Upcoming event
The summit highlights how the intersection of media, telecom, and tech policy impacts us all, from the digital elite to our most vulnerable communities. Thought leaders from government, industry, and advocacy groups address the top issues:
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai canceled his appearance at CES because of death threats
Apparently, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai canceled his scheduled appearance at a major upcoming tech industry trade show after receiving death threats. It’s the second known incident in which Chairman Pai’s safety may have been at risk, after a bomb threat abruptly forced the chairman to halt his controversial vote to scrap net neutrality rules in December 2017.
At this meeting, the BDAC will consider recommendations from its Model Code for Municipalities, Model Code for States, Competitive Access to Broadband Infrastructure, Removing State and Local Regulatory Barriers, and Streamlining Federal Siting Working Groups. In addition, the BDAC will continue its discussions on how to accelerate the deployment of broadband by reducing and/or removing regulatory barriers to infrastructure investment.
Critics of Chairman Pai's Sec. 706 Broadband Deployment Review Create #MobileOnly Challenge
The Federal Communications Commission's decision to review what qualifies as high-speed broadband has drawn a crowd of critics armed with smartphones and other devices. Almost a dozen groups including Public Knowledge, New America’s Open Technology Institute, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) have launched the #MobileOnly challenge. Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, participants will spend an entire day only accessing the internet via a mobile device. The idea is to demonstrate that mobile has various limitations that make it not a sufficient substitute for wired broadband.
Topics selected for FCC open meeting agendas will be posted on the Commission's website approximately three weeks prior to the Commission's next monthly meeting. The Commission will also issue a public notice of the "Commission Meeting Agenda" one week before the meeting and announce at that time the items that are scheduled for the agenda.
Effective digital inclusion programs are essential for communities, supporting efforts such as workforce development, educational attainment, financial literacy, and better access to health care. Finding financial support for such programs requires creative partnerships, coordination with civic leaders, and messaging that articulates the benefits of such programs to communities. Join BroadbandUSA's webinar to learn how communities have funded digital inclusion programs using a variety of funding options such as local philanthropies, city budget mechanisms, and private sector support.
The Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (“The Framework”) was issued on February 12, 2014. This voluntary framework – based on existing standards, guidelines, and practices – provides a prioritized, flexible, repeatable, performance-based, and cost-effective approach to managing cybersecurity risk at all levels in an organization and is applicable to organizations of all sizes and sectors. The Framework was developed in a year-long, collaborative process in which NIST served as a convener for industry, academia, and government stakeholders.
Witnesses
Activists, Democratic Lawmakers plan net neutrality rally outside FCC
Activists are planning a protest outside the Federal Communications Commission on Dec 14 as the agency is expected to vote to repeal its landmark network neutrality rules. The rally will feature speakers like Rep Keith Ellison (D-MN), Rep Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Symone Sanders, a former spokeswoman for Sen Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign. The event will be hosted by a coalition of consumer groups called the Voices for Internet Freedom.