Podcasts about chairman ajit pai

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (10/25/2023): 3:05pm- On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) became the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives with a 220 to 209 floor vote—ending three-weeks of Republican infighting with unanimous support for his candidacy. In his first speech as Speaker from the House floor, Johnson vowed to “ensure that our republic remains standing as the great beacon of hope, light, and freedom in a world that desperately needs it.” 3:15pm- During civil-fraud trial proceedings on Wednesday, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron fined Donald Trump $10,000 for comments that violated a previously established gag order. Earlier this month, Judge Engoron barred Trump from criticizing members of the court after the former president jokingly referred to a law clerk as Chuck Schumer's girlfriend in a social media post. You can read more about the story here: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/trump-called-to-witness-stand-fined-for-out-of-court-comments-30a3f1ea?mod=hp_lead_pos8 3:35pm- While accepting the House Republican nomination to be Speaker of the House, following an internal vote on Tuesday night, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) told the press that “democracy is messy sometimes” but ensured that House Republicans are once again “united.” On Wednesday, he earned all 220 House Republican votes to become the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives. 3:50pm- While leaving a New York City courthouse, former President Donald Trump congratulated Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA)—telling reporters Johnson “will be a great Speaker of the House.” 4:05pm- Phil Kerpen—President of American Commitment—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his most recent editorial, “FCC Chair's Bad Wi-Fi is Not a Reason to Regulate the Internet.” Kerpen writes: “For two years, starting in 2015, the FCC regulated Internet service providers as public utilities in the name of net neutrality. When the Trump FCC under Chairman Ajit Pai proposed to repeal those Obama-era regulations, the media and other Democrats unleashed a series of apocalyptic predictions.” Disturbingly, earlier this month, “[FCC chair Jessica] Rosenworcel announced a new proposed rule almost identical to the short-lived Obama rule…The new proposal even explicitly reserves the right to engage in ex-post rate regulation, deciding after the fact that a company charged too much for a service.” You can read Kerpen's editorial here: https://www.americancommitment.org/fcc-chairs-bad-wi-fi-is-not-a-reason-to-regulate-the-internet/ 4:25pm- Has Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ) actually done something good? According to a report from Brady Knox of The Washington Examiner: “Earlier in October, Dr. Ronald G. Taylor, superintendent of schools for the South Orange-Maplewood School District, sent a letter to parents announcing that no Halloween celebrations would be held by the school district, claiming that doing so may ‘violate the dignity of some of our students and families, either culturally or religiously.' The cancellation of the holiday was bashed by the governor.” You can read the full article here: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/new-jersey-murphy-slams-school-canceling-halloween 4:40pm- Dave McCormick—Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania & former Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs during the George W. Bush Administration—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to talk about his campaign to unseat Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-PA). During the interview, he emphasizes the need for continued U.S. support for Israel as the country wages war against Hamas terrorists. McCormick also reacts to news that Rep. Mike Johnson has been elected Speaker of the House. You can learn more about his campaign here: https://www.davemccormickpa.com 5:00pm- Bryan Clark—Senior Fellow and Director at the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute & former U.S. Navy Submariner—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss the Pentagon's decision to move the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier, and its strike group, to the Middle East in support of the USS Gerald Ford as a deterrent to Iranian aggression. Will this be enough to dissuade Iranian proxies, like Hezbollah, from asserting themselves into the war between Israel and Hamas? 5:30pm- Rich notices something new at Wegmans—preferred pronouns prominently displayed on employee name tags. PLUS, did Matt unknowingly eat sheep cheese while vacationing in Italy? Speaking of Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has separated from her boyfriend of 10-years after he was caught on tape propositioning another woman for a “threesome or foursome.” 5:40pm- During civil-fraud trial proceedings on Wednesday, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron fined Donald Trump $10,000 for comments that violated a previously established gag order. Earlier this month, Judge Engoron barred Trump from criticizing members of the court after the former president jokingly referred to a law clerk as Chuck Schumer's girlfriend in a social media post. You can read more about the story here: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/trump-called-to-witness-stand-fined-for-out-of-court-comments-30a3f1ea?mod=hp_lead_pos8 6:05pm- On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) became the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives with a 220 to 209 floor vote—ending three-weeks of Republican infighting with unanimous support for his candidacy. In his first speech as Speaker from the House floor, Johnson vowed to “ensure that our republic remains standing as the great beacon of hope, light, and freedom in a world that desperately needs it.” MSNBC condemned the selection of Johnson citing his expressed doubts about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. However, didn't MSNBC spend years expressing similar doubts about the legitimacy of Donald Trump's election victory in 2016—baselessly blaming Russian interference? 6:10pm- Many progressive media outlets and politicians, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have denounced Mike Johnson's speakership—referring to him as an “election denier.” On X, President of American Commitment Phil Kerpen highlights the hypocrisy, noting that following the 2016 election Jeffries' tweeted: “The more we learn about 2016 election the more illegitimate it becomes. America deserves to know whether we have a fake president in the Oval Office #RussianInterference.” 6:15pm- While accepting the House Republican nomination to be Speaker of the House, following an internal vote on Tuesday night, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) told the press that “democracy is messy sometimes” but ensured that House Republicans are once again “united.” On Wednesday, he earned all 220 House Republican votes to become the 56thSpeaker of the House of Representatives. 6:20pm- Brooke Singman of Fox News reports: “The FBI maintained more than 40 confidential human sources on various criminal matters related to the Biden family, including Joe Biden, dating back to his time as vice president, according to information obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley…Grassley learned that an FBI task force within the Washington Field Office sought to, and in some cases, successfully, shut down reporting and information from those sources by falsely discrediting the information as foreign disinformation. That effort ‘caused investigative activity to cease.'” You can read the full report here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-received-criminal-information-40-confidential-sources-joe-biden-hunter-jim-grassley 6:25pm- During a campaign in Derry, New Hampshire, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump recalled when Joe Biden threatened to “take [Trump] behind a barn.” In response to the comment, Trump joked that Biden had a fake nose and that if the two ever fought there “would be plastic everywhere.” 6:40pm- In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, more than forty states allege that Meta—parent company of Facebook and Instagram—has harmed children, fueling a national mental health crisis in the process. The lawsuit accuses Meta of violating state consumer protections. You can read more here: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/24/states-sue-meta-addictive-features-kids-00123217

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 2: Phil Kerpen—President of American Commitment—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his most recent editorial, “FCC Chair's Bad Wi-Fi is Not a Reason to Regulate the Internet.” Kerpen writes: “For two years, starting in 2015, the FCC regulated Internet service providers as public utilities in the name of net neutrality. When the Trump FCC under Chairman Ajit Pai proposed to repeal those Obama-era regulations, the media and other Democrats unleashed a series of apocalyptic predictions.” Disturbingly, earlier this month, “[FCC chair Jessica] Rosenworcel announced a new proposed rule almost identical to the short-lived Obama rule…The new proposal even explicitly reserves the right to engage in ex-post rate regulation, deciding after the fact that a company charged too much for a service.” You can read Kerpen's editorial here: https://www.americancommitment.org/fcc-chairs-bad-wi-fi-is-not-a-reason-to-regulate-the-internet/ Has Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ) actually done something good? According to a report from Brady Knox of The Washington Examiner: “Earlier in October, Dr. Ronald G. Taylor, superintendent of schools for the South Orange-Maplewood School District, sent a letter to parents announcing that no Halloween celebrations would be held by the school district, claiming that doing so may ‘violate the dignity of some of our students and families, either culturally or religiously.' The cancellation of the holiday was bashed by the governor.” You can read the full article here: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/new-jersey-murphy-slams-school-canceling-halloween Dave McCormick—Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania & former Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs during the George W. Bush Administration—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to talk about his campaign to unseat Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-PA). During the interview, he emphasizes the need for continued U.S. support for Israel as the country wages war against Hamas terrorists. McCormick also reacts to news that Rep. Mike Johnson has been elected Speaker of the House. You can learn more about his campaign here: https://www.davemccormickpa.com

