In the News
House Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee introduced the LIFT America Act legislation this week which includes a $40 billion broadband component. Apparently the legislation will spread the investment out over five years and use a reverse auction to support broadband in “unserved” areas ($30 billion) with $10 billion going to states via a separate reverse auction.
On Monday, President Trump announced his intention to nominate PUC Commissioner Rob Powelson to serve as a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a term expiring June 30, 2020. The unanimous well-wishes from Powelson’s PUC colleagues were highlighted in a Commission news release and appear below.
“Commissioner Powelson is knowledgeable and passionate about public utility issues – from infrastructure investment and marketplace competition to innovation and the development of our next generation of utility workers. He […]
Good managerial skills and a willingness to be accountable to the FCC are among the characteristics necessary for anyone interested in applying for the Chief Executive Officer of the Universal […]
“Today Chairman Pai released a plan that, if implemented, will hand over control of the open Internet to the powerful gatekeepers of our connections to the modern world. If adopted, Chairman Pai’s proposal will harm competition and innovation and will leave consumers without any real protection or oversight by either the FTC or FCC for broadband services.”
Excerpt from a joint statement by FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeny.
According to the most recent Pew Research Center study, only 44 percent of Americans think that the government should subsidize broadband for lower-income households, and 55 percent believe that broadband is affordable enough that nearly everyone should be able to buy it.
“We asked our staff, ‘All of these companies are submitting all of this information, when was the last time you actually used this information?’ And we got the answer, ‘Well not within living memory. Certainly not within the last five years.”
These comments and a commitment that more deregulation was to come, garnered FCC Chairman Ajit Pai raucous applause this week at an American Cable Association summit. Pai added that “we […]
Excerpt from PTA testimony offered on Wednesday to members of the House Consumer Affairs Committee during a public hearing on the telecommunications industry and broadband deployment.
“With all of the changes made by the FCC since 2011 and its CAF/ICC Order, RLECs are receiving dramatically less support to keep basic service affordable and maintain the traditional […]
Excerpts from the respective comments of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance and AT&T regarding the former’s report accusing the company of declaring lower income residents of Cleveland ineligible for the company’s discount broadband program.
“The maps show a clear and troubling pattern…a pattern of long-term, systematic failure to invest in the infrastructure required to provide equitable, mainstream Internet access to residents of the central […]