The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio,television,wire,satellite,and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction over the areas of broadband access,fair competition,radio frequency use,media responsibility,public safety,and homeland security.
Gigi Beth Sohn is an American lawyer who is the co-founder of Public Knowledge. She previously worked for the Ford Foundation. In 2013,Tom Wheeler hired her into a senior staff position at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). She left there shortly after Donald Trump's election in 2016. In July 2017,she held fellowship positions with Georgetown Law's Institute for Technology Law &Policy,Open Society Foundations,and Mozilla.
The Universal Service Fund (USF) is a system of telecommunications subsidies and fees managed by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promote universal access to telecommunications services in the United States. The FCC established the fund in 1997 in compliance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Originally designed to subsidize telephone service,since 2011 the fund has expanded its goals to supporting broadband universal service. The Universal Service Fund's budget ranges from $5–8 billion per year depending on the needs of the telecommunications providers. These needs include the cost to maintain the hardware needed for their services and the services themselves. In 2022 disbursements totaled $7.4 billion,split across the USF's four main programs:$2.1 billion for the E-rate program,$4.2 billion for the high-cost program,$0.6 billion for the Lifeline program,and $0.5 billion for the rural health care program.
In the United States,net neutrality—the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) should make no distinctions between different kinds of content on the Internet,and to not discriminate based on such distinctions—has been an issue of contention between end-users and ISPs since the 1990s. With net neutrality,ISPs may not intentionally block,slow down,or charge different rates for specific online content. Without net neutrality,ISPs may prioritize certain types of traffic,meter others,or potentially block specific types of content,while charging consumers different rates for that content.
An inmate telephone system,also known as an Inmate Calling Service (ICS) or Inmate telephone service,is telephone service intended for use by inmates in correctional facilities in the United States. Telephone service for inmates allows for their rehabilitation by allowing consistent communication with their family and legal counsel while incarcerated.
Mignon Letitia Clyburn is an American former government official who served as a member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2009 to 2018.
Ajit Varadaraj Pai is an American lawyer who served as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2017 to 2021. He has been a partner at the private-equity firm Searchlight Capital since April 2021.
Jessica Rosenworcel is an American attorney who served as a member and chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). She originally served on the FCC from May 11,2012,to January 3,2017,and was confirmed by the Senate for an additional term on August 3,2017. She was named to serve as acting chairwoman in January 2021 and designated permanent chairwoman in October 2021. She was confirmed for another term by the Senate in December 2021.
Jeffrey Neale Jackson is an American politician,attorney,and military officer who has served as the 52nd attorney general of North Carolina since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party,he previously served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 14th congressional district from 2023 to 2024 and represented the 37th district in the North Carolina Senate from 2014 to 2022.
Michael John Gallagher is an American foreign policy advisor and Republican politician from Brown County,Wisconsin. He served four terms in the United States House of Representatives,representing Wisconsin's 8th congressional district from 2017 until his resignation in April 2024.
ByteDance Ltd. is a Chinese internet technology company headquartered in Haidian,Beijing and incorporated in the Cayman Islands.
TikTok,known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin,is a short-form video-hosting service owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos,which may range in duration from three seconds to 60 minutes. It can be accessed through a mobile app or through its website.
Geoffrey Adam Starks is an American lawyer serving as a Commissioner of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC). He was nominated by President Donald Trump to succeed Mignon Clyburn who announced on April 19,2018,that she was going to step down on June 6,2018. Starks was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on January 2,2019. He was sworn into office on January 30,2019. Starks is affiliated with the Democratic Party. He was renominated by President Joe Biden for a new term and was confirmed by the Senate on September 30,2023.
Many countries have imposed past or ongoing restrictions on the short-form video-hosting service TikTok. Bans from government devices usually stem from national security concerns over potential access of data by the Chinese government. Other bans have cited children's well-being and offensive content such as pornography. There are also free speech concerns about TikTok ban.
Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20,2021,and ended on January 20,2025. Biden,a member of the Democratic Party who previously served as vice president for two terms under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017,took office after his victory in the 2020 presidential election over the incumbent president,Donald Trump of the Republican Party. Upon his inauguration,he became the oldest president in American history,breaking the record set by Ronald Reagan. Biden entered office amid the COVID-19 pandemic,an economic crisis,and increased political polarization. He withdrew his bid for a second term in the 2024 presidential election due to low popularity and concerns over his age and health. Trump won the election and succeeded Biden as president,making him the second president to be succeeded in office by his predecessor after Benjamin Harrison.
In 2020,the United States government announced that it was considering banning the Chinese social media platform TikTok upon a request from Donald Trump,the president of the United States,who viewed the app as a national security threat. The result was that the parent company of TikTok,ByteDance—which initially planned on selling a small portion of TikTok to an American company—agreed to divest TikTok to prevent a ban in the United States and in other countries where restrictions are also being considered due to privacy concerns,which themselves are mostly related to its ownership by a firm based in China.
The political positions of Joe Manchin encompass the established political and economic positions taken by Joe Manchin,the senior United States senator from West Virginia. Manchin's positions are reflected in his voting record,public speeches,and interviews. A member of the Democratic Party until 2024 when he registered as an Independent,Manchin is characterized by his self-described moderate beliefs.
The short-form video-hosting service TikTok has been under a de jure nationwide ban in the United States since January 19,2025,due to the US government's concerns over potential user data collection and influence operations by the government of the People's Republic of China. The ban took effect after ByteDance,the China-based parent company of TikTok,refused to sell the service before the deadline of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Prior to the ban,individual states,cities,universities,and government-affiliated devices had restricted TikTok.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) is an act of Congress that was signed into law on April 24,2024,as part of Public Law 118-50. It would ban social networking services within 270 days if they are determined by the president of the United States and relevant provisions to be a "foreign adversary controlled application",with a possible extension of up to 90 days to be granted by the president;the definition covers websites and application software,including mobile apps. The act explicitly applies to ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries—including TikTok—without the need for additional determination,with the company to become compliant by January 19,2025. It ceases to be applicable if the foreign adversary controlled application is divested and no longer considered to be controlled by a foreign adversary of the United States.
The Hill and Valley Forum is a consortium of American lawmakers and venture capitalists first convened in March 2023 to combat China's influence on the US technology industry. Founded by United States–China Economic and Security Review Commission member Jacob Helberg alongside venture capitalists Christian Garrett and Delian Asparahouv,the working group also includes Peter Thiel and Vinod Khosla. The forum's initial private dinner in Washington,D.C. was held in advance of congressional testimony by TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew,and was attended by then Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr.
