Podcast appearances and mentions of blair levin

Policy expert and former FCC official Blair Levin joins the podcast to discuss changes on the horizon for BEAD, spectrum policy, US broadband strategy, USF reform and much more amid the new Trump administration and a new FCC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the FCC's Universal Service Fund is unconstitutional, a split from two circuit courts' previous decisions. In this episode of All Day Digital, the former executive director of the FCC's National Broadband Plan, Blair Levin, discusses what this means for rural telecom operators who rely on USF support and why he thinks the Supreme Court will take the case. 

Blair Levin Stroh is a Costume Designer based in Los Angeles. Blair has worked on shows like American Idol, High School Musical the series and the recent remake of Bel Air. As a celebrity stylist, she has traveled and toured the world with Mariah Carey for over a decade. On this episode, Blair talks with Dani Des Roches about her journey from Philadelphia to working with top fashion brands and celebrities.

New Street Research analyst Blair Levin joins the podcast to discuss the Supreme Court's recent decision to strike down Chevron deference and what it means for broadband policy and the digital divide. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us Friday, June 7th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Robert Boyle (Planet Networks) as well as special guest Blair Levin to talk about how state broadband offices are faring under […]

The Universal Service Fund, an FCC program that ensures connectivity in rural America, is being challenged in U.S. federal circuit court. The outcome could be disruptive for rural telecom operators who rely on USF support. In this episode of All Day Digital, the former executive director of the FCC's National Broadband Plan, Blair Levin, explains the situation and urges rural communities to be informed.

This week on the podcast, Christopher explores the broadband and telecommunications landscape with Blair Levin, anticipating its significance in 2024. They delve into crucial FCC issues, including the ACP and the future of Title II, while also addressing industry mergers, the evolution of fixed wireless and fiber networks, and ongoing challenges in achieving universal service and closing the digital divide. ★ Support this podcast ★

New Street Research analyst and former FCC official Blair Levin joined the podcast live at the ACA Connects Summit this week to talk about the state of broadband in the US, and the urgency around re-funding the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by returning guest Blair Levin. Levin has served as former chief of staff to FCC Chair Reed Hundt as well as executive director of the National Broadband Plan (2009-2010). Nowadays, he's a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings, and joins Christopher to unpack all that we might expect to … Continue reading "What Can We Expect to See in 2023? – Episode 534 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast"

Few people have been as pivotal in the history of US tech and telecom regulation as Blair Levin.Levin served as chief of staff in the Federal Communications Commission during the Clinton administration and led the development of the National Broadband Plan under President Obama. Today, he's the Executive Director of the Gig.U Project, which looks to accelerate the US deployment of next-generation networks.In this month's Top in Tech in-conversation, Senior Practice Director Conan D'Arcy speaks to Levin about the past and future of US telecom regulation, and how the calculus may be changing following a decision by the Supreme Court that may limit the power of regulators across the federal government. Could the US be heading towards a regulation model more reminiscent of the EU?'Top in Tech' is a production of Global Counsel, a strategic advisory business headquartered in London with offices across the world. We help companies and investors manage risk and see opportunities in politics, regulation and public policy. To learn more about our work, please visit our website by clicking here.If you or your business is impacted by the trends in this conversation, you can reach out to our TMT team by clicking here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barron's associate editor for technology Eric Savitz speaks with Blair Levin, policy analyst with New Street Research on the outlook for regulating big tech.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed in late 2021 includes substantial funds for expanding broadband internet access to close the digital divide in America. How much money is going to be spent? How and when will the funds be allocated? And in what ways can this process best serve the communities that need it the most? Blair Levin from The Brookings Institution explains. Today's episode of Recode Daily is a re-run from Feb. 7, 2022. It was produced by Jon Ehrens, engineered by Melissa Pons (Hemlock Creek Productions) and hosted by Adam Clark Estes.  Support Recode Daily by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed late last year includes a lot of money for expanding fast and affordable broadband internet access in an effort to close the digital divide in America. So how much money is going to be spent, how and when will the funds be allocated, and in what ways can this process best serve the communities that need it the most? Blair Levin's series: - -  Steps the states should take to achieve the infrastructure bill's broadband goals  States' best chance for permanent broadband affordability requires action now Steps the Commerce Department should take to achieve the infrastructure bill's broadband goals  Today's episode was produced by Jon Ehrens, engineered by Melissa Pons and hosted by Adam Clark Estes.  Support Recode Daily by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Several bills seeking to restructure American antitrust law are moving forward in both bodies of Congress. The bills specifically target Big Tech firms — namely Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google — though they follow arbitrary metrics for “bigness,” and don't address lawmakers' main concerns with tech platforms. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are also stepping up enforcement against Big Tech. With a Senate markup approaching for one of the bills, we must ask: Is Congress really prepared to pass major antitrust legislation? On this episode, https://www.aei.org/profile/shane-tews/ (Shane) is joined by https://sils.unc.edu/people/faculty/profiles/Matt-Perault (Matt Perault), a former Facebook public policy director and professor at the University of North Carolina School of Information & Library Science, along with https://www.newstreetresearch.com/team-members/blair-levin/ (Blair Levin), nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and policy advisor to New Street Research. The three of them discuss what consumers stand to lose if these bills become law, and the political forces at play in tech antitrust.

