Federal Agency

On May 15, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel spoke about the National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. She spoke about some of the actions the FCC has taken to help and protect survivors of domestic abuse, including requiring phone carriers to "swiftly and securely separate phone lines of survivors from family plans." The Chairwoman also spoke about action the FCC is taking to prevent internet connected cars from being used by abusers to stalk and harass survivors. "I don’t think that answer is good enough.

On May 15, the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing titled “The Fiscal Year 2025 National Telecommunications and Information Administration Budget.” House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH), and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson all delivered remarks.

Sen Ted Cruz (R-TC) will propose plans May 16 to maintain the Affordable Connectivity Program in a slimmed-down new form.

Some say the car a person drives can say a lot about them. As cars get “connected,” this turns out to be truer than many people might have realized. While connectivity can let drivers do things like play their favorite internet radio stations or unlock their car with an app, connected cars can also collect a lot of data about people.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) new round of funding from the $1.5 billion Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund presents a unique opportunity to advance spectrum-sensing technology, in turn potentially driving more efficient use of airwaves for the public and private sectors. Spectrum sharing is an effective way to increase commercial access to spectrum resources while protecting and enhancing government operations. One objective of this funding opportunity’

Mediacom has increased the download speeds of two of its service tiers and introduced a new plan aimed at economically challenged households that could be a low-cost option for households losing their Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) benefit. The service provider’s Xtream Internet 100 will become Xtream Internet 250, with download speeds increasing from 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) to 250 Mbps. The Xtream Internet 300 tier will become Xtream Internet 500, with download speeds increasing from 300 Mbps to 500 Mbps. The switch will be flipped on the higher download speeds on May 17.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel established the Spectrum Steering Team, which will lead the FCC’s efforts to develop and implement forward-looking spectrum policies and execute the National Spectrum Strategy.  The Spectrum Steering Team brings together policy experts, economists, and engineers from across the FCC—including the Office of Economics and Analytics, Office of Engineering and Technology, Space Bureau, and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau—to drive spectrum policy and planning efforts that will ensure U.S.

The Minnesota broadband scene is heating up as service providers rally against new legislation they say will stifle the state’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) plan. Minnesota was awarded over $651 million as part of the federal BEAD program. The state’s initial BEAD plan was submitted last year and is still awaiting approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The cable industry hasn’t been doing too great with keeping broadband subscribers, and Charter is no different. CEO Chris Winfrey’s take on the situation?

The US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) began implementing an important Internet routing security measure, enhancing cybersecurity throughout the Department and completing a key priority from the National Cybersecurity Strategy. Routing security—ensuring that Internet traffic reaches its intended target—has been a concern for more than 20 years. In 2003, the White House noted that Internet routing incidents created a great risk of Internet service disruption.