FCC

FCC: Four Years of Realized Opportunities

It is normal procedure for the Federal Communications Commission to appear before House and Senate Committees, but the blatant politicization is unacceptable. With the title of the hearing being “Trump FCC: Four Years of Lost Opportunities,” we all know this is a set up for political grandstanding. The title is…

FCC Takes Action to Expand Access and Investment in the 4.9 GHz Band

By: Noah Vehafric The FCC published a proposed order today that would promote development of the underused 4.9 GHz band by allowing individual State governments to license portions of the band to third party users for commercial, infrastructure, or other purposes  This marks a change from a 2002 decision by the FCC which announced that the…

FCC Tackles Excessive Costs for Prison Phone Calls

By: Katie McAuliffe   While much of America zeros in on policing tactics in the wake of George Floyd’s death, there are many other aspects of our criminal justice system that require reform. Exorbitant rates and fees on phone calls to loved ones in prison is an issue the Federal…

FCC has Spectrum Policy Right

RE: Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet hearing: The State of U.S. Spectrum Policy Dear Senators, Ahead of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet hearing on the state of U.S. spectrum policy, I would like to offer comments supporting the Federal Communications Commission’s 5G FAST…

C-Band is Vital in Race to 5G

By: Laurel Duggan The Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet will be hearing expert testimony on the state of U.S. spectrum policy this week. Central to the conversation on spectrum policy is C-band, a mid-band spectrum that will be vital to the buildout of 5G in the United…

Better Mapping to Bridge the Digital Divide

By: Katie McAuliffe The FCC estimates that out of a population of nearly 330 million, only  19 million Americans—about 6% of our population—lack access to high speed internet. The lack of access is most highly concentrated in rural areas, where about one-fourth of rural populations are without high-speed fixed internet. Congress and…

American Broadband Keeps Improving

By: Laurel Duggan Broadband access has been a top priority for President Trump. A recent progress report reveals the stunning progress his administration has made on this front. Four million rural Americans have gained access to broadband during his presidency thus far, and the number of Americans without access…

FCC: Communications Workers are Essential

By: Laurel Duggan The FCC has released a letter urging governors to recognize communications laborers—including cable operators, TV and radio broadcasters, and satellite providers—as essential to the pandemic response. The letter, written by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Chris Krebs, asks that states prioritize communications personnel…