Recently FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced her intent to bring back net neutrality regulation. It's hard to believe it's been six years since the brouhaha over broadband regulation reached a fever pitch. When the Trump FCC repealed the Obama-era rules, the apocalypse was predicted. CNN said it would be “the end of the Internet as we know it.” Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon warned of “digital serfdom.” Underlying the heated public debate has always been a more arcane legal question of how to regulate Internet access—whether through a light touch or a heavier one. And with the Supreme Court taking a closer look at “major questions” to see if federal agencies are acting outside the bounds of the laws passed by Congress, it remains to be seen whether the FCC's revival of net neutrality will withstand legal muster.Evan is joined by Tom Johnson, former general counsel for the FCC under Chairman Ajit Pai during the Trump administration where he successfully defended the agency's net neutrality repeal before a federal district court. He is now a partner at the law firm Wiley Rein and co-chair of their appellate practice. He recently discussed his perspective on this issue in an article for Ars Technica.

The reclassification of broadband under Title II is one of the divisive FCC regulatory policy matters of the last decade. It was authorized under the leadership of former Chairman Tom Wheeler, and later erased by ex-Chairman Ajit Pai.On Tuesday, empowered with an all-important third Democratic vote, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel revealed that she's introducing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that is being circulated among the Commissioners for consideration. This would open up for public input whether or not "net neutrality" is something the Commission should bring back.Rosenworcel formally announced the NPRM at a National Press Club event. This InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, offers comments directly from Rosenworcel on the plan to make "net neutrality" happen once again.

In this episode, Roshan Cariappa and Amit Paranjape speak to Chairman Ajit Pai, the first Indian American to hold highest office at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In a free-wheeling conversation, Chairman Pai speaks about his childhood, growing up in Parsons (a small town in Kansas) as a first generation immigrant, his journey from law school into the FCC, how the FCC's priorities have changed post-COVID, what the FCC is doing to increase internet penetration in the US, managing varying stakeholder interests and enabling efficient markets, the net neutrality episode of which he was at the center of and what has happened since, regulating big tech (Facebook, Amazon, Google), security considerations with 5G and Huawei, his reaction to India's banning of Tiktok and 59 Chinese apps, and his interests in Indian Culture. The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple, Google, Spotify, Breaker, Stitcher, and other popular platforms. If you liked this episode, then please rate, subscribe and share! #Bharatvaarta #BVPolicy #AjitPai

In this episode, Roshan Cariappa and Amit Paranjape speak to Chairman Ajit Pai, the first Indian American to hold highest office at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In a free-wheeling conversation, Chairman Pai speaks about his childhood, growing up in Parsons (a small town in Kansas) as a first generation immigrant, his journey from law school into the FCC, how the FCC's priorities have changed post-COVID, what the FCC is doing to increase internet penetration in the US, managing varying stakeholder interests and enabling efficient markets, the net neutrality episode of which he was at the center of and what has happened since, regulating big tech (Facebook, Amazon, Google), security considerations with 5G and Huawei, his reaction to India's banning of Tiktok and 59 Chinese apps, and his interests in Indian Culture. The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple, Google, Spotify, Breaker, Stitcher, and other popular platforms. If you liked this episode, then please rate, subscribe and share! #Bharatvaarta #BVPolicy #AjitPai

Robocall eradication efforts continue to be a priority at the FCC with Chairman Ajit Pai leading the charge appearing on Fox and Friends and introducing important measures later this month at the FCC Open Meeting. Listen to the latest update HERE.

Robocall eradication efforts continue to be a priority at the FCC with Chairman Ajit Pai leading the charge appearing on Fox and Friends and introducing important measures later this month at the FCC Open Meeting. Listen to the latest update HERE.

Robocall eradication efforts continue to be a priority at the FCC with Chairman Ajit Pai leading the charge appearing on Fox and Friends and introducing important measures later this month at the FCC Open Meeting. Listen to the latest update HERE.

The Federal Communications Commission today approved $950 million in funding to improve, expand, and harden communications networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Chairman Ajit Pai, who has been front and center of the telecom recovery efforts for Puerto Rico and the USVI since day one after Hurricanes Irma and María hit in September 2017, discusses the historic vote in an exclusive interview with News is my Business.

At the packed Aug1st Open Meeting, E911 took center stage as Karti's Law and the Ray Baum Act §506 were discussed and voted on, as mandated by Congress, Fletch sits down with Chairman Ajit Pai and Hank Hunt for the REAL INSIDE story.

  Bio   Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonTGB) is Co-Founder of The Giving Block. The Giving Block is a DC-based start-ups focused on helping non-profits incorporate Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies into their funding model. Previously he was a Director at Block Shop, also DC-based, which is a blockchain incubator focused on building real blockchain solutions beyond the hype.   a blockchain incubator focused on building real blockchain solutions beyond thehype and serves as Washington DC's blockchain hub for top startups and events. He’s also a Senior Consultant at Optimity Advisors – a Management Consulting Firm in DC. He’s earned his BA at Wake Forest’s School of Business.     Resources   The Giving Block   Block Shop DC   HEADLINES: ProPUblica deiscovers an obscene Border Patrol facebook Group insulting migrants and Latina Congresswomen, Twitter’s right wing attacks Kamala Harris, and Alex Wilson is my guest   News Roundup   ProPublica discovers secret, obscene Facebook Group of Border Patrol agents targeting migrants and Congresswomen   ProPublica uncovered a secret Facebook Group containing some 9.5 thousand members in which Border Patrol Agents ridiculed migrants and members of Congress with obscene photos. In one comment, one of the agents suggested they throw a burrito at Representatives Veronica Escobar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when they come to visit an El Paso area border Patrol facility. Another group member posted the photo that went viral last week of a man lying face-down in the water next to his young daughter. The poster referred to them as “floaters” and suggested the photo wasn’t real. There were several other racist and sexist comments that I’ll let you find on your own … Customs and Border Patrol says they’re investigating but skeptics believe there to be a pervasive culture at the agency that encourages this type of bigotry.       Right wing Twitter accounts promote false rumors about Kamala Harris’ nationality   Twitter accounts identified as bots by researchers Josh Russell and Caroline Orr retweeted a conspiracy by Trumpworld personality Ali Alexander, in which Alexander wrote that Kamala Harris is “not an American Black” because she is half Indian and half Jamaican. Sound familiar? Anyway, Twitter denies that bots were involved and claimed that all of the users who contributed were actual human beings. The social media company said the tweets did not violate its terms of service.   Senators Warren and Jaypal criticize FCC panel’s corporate influence   In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Senators Warren and Jaypal criticized the FCC’s Communications, Security, Reliability and Interoperability Advisory Committee for having to many corporate members on board. Currently, out of 22 members, 15 are corporate, 6 are government officials, and just one is from the nonprofit sector. Neither the FCC nor Chairman Ajit Pai have commented publicly.   Maine passes net neutrality   In defiance of the FCC’s overturning of the 2015 net neutrality rules, Maine has become the 12th state to pass its own net neutrality rules. These include Colorado, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Montana, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and California.   Trump relaxes Huawei ban   President Trump has relaxed the ban he imposed earlier this year preventing American companies from selling products to Chinese device manufacturer Huawei. The policy shift came as part of a deal with China to ease trade restrictions.   Facebook civil rights audit concludes with findings many already knew   Facebook has released the latest findings from the civil rights audit being conducted by prominent civil rights attorney Laura Murphy. It’s been received by many social justice advocates working on tech policy as a restatement of things they’ve been calling Facebook out on for a long time, such the need for board diversity, better treatment of people of color and women. The company announced that a task force will be created to address some of the issues raised in the report. But some some say the task force will just be a networking opportunity for members of the task force.     Events   Fri., 7/5   DC Fringe Festival Fri., 7/5-Sun. 7/28 Various locations

