FCC

Regulatory Comment: FCC Lacks Statutory Authority to Expand Data Breach Notification Standards to “Inadvertent Breaches”

February 28, 2023 | Jonathon Hauenschild

Data breach notification standards are important tools to protect cybersecurity. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), though, lacks congressional authority to expand its current notification regime to include “accidental” or “inadvertent breaches.” In a recent comment filed with the FCC, I discussed the need to ensure that consumers are notified when bad actors intentionally access confidential

February 28, 2023 | Jonathon Hauenschild

When deploying broadband infrastructure, service providers should not discriminate against potential customers on the basis of income level, race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin. In a recent comment filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), I discussed the best ways for the FCC to realize its goal of closing the digital divide while preventing discrimination.

November 29, 2022 | Evan Swarztrauber

This piece was originally published in Multichannel News. Ever since the Titanic sank, the U.S. government has regulated the airwaves within its borders. After the Titanic’s distress signal was drowned out by amateur radio operators, Congress passed the Radio Act of 1912, putting an end to the era of a “cacophony of competing voices, none of

July 26, 2021 | Joel Thayer

As telecommunications revenues decline, a tax to promote universal service – passed onto everyday consumers – continues to increase. The reason: That tax replenishes the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund’s annual budget of $5 billion to $8 billion. The fund is the commission’s primary tool to close the so-called “digital divide” by supporting four

March 16, 2021 | Joel Thayer

In 2003, Tim Wu first coined the phrase “net neutrality” in his paper “Network Neutrality, Broadband Discrimination.” He defined a neutral network as “internet that does not favor one application over another.” Today, the Federal Communications Commission faces a choice: either regulate the entire internet ecosystem as a public utility or do not. The agency

February 11, 2021 | Joel Thayer

Click here to download a PDF of the letter Lincoln Network (“Lincoln”) writes to the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) to provide its comments in the above-captioned proceeding. Lincoln is a non-profit organization that seeks to bridge the often-siloed discussions between policymakers in Washington, D.C., and technologists in Silicon Valley so as to advance

July 8, 2020 | Joel Thayer

Consumer Technology Association (CTA), a national trade organization representing more than 2,200 tech companies in the United States, recently submitted a petition for Rulemaking Or, In The Alternative, Waiver To Expand Marketing Opportunities For Innovative Technologies. Lincoln’s letter of support of the petition can be downloaded here Ms. Marlene H. Dortch Federal Communications Commission 445

June 16, 2020 | Joel Thayer

To ensure that I am behaving responsibly during this COVID-19 pandemic these past few months, I have mostly positioned myself on my couch where my live-in girlfriend and I exhaust all that online streaming services have to offer. Don’t believe me? Well, we are currently streaming ABC’s “Once Upon A Time.” For the unfamiliar, the

May 20, 2020 | Joel Thayer

WC Docket Nos. 17-287 The D.C. Circuit largely upheld the FCC’s 2018 Restoring Internet Freedom Order (“2018 RIF Order”) in Mozilla v. F.C.C., but the Court requested that the FCC seek comment on three aspects of its 2018 RIF Order (i.e, public safety, pole attachments, and Lifeline). After careful review of the docket, Lincoln Network

May 7, 2020 | Joel Thayer

To be competitive in the race to 5G, the U.S. must rely on and support its expert agency – the FCC…. If we have learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the importance of a united front from the government. This is especially true of the United States’ position on 5G, which requires government

April 23, 2020 | Lars Schönander

Today the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to adopt rules making 1200 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band available for use by unlicensed technologies. There are tremendous benefits for both industry and consumers in making more available spectrum for use by unlicensed technologies, such as Wi-Fi, where it will permit more users to

April 20, 2020 | Joel Thayer

By Joel Thayer and Garrett Johnson Shelter-in-place America depends on an internet economy powered by tech company innovations. However, digital innovation relies on the existence of strong broadband networks. With the adoption of 5G, tech companies need priority access arrangements for essential services such as autonomous vehicles and telemedicine to operate successfully. That said, if

April 16, 2020 | Joel Thayer

More spectrum will help pave the way for IoT and 5G FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s announcement that he had circulated a draft order to approve Ligado Network’s application is a welcomed one. Granting Ligado’s application would modify its license to allow the company to deploy a low-power terrestrial network for 5G and IoT by leveraging

Comments of Lincoln Network to the FCC

April 8, 2020 | Garrett Johnson

WC Docket Nos. 17-108; 17-287; 11-42 Authored by Joel L. Thayer and Garrett Johnson. Today, we use broadband via 4G/LTE networks to enhance many innovative technologies, such as telemedicine, connected farming, and security platforms to ensure our Nation’s security. The Internet of today requires authorities, both federal and state, to exercise some regulatory humility. Now

Answering China’s Sharp Power

November 20, 2019 | Dan Lips

The Federal Communications Commission will soon consider a proposal to prevent U.S. companies from using Universal Service Fund dollars to purchase equipment or services from companies deemed to present a national security threat, including Huawei and ZTE Corporation. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai made the case for his proposal: “Thanks

July 25, 2019 | Will Upton

Lincoln joined a coalition letter organized by the Institute for Liberty supporting the FCC’s efforts to curb excessive state and local cable franchise fees, as well as in-kind demands, that chill broadband deployment. The letter encourages the Commission to adopt the draft Third Report and Order on the implementation of Section 621 of the Cable Act during

April 12, 2019 | Ryan Radia

The following article by Lincoln Network senior policy counsel Ryan Radia originally ran at InsideSources: Telecom companies are beginning to overhaul their networks with the fifth generation of wireless infrastructure, known as 5G. In early April, Verizon Wireless launched America’s first commercial 5G network in Chicago and Minneapolis, offering markedly improved speeds compared to existing 4G networks—up