While we take mobile broadband services for granted in urban environments, many rural Americans still don’t have access to wireless service to keep them connected to family, work and other vital services. Travel just 75 miles from D.C., and chances are you could find yourself in a small community without wireless voice or broadband coverage….
Read More Mobility Fund II – a Win for Rural ConsumersJoan Marsh Posts
A Day of Reflection after the Day of Action
Remember Dudley Do-Right? He was the dim-witted but affable Canadian Mountie with the cleft chin who busied himself saving Nell from his arch enemy, Snidely Whiplash. Snidely, of course, was always portrayed as a good nemesis should be – in a black coat and top hat, with a strangely menacing mustache and a greenish pallor. …
Read More A Day of Reflection after the Day of ActionDoes Lifeline Need a Life Boat?
Last week, the GAO issued a report on its investigation into the FCC’s Lifeline program, a program designed to deliver essential communications services to low income families but one that has grown at an alarming rate. The report’s findings are both expected and surprising – expected in that the report highlights areas of weakness in…
Read More Does Lifeline Need a Life Boat?There Are Still Payphones?
The first payphone was installed in New Haven, Conn. in June 1880 with payphone usage peaking in 2000 when there were more than two million payphones in service. By 2009, AT&T had exited the payphone business and, by the end of last year, it was estimated that less than 100,000 payphones remained in service in…
Read More There Are Still Payphones?Returning to Sound Policy and Restoring Internet Freedom
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to begin the process of revisiting whether internet access services should be classified as “information services” or “telecommunications services” as defined by the Telecom Act. From its inception, and throughout Republican and Democratic Administrations, internet access was treated as an information service. It was this light touch approach…
Read More Returning to Sound Policy and Restoring Internet FreedomThe Real Debate Over The Open Internet
Yesterday, Chairman Pai announced that he would open a proceeding to revisit the question of whether Congress directed the FCC to regulate the internet using the regulatory framework adopted in 1934 for the monopoly-era telephone networks. To be clear, this proceeding is not about whether the open internet will continue to be protected and preserved….
Read More The Real Debate Over The Open InternetNew Coat of Paint
Don’t worry – you’ve come to the right place. This is still the AT&T Public Policy Blog, a home for our thoughts on government policies and how they impact and shape the communications industry. We just decided we needed a new look. It’s been a little over seven years since we launched our blog. And…
Read More New Coat of PaintDelivering on the Broadband Promise to All Americans
If last week’s House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on broadband infrastructure is any measure, there appears to be growing consensus that any new infrastructure bill should include dollars for broadband – arguably the most essential infrastructure for American progress and productivity. As Chairman Blackburn observed, “we are all tired of hearing stories about parents…
Read More Delivering on the Broadband Promise to All AmericansWalking in L.A.
When I was a student at UCLA, my car (that was uninsured for theft) was stolen. I suddenly found myself without basic transportation in Los Angeles. The logistics of getting to school and work became quite challenging, forget about attempting a doctor’s appointment or a social event. I became a slave to bus schedules and…
Read More Walking in L.A.FCC Reform: Let’s Start With the Enforcement Bureau
FCC reform is a topic of much discussion these days. Indeed, Chairman Pai has already initiated some important process reforms and we anticipate that more are coming. Clearer and more transparent processes will lead to better regulatory results. We have also been contemplating reform and will, from time to time, be posting our ideas for regulatory…
Read More FCC Reform: Let’s Start With the Enforcement Bureau