What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
Policy experts as they breakdown the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act statute. What are the key elements of this law? What policy decisions are NTIA and the States left to make? What are the requirements of receiving these funds? We will dive into next steps and answer questions that you may have about this historic program.
The webinar panel will include:
Advocacy Groups Push for FTC and FCC Confirmations
Privacy advocacy groups Free Press Action and Fight for the Future are urging Senate Democrats to quickly confirm Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] to the Federal Communications Commission and Alvaro Bedoya to the Federal Trade Commission. President Joe Biden renominated both nominees on January 4 after the Senate failed to confirm them in December 2021. Both the FCC and the FTC currently have 2-2 partisan splits, making it difficult for their Democratic chairs to advance controversial items.
Net neutrality will make a comeback in 2022
A new chapter in the ongoing saga of net neutrality and who governs the internet will take shape over the next year thanks to another shift in power at the Federal Communications Commission. With new appointees from President Joe Biden firming up a Democratic majority at the agency, reinstating Obama-era net neutrality rules thrown out under the Trump administration will be a top priority for the FCC. In late 2021, Biden named Jessica Rosenworcel the permanent chair of the FCC.
Tech antitrust bills’ make or break moment
Lawmakers and lobbyists anticipate a major fight over antitrust bills meant to tame Big Tech before the midterms put an unofficial end to the legislative effort. The bills could remake how Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google operate and treat competitors — if they make it over the finish line.
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the March Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 16, 2022:
- Empowering Broadband Consumers Through Transparency The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would propose to require that broadband internet access service providers display, at the point of sale, labels to disclose to consumers certain information about their prices, introductory rates, data allowances, broadband speeds, and management practices, among other things. (CG Docket No. 22-2)
A discussion on the recently relaunched US-EU dialogue on technology policy.
Fireside Chat
- Ruth Berry, Director for Digital Technology Policy; International Economics and Competitiveness, National Security Council, White House
- Thibaut Kleiner, Director, Policy, Strategy and Outreach, DG Connect, European Commission
- Lise Fuhr, Director General, ETNO
- Jonathan Spalter, President & CEO, USTelecom
Panel
A roundtable discussion
A hearing to examine strategies to strengthen the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), which establishes the roles and responsibilities of federal agencies related to the security of federal information systems and data and requires compliance with cybersecurity standards.