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.
National Cable &Telecommunications Association v. Brand X Internet Services,545 U.S. 967 (2005),was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that decisions by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on how to regulate Internet service providers are eligible for Chevron deference,in which the judiciary defers to an administrative agency's expertise under its governing statutes. While the case concerned routine regulatory processes at the FCC and applied to interpretations of the Communications Act of 1934 and Telecommunications Act of 1996,the ruling has become an important precedent on the matter of regulating network neutrality in the United States.
Municipal broadband is broadband Internet access offered by public entities. Services are often provided either fully or partially by local governments to residents within certain areas or jurisdictions. Common connection technologies include unlicensed wireless,licensed wireless,and fiber-optic cable. Many cities that previously deployed Wi-Fi based solutions,like Comcast and Charter Spectrum,are switching to municipal broadband. Municipal fiber-to-the-home networks are becoming more prominent because of increased demand for modern audio and video applications,which are increasing bandwidth requirements by 40% per year. The purpose of municipal broadband is to provide internet access to those who cannot afford internet from internet service providers and local governments are increasingly investing in said services for their communities.
NCTA,formerly known as the National Cable &Telecommunications Association (NCTA),is a trade association representing the broadband and cable television industries in the United States. As of 2011,NCTA represented more than 90% of the U.S. cable market,over 200 cable networks,and various equipment suppliers and service providers to the cable industry.
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.
A robocall is a phone call that uses a computerized autodialer to deliver a pre-recorded message,as if from a robot. Robocalls are often associated with political and telemarketing phone campaigns,but can also be used for public service,emergency announcements,or scammers. Multiple businesses and telemarketing companies use auto-dialing software to deliver prerecorded messages to millions of users. Some robocalls use personalized audio messages to simulate an actual personal phone call. The service is also viewed as prone to association with scams.
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.
Michael O'Rielly is a former commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC),an independent agency of the United States government. He was nominated by President Barack Obama in August 2013 and was confirmed on October 29,2013,taking office on November 4,2013. He was nominated to complete the term of outgoing commissioner Robert M. McDowell which ended on June 30,2014. He was then renominated and reconfirmed by the Senate.
Verizon Communications Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission,740 F.3d 623,was a case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacating portions of the FCC Open Internet Order of 2010,which the court determined could only be applied to common carriers and not to Internet service providers. The case was initiated by Verizon,which would have been subjected to the proposed FCC rules,though they had not yet gone into effect. The case has been regarded as an important precedent on whether the FCC can regulate network neutrality.
United States Telecom Association v. FCC,825 F. 3d 674,was a case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upholding an action by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the previous year in which broadband Internet was reclassified as a "telecommunications service" under the Communications Act of 1934,after which Internet service providers (ISPs) were required to follow common carrier regulations.
Brendan Thomas Carr is an American lawyer who has served as a member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) since 2017. Appointed to the position by Donald Trump,Carr previously served as the agency's general counsel and as an aide to FCC commissioner Ajit Pai. In private practice,Carr formerly worked as a telecommunications attorney at Wiley Rein.
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.
Nathan Alexander Simington is a commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Simington previously served as a senior advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Prior to that,he had worked as an associate at Mayer Brown,Kirkland &Ellis,and Chapman and Cutler,and as legal counsel at Brightstar Corporation.
Executive Order 14036,titled Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy and sometimes referred to as the Executive Order on Competition,is the fifty-first executive order signed by U.S. President Joe Biden. Signed on July 9,2021,the order serves to establish a "whole-of-government effort to promote competition in the American economy" by encouraging stronger enforcement of antitrust law.
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.
Anna M. Gomez is an American telecommunications lawyer currently serving as a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. From 2013 to 2022,she was a partner at Wiley Rein and in 2023 was a senior advisor in the United States Department of State's Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy. She was the deputy assistant secretary of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration from 2009 to 2013.