Blair Levin is the Policy Advisor to New Street Research and a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Project at the Brookings Institution. He also served as Chief of Staff to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, directed the writing of the United States National Broadband Plan, where I worked for him, and was a Policy Analyst for the Equity Research Teams at Legg Mason and Stifel Nicolaus, in addition to many other activities. Gregory Rosston is the Gordon Cain Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and Director of the Stanford Public Policy Program. He served as Deputy Chief Economist at the Federal Communications Commission, working on the implementation of the Telecommunications Act in 1996, and he helped design and implement the first-ever spectrum auction in the United States.

Blair Levin serves as a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Project at the Brookings Institution. He also is the Policy Advisor to New Street Research, an international equity research firm. Blair began his career practicing law in North Carolina. He then served as Chief of Staff to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt (1993-1997), was a policy analyst for the equity research teams at Legg Mason and Stifel Nicolaus, co-lead the Obama technology and government innovation transition team, and returned to government to direct the writing of the United States National Broadband Plan (2009-2010). Since then, he has split his time advising institutional investors and private companies, serving with various non-profits, and has been involved with a number of pro bono projects including working with three dozen university communities seeking to obtain next generation broadband networks, and working with the World Bank and UNHCR to create a Global Broadband Plan for Refugees. Barron's Magazine noted that his work, "has always been on top of developing trends and policy shifts in media and telecommunications … and has proved visionary in getting out in front of many of today's headline making events." Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler also praised his work, noting “no one's done more to advance broadband expansion and competition through the vision of the National Broadband Plan.” Levin is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School. https://www.newstreetresearch.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

On this episode, we hear from Blair Levin, who oversaw the creation of the National Broadband Plan under President Barack Obama and served as FCC Chairman Reed Hundt's chief of staff under President Bill Clinton, as well as Clint Odom, senior vice president of policy and advocacy at the National Urban League. Earlier this year, the National Urban League put forth the Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity & Inclusion, outlining steps toward ending the digital divide and creating a more equitable and inclusive society in the US. We discuss the goals of the plan, which include deploying networks everywhere, overcoming the significant adoption gap, using networks to improve the delivery of essential services and creating new economic opportunities in the digital economy – and how the National Urban League and others are working with policy makers at the federal level to advance this agenda.

Today we will talk about COVID-19 and the digital divide with Blair Levin.Blair Levin is a nonresident senior fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. He serves as the executive director of Gig.U: The Next Generation Network Innovation Project, an initiative of three dozen leading research university communities seeking to support educational and economic development by accelerating the deployment of next generation networks.Previously, he worked with the Communications & Society Program with the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, following his departure in 2010 from the Federal Communications Commission where he oversaw the development of a National Broadband Plan.Levin served as chief of staff to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt from December 1993 through October 1997. During that period he oversaw, among other matters, the implementation of the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act, the first spectrum auctions, the development of digital television standards and the commission's Internet initiative.