The Trump administration has emphasized the importance of ensuring existing regulations are not stifling innovation or foreclosing economic opportunities. Earlier this year, under Chairman Ajit Pai’s leadership, the FCC modified several of its internal processes to further promote transparency and public engagement. The FCC has also continued on a path of eliminating outdated regulations. During this event, Chairman Pai will deliver remarks about his work to-date at the Commission and his plans for the coming year. He will give his take on the current telecommunications marketplace and how federal, state, and local governments can best respond to ever-changing technologies. A panel discussion will follow Chairman Pai’s remarks with reactions. Panelists will also share their views of the current telecommunications landscape and the regulatory path to continued American industry leadership.Keynote: Hon. Ajit Pai, Chairman, U.S. Federal Communications CommissionMs. Kathleen Ham, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, T-MobileMs. Nuala O'Connor, President and CEO, Center for Democracy and TechnologyMr. K. Dane Snowden, Chief Operating Officer, NCTA - The Internet & Television AssociationMs. Jamie Susskind, Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor, Office of Commissioner Carr, Federal Communications CommissionModerator: Hon. Jerry E. Smith, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

The Trump administration has emphasized the importance of ensuring existing regulations are not stifling innovation or foreclosing economic opportunities. Earlier this year, under Chairman Ajit Pai’s leadership, the FCC modified several of its internal processes to further promote transparency and public engagement. The FCC has also continued on a path of eliminating outdated regulations. During this event, Chairman Pai will deliver remarks about his work to-date at the Commission and his plans for the coming year. He will give his take on the current telecommunications marketplace and how federal, state, and local governments can best respond to ever-changing technologies. A panel discussion will follow Chairman Pai’s remarks with reactions. Panelists will also share their views of the current telecommunications landscape and the regulatory path to continued American industry leadership.Keynote: Hon. Ajit Pai, Chairman, U.S. Federal Communications CommissionMs. Kathleen Ham, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, T-MobileMs. Nuala O'Connor, President and CEO, Center for Democracy and TechnologyMr. K. Dane Snowden, Chief Operating Officer, NCTA - The Internet & Television AssociationMs. Jamie Susskind, Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor, Office of Commissioner Carr, Federal Communications CommissionModerator: Hon. Jerry E. Smith, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

With the FCC's recent movement on the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the FCC and Congress seek to find the middle ground between protecting consumers' privacy and an industry burdened by litigation. Watchdog groups and the private sector are becoming increasingly engaged. The DC Circuit has provided the FCC with a roadmap for reform, which Chairman Ajit Pai seems to support, but ultimately, Congress may have to weigh in. How will legislation move in such a partisan environment? And what can the FCC do on its own? Shareholders Rich Benenson and Michael Pryor and Policy Advisor Greta Joynes dive in and explain.

Chairman Ajit Pai of the Federal Communications Commission discusses the funds dedicated to helping restore the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico communications networks, action taken against robocallers, initiatives against cramming and slamming, and efforts to deploy broadband to rural areas.

Chairman Ajit Pai and the FCC voted to gut net neutrality late last year - but the fight is not over. The United States Senate can overturn these rule changes with a simple majority of 51 votes. Right now, we have 50. We need just one more vote. This process has a 60-day deadline, which is April 23rd. We have one week left to reverse these changes and preserve Net Neutrality. If you have a Republican Senator, now is the time to call them and express your support! I’ll discuss the new “multi-breach” of Sears, Kmart, Delta and MyFitnessPal, including what you need to do if you were affected. I’ll talk about Facebook CEO’s Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony in front of Congress and why most of the Congress folks completely missed the point. And while all of that was going on, Facebook was working in the background to severely weaken data collection regulations. For Further Insight: Delta.com breach info: https://www.delta.com/response  Sears/Kmart breach info: https://searsholdings.com/update  Save Net Neutrality - act by April 23! https://www.battleforthenet.com/ Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

In the recent Restoring Internet Freedom order, the Federal Communications Commission, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, voted to repeal the Obama administration’s network neutrality rules and restore the historical classification of broadband Internet as a lightly-regulated information service. A fierce public debate has emerged on the rulemaking’s implications for investment, innovation, competition, and consumer access to online content. In predicting the future Internet landscape, advocates on both sides have focused on the experiences of foreign jurisdictions in regulating both ISPs and edge providers, and how sanctions on content prioritization have affected consumers abroad.This Teleforum features a distinguished panel with expertise in European, African, Asian, Latin American, and Canadian telecommunications law, and considers lessons from foreign regulators’ attempts to police the Internet ecosystem.Featuring:Professor Eli Noam, Paul Garrett Professor of Public Policy and Business Responsibility, Columbia Business SchoolProfessor Roslyn Layton, PhD Fellow for the Center for Communication, Media and Information Studies at Aalborg University and Visiting Scholar at the American Enterprise InstitutePaul Beaudry, Professor, Lawyer and Research Associate, Montreal Economic Institute Teleforum calls are open to all dues paying members of the Federalist Society. To become a member, sign up here. As a member, you should receive email announcements of upcoming Teleforum calls which contain the conference call phone number. If you are not receiving those email announcements, please contact us at 202-822-8138.

In the recent Restoring Internet Freedom order, the Federal Communications Commission, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, voted to repeal the Obama administration’s network neutrality rules and restore the historical classification of broadband Internet as a lightly-regulated information service. A fierce public debate has emerged on the rulemaking’s implications for investment, innovation, competition, and consumer access to online content. In predicting the future Internet landscape, advocates on both sides have focused on the experiences of foreign jurisdictions in regulating both ISPs and edge providers, and how sanctions on content prioritization have affected consumers abroad.This Teleforum features a distinguished panel with expertise in European, African, Asian, Latin American, and Canadian telecommunications law, and considers lessons from foreign regulators’ attempts to police the Internet ecosystem.Featuring:Professor Eli Noam, Paul Garrett Professor of Public Policy and Business Responsibility, Columbia Business SchoolProfessor Roslyn Layton, PhD Fellow for the Center for Communication, Media and Information Studies at Aalborg University and Visiting Scholar at the American Enterprise InstitutePaul Beaudry, Professor, Lawyer and Research Associate, Montreal Economic Institute Teleforum calls are open to all dues paying members of the Federalist Society. To become a member, sign up here. As a member, you should receive email announcements of upcoming Teleforum calls which contain the conference call phone number. If you are not receiving those email announcements, please contact us at 202-822-8138.

