Fortune
Want to solve America’s problems? Start with broadband
In October 1944, my grandfather William B. Benton delivered a clarion call in the pages of Fortune magazine. On behalf of the Committee for Economic Development (CED), a national coalition of business leaders, he offered a forward-looking agenda to deliver a more peaceful and prosperous future for all Americans—not just a few. At the time, that future was difficult to imagine. Fifteen years prior, the Great Depression had roiled the American economy, driving unemployment rates to almost 25% in 1933.
President Biden is providing the funding to bridge the digital divide but one rule could squander this opportunity
Twenty-five years ago, when I headed up the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), my colleagues and I identified what has come to be known as the digital divide while researching the growing gap between the haves and have-nots of internet access. Back then, we never dreamed that the US government would one day commit $42 billion dollars in the form of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program to close the divide. Yet, the Biden administration and Congress have provided the focus and the funds we need to get every American online.
Facebook users in Illinois can now apply for a privacy payout of up to $400 (Fortune)
Submitted by benton on Tue, 09/22/2020 - 17:59Europe's privacy regulators form task force to tackle complaints about Google and Facebook code (Fortune)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Fri, 09/04/2020 - 17:30As coronavirus closes schools and pushes classes online, it’s ‘exposing hard truths about the digital divide,’ FCC commissioner (Fortune)
Submitted by benton on Tue, 03/10/2020 - 06:31Former President Barack Obama Worries That Tech Has Led Society Astray (Fortune)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Thu, 11/21/2019 - 17:39The $50 Billion 5G Battle: The Wireless Industry Needs More Airwaves, But It’s Going to Be Costly
As the big wireless companies roll out super-fast 5G technology, they're facing a significant crunch in airwave spectrum to cover the whole country. There's a possible swath of airwaves that they're eying to solve the problem, but other communications industry players don't want to surrender the space easily. The years-long battle, which is now playing out at the Federal Communications Commission, pits some of the most powerful players in Washington, D.C. on opposite sides.
How This Google Team Is Trying to Make the Company’s Products More Inclusive (Fortune)
Submitted by benton on Wed, 10/09/2019 - 14:54When Will Twitter Ban White Nationalists? Civil Rights Leaders Urge the Site to Take Action
As the two-year anniversary of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville approaches, civil rights and digital activists say Twitter has not done nearly enough to prevent white nationalists from spreading hate speech online. Twitter is facing increased pressure to take action following the mass shooting in El Paso, where the shooter—who appeared to embrace white nationalism—killed 22 people and injured dozens more.