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.
The United States Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administers programs that provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities. These include water and waste treatment,electric power,and telecommunications services. It is an operating unit of the USDA Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). It was created in 1935 as the Rural Electrification Administration (REA),a New Deal agency promoting rural electrification.
William Earl Kennard is an American attorney and former government official. Kennard served as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton,and was the first African American to lead the agency. In 2009,Kennard was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Ambassador to the European Union,serving until 2013.
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.
CTIA is a trade association representing the wireless communications industry in the United States. The association was established in 1984 and is headquartered in Washington,D.C. It is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership organization,and represents wireless carriers and suppliers,and manufacturers and providers of wireless products and services.
The Under Secretary for Rural Development (USDA(RD)) is a high-ranking official in the United States Department of Agriculture and principal advisor to the United States Secretary of Agriculture responsible for oversight of the department's rural development programs and policies.
The Universal Service Fund (USF) is a system of telecommunications subsidies and fees managed by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intended 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. The FCC is a government agency that implements and enforces telecommunications regulations across the U.S. and its territories. 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. The total 2019 proposed budget for the USF was $8.4 billion. The budget is revised quarterly allowing the service providers to accurately estimate their costs. As of 2019,roughly 60% of the USF budget was put towards “high-cost”areas,19% went to libraries and schools,13% was for low income areas,and 8% was for rural health care. In 2019 the rate for the USF budget was 24.4% of a telecom company's interstate and international end-user revenues.
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.
Robert Malcolm McDowell is a lawyer and lobbyist who served as a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission from June 1,2006,to May 17,2013. He is currently a partner in the law firm Cooley LLP.
The Internet in the United States grew out of the ARPANET,a network sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense during the 1960s. The Internet in the United States in turn provided the foundation for the worldwide Internet of today.
Julius Genachowski is an American lawyer and businessman. He became the Federal Communications Commission Chairman on June 29,2009. On March 22,2013,he announced he would be leaving the FCC in the coming weeks. On January 6,2014,it was announced that Genachowski had joined The Carlyle Group. He transitioned from Partner and Managing Director to Senior Advisor in early 2024.
Connecting America:The National Broadband Plan is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plan to improve Internet access in the United States. The FCC was directed to create the plan by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,and unveiled its plan on March 16,2010.
Mignon Letitia Clyburn is an American former government official who served as a member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2009 to 2018.
Meredith Attwell Baker is the president and chief executive officer of CTIA,an industry trade group that represents the international wireless telecommunications industry. From 2009 to 2011,Baker was a member of the United States Federal Communications Commission,nominated by U.S. President Barack H. Obama. She also served in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration as a political appointee,and was subsequently named a deputy assistant secretary of the Commerce Department by President George W. Bush in February 2007.
Policies promoting wireless broadband are policies,rules,and regulations supporting the "National Wireless Initiative",a plan to bring wireless broadband Internet access to 98% of Americans.
Broadband universal service,also known as "universal service obligation" (USO) or "universal broadband service",refers to government efforts to ensure all citizens have access to the internet. Universal voice service obligations have been expanded to include broadband service obligations in Switzerland,Finland,Spain and the UK.
Thomas Edgar Wheeler is an American businessman and former government official. A member of the Democratic Party,he served as the 31st Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA),formerly known as PCIA,is an American trade association for wireless providers and companies that build cell phone towers,rooftop wireless sites,and other facilities that transmit wireless communication signals. The Washington Post described the industry as "the people who build all those cell towers so you can actually make those calls,download that data." These technologies are collectively referred to as "wireless telecommunications infrastructure."
ConnectEd is a United States Federal Government Initiative that aims to increase internet connectivity and technology in all public schools to enhance learning. The ConnectEd initiative is funded through Title IV Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA),which designates specific monies for the effective use of technology in schools. The 2016 National Education Technology Plan aligns with ConnectEd as a published action plan to meet these goals of technology integration and connectivity.
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.