On Thursday, the FCC voted to approve Chairman Ajit Pai's plan to eliminate the so-called net neutrality rules preventing Internet service providers from speeding up access to some websites while slowing down or blocking others. On a straight party-line vote of 3 to 2, the five FCC commissioners didn't just do away with net neutrality regulations passed under the Obama administration, but went a step further, voiding the original document supporting a free and open online experience. In this week's TrumpWatch, host Jesse Lent speaks to Washington Post reporter Brian Fung about what happens now that net neutrality has become a thing of the past in the US.

On Thursday, the FCC voted to approve Chairman Ajit Pai's plan to eliminate the so-called net neutrality rules preventing Internet service providers from speeding up access to some websites while slowing down or blocking others. On a straight party-line vote of 3 to 2, the five FCC commissioners didn't just do away with net neutrality regulations passed under the Obama administration, but went a step further, voiding the original document supporting a free and open online experience. In this week's TrumpWatch, host Jesse Lent speaks to Washington Post reporter Brian Fung about what happens now that net neutrality has become a thing of the past in the US.

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to approve Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to eliminate the so-called “net neutrality” rules preventing Internet service providers from speeding up access to some websites while slowing down or blocking others. On a straight party-line vote of 3 to 2, the five FCC commissioners didn’t just do away with net neutrality regulations passed under the Obama administration, but went a step further, voiding the original document supporting a free and open online experience, the 2005 “Internet policy statement.” So, how will this affect your own personal online experience? In this week’s “TrumpWatch” on WBAI, host Jesse Lent speaks to Washington Post reporter Brian Fung about what happens now that net neutrality has become a thing of the past in the US. Brian wrote the Dec. 15 article “The never ending battle over net neutrality is far from over. Here’s what’s coming next.”

This week on The Politically Incorrect Podcast powered by Voterheads.comWe do a deep dive into what happened today as the FCC changed the way we stream video for the next four years if not forever.Despite overwhelming opposition from Congress, technical experts, advocacy organizations and, of course, the American people, the FCC has voted to eliminate 2015's Open Internet Order and the net neutrality protections it established. As expected, the vote was 3 to 2 along party lines, with Chairman Ajit Pai and Republican Commissioners Brendan Carr and Michael O'Rielly voting in favor of the order, and Democratic Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel voting against.We also try to make sense of the proposed GOP Tax plan that could be passed as soon as next week.

This week on The Politically Incorrect Podcast powered by Voterheads.com We do a deep dive into what happened today as the FCC changed the way we stream video for the next four years if not forever. Despite overwhelming opposition from Congress, technical experts, advocacy organizations and, of course, the American people, the FCC has voted to eliminate 2015’s Open Internet Order and the net neutrality protections it established. As expected, the vote was 3 to 2 along party lines, with Chairman Ajit Pai and Republican Commissioners Brendan Carr and Michael O’Rielly voting in favor of the order, and Democratic Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel voting against. We also try to make sense of the proposed GOP Tax plan that could be passed as soon as next week.

