The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a report that outlines a vision for how the Federal Government can increase broadband access and actions that various Federal Agencies are taking to increase private-sector investment in broadband. The report’s recommendations are grouped into three categories: streamlining Federal permitting processes to speed broadband deployment, leveraging Federal assets to lower the cost of broadband buildouts, and maximizing the impact of Federal funding.
Highlights of Federal Agencies’ actions include:
Additionally, the report highlighted some future milestones that will be expected on the below dates, including:
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The Regulatory Mix Today: Broadband Milestone Report Released by NTIA, Department of Interior Releases Rural Tower Map, GAO Report on Internet Privacy
As mentioned in the Broadband Milestone Report, the Department of the Interior (DOI) released a Geographical Information System (GIS) map of its inventory of over 7,000 tower locations and the information is now publicly available. These towers, primarily located in rural areas, will be available to service providers looking to locate equipment on Federal property as they expand wireless and wireline broadband networks. The application allows users to see locations of existing Federal broadband infrastructure, filter data, and add layers for analysis. Each layer includes information, such as serial number, which is available with a mouse click. This streamlines the broadband permitting process by enabling customers to identify land management agencies and designations early, make informed choices, and ultimately improve the permitting process. This map was issued to comply with the Presidential Memorandum: “Supporting Broadband Tower Facilities in Rural America on Federal Properties Managed by the Department of the Interior.”
GAO Report on Internet Privacy
At the request of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Government Accountability Office (GA0) evaluated FTC and FCC Internet privacy enforcement actions and authorities and interviewed representatives from industry, consumer advocacy groups, and academia; FTC and FCC staff; former FTC and FCC commissioners; and officials from other federal oversight agencies.
The Report notes that the US currently does not have a comprehensive Internet privacy law governing the collection, use, and sale or other disclosure of consumers’ personal information. At the federal level, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) currently has the lead in overseeing Internet privacy, using its statutory authority under the FTC Act to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive trade practices. However, to date FTC has not issued regulations for Internet privacy other than those protecting financial privacy and the Internet privacy of children, which were required by law. In the last decade, FTC has filed 101 enforcement actions regarding Internet privacy; nearly all actions resulted in settlement agreements requiring action by the companies. In most of these cases, FTC did not levy civil penalties because it lacked such authority for those particular violations. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has had a limited role in overseeing Internet privacy.
Most Internet industry stakeholders interviewed said they favored FTC’s current approach—direct enforcement of its unfair and deceptive practices statutory authority, rather than promulgating and enforcing regulations implementing that authority. Stakeholders identified three main areas in which Internet privacy oversight could be enhanced: adoption of an Internet privacy statute that clearly articulated to consumers, industry, and agencies what behaviors are prohibited; additional regulations; and giving the FTC civil penalty authority.
GAO recommends that Congress consider developing comprehensive legislation on Internet privacy that would enhance consumer protections and provide flexibility to address a rapidly evolving Internet environment. Issues that should be considered include what authorities agencies should have in order to oversee Internet privacy, including appropriate rulemaking authority, civil penalties for first time violations of a statute, and other enforcement tools.
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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.
Telecom Regulatory Training from Inteserra:
"Translating Government Policies to Day-to-Day Telecom Operations" April 2 & 3, 2019 in Maitland, FL