Benefit programs designed to help vulnerable populations have been improving their processes for many years through technology. The USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program replaced “food stamps” with Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards in the late 1990s, providing beneficiaries broad choices in shopping and enabling them to pay with “plastic.” To add further convenience,…
Read More Making Lifeline a SnapAs of July 1, the Universal Service Fund (USF) contribution factor exceeded 26%. In other words, for every dollar consumers and businesses spend on voice and data transport services, service providers must pay more than a quarter towards supporting USF programs, a heavy tax by any measure. The USF contribution factor has been creeping up…
Read More We Need to Fundamentally Rethink How USF Programs are FundedThe FCC under Chairman Pai has been focused intensely on establishing and maintaining U.S. leadership in the deployment of 5G networks. Chairman Pai’s 5G FAST Plan, which outlined a comprehensive strategy on 5G, included as a cornerstone the reallocation of essential 5G spectrum, including low-, mid- and high-band allocations. On high-band opportunities, the FCC has…
Read More Progress on the C-BandSeptember 15th began Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to recognize the contributions made by Hispanic/LatinX innovators, artists and scholars, and to celebrate Hispanic heritage and culture. Growing up in rural Illinois, my first exposure to Hispanic influences was through the written word. Gabriel Garcia Marquez burst into my world with his lyrical, “Love in the…
Read More Celebrating Hispanic CommunitiesI write today to celebrate the life of a man we knew as a counselor and a colleague, a mentor and a friend and, ultimately, a brother. For many of the years that I have had responsibility for AT&T’s regulatory interests in Washington DC, I had the great privilege of having Jack Zinman stand beside…
Read More A Tribute to Jack ZinmanI am a huge fan of Girls Who Code — an organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology one girl at a time. Each summer, AT&T hosts a GWC cohort at a number of locations across the country, including in the DC office. And every summer I’m given the honor of spending time…
Read More Girl PowerThe Colorado Public Safety Broadband Governing Body recently submitted comments to the FCC seeking “clarification concerning the guidelines and requirements for interoperability and roaming between the NPSBN and commercial wireless carriers.” Colorado withdrew those comments, and for good reason – these issues have been clearly addressed. But as FirstNet builds momentum, it may be worth…
Read More FirstNet’s Security, ReliabilityAt its August Open Meeting later this week, the FCC will vote on a Notice of Inquiry into developing a “Connected Care Pilot Program.” This program would promote connecting telehealth services to low-income consumers and veterans, particularly those who live in rural areas, through broadband-enabled healthcare services delivered outside the scope of traditional healthcare facilities,…
Read More Expanding the Reach of Connected Care TechnologiesThe AT&T team had the privilege a few weeks ago of visiting St. Sabina, an African American faith community on Chicago’s South Side. The Church, which is led by Father Mike Pfleger, espouses the credo to live as believers and doers of the Word so that when church disciples pass thru the church doors they…
Read More A Bright Light inI write today to salute my mentor, friend and sister, Cynt Marshall, as she takes the helm as the interim CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. Cynt retired last year from AT&T after 36 years of dedicated and inspirational service, and certainly could have rested on her many laurels. But that is not the Cynt way….
Read More The New Marshall in Town