Welcome to Maj-j-j-j-jo-o-o-rity Vil-l-l-l-lain-n-n-n The future of the internet under the elimination of Net Neutrality What is Net Neutrality? Today, the internet and access to it remain open. It remains accessible. It remains “free”, because anyone, anywhere at anytime can use it. But that very freedom is scheduled to be rolled back dramatically on December 14th when the Federal Communications Commission is expected to vote to remove the internet as a public utility from Title II of the Communications Act. Exactly. That legalese is most likely what your internet service provider, commonly called simply ISPs, has been counting on in order to keep consumers willfully ignorant about the future of the internet. But here’s where the rubber meets the road: it’s not working. Yep, as high as 2/3 of Americans from all walks of the political spectrum are keen to this corporate coup. And for good reason, right? From ridiculously long and non-intelligible user agreement forms to shoddy bundling packages with landlines that most kids in the year 2017 don’t even know exist, to simply trying to terminate your cable plan with customer service representatives who are more beast than man (Video of guy cancelling). This last video went viral after that man repeated those cancellation requests to Comcast customer service for nearly 20 minutes. Hell, I personally was sent to collections by Comcast over their mistake for about $30. Cable companies and internet service providers clearly have one lasting motive: the bottom line. So is Net Neutrality just the latest gimmick? Most experts say it’s much more serious than that. Columbia University media law professor Tim Wu first used the term “Net Neutrality” in 2003 when discussing “common carriers”. Companies that have a purpose of moving goods or services from one point to another. They “carry” your phone call from your mother, they “carry” our oil in pipelines, our Christmas packages on railways, and even “carry” precious YouTube videos all the way to your ears. Obviously, some applications may be more useful than others. The important part is that the goods get to you when you need them, and are done so efficiently and quickly. So what might happen in the aftermath of the death of Net Neutrality? Some are saying: The Death of Online Activism the Expansion of Censorship Right now, I can say whatever I want about Verizon. I can say that President Trump’s FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, whom he personally appointed, is a dirty former lawyer of Verizon that likes to play with his poopy for foreplay in front of his corporate overlords at weird Verizon headquarter sex parties where the board of directors dress up like futuristic S&M dolls and virgins are led to the slaughter at the hands of anatomically correct killer robots all for the purpose of revitalizing their decrepit old skin in bizarre witchcraft rituals. And while this is clearly a true statement, under proposed FCC guidelines, they could simply block this very website altogether if they chose to. This past December 7th saw some of the largest organized efforts to stop the FCC’s proposed changes as nationwide protests in front of Verizon stores took place. Those organizers like verizonprotests.com and battleforthenet.com could be in a state of perpetual loading if their ISP doesn’t like the content. Imagine if verizonprotests.com were located in an area where their only ISP was Verizon. There is literally nothing stopping Verizon from simply shutting down that operation. It sure doesn’t sound like a booming success for consumers, does it? It doesn’t resonate with options or protections for Jon and Jane Doe. The question presents itself then as a debate over whether or not access to the internet is a right. Should it be designated a common carrier and should consumers have proper access to it, as regulated by the government? The words “more government” automatically give a lot of people the heeby jeebies. Fair enough, let’s look at why eliminating Net Neutrality is a good thing. Probably the most common argument for ending Net Neutrality is economic. That argument goes like this: Why would ISPs continue to invest in internet infrastructure if the incentive for building it is financially undermined by everyone having the same access to it. Instead, internet service providers argue that being able to provide faster internet to those willing to pay for it will help create the financial incentive to build a faster internet for everyone, fast lanes for all, faster lanes for some. Sounds simple enough. Companies like Comcast, Charter and Cox have said for sometime that slowing down internet speeds for most consumers wouldn’t be the goal of these new internet rules. Instead, they make the claim that consumers already have robust options in the internet market, and therefore this wouldn’t be a giveaway to the major ISP players. In other words, your internet service will be largely unaffected as the invisible hand of the market plays out and competes for your dollar. If company A is too slow, then company B will be a tough competitor in that market, or company c or d and so forth. Absolutely a solid argument with a strong foundation. But do people really have multitudes of ISP options? Furthermore, could it be that the real reason money is not being invested in infrastructure is become the cable lobby is well aware that competition is weak. The main economic argument by ISPs assume that resources have been tight, and consumers can walk to another provider anytime they want. Business Insider’s Jeff Dunn doesn’t seem to think so in an April article saying, “Could Pai's net-neutrality plan lead ISPs to invest in more robust internet, and even offer it at cheaper prices? Possibly. But most of these companies have been sitting on piles of money for a long time, and they haven’t been very eager to spend the hundreds of millions needed to build out their private infrastructure into more places.” However, according to a popular piece by John Oliver on Last Week Tonight (video clip) and on another episode from the show in 2014 he stated as high as “96% of the population has access to two or fewer broadband companies.” That would seem to contradict the cable and internet lobby’s claims. According to a piece by Jon Brodkin in Ars Technica this past July cable companies consistently make the claim that there is no shortage of competition in the market, even stating “Competition is alive and well in the TV and Internet marketplaces and consumers are benefiting every day.” Brodkin argues that this claim is only true, because the cable lobby uses a 3Mbps threshold in their definition of high speed internet. That’s the kind of internet connection that makes you want to drown your computer in the bathtub. So what was all that fast and faster talk about? 
Brodkin again: “Out of 118 million US households, more than 10.6 million have no access to wired Internet service with download speeds of at least 25Mbps, and an additional 46.1 million households live in areas with just one provider offering those speeds. Even including fixed wireless connections, there were still nearly 50 million households with one 25Mbps provider or none at all, based on the analysis of FCC data.” Basically, there are millions of Americans systematically disadvantaged in job searching, connecting with friends and family or having access to key information in a timely manner. Brodkin finishes the July piece stating, “That report was issued before current Chairman Ajit Pai (former Verizon lawyer) took over for Tom Wheeler (former cable lobbyist). Pai voted against the 2015 decision to raise the broadband speed definition, criticized Wheeler for excluding satellite and mobile services from the new broadband benchmark, and has said the broadband market is too competitive for strict privacy rules. Under Pai's leadership, the FCC's future conclusions about broadband deployment and competition might be more in line with the cable lobby’s.” Letters from an Outsider, by Vili Branyik “They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, 'Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone.' Well, I'm not gonna leave you alone. I want you to get mad!” -Howard Beale, The Network One of the things I’d get in trouble for when I was a kid was playing Devil’s Advocate. My parents hated it to the point that they made me a shirt that had a quote from Dante’s Divine comedy - “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” I’m reluctant to take a stand for either side of an argument because both sides usually have their own merits. And, to paraphrase Penn Jillette, you should defend the people you don’t agree with at some point in your life. That act is a step to finding out what your priorities truly are. Now, with times being what they are, it’s difficult to support the repeal of Net Neutrality. For me, that means it’s time to stand for something. Part of the reason I’m explaining that is because there aren’t a lot of ways I can approach Net Neutrality without calling someone a fucking asshole - either the corporations supporting the repeal of Net Neutrality or the Chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai. None of the people supporting the repeal of Net Neutrality come off to me as genuine in their efforts to pursue innovation or take further steps to make the open internet a basic right. I could make the argument that repealing Net Neutrality could be a step to the betterment of the open internet - the FCC has said that because of Net Neutrality, investing in corporations with a hand in telecommunication services, such as Verizon, has declined, and that loss makes it harder for those companies to better develop their services. I could defend that but I’m not going to. Realistically, the whole thing ended up with me asking a question about Net Neutrality that everyone should ask themselves - Would the repeal of Net Neutrality be as big a deal if we weren’t living in an age of kleptocrats and a lack of corporate transparency? I can’t in good conscience support the repeal of Net Neutrality. First off, the answer to my own question is no. This sort of thing wouldn’t have been a problem in the first place it people weren’t so obsessed with the weight of their wallets. When looking up at Net Neutrality rules, I found out that the internet is classified as a Title II communication service, which essentially means that the providers had to play fair with the services that they provided and couldn’t gouge people on prices. Further research refers to regulations on communications services in the early 1900’s, a time where railways were charging lower and higher rates depending on the traffic in and out of cities. In 1934, FDR asked for legislation for the creation of a government body that could study and regulate communication services. Thus, the FCC was created. A president 80 years back created an agency to prevent consumers from being thrown to the wolves that are hungry corporate interest, and the delicious irony is that the agency responsible for originally protecting the consumers is now the one threatening to repeal the rules keeping corporations fair. Second, the implications of a corporate stranglehold on a communications service can’t be ignored. We have a president who is currently delegitimizing the media, and the only channel he watches is fucking FOX News, a nest of vile sycophants who haven’t ceased to line up and blow the con artist in chief on live television. If the repeal of Net Neutrality means that your ability to communicate depends on how deep your pockets are, there are going to be a lot of people whose perspective on many things is narrowed significantly, and that is a dangerous prospect no matter who happens to be in office. It should go without saying that technology is vastly different than it was in the 1930’s. It seems like these days that things have advanced so quickly that people haven’t had the opportunity to catch up with the Information Age. The advent of the Information Age has made it impossible to be completely ignorant on something, but that’s a good thing. The ability to exchange information, among other things, wirelessly and quickly has birthed a new way that we communicate ideas. One of the effects of that, however, is that there’s a lot of things that people part of older generations want to keep buried, which is a polite way of saying that old fucks have a lot of dirty laundry. There’s always going to be a conflict in a period of transition, and in the United States we are in a state of heavy societal upheaval. The last thing that we should have to worry about is how we communicate with each other and who might threaten our abilities to do so. Now, if you haven’t made your voice heard to the FCC already, do so. Host of Last Week Tonight John Oliver shared a web address that directly links to the FCC’s website and the page you need to be on to file a complaint about the repeal of Net Neutrality. (www.gofccyourself.com) Everyone has a voice. As much as I like the idea of arguing for both sides, sometimes you need to stand for something. One more thing - I kind of shit on Ajit Pai earlier, or at least implied I did, but I can’t do that to the fullest extent. On a personal level, the Chairman of the FCC seems like a good guy. Because of his movement to repeal Net Neutrality, however, his family has been harassed and his home has been vandalized. ("Ajit Pai Says His Children Are Being Harassed")  I can’t condone that sort of thing, nobody should. That being said, this is a display of what happens when you mess with something people think should be a basic right to everyone. If Ajit Pai wasn’t formerly a lawyer for Verizon (and put in his current position specifically for what he’s doing now), the public’s perception of him would be different. But his goofy smile and comically large coffee mug won’t change the fact that Pai has pissed off a good portion of the internet community for lying and exaggerating about Net Neutrality to rally people behind his cause and blatantly ignoring the public who fucking hate his idea. It’s not an unheard of tactic for someone in political power, and it’s something that would land him squarely in the Trump White House, which makes him fit well with the other bullshit artists he has in his stable. Cheers. From, the Outsider That last piece was produced by Vili Branyik and performed by Eric Ellzey. What implications are there for eliminating NN? The Death of Small Business If the internet is reclassified and Net Neutrality is ended, then big businesses like Google or Amazon will be able to purchase “fast lanes” where you as a consumer can use their websites with almost no interruption - exactly the way you use it everyday. Internet service providers like Verizon, AT&T and Comcast will most definitely like this, because they won't have to provide those same fast lanes to damn freeloaders like the Majority Villain podcast. In fact, they can do something called “throttling” (video of person explaining this) and intentionally make websites slower than they would be otherwise. ISPs will make obscene amounts of money in the process by charging mid-size to large-size companies huge premiums at whatever price they deem profitable, regardless of market demands all for the bandwidth those same companies already get today. Sadly though, ending Net Neutrality protections will be a death sentence to many small businesses, because their meager advertising budgets won’t be able to afford the service. Those businesses who cannot compete with this new flavor of corporate elitism will go back to advertising mediums that belong in a museum. Sayonara Ma and Pa. December 14th the FCC is set to vote and end what we know as Net Neutrality. Even if you’re listening to this afterward, you can make your voice heard. Go to fccyourself.com and leave your feedback for the FCC on this disastrous decision. Change.org, battleforthenet.com, savetheinternet.com and verizonprotests.com all have actions you can take and there are links to every one of them in the show notes which you can find on the device you are using right now. Don’t just get angry, do something about it. The power is ours to create the future we want. You’ve been listening to the Majority Villain podcast. I’m your host, Gregory Haddock. To redeem your Villain points for this episode be sure to visit the website at majorityvillain.com and on Facebook and Twitter @majorityvillain. If you liked the show or even hated the show be sure to tell a friend or enemy about it and subscribe so you don’t miss a chance to love or hate it again! And be sure to check the show notes on the device you’re using for links to actions you can take against the internet and cable lobby’s efforts to steal the internet, YOUR internet. A big thanks to Letters from an Outsider’s, Vili Branyik, mad reading skills by Eric Ellzey, and Kris Shapar for help on social media. Majority Villain will be taking a Christmas break and will return January 13th. Remember, remember, remember…. to not take a stand is to acquiesce your power. To acquiesce your power is to remain neutral. To remain neutral is the status quo. And status quos are for suckers. Peace, love and villainy. Music provided by the Free Music Archive under Creative Commons licensing. Today’s music by Blue Dot Sessions, Evil Bear Boris, Scott Holmes and Daizy. Show image by Russell Davies under Creative Commons licensing via Flickr. #StoptheFCC #GoFCCyourself #NetNeutrality #VerizonProtests https://www.battleforthenet.com/ www.verizonprotests.com https://www.change.org/p/save-net-neutrality-netneutrality https://www.savetheinternet.com/sti-home http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-isps-competition-net-neutrality-ajit-pai-fcc-2017-4 https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/07/cable-lobby-claims-us-is-totally-overflowing-in-broadband-competition/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2017/12/08/the-impact-of-net-neutrality-laws-on-your-business/ https://www.wired.com/story/the-fcc-says-net-neutrality-cripples-investment-thats-not-true/

