The 2024 election is over and Republicans are poised in January to take over Washington, D.C.—in the White House, on the Hill, at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and at other agencies (the National...more
12/3/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Broadband ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Communications Decency Act ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Deregulation ,
Enforcement ,
FCC ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Infrastructure ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Net Neutrality ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
NTIA ,
Presidential Elections ,
Telecommunications ,
Universal Service Fund
On September 27, 2024, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel gave a speech on AI regulation by the FCC, highlighting her goal of improving transparency in the use of AI technology in the communications industry. The speech...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in recent months has stepped up its scrutiny of artificial intelligence (AI) in the communications sector, focusing on AI-generated robocalls and political advertisements. The...more
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled the Universal Service Fund (USF) funding mechanism is unconstitutional. The full court, sitting en banc, rejected the framework established by the Federal Communications Commission...more
On September 9, 2024, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced at an event in Washington, D.C. that the agency will be seeking Supreme Court review of a recent decision finding aspects...more
After months of negotiations and numerous last-minute extensions, the President signed into law the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, which funds the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through...more
Key Points - On Thursday, April 25, the FCC voted 3–2 to reinstate the Commission’s net neutrality framework by reclassifying broadband Internet access service as a Telecommunications Service, which is regulated under Title...more
Key Points - The FCC is seeking public comment on methods to enable access to currently unassigned spectrum in their auction inventory that can be used for wireless radio service. The Commission took this step because...more
The FCC released a declaratory ruling on February 8, taking action to make AI-generated robocalls illegal. The declaratory ruling follows the attempted disruption of the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary by...more
2024 is shaping up to be a busy year in Washington for telecom, media and technology (TMT) companies. A number of notable topics will require public comment this year, including net neutrality, digital discrimination, data...more
2/9/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Broadband ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
FCC ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
NDAA ,
Outer Space ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Spectrum ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications
At the end of 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “the Commission”) adopted updates to its existing 16-year-old data breach notification rules (“prior rules”) designed to ensure that sensitive customer...more
On December 14, 2023, Congress passed an $874.2-billion defense authorization bill, sending it to the White House for President Biden’s signature. This alert provides a summary of key provisions of the National Defense...more
1/2/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Automation Systems ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Security ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Machine Learning ,
National Security Agency (NSA) ,
NDAA ,
Pilot Programs ,
Popular ,
Satellites ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Key Points -
On November 15, 2023, the FCC adopted rules aimed at preventing discrimination in access to broadband services. The FCC vote satisfies the Commission’s obligation under the IIJA, which requires the FCC to...more
11/27/2023
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Broadband ,
Broadband Internet Access Services (BIAS) ,
Covered Entities ,
FCC ,
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) ,
National Broadband Plan ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
NTIA ,
OCR ,
Transparency
Key Points -
On November 13, the Biden administration released its National Spectrum Strategy through a Presidential Memorandum. The Spectrum Strategy, seeking to modernize spectrum policy and coordination and identify...more
On November 15, 2023—the statutory deadline—the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on rules to prevent so-called “digital discrimination,” i.e., discrimination in access to broadband services.
The proposed...more
Key Points -
In a 3-2 vote, the FCC moved to advance a proposal that would restore so-called "net neutrality" rules and allow the agency to regulate broadband internet access service as a utility. The vote marks the start...more
10/26/2023
/ Broadband ,
Communications Act of 1934 ,
FCC ,
Infrastructure ,
Internet ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Internet Streaming ,
Net Neutrality ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Open Internet Rules ,
Social Media ,
Transparency
Key Points -
The FCC has launched a new “Privacy and Data Protection” Task Force to coordinate rulemaking and enforcement across the agency.
Chairwoman Rosenworcel called on her fellow Commissioners to finalize...more
On December 6, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr hosted a virtual roundtable with health care providers and industry leaders to discuss lessons learned from their experiences providing...more
Last week, two organizations hosted a White House briefing on President Biden’s proposed $2 trillion infrastructure package, the American Jobs Plan (the “Plan”). The organizations were Small Business for America’s Future and...more
- NTIA presents framework to accommodate commercial use of the 3.45-3.55 GHz band, including reduced federal use and limited exclusion zones around military installations.
- NTIA states that unlicensed operations and...more
- The FCC’s Report and Order and FNPRM on satellite orbital debris mitigation, previously adopted on April 23, 2020, were published in the Federal Register on August 25.
- This action now sets an October 9, 2020 deadline...more
The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) has been moving quickly on its new COVID-19 Telehealth program (“Telehealth Program”). Since it began accepting applications on April 13th, the Commission has...more
This Primer on the Connected Care Pilot Program (CC Pilot) describes eligibility for the program, how the funds can be spent, how the government will distribute the funds and the application process. The CC Pilot is a...more
Funding initiatives to advance telehealth or connected care initiatives have been moving quickly through Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”). The application process for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program...more
- Congress and federal agencies are taking action to ensure that Americans stay connected during the COVID-19 crisis, including the CARES Act. The CARES Act provides $200 million to the FCC for telehealth services and...more
4/6/2020
/ Broadcasting ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
FCC ,
Financial Stimulus ,
New Guidance ,
Relief Measures ,
Telecommunications ,
Telehealth