Blair Levin, designer of the Obama national broadband plan joins the show Leave a voicemail: 862-250-8573 Follow us: twitter.com/thedailycharge Homepage: cnet.com/daily-charge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5G wireless will drive economic growth for decades to come, but we need a comprehensive strategy to ensure a robust deployment and adoption of secure networks. A U.S. strategy for 5G should play to our strengths to overcome unfair practices that have made Huawei a leader. Rob and Jackie discuss why 5G is important, separating hype from reality, and what a national framework should look like with Doug Brake, Director of Broadband and Spectrum Policy at ITIF and author of “A U.S. National Strategy for 5G and Future Wireless Innovation.” Mentioned:Doug Brake, “A U.S. National Strategy for 5G and Future Wireless Innovation” (ITIF, April 2020).Blair Levin and Larry Downes, “The Internet After COVID-19: Will We Mind the Gaps?” (Aspen Institute, April 15, 2020).Atkinson and Whisman, hosts. “What the COVID Crisis Teaches Us About Broadband Policy, With Special Guests Larry Downes and Blair Levin,” Innovation Files, ITIF, June 2020.

Blair Levin is one of the world’s foremost experts on internet access policy. In this episode, Blair and Matt discuss the lessons we can learn about internet access from experience with the pandemic so far, how broadband policy might look different in a Biden Administration, and the challenges of being a grandparent during the pandemic. Recent articles by Blair: “The Internet After COVID-19: Will We Mind the Gaps?” (https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/the-internet-after-covid-19-will-we-mind-the-gaps/) “COVID-19 proves we need to continue upgrading America’s broadband infrastructure.” (https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/30/covid-19-proves-we-need-to-continue-upgrading-americas-broadband-infrastructure/) National Broadband Plan: https://www.fcc.gov/general/national-broadband-plan  

The COVID-induced isolation economy has demonstrated just how important broadband networks are for work, learning, and entertainment. But it has also highlighted important gaps, such as the rural divide and the “homework divide,” that government policy can play a role in filling. Rob and Jackie discuss these issues with broadband and IT experts Larry Downes, a senior industry and innovation fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Business & Public Policy, and Blair Levin, a nonresident senior fellow with the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program and prior director of the 2010 National Broadband Plan.Mentioned:Blair Levin and Larry Downes, “The Internet After COVID-19: Will We Mind the Gaps?” (Aspen Institute, April 15, 2020).Larry Downes and Paul Nunes, Big Bang Disruption: Strategy In The Age Of Devastating Innovation, (Portfolio, 2014).Federal Communications Commission, The National Broadband Plan, March 17, 2010.Doug Brake, “A U.S. National Strategy for 5G and Future Wireless Innovation” (ITIF, April 2020).

GeneralSubscribe to Fully Vested at FullyVested.co or through your podcast app of choice.LinksOut Of Office: 65+ Startups Helping You Work From Home (CB Insights)COVID-19 proves we need to continue upgrading America’s broadband infrastructure (Blair Levin for the Brookings Institution)Keeping our network infrastructure strong amid COVID-19 (Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Technical Infrastructure for Google, publishing to Blog.Google)About The Co-HostsJason D. Rowley is a researcher and writer, volunteers with the Python Software Foundation as an organizer of Startup Row at PyCon US, and sends occasional newsletters from Rowley.Report.Graham C. Peck is a Venture Partner with Cultivation Capital and additionally helps companies build technology development teams in partnership with Brightgrove and other technology development organizations.

Gigi sits down with Blair Levin, the former Chief of Staff to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt and the architect behind the National Broadband Plan, to discuss the successes and shortcomings of the project. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, broadband access in the United States is more important than ever. Gigi and Blair share their first-hand perspectives of the importance of good policy to ensure internet connectivity in the entire U.S. during this inaugural episode of G&T: Tech on the Rocks.