  Bio Carmen Scurato (@carmenscurato) is Vice President, Policy and General Counsel at the National Hispanic Media Coalition, where she leads NHMC's policy and government affairs office in Washington, D.C. She is responsible for developing policy and legal strategies that encourage open and affordable communications, innovation, competition, and diversity. Carmen represents NHMC in meetings with decision makers in Congress and at federal regulatory agencies. She has spoken extensively on the ways that communications policy impacts people of color and regularly appears in outlets such as Fast Company, Fortune, The Root and the Guardian to highlight NHMC's policy and advocacy efforts. Carmen coordinates organizational responses to regulatory proposals that threaten to widen the digital divide and has co-authored several notable filings for Voices for Internet Freedom highlighting the importance of Net Neutrality and the Lifeline program for communities of color. In 2017, Carmen was the architect of Freedom of Information Act requests that compelled the FCC to release more than 50,000 consumer complaints, previously undisclosed, that drew renewed attention to the importance of preserving the 2015 Open Internet Order. Carmen also supervises NHMC's legal fellowship program, which provides an opportunity for select students throughout the country to experience media, technology, and telecommunications law and advocacy. Before joining NHMC, Carmen worked at the Department of Justice and assisted in Medicare fraud investigations, including a False Claims Act case that resulted in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars. She also worked at the DOJ Office of Legislative Affairs on large document requests received from congressional oversight committees. Carmen, a native of Puerto Rico, earned her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and her B.A. cum laude from New York University. Carmen also serves on the public policy advisory council to the American Library Association and is a member of the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee. She also sits on the Advisory Board for Full Color Future and was named as one of 2017's Full Color 50. Carmen is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar, Hispanic National Bar Association, and the Federal Communications Bar Association. Resources National Hispanic Media Coalition Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O'Neil News Roundup Despite deeply flawed public record, FCC still plans net neutrality repeal The FCC is poised to repeal its net neutrality rules this Thursday despite tens of thousands of fake or fraudulent comments in the record. Both Democratic FCC Commissioners, several members of Congress, and protesters have called on the FCC to delay repealing the rules. However, Chairman Ajit Pai and his Republican colleagues are planning to overturn the rules anyway. The FCC on Monday announced a so-called framework under which it and the FTC would ostensibly work in partnership to weed out bad actors on the internet. However, this is more likely to be political maneuvering by the two agencies' Republican leadership, since FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeney wrote a widely-read op-ed in Quartz last week stating that the FTC does not have the expertise to regulate internet service providers. Additionally, Brian Fung noted in the Washington Post that a case that's currently pending in the 9th Circuit could restrict those who wish to file grievances against their internet service providers even further. In FTC v. AT&T Mobility, the court will decide, within days, whether a parent corporate entity can escape being classified as a common carrier even if one or more of its smaller subsidiaries is classified as such. This is important because the FTC does not have jurisdiction over common carriers--only the FCC does. So if the court defines AT&T as a common carrier, the notion that the FTC would have any kind of authority to enforce net neutrality principles against ISPs, is a joke, basically--since AT&T would be able to claim an exemption from FTC enforcement based on the fact that its subsidiary is classified as a common carrier. And, as Brian explains, overturning the net neutrality rules would effectively remove AT&T from the FCC's common carrier definition. Taken together, a decision in the 9th circuit that's favorable to AT&T, combined with the FCC overturning the net neutrality rules, would make it a great week for AT&T, as it would mean that the company isn't subject to regulation by either agency. House Democrats, including Elijah Cummings, are calling on the Government Accountability Office to investigate the fake comments. Former National Security Officials say Trump voter database could be hacked In an amicus brief filed in the DC Circuit in support of Common Cause's lawsuit against the Trump Administration, Former National Security officials are worried that the Trump administration's proposed database that's designed to prevent so-called voter fraud would be susceptible to large-scale hacking. The former officials, including former National Intelligence Director James Clapper say exposing the personal information of millions of Americans online would invite hacking by both nation-states and criminals. Cloudflare CEO backtracks on 'Daily Stormer' takedown Remember when Cloudflare decided to stop hosting the neo-Nazi website 'Daily Stormer' for mocking the woman who was mowed down during Charlottesville riots in August? Now, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince says that was a mistake because he's almost a "free speech absolutist" and that he let his emotions get the better of him. He says he's going to try not to be so impulsive next time. And, in the future, if the Southern Poverty Law Center reaches out to him to complain about hateful content Cloudflare is hosting, he's just going to delegate it to the Electronic Frontier Foundation--a privacy-focused non-profit that's based on the West Coast--and let those two duke it out. He's too busy to help curtail hate speech, basically. Meanwhile, Google announced that it will be hiring 10,000 people to help stamp out extremist content on YouTube.   SEC Crypto unit files first charges The Securities and Exchange Commission's new division that's focused on cryptocurrencies filed its first charges last week. They're against a company called PlexCorps, which was about to hold an initial coin offering (ICO) for which it claimed investors would receive 13 times their investment. The SEC alleged fraud and froze the company's assets. Meanwhile, the price of a single Bitcoin has jumped to over $17,000, from around $1,000 in January. Bitcoin futures also launched on the New York and London exchanges on Monday. Many experts are predicting that Bitcoin will eventually crash.   Facebook kids messenger app raises privacy red flags Facebook released a new app last week called Messenger Kids which lets kids under 12 "connect with people they love but also has the level of control parents want." Almost immediately, Democratic Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumentahl raised concerns, saying that the app raises privacy and security concerns. So they're asking Facebook for more clarity on how the app works. White House says warrantless NSA surveillance can continue after statute expires The NSA's warrantless surveillance program will expire on January 1st if Congress doesn't pass an extension. However, the White House says that it has the authority to keep the program going because the FISA court met on April 26th and made changes that would remain in place for a year. Charlie Savage reports in the New York Times.  Google blocks Youtube on Amazon devices Google has blocked YouTube on Amazon's streaming devices. Google says Amazon refuses to offer Amazon Prime through Google gadgets and has recently halted the sale of Google's Nest. AT&T/Time Warner merger trial set for March The trial between the Department of Justice against the AT&T/Time Warner merger is set to begin on March 19th. This is unlikely to meet that April 22 deadline for the deal to close, on which AT&T would have to pay Time Warner $500 million.        

