Posted on May 14th, 2013 by William Christian
“The farmers love this bill, The farmers love this bill, High, HIGH, the dairies go, The farmers love this bill!” While it’s a tortured version of the original, the verse scribbled above represents a more fitting rendition of the classic nursery rhyme these days, given ongoing congressional action. Today, the Senate will markup its version (S. [...]
Filed under: Agriculture, Big Government, Broadband, Budget, Congress, Entitlements, Farm Bill, Pork, Reform, Waste | No Comments »
Posted on April 15th, 2013 by Deborah Collier
The federal government is once again picking winners and losers. On April 12, 2013, the Department of Justice (DOJ) submitted its recommendations to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the upcoming broadcast spectrum incentive auctions. Among the DOJ’s suggestions are that the FCC adopt rules that prohibit larger mobile competitors from bidding on low-frequency spectrum [...]
Filed under: Broadband, Internet, Spectrum, Technology, Telecommunications | No Comments »
Posted on March 13th, 2013 by Deborah Collier
On February 13, 2013, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on the broadband stimulus programs managed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS). At that hearing, a number of concerns were raised about the issue of overbuild within the programs across rural America, and [...]
Filed under: Agriculture, Broadband, Congress, Internet, Prime Cuts, Technology, Telecommunications, Waste | No Comments »
Posted on February 13th, 2013 by Deborah Collier
On February 7, 2013, KUSA-Channel 9 News in Denver, Colorado investigated issues related to the administration of a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant within the state of Colorado, which is reportedly using the funding to build new fiber optic lines alongside those already in existence in direct competition with local telecommunication providers. In 2009, Congress passed the [...]
Filed under: Broadband, Internet, Stimulus, Telecommunications, Waste | No Comments »
Posted on September 10th, 2012 by Deborah Collier
On Friday, September 7, 2012, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the commission would be voting on a proposal to implement the incentive spectrum auctions in order to provide additional spectrum to the wireless industry at its upcoming September 28th meeting. As more people access mobile technology and broadband through the use [...]
Filed under: Broadband, Spectrum, Telecommunications | No Comments »
Posted on August 27th, 2012 by Deborah Collier
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is looking for ways to pay for its plans to expand broadband Internet to every household in America using the Connect America Fund (CAF). The CAF is part of the FCC’s recent reform of the Universal Service Fund (USF) which was created to provide telecommunications services in unserved and underserved areas [...]
Filed under: Broadband, Internet, Taxes, Technology | No Comments »
Posted on August 16th, 2012 by Deborah Collier
The availability of additional spectrum for wireless carriers has not kept pace with the demand for wireless broadband. While efforts are underway to increase the amount of spectrum available through incentive auctions outlined in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Jobs Creation Act of 2012, putting together spectrum auctions is a slow process. That is [...]
Filed under: Broadband, Internet, Technology, Telecommunications | No Comments »
Posted on August 3rd, 2012 by Deborah Collier
On July 26, 2012, Kansas City and Google announced an agreement to build out a fiber optic network, promising to bring broadband Internet and TV to homes across the area with speeds of up to 1 Gigabyte per second. While there may be benefits to increased competition for such services, there are questions that must [...]
Filed under: Broadband, Internet, Privacy, Telecommunications, Video | No Comments »
Posted on June 11th, 2012 by Deborah Collier
As part of the Recovery Act in 2009, Congress authorized $4.7 billion towards the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant program. To contract this figure, according to data compiled last year, the private sector invested over $250 billion from 2008 to 2011 in broadband infrastructure improvements and development. Last December, The Daily Caller reported that [...]
Filed under: Broadband, Internet, Technology, Telecommunications, Waste, Wastewatcher | No Comments »
Posted on June 8th, 2012 by Luke Gelber
Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) joined 13 fiscally conservative, pro-competition groups in signing a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski. The letter urges Chairman Genachowski to approve the transfer of spectrum licenses from SpectrumCo and Cox to Verizon Wireless, which would allow for a much-needed increase in the supply of spectrum [...]
Filed under: Broadband, Regulation, Technology | No Comments »
