FCC

A panel representing the last five decades of Federal Communications Commission leadership took the helm at Monday’s Multicultural, Media, Telecom and Industry Council’s FCC symposium discussing broadband for the nation.  Despite a pending $65 billion infrastructure plan to fund further... Read More

Boston, Massachusetts and Raleigh, North Carolina could become the nation’s next designated innovation zones and test beds for advanced wireless technologies, under a proposal put forward Wednesday by the Federal Communications Commission. The designations, if advanced, would help spur the... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Legislation intended to prevent China from threatening U.S. telecom networks was front and center Wednesday during a meeting of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Introduced by House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. and... Read More

Congressional leaders and a media advocacy group are urging the Federal Communications Commission to examine how policy decisions and programs have disparately harmed Black Americans and other communities of color, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the acting FCC... Read More

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 appropriated $7.2 billion toward a new Federal Communications Commission program, the Emergency Connectivity Fund. Starting Tuesday, June 29, and ending Aug. 13, the ECF will accept applications from schools and libraries to receive... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday unanimously adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry intended to secure the nation’s communications networks against cyberattacks. With seven ransomware attacks per hour in 2020, a total of 65,000,... Read More

A small community in Lincoln County, Maine, was recently denied a broadband deployment grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as satellite service provider ViaSat had already won the area in a Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction by the Federal... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission announced today that 2.3 million households have enrolled in its Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, not even a month after its launch.    The subsidy program provides eligible households with discounted, high-speed broadband service as well... Read More

The Federal Communications Commission must be more “forward-looking” as the agency thinks of spending billions on high-speed broadband deployment, said Austin Bonner, wireline legal advisor for FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, at a Federal Communications Bar Association lunch-and-learn event Wednesday. In... Read More

WASHINGTON - Carolyn Roddy, a legal advisor at the Federal Communications Commission, knows all about the ins and outs of making changes to one’s telephone service. But she admitted even she was surprised by the jump in rates her 96-year-old... Read More

As talks resumed between the White House and GOP lawmakers on Friday over President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, a new coalition announced its intention to push hard for a key element of the plan -- expanding broadband access... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a decision by the Federal Communication Commission to relax media ownership rules. The unanimous ruling, written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, is a major win for broadcasters. The petitioners in the case, the... Read More

WASHINGTON - Five Chinese companies are producing telecommunications equipment and services that pose "an unacceptable risk" to national security and the security and safety of U.S. citizens, the Federal Communications Commission announced Friday. The companies include Huawei Technologies Co., ZTE... Read More

WASHINGTON - In the near future, cellular networks, particularly in advancing 5G, need to evolve away from their previously hardware-driven functions and become more virtual or software-based, the acting head of the Federal Communications Commissions believes. To advance those beliefs,... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday established a task force to implement long-overdue improvements to the agency's broadband and mapping tool. Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel also named Jean Kiddoo as chair of the new Broadband Data Task... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission regulates interstate and international communications, including wireless companies, cable and internet providers, and broadcast stations. Of particular note, due to the prevalence of remote work and school in 2020, the agency also guides the... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., recently helped the Nisqually and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in her district fulfill a long time dream. They are two of eight tribes in the state to receive first-of-their-kind licenses... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear oral arguments in a challenge to the FCC's efforts to loosen rules that limit media ownership. The underlying case was brought by Philadelphia-based Prometheus Radio Project, a coalition of low-power... Read More

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging funding for the Federal Communications Commission’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program to be included in any upcoming COVID-19 relief legislation. The FCC established the program in April 2020 to better provide health care... Read More

WASHINGTON - The coronavirus pandemic has reignited a longstanding debate on the issue of unequal access to broadband internet in America, also known as the “digital divide.” With thousands of businesses shut down, having access to a reliable internet connection... Read More

WASHINGTON - Sinclair Broadcast Group agreed on Wednesday to pay a record $48 million fine to the Federal Communications Commission to resolve allegations it failed to disclose the sponsor of paid content and misled the agency during its failed merger... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission is asking the Supreme Court to review media ownership rules to allow broadcast stations to own newspapers. The FCC, along with the Justice Department, says the current regulations that prevent media companies from owning... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has granted requests from AT&T and Verizon to use additional spectrum to help meet escalating wireless demand during the coronavirus outbreak. AT&T has been granted authority to operate in the AWS-4... Read More

WASHINGTON - Federal Communications Commissioners spoke about the nation’s race to 5G at a New America Open Technology Institute discussion held virtually on Tuesday afternoon. Panelists offered thoughts on heading off a 5G digital divide with affordable connectivity for all.... Read More

With what seems like an annual tradition, consumers flip on their TV to catch a playoff game or some other “must see TV” program only to find the station blacked out in the pay TV provider’s lineup because the provider... Read More

WASHINGTON - The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday issued a mixed ruling on the Federal Communications Commission's 2017 repeal of so-called net neutrality, allowing the claw back to stand while striking down a provision blocking states from adopting... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission must redo and better justify an order that eased restrictions on media companies wanting to consolidate their holdings in a single market, the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday. The highly anticipated... Read More