Today we discuss the end of net neutrality....or do we? Under the leadership of Chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC is set to undo broad claims on power over the Internet made in 2010 and 2015. That will also mean rolling back most – but not all – of the FCC's broadband rules. What is Pai planning to change, and what does he see as the future of Internet regulation? Is net neutrality really dying, or just changing? What difference will this make for consumers? We discuss these issues and more with our special guest, Ajit Pai himself.

How will Artificial Intelligence (AI) Affect Warfare? In today's episode we discuss the role of artificial intelligence in the future of warfare. What are the risks? How is the United States likely to fare in confrontations involving the use of AI? In a recent paper, Center for a New American Security Fellow Greg Allen and his co-author, Taniel Chan, illustrate both the risks and opportunities for the use of AI in warfare. We discuss these findings plus lessons learned from previous revolutions in the use of military technology. Bio Greg Allen (@Grecory_C_Allen) is an Adjunct Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. He focuses on the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, and national security. Additionally, Mr. Allen's writing and analysis has appeared in WIRED, Vox, and The Hill. In 2017, The Harvard Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs published  his report entitled “Artificial Intelligence and National Security”. Allen and his co-author, Taniel Chan conducted this  study on behalf of the U.S. Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). Mr. Allen currently works at Blue Origin, a space exploration and technology company. Prior to working at Blue Origin, he worked at Avascent, where he advised senior executives in government and the private sector. Mr. Allen holds a joint MPP/MBA degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Business School. Further, his Master's Thesis was honored with the Belfer Center Award for Excellence in International and Global Affairs. In addition, he graduated magna cum laude from Washington University in Saint Louis, where he was awarded the Arnold J. Lien prize for outstanding graduate in Political Science. Resources DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER:   Center for a New American Security Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari NEWS ROUNDUP After August 31, the feds don't have to tell you how they're storing your biometric data If you're concerned about how federal law enforcement officials are storing your biometric data, you'd better act fast. After August 31, they will no longer have to tell you. The FBI's Next Generation Identification system stores things like iris scans and fingerprints that you gave during things like employment background checks.  Currently, you can find out how the feds are storing your biometric information. However, the FBI becomes exempt from the Privacy Act provision that allows this on August 31. You can find the story in next.gov. Senate confirms Rosenworcel and Carr The Federal Communications Commission is now up to 5 Commissioners. So it finally has a full panel of Commissioners. The Senate confirmed Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel and Republican Brendan Carr last week. Rosenworcel previously served as a Commissioner during the Tom Wheeler FCC for three years from 2012 to 2015. Carr is the the FCC's current General Counsel. In addition, President Donald Trump had also nominated Chairman Ajit Pai. However, the Senate did not take up Pai's nomination before the recess. The three Republicans at the Commission will now be Pai, Carr and Michael O'Rielly. And the two Democrats are Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn. Edward Graham has the story in Morning Consult. Tech sector opposes legal immigration restrictions The tech sector is opposing the GOP immigration bill President Trump endorsed last week which would cut legal immigration in half over 10 years. The so-called RAISE Act prefers highly skilled workers and English speakers and moves extended family members of immigrants to the back of the line. The Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC)-- the trade group that lobbies on behalf of tech giants Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and others--opposes the measure. ITIC president Dean Garfield said in a statement “This is not the right proposal to fix our immigration system because it does not address the challenges tech companies face, injects more bureaucratic dysfunction, and removes employers as the best judge of the employee merits they need to succeed and grow the U.S. economy.” Tony Romm has the story in Recode. Meanwhile, Canada is emerging as the "New" New Colossus, welcoming Emma Lazaraus's "huddled masses yearning to breathe free". Canadian business and government leaders are seizing on the opportunity to welcome tech talent to Canada. David George-Cosh and Jacqui McNish report in the Wall Street Journal. Apple and Amazon bow to China, Google complies with Russia The tech sector is coming under increased pressure to conform to multinational norms. Paul Mozur at The New York Times reports that Apple has removed Chinese censor-evading VPN apps from its Chinese app store. Amazon also warned its Chinese customers to stop using software that evades China's Great Firewall. Further, in Russia, Google has begun implementing terms it settled on in a dispute with its Russian competitor, Yandex. The agreement stipulates that Google would give Russians a choice of which browser to use on Android phones. In accordance with the agreement, Google began suggesting other browsers to Russian Android users last week. David Meyer reports in Fortune. Senate passes 6 bills before recess The Senate passed 6 bipartisan technology and communications bills before they departed for recess. They include bills  to expand spectrum availability (MOBILE NOW Act S. 19), improve service in rural areas ( S. 96) , and make it easier to call 911 from hotel rooms (Kari's Law Act of 2017, S. 123). Congress wrote the latter bill in response to Brad Dunn's fatal stabbing of his wife, Kari Hunt, in a hotel room in Marshall, Texas as Hunt's 9-year-old daughter tried to call 911.  Unbeknownst to the young girl, the hotel room phone required callers to dial 9 before 911, and she was unable to reach a dispatcher. Other bills include: Spoofing Prevention Act of 2017 (S. 134): Legislation to stop misleading or inaccurate caller ID information.  Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act of 2017 (S . 174): Legislation to require the FCC to condense duplicative reports on competition in the telecommunications market into one comprehensive report released every two years.  Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things Act (DIGIT Act)(S. 88): Legislation to bring together private sector and government entities to assess the needs of the Internet of Things (IoT) and study the readiness of government to support the IoT. Senators introduce the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act of 2017 Several advocacy groups are opposing a new bipartisan bill entitled the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act of 2017. The bill has the support of six Senators--3 Republican and 3 Democrat--including Senators Portman, McCain, Cornyn, Blumenthal, McCaskill, and Heitkamp. The new law would allow victims of sex trafficking to sue and press charges against any website that "knowingly or recklessly" enabled sex trafficking. Additionally, it would criminalize conduct by websites that “assists, supports, or facilitates a violation of federal sex trafficking laws”. Further, it would allow the states to prosecute sites under federal sex crimes laws. Advocates argue that this new legislation would eviscerate Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Section 230 shields websites from liability stemming from content posted by their users. Without section 230, these advocates say, the internet as we know it simply would not exist. Further, the advocates argue that it would simply be too risky for sites like Facebook or Twitter to host user-generated content. Sarah Jeong covers this in The Verge. Facebook's new diversity report shows little progress Facebook released its fourth annual diversity report. Eighty-nine percent of its workforce self-identifies as white or Asian. However, the number of women working at Facebook has increased by 2 percentage points since last year to 35%. Nevertheless, women hold just 19% of tech positions at Facebook, although the company reports that 27% of its engineering hires are women. Looking at the senior ranks ... 70% are white, 72% are male and of the women who have cracked the glass ceiling into the c-suite, 68% are white. However, the percentage of Facebook employees who identify as black went from 2 to 3%. Hispanics when from 4 to 5%. Clare O'Connor reports in Forbes. Crowdfunding platforms block alt-right groups Blake Montgomery at Buzzfeed reports that leading fundraising platforms like PayPal, GoFundMe, and Patreon have banned or limited some members of the alt-right from using their sites. Researcher proves Amazon Echo can be a spying tool A British researcher has demonstrated how he has been able to successfully install malware on an Amazon Echo that allowed him to eavesdrop. But the hack requires physical access to the target Echo and only works on pre-2017 Echo devices. Andy Greenberg has details in Wired.

