote broadband competition, including asking the FCC to require broadband companies to provide transparency on pricing. Net neutrality supporters applauded the executive order and calls for the FCC to restore net neutrality protections.

Wu Weighs in on Executive Order on Competition

Tim Wu, President Joe Biden’s competition adviser on the National Economic Council, said “There is a growing sense that the forms of market power we see today are often different from the ones that the merger guidelines had in mind.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

July 2021 brings us things to celebrate, things to denigrate, and things to absolutely deplore. On the good side, we have come to see that high-speed broadband has become an essential component of modern-day infrastructure. The ambitious broadband proposals of the Biden Administration have rightly gained strong public support, not just in one party, but both. We are also witnessing the reinvigoration of public agencies to protect the public interest, something Biden made clear in his Executive Order on competition.

Lawmakers to Determine Fate of Infrastructure, Antipoverty Plans

Democrats are racing to finalize a bipartisan infrastructure deal and set the contours of a broad child-care and education plan, aiming to maintain a delicate agreement with Republicans while simultaneously plowing forward with their own priorities. After a two-week recess, senators return to Washington this week to determine the fate of much of President Biden’s roughly $4 trillion agenda.

Biden order on broadband competition could hit wall at FCC

President Joe Biden prepared to sign an executive order which among other things aims to boost broadband competition, but progress could be limited by a deadlocked Federal Communications Commission. The order largely aims to bring back policies championed by the Obama Administration which were either reversed or abandoned under President Donald Trump, but this may be unlikely without a Democratic majority in the FCC. The five-member FCC is currently one head short, with the current four Commissioners evenly divided along political lines. Biden has yet to nominate a fifth Commissioner.

Biden competition order will take aim at broadband

President Joe Biden will encourage the Federal Communications Commission to reinstate net neutrality rules and make it easier for consumers to comparison shop for internet service as part of a wide-ranging executive order expected to be signed July 9. The White House wants internet service providers to offer a "broadband nutrition label" detailing their internet packages to give consumers more transparency when they're buying service. The executive order will also encourage the FCC to reinstate net neutrality rules prohibiting the blocking, throttling or paid prioritization of web traffic t

What regional leaders want from Biden’s infrastructure bill

Now with a major congressional negotiation on infrastructure underway and a new presidential administration in place, federal leaders have a historic opportunity to revisit past policies to better support today’s metropolitan leaders and their contemporary ambitions. That process, though, must start with a clear understanding of what regional leaders need—and not just infrastructure agencies, but also the business leadership and community groups that all collaborate to build competitive, inclusive, and resilient economies.

House Judiciary Republicans Release Agenda for Taking on Big Tech

House Judiciary Republicans released their agenda to hold Big Tech accountable. This agenda presents specific proposals that will speed up and strengthen antitrust enforcement, hold Big Tech accountable for its censorship, and increase transparency around Big Tech’s decisions through:

Tribal communities in Colorado may gain better broadband access with new bill

Colorado's official broadband map does not paint an accurate picture of internet access for Tribal communities according to leaders.

Broadband Fight Pits Ultra-Fast Fiber Fans Versus Cable Industry

A large coalition of industry groups and public interest lobbyists are pushing Congress to invest in “future-proof” high-speed fiber networks in a battle over how to divvy up the $65 billion proposed to expand broadband internet service. The spending is included in an infrastructure package tentatively agreed to by a bipartisan group of senators and President Joe Biden.