Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee sparred today over competing bills that would address online data privacy generally and protection of customer proprietary network information (CPNI) specifically, but appeared to make little headway toward consensus on how to proceed on legislative measures that have languished in the committee since being introduced last year. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been on an ambitious modernization journey, taking not just a “Cloud First” approach, but also setting an “All Cloud” goal. Alongside the modernization process, the team recognized they needed to re-tool their cyber infrastructure to achieve the strongest levels of cloud security and keep data and systems secure. […]
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved by voice vote today S.645, the Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act, that would require the Secretary of Commerce to assess and analyze the impact of broadband service deployment and adoption on the United States economy. […]
Leadership of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Wednesday pressed the head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for necessary follow-up to passage earlier this year of the MOBILE NOW Act. […]
Welcome to MeriTalk News Briefs, where we bring you all the day’s action that didn’t quite make the headlines. No need to shout about ‘em, but we do feel that they merit talk. […]
Welcome to MeriTalk News Briefs, where we bring you all the day’s action that didn’t quite make the headlines. No need to shout about ‘em, but we do feel that they merit talk. […]
A new report from the Departments of Commerce (DoC) and Homeland Security (DHS) suggests that the proliferation of botnets and the automated, distributed cyber attacks they generate will cause greater problems for Federal agencies absent a robust government response to the problem that includes a proper mix of funding, policies, and public-private collaboration. […]
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today approved S. 2418, the Rural Reasonable and Comparable Wireless Access Act of 2018. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on May 10 approved a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that could supply more spectrum to commercial carriers to provide 5G wireless services. […]
Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said on Wednesday he filed a petition to force a vote by the full Senate on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would overturn network neutrality rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in December 2017. […]
The innovations of the Internet of Things can only improve health care in rural America once there is complete broadband access and adoption. “The benefits of telehealth are not available to patients without access to high-speed Internet across America. As technology and health care services expand to meet patients where they live, broadband coverage must improve to make this care accessible,” Michael Adcock, executive director of the Telehealth Center University of Mississippi Medical Center, told the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. […]
The Federal Communications Commission announced that states that want to opt out of the FirstNet radio access network for first responders must do so by Dec. 28. Opt-out notices must be sent by the governors of the states or territories to FirstNet and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. […]
The Federal Communications Commission announced on Oct. 2 that Eric Burger will serve as the agency’s new chief technology officer. […]
The Federal Communications Commission on Sept. 15 released the standards with which it will determine whether state broadband networks are interoperable with the National Public Safety Broadband Network. The FCC plans to assess states’ requests to opt out of FirstNet and use their own networks instead, through a two-pronged review system. […]
TechNet, a network of innovation economy CEOs, recently sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission advocating for increased investment in broadband connectivity. The letter emphasizes the importance of broadband for the success of commercial industries such as businesses, hospitals, libraries, and educational institutions. […]
Federal Communications Commission CIO David Bray will not be taking up the role of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency chief ventures officer, as reported June 5, and will instead be moving to the private sector as senior fellow and executive-in-residence at People-Centered Internet, Bray confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
The Federal Communications Commission announced that it will begin an auction in 2018 that will provide nearly $2 billion over 10 years to expand high-speed Internet access in rural areas that are currently underserved by fixed broadband. […]
The Federal Communications Commission announced Aug. 3 that it’s exploring ways to improve the quality of the data it collects on broadband service. The FCC released a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek comment on proposals to collect better data. The FCC in 2000 established its deployment data collection program, which requires Internet providers to file the information with the FCC twice a year. […]
Several states have started weighing alternative plans to the First Responder Network Authority’s initial outlines to create and operate a broadband network that supports first responder groups. Here’s what Arizona, Colorado, and New Hampshire are considering. […]
The Federal Communications Commission’s authority to create net neutrality policy is uncertain, so Congress needs to draft legislation that creates a definitive authority for which actions the FCC can and cannot take for the sake of net neutrality, according to experts who spoke at an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation panel. […]
The Federal Communications Commission last week approved guidelines it will use to evaluate network proposals for states that want to opt out of FirstNet, the wireless broadband public safety network that AT&T is developing. AT&T was awarded the $6.5 billion contract earlier this year. […]
The Federal Communications Commission announced June 8 that it made updates to its Connect2Health Mapping Tool, which shows areas of the United States that lack broadband connectivity and health care resources. The changes include adding the most recent data on broadband and health care access to the map from the FCC and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings. […]
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency tweeted June 5 that David Bray will assume the new role of chief ventures officer. Bray, chief information officer of the Federal Communications Commission, will be tasked with driving internal and commercial innovation when he moves to the NGA in July. […]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai outlined a proposal to reverse the net neutrality rules. The proposal would reverse the classification of broadband from a Title II service to a Title I service, which would give the Federal Trade Commission the authority to oversee the Internet once again. […]
The Federal Communications Commission asked for nominations for its Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council, which will discuss the reliability of communications systems and infrastructure, Internet protocol-based 911 systems, emergency alerting systems, and national security and emergency preparedness communications systems. […]
The Federal Communications Commission has announced that its experimental licensing system can now accept applications for program licenses, which will help startups to get the requirements needed to start testing on new 5G applications. […]
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the agency will begin to create the Office of Economics and Data, which will provide economic analysis for rulemakings, manage the agency’s data resources, and conduct long-term research on how to improve the agency’s policies. […]
The vote last week by House and Senate Republicans to repeal privacy regulations governing Internet service providers’ use of customer data has forced some states to consider new laws and has ISPs scrambling to clarify their privacy policies. […]
The IT team at the Federal Communications Commission has been working to re-prioritize its projects to align with the goals of the agency’s new leadership, which has put modernization on the back burner. […]
The Senate voted to allow Internet service providers to collect the personal data of their customers without permission. […]