Former FCC Commissioner and TIA Members Discuss FCC’s Net Neutrality Vote On May 18, the FCC voted to accept Chairman Ajit Pai’s Restoring Internet Freedom Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which addresses the future of the net neutrality rules. Discussing what this means for consumers and the companies that build these networks, and whether legislation offers a better path forward is TIA's Cinnamon Rogers, Jeff Campbell from Cisco, Jared Carlson from Ericsson and Kathleen Abernathy, former FCC Commissioner and former executive at Frontier Communications.

In late March, Congress used the Congressional Review Act to reverse the FCC’s controversial Broadband ISP Privacy Order. The FCC had overwritten the FTC’s prior regulation of ISP privacy, after President Obama took to YouTube following the 2014 mid-term elections, to call for the regulation of ISPs as common carriers, under a framework dating from the monopoly provision of telephone service. -- The current FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai has announced he aims to deregulate, focused on removing outdated regulations to encourage investment and innovation. Pai’s Digital Empowerment Agenda sees competitive broadband networks as engines of economic growth. Observers expect the underlying decision from the Obama era to regulate ISPs as common carriers – aka Open Internet or Net Neutrality – to be re-considered soon. The Chairman has also proposed revising broadcast ownership rules to reflect today’s more diverse media landscape, and repurposing spectrum to facilitate the next generation of mobile broadband and Internet of Things. Maximizing access to spectrum for “5G” broadband and IoT will require repurposing some federal spectrum, so the President’s federal spectrum manager at Commerce (NTIA) will play a critical role. -- In our third segment of the Legal Options for the New Administration Teleforum Series, Bryan Tramont, Chair of the Federalist Society Telecommunications Executive Committee, moderated a discussion with Chairman Ajit Pai’s Senior Counsel, Nick Degani, and Patricia Paoletta, a telecom partner at the law firm of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP. -- Featuring: Nicholas Degani, Senior Counsel to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai; formerly Wireline Legal Advisor to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai and Patricia Paoletta, Partner at Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP, named by the Trump-Pence Transition Team to the FCC Landing Team. Moderator: Bryan Tramont, Managing Partner of Wilkinson, Barker & Knauer, former FCC Chief of Staff; Chair of the Federalist Society Telecommunications Executive Committee.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai joins Harold Furchtgott-Roth for a speech on the role of economic analysis at the FCC.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai joins Harold Furchtgott-Roth for a speech on the role of economic analysis at the FCC.

The man who viciously attacked long-time New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald back in December has finally been arrested, according to Cecilia Kang at The New York Times. The FBI picked up twenty-nine year old John Rivello of Salisbury, Md. on Friday for sending Eichenwald, who suffers from seizures, an electronic file containing strobe lights and bearing the words "you deserve a seizure for your posts". Eichenwald did in fact suffer a seizure. Rivello now faces a possible 10 year sentence if he is convicted of criminal cyberstalking with the intent to kill or cause bodily harm. -- President Trump is sticking to his guns, but no one in Congress has been able to find any evidence that former President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. The Republican Senator Richard Burr who Chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee and Democratic Vice Chair Mark Warner issued the following statement last week: “Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016."  House Intelligence Chair David Nunes issued a similar statement, saying that President Trump's tweet shouldn't be taken literally.On Monday, FBI Director James Comey testified before a House panel that the FBI has found no evidence that former President Obama wiretapped Trump tower. -- A county judge in Minnesota has issued a warrant requiring Google to reveal who searched the name of a victim of financial fraud. The victim's image was used to obtain a fake passport to trick a credit union to transfer $28,500 out of an account. Minneapolis police say the victim's image was clicked on in the search. David Kravets has the story in Ars. -- Greg Besinger at the Wall Street Journal reports that Uber is trying to prevent their drivers from unionizing in Seattle. The effort to unionize is supported by the Teamsters and the Seattle City Council. Uber has allegedly been trying to get drivers not to unionize via company podcasts, text messages and phone surveys. It's a complex case that the Communications Workers of America is also involved in. Uber has threatened to leave Seattle if the unionization effort succeeds. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is also trying to prevent the drivers from organizing, and the chamber has sued the Seattle City Council for an ordinance it passed in 2015 that gave drivers the right to vote on whether to form a union. -- FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai is urging Congress and the White House to include broadband buildout within the infrastructure bill. He says infrastructure spending should prioritize rural areas and be paid for via the Universal Service Fund. Maggie Reardon has the story in CNET. -- The City of New York is suing Verizon because it says the company failed to deliver on a 2008 agreement to provide broadband to every single home in the city. But the company, though its GC Craig Silliman, said the company has already spent $3.7 billion to place fiber throughout the city and that the fiber passes every home in the city. Patrick McGeehan has the story int he New York Times. -- CA Technologies, the technology firm and government contractor, will pay a $45 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by a former whistleblower employee alleging that the company failed to inform the the General Services Administration that certain discounts were available. The former employee, who filed the lawsuit under the False Claims Act, will receive $10.92 million of the settlement. Evan Fallor has the story in FedScoop. -- Ride-hailing company Lyft, Inc.  is now on the hook to pay $27 million to drivers who filed a class-action lawsuit on federal court to change their classification from independent contractors to employees. The settlement will be paid to the  drivers, however they will remain classified as independent contractors. -- The European Commission--which is the executive arm of the European Union--has given the greenlight to the $85 billion AT&T/Time Warner merger. The merger is still working its way through the regulatory approval process in the U.S. -- Finally, President Trump has released  draft budget which includes $61 million to fight cybercrime and encryption plus $1.5 billion for the Department of Homeland Security. Joseph Marks has the story in Nextgov. Stay with us.

In February, Chairman Ajit Pai presided over his first major open meeting since becoming chairman, at which the Commission adopted items furthering the FCC’s reverse auctions for Universal Service funding and narrowing the applicability of the Open Internet Order’s transparency requirements. In this podcast, Steve Augustino, Avonne Bell, and Brad Currier break down the key details in the FCC’s Mobility Fund Phase II order, Connect America Fund Phase II auction order, and Open Internet small business exemption order. They also discuss some of Chairman Pai’s recent process reforms in the context of the February and March open meetings. This is the first in a semi-regular series examining noteworthy actions taken at FCC open meetings.

Continuing his Pilot Program, Chairman Ajit Pai issues the agenda for this months meeting items to the public. View a full copy on the FCC website @ http://fcc.gov

Continuing his Pilot Program, Chairman Ajit Pai issues the agenda for this months meeting items to the public. View a full copy on the FCC website @ http://fcc.gov

In its first action under Chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC today voted to provide up to $170 million from the Connect America Fund to expand broadband deployment in unserved rural areas of New York State.The $170 million in federal funding will be coupled with at