Blair Levin is currently a nonresident fellow with the Brookings Institution and a policy advisor at New Street. Blair’s worked for the past 25 years at a high level at the intersection of broadband policy and capital markets. And most importantly for the purpose of this conversation, he led the FCC’s national broadband plan back in 2009 to 2010.

The Sprint / T-Mobile merger has been in process for about a year now, with a series of odd, dramatic twists and turns. Recently, a group of state attorneys general sued to stop the transaction. This week, Christopher talks with telecom policy experts Gigi Sohn and Blair Levin to get their takes on the whole … Continue reading "Top Experts Sound Off on Sprint and T-Mobile Merger – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 366"

This week, we're bringing you Building Local Power a little early in light of recent developments with the Sprint and T-Mobile merger. Host Chris Mitchell, interviews two telecommunications experts to get their take on the merger and its potential impact. First Chris talks to Gigi Sohn, a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy. Chris also talks with Blair Levin, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute. They discuss: How the T-Mobile and Sprint Merger could raise prices for millions of Americans, especially low-income households, and otherwise harm innovation. The importance of mobile when households can't afford a fixed Internet connection Precedent for blocking the merger, including the failed AT&T and T-Mobile merger How Wall Street thinks about mergers and what local policymakers can learn from Wall Street analysts Wall Street understands that the world is about probabilities, not certainties. And, in Washington, that is really a bad way of thinking about it because in Washington you don't actually own a problem, you own a narrative, and you should never be anything other than 100% certain of the correctness of your narrative. But that's just not the way that the real world works. Related Resources 4 Competition Coalition Updated Report Shows How Cooperatives Are Bridging the Digital Divide Shining a Light on Anti-Competitive Behavior (Episode 69) What's Going on With the Internet? (Episode 57) Gigi Sohn Blair Levin Transcript Hibba Meraay: Hi, everyone. It's Hibba, ILSR's Communications Manager. And today on the podcast, we have Chris with me here. Hey, Chris. Chris Mitchell: Hey, Hibba. How's it going? Hibba Meraay: Good. How are you? Chris Mitchell: I'm a little bit worried. I think we're talking about the 2020 election. I didn't prepare a whole lot. It's 476 days away. I'm getting a little bit nervous about it. I'm sure how ready I am to talk about it today. Hibba Meraay: Don't worry Chris. You can just catch up watching all of the political comedy commentary. I don't even watch the debates anymore. I just watch the Daily Show recap of it. It's fine, but that's actually our topic for today. Chris Mitchell: Oh. Whew, I was really worried when I woke up. Hibba Meraay: You actually interviewed some folks to talk about the T-Mobile and Sprint merger, which is a topic we have touched on before. So, my question for you is, why isn't this over yet? Chris Mitchell: I would say because we've gotten to a point in time in which, if you're powerful enough, you can't lose. You can just drag it out. This merger, I think, is more than a year old now, or approaching it. I think many of us thought we'd know if we'd won or lost. And by the way, winning means preserving competition. Losing would be losing competition in this sector. In an ordinary time, we might have seen a decision made, but we are not living in ordinary times. I don't know if you'd noticed that. Hibba Meraay: Yeah. I would say that's even an understatement right now. You interviewed two people. A little bit later we're going to hear from Blair Levin. But first, Gigi Sohn. Why her? Chris Mitchell: Gigi has very unique characteristics. I mean, not only is she very knowledgeable on these, but anyone who knows her knows that she also has this characteristic of in-your-face honesty, I would say. Which is that she sticks to what she believes, and she's not going to sugarcoat it, and she's not going to try to change her message based on who she's to talking to so much. She's going to tell you what she thinks, and I've always really respected that. She's spending a lot of time working on this issue. Gigi is someone who … We'll talk in the interview briefly about her background, but she's spend a lot of time in public interest, telecom, and working at the FCC recently, the Federal Communications Commission. So I though she'd be a perfect person to discuss this issue with. Hibba Meraay: Yeah,

Ever since the last time I spoke with Blair Levin on Episode 37, I have wanted to have him back for a friendly discussion about public or private ownership of next generation networks. Though Blair and I entirely agree that local governments should be free to decide locally whether a community broadband network investment is … Continue reading "Public or Private Ownership? Community Broadband Bits Episode 132" ★ Support this podcast ★

Blair Levin is Executive Director of Gig.U. Prior to that, he was in charge of developing the National Broadband Plan and long before that was Chief of Staff for the FCC during the Clinton Presidency. He's had a lot of experience in telecommunications policy but here we focus on what can be done to move … Continue reading "Blair Levin Discusses Gig.U and More for Community Broadband Bits Episode #37" ★ Support this podcast ★

National Broadband Plan architect Blair Levin joins us to discuss the broadband implications of his new plan to accelerate growth, shrink the national debt, revolutionize the delivery of government services and help slow global warming. With former FCC Chairman (93-97 Reed Hundt, Levin recently co-authored the e-book "The Politics of Abundance: How Technology Can Fix the Budget, Revive the American Dream, and Establish Obama’s Legacy." The book advocates strongly for a four-part plan that expands the Internet and the electric power grid: Tax carbon-intensive emissions from power plants in return for reducing income tax rates;  Couple utility reform with corporate tax reform; New wave infrastructure financing to support, among other things, next-generation data networks; andAccelerate all government services to the digital platforms, Listeners get a very good policy analysis from Levin and host Craig Settles, plus a preliminary look at issues both gentlemen will explore later in the week at a Washington, DC private roundtable on the economic and community impact of broadband.    

Yesterday, at the SHLB Coalition’s conference, Gig.U and Gigabit Squared announced the nation’s first gigabit network deployment fund. Get the details today with our guest, Mark Ansboury, CEO of Gigabit Squared. Under this $200 million Gigabit Neighborhood Gateway Program, capital is available to support up to six select Gig.U member-sponsored projects. One of the desired outcomes of this project is that the gig networks funded will provide platforms for innovation, next generation application development, workforce development and job creation. Will this fund open the gates to more creative investments in community broadband? Will Gigabit Squared’s action put pressure on Google to accelerate its Kansas City network project? Is this the beginning of a trend toward alternative financing for broadband as traditional government grant programs slow down. Find out answers to these and other important questions. For background on Gig.U, listen to this Gigabit Nation broadcast with Gig.U founder Blair Levin.

Many low-income urban communities need better, faster broadband as much as rural America. Learn why and what you can do about it. Our guest Lev Gonick, CIO of Cleveland, OH's Case Western Reserve University, launched the nation's first gigabit fiber-to-the-home research program called the Case Connection Zone.   Lev describes some of his major findings from this research, as well as exciting applications Case Western's urban broadband test bed has spawned. He also will discuss Gig.U, a new project headed by National Broadband Plan architect Blair Levin to facilitate collegiate broadband centers that expand services to surrounding communities. Our audience will pick up some vital lessons, including: availability and adoption are not the same, particularly in urban communities; how to structure effective "town & gown" strategies for broadband; and effective roles for private sector partners with Gig.U. Go to http://www.gig-u.org for more information about the Gig.U program.

National Broadband Plan Chief architect Blair Levin has another tiger by the tail as he hopes to accelerate gigabit broadened via a consortium of 29 universities dubbed Gig.U. Is your community in the loop?   Gig.U will create gigabit hubs at member colleges that then build coverage out to surrounding communities. Blair gives listeners an overview of Gig.U and sets the stage for a full briefing tomorrow on the program by Lev Gonick, Case Western Reserve University CIO and Gig.U member. We then shift gears to give listeners an in-depth look at proposed Universal Service Fund (USF) reform, but without the wonky-techie talk. Billions of dollars, as well as the quality of broadband that may or may not come to your community, are at stake. This is an great opportunity for communities to call in and engage in this critical discussion.