Uncategorized

FCC E-Rate Expansion Possibly Unconstitutional

By Lawson Faulkner On July 18th, the FCC voted to expand its E-Rate program for public schools and libraries to pay for off-campus Wi-Fi hotspots. Proponents of the 3-2 decision argued that these subsidies are necessary to modernize remote learning. However, a growing coalition of lawmakers,…

Fifth Circuit Rules USF Fees Unconstitutional

By James Erwin In what could end up being an earth-shattering ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that the Universal Service Fund’s contribution fee, which the FCC imposes on telephone customers, is an unconstitutional tax that Congress did not approve. Resulting…

Sixth Circuit Temporarily Stalls FCC’s Net Neutrality Order

By Lawson Faulkner Last Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Sixth Circuit restored a lower court’s stay of the FCC’s so-called net neutrality rules, marking a significant setback for the agency’s agenda. Introduced in May, these rules will discourage investment and may slow the pace…

FCC Continues Robocall Crackdown

By Lawson Faulkner We all know the feeling. You hear a ring. You glance down at your phone. You see a mysterious caller on the line. You pick up – because what if it’s important? – and before you know it, you are listening to the humanoid droll…

House Appropriations Committee Moves to Safeguard Online Free Speech

By Lawson Faulkner The House Appropriations Committee recently approved three national security bills for FY 2025, all of which include strong free speech protections for social media users. At a time when freedom of speech online is under threat and the Supreme Court is punting on enforcing the…

Sen. Eric Schmitt Condemns NTIA for Engaging in Broadband Rate Regulation

By Lawson Faulkner Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) has recently taken aim at the NTIA for misleading lawmakers over its administration of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. In a letter addressed to NTIA administrator Alan Davidson, Sen. Schmitt accused NTIA officials of instituting rate…

Commissioner Carr Opposes Regulating AI on Political Advertising  

By Jason Lee Commissioner Brendan Carr has announced his opposition to the FCC’s proposal to mandate the disclosure of AI use for content in political ads on television and radio.   Chairwoman Rosenworcel unveiled the proposal on Wednesday. This as the…

WRC Advisory Committee to Hold First Meeting for WRC 2027 

By Jason Lee Last week, the FCC announced that the World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee will hold a meeting on June 3, 2024, at the FCC headquarters as the first step in the process of preparing for the 2027 World Radio Communication Conference.  …