The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is making a number of changes to the rules and provisions for its Rural Health Care telehealth program after a surge in participation, with the new regulations being released in the Federal Register today. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is making some management moves to further its rural broadband mission, among other efforts. […]
Under a new agreement with state attorneys general, the nation’s largest wireless service providers cell carriers will soon deploy technologies to block and label robocalls for consumers. Josh Stein, attorney general of the State of North Carolina, announced the agreement today. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comment on a report, order, and further notice of proposed rulemaking dealing with the accuracy and usefulness of its Digital Opportunity Data Collection (DODC) that aims to more accurately determine residential and small business locations in the U.S. that do not have access to broadband services. […]
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and a series of other senators wrote Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai on Aug. 9 to urge the commission to protect consumers from cellphone fraud. […]
Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., introduced the TOWER Infrastructure Deployment Act (TOWER Act) with the goal of increasing broadband deployment across the country and addressing the workforce shortage within telecommunications industry. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on August 1 voted to approve reports, orders, and notices of propose rulemaking that taken together aim to improve mapping the availability of “fixed” broadband service – the type generally provided by cable and phone companies – in the U.S. […]
The FCC on August 1 voted to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking comment on a range of proposals that would establish a Rural Digital Opportunity Fund funded with up to $20.4 billion to subsidize the further buildout of broadband services to rural areas of the U.S. that don’t have widely available high-speed broadband service. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing to create a pilot program within the Universal Service Fund (USF) that supports “connected care” for low-income Americans and veterans. […]
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved four new pieces of IT-related legislation during today’s committee markup. […]
Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Cory Gardner, R-Colo., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., reintroduced the Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum (AIRWAVES) Act on July 23. The legislation will “encourage the Federal government to continue to free up spectrum for commercial licensed and unlicensed use and leverage the success of spectrum auctions to help close the urban-rural divide,” according to the bill’s sponsors. […]
The Federal Communications Commission announced on July 22 the creation of six new working groups to assist the FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CISRIC) VII in carrying out its work. […]
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced today that it has hired Jamie Susskind as its new vice president of policy and regulatory affairs. […]
The House of Representatives has scheduled a vote this week on a bill that would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to craft rules regarding unwanted robocall and robotext messages that make sure those communications comply with the consumer protection and privacy purposes of Section 227 of the Communications Act. […]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said in a blog post on July 10 that the agency will consider the $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund which Pai introduced back in April of this year. […]
A group of House Democrats urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in a letter on July 9 to reject a proposal that would place a spending cap on the Universal Service Fund (USF). […]
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking about corporate influence on the commission’s Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) is influenced by corporate interests and industry insiders. […]
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai on June 17 announced formation of a new agency task force aimed at putting more broadband service to work to advance precision agriculture. […]
Reps. Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y., and Tim Walberg R-Mich., introduced new legislation on June 13 to “help close the workforce shortage in the telecommunications industry.” The legislators said the TOWER Infrastructure Deployment Act, H.R. 3255, “reflects the need for a highly-skilled, professional workforce equipped to deploy 5G, lightning-fast broadband networks, and new broadcast technology.” […]
A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation on June 12 in a move to improve the accuracy of the Federal government’s broadband availability maps. The legislation, dubbed the Broadband DATA Act, was introduced by Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss. and committee members Gary Peters, D-Mich., John Thune, R-S.D., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. […]
Today was the deadline for wireless emergency alerts (WEA) to feature enhanced alerting support, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has informed the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau that the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) will not be able to support updates to WEAs at this time, the FCC said in a statement. […]
Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee released a draft of the fiscal year 2020 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) funding bill that would see the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) get a bump in their funding. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) raised $2 billion in its second auction of 5G spectrum on Tuesday. […]
The Senate voted 97-1 Thursday, May 23 in favor of a bill that would give Federal regulators more tools to combat perpetrators of fraudulent robocall scams. […]
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved three pieces of legislation via voice vote during today’s executive session. […]
Earlier this week, Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Maria Cantwell, D.-Wash., wrote to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to not allow wireless companies to run in a 24 GHz band until weather forecasting is protected. […]
Christine Calvosa stepped down as CIO at the Federal Communications Commission on May 9, an FCC spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced today that he expects major phone companies to implement the Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using Tokens and Secure Telephony Identity Revisited standards this year. The standards, known as SHAKEN/STIR, are caller ID authentication standards which will help combat robocalls. […]
David Redl is resigning his position as administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration – a component agency of the Commerce Department influential in a host of communications technology issues including 5G wireless spectrum – according to three Federal Communications Commission (FCC) leaders. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has – as expected – denied a petition by China Mobile USA to provide telecom services in the United States, citing security concerns rising from the company’s “ownership and control by the Chinese government.” […]