Editorial staff

All Americans should be able to use the Internet. How do we get there?

It's easy to say all Americans should be able to use the Internet in the 21st century, which is probably why several leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination have done just that. It’s much harder to say how to get there. Almost everyone, even on both sides of the aisle in Congress, seems able to agree on the need to fix the maps first. That’s because the Federal Communications Commission relies on coverage reports from industry, and carriers have incentive to exaggerate their reach.

The interests of a significant minority are neglected as everyday tasks are done via smartphones and tablets

On the eve of this week’s rail strikes, it was reported that industry bosses are planning to phase out paper train tickets and shut almost 1,000 station ticket offices in England. The government says nothing has been decided. But the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, has made no secret of his desire to see savings delivered in this way; some stations, Mr Shapps likes to point out, sell only a handful of tickets each week and the vast majority of transactions have moved online.

Pandemic proves need for net neutrality, open internet

If it wasn’t obvious before, the coronavirus pandemic makes clear the need for an open internet with broadband access for all Americans. But don’t hold your breath waiting for the broadband industry to see the light on control of the internet. AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, T-Mobile and other major Internet service providers aren’t backing away from their goal of raking in billions by charging websites more for priority access to the internet. The providers are hoping Republicans will regain the White House in 2024 and once again roll back net neutrality provisions.

What a Biden presidency means for future of tech

Tech issues aren’t likely to be at the top of Joe Biden’s agenda on Jan 20. But tech needs a seat at the Biden table to navigate what have been increasingly thorny issues for the industry: net neutrality, privacy, antitrust challenges, broadband access, science and technology investment, and H-1B visas.

Put a cap on prison call costs

For the millions of people behind bars in the US, the phone offers a vital connection to their families and the outside world. But placing a call comes at a cost — a steep one. But Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai is now asking states to impose price caps on intrastate prison phone calls, keeping the service affordable and accessible to inmates so that they can keep in touch with loved ones.

US Students Need Help Getting Online

It’s critical that Congress provide funding in the next coronavirus relief bill to assist families that can’t afford internet access. But that will take time that students can’t afford. The government needs to do more to get them online now. 

Failing to renew VOA foreign staffers’ visas would devastate one of its core functions

Michael Pack, the alt-right filmmaker installed by President Donald Trump to run US foreign broadcasting operations, remains on course to dismantle the independent journalism that has been their calling card. Apparently, Voice of America sources say Pack is refusing to renew the visas of foreign-born journalists who are vital to its mission of producing news reports in 47 languages. Pack has also frozen all VOA contracts, under which some 40 percent of its staff are employed.

Voice of America and other U.S. government media never engage in propaganda. Is that about to change?

For decades, US government-funded foreign broadcasting has distinguished itself from that of undemocratic nations with its commitment to quality journalism and editorial independence.

Imagine weathering this without Internet. Many are — and Congress should help.

The digital divide was a problem before the pandemic. Now it’s an existential problem for students who can’t access live-streamed classes, for the ill who can’t virtually consult with a doctor, for isolated individuals who can’t find human connection on their laptop screens. The burden, as ever, disproportionately falls on the low-income, rural and nonwhite. There’s more the government can do today, and there’s an opportunity to lay the groundwork for the days to come.

Don’t forget broadband after lockdown

The coronavirus pandemic happened and, in a breath, home internet went from desired option to life-sustaining necessity. If the shutdown is responsible for limiting the spread of the infectious respiratory disease that has killed more than 1,100 Pennsylvanians in a month, then the internet is why it isn’t more. And that is why the World Wide Web has to be wide enough to work for the whole world.  Broadband access needs to be viewed as a utility little different from water or electricity or gas. It needs to be as accessible as the sidewalks that connect us to our schools and jobs and banks.

State of the States 2020: Broadband Is Critical Infrastructure

For the past several years, the Government Technology editorial team has picked apart State of the State addresses, looking for clues about new initiatives and areas of focus that will touch technology. As of Feb 3, 2020, about two-thirds of governors have delivered these speeches. Increasingly, governors are using their platforms to underscore the importance of making sure all residents, regardless of where they live, have options to get online. Internet access has profound impacts on opportunities in education, jobs, health care and nearly every other facet of modern life.

Biden calls for revoking Sec 230, a key online legal protection

The editorial board of the New York Times interviewed former Vice President Joe Biden. 

Asked, "Mr. Vice President, in October, your campaign sent a letter to Facebook regarding an ad that falsely claimed that you blackmailed Ukrainian officials to not investigate your son. I’m curious, did that experience, dealing with Facebook and their power, did that change the way that you see the power of tech platforms right now?"

Congress agrees data privacy is a problem. So where’s the bill?

Congress has been promising federal privacy legislation for a year now and producing little more than a hodgepodge of conflicting piecemeal proposals. Now, at long last, one party’s leadership has stepped up to put the muscle of its caucus behind...a loose set of principles. Senate Democrats under Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) unveiled what is basically a wish list for a bill-to-be, supported by the ranking members of the four relevant committees.

A Government 5G Coup

President Donald Trump says he wants the US to dominate 5G ultra-fast internet, and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has been clearing regulation to speed the way. But now they appear to have succumbed to Washington rent-seekers and their political mouthpieces. Chairman Pai notified Congress that the FCC plans to repurpose spectrum that is currently licensed to satellite providers for 5G and auction it off to other users.

In government by the people, what if the people aren’t who they say they are?

Public comment processes are supposed to promote government of the people, by the people and for the people. So what happens when the people aren’t who they say they are? BuzzFeed reports that political operatives are engaging in campaigns of impersonation to co-opt opportunities for everyday Americans to tell officials and lawmakers what they think of pending policies.

Did the repeal of net neutrality ruin your life? What, you didn’t notice?

The Federal Communications Commission voted to nix network neutrality, effective June 2018. A year-plus later, broadband download and upload speeds have quickened rather than slowed. Internet providers haven’t bifurcated service into different speeds for rich and poor households. Mobile networks, too, move data more swiftly than before. Broadband investment in better technology again has accelerated. Who knows, maybe the internet providers are lying in wait to pounce on their customers. Where’s the internet Cybergeddon the naysayers predicted, and predicted, and predicted?

FCC's cable TV ruling cannot be allowed to stand

By a 3-2 vote, the Federal Communications Commission has put limits on cable franchise fees, with the FCC's three Republicans voting in favor. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's proposal appears to have come from Eugene's (OR) attempt to charge Comcast with a 7 percent franchise fee. It's unfortunate that Eugene opened this Pandora's Box but one community's misguided decision to break the agreement is not an excuse to end it. The FCC commissioner may have been waiting for an opportunity he could exploit to change the ground rules.

FCC ruling does a disservice to community access

Under the new rule passed by the Federal Communications Commission, cable providers can now count “in-kind services” toward what they owe local communities. Such services include discounts for seniors and fiber-optic networks that link government buildings. That means two things: Cable companies will see their profits increase, and local community access television stations will see their budgets slashed.

If Sen Hawley's really after big tech, he must champion net neutrality

Sen Josh Hawley (R-MO), in his first term, has targeted large technology firms such as Google and Facebook with upcoming legislation. He has announced legislation in two areas, targeting software publishers that market loot boxes and pay-to-win microtransactions to kids, and calling for a "do not call list"-style option to bar companies from tracking personal data. While there's nothing inherently concerning about either of these bills, they don't strike us as urgent. But those two measures are small shots in this hunt.

Congress knows the Internet is broken. It’s time to start fixing it.

The "Internet is broken." That, according to Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), is the sentiment animating a bipartisan antitrust review of technology titans in the House of Representatives. He is right to initiate the effort. But exploring the particulars of so sweeping a contention may take years. Meanwhile, there’s one broken thing Congress already knows it has to fix. A small group of companies has substantial control over a massive part of American life. This control has come with costs, from the flourishing of online disinformation to a flood of security breaches.

Bozeman saluted for forward stance on broadband

Of the new priorities Bozeman city commissioners added to their strategic plan recently, perhaps none will prove to be more consequential than declaring broadband internet service to be essential infrastructure – just as important as streets, bridges and water and sewer systems. It was a logical next step in the city’s broadband policy evolution. It started six years ago with the formation of committee of professionals and business owners that identified a demand for high-speed internet service in the city.

Cable access channels jeopardized by FCC

In an innocuous-sounding "rule change" to the Communications Act of 1984, the Federal Communications Commission would allow cable providers to deduct "in-kind" services from a local franchise fee to municipalities required by the Act, specifically a maximum five-percent levy on gross revenues. "In kind" is currently a term without a clear definition, and in a particularly diabolical twist, the FCC plans to leave it to the cable companies to determine the monetary value of such nebulous services (and exactly what those services are) before deducting that value from their mandated fee.

Democrats want to ‘save the Internet.’ They’ll need Republicans’ help.

Democrats in Congress say they want to “save the Internet” with a net neutrality law. But they will need Republicans’ help to do it. The bills introduced in the House and Senate this week, unfortunately, are unlikely to inspire any cooperation. The bills introduced this week miss the mark. They bring back Title II. Democratic bills would make permanent limitations on rate-setting and other regulatory practices that have alarmed providers, but the classification is still toxic — and outdated.

State of the States 2019: Getting America Connected

Government Technology editorial staff reviewed each State of the State adress across the country and rated it from 1 to 5 based on the strength of its technology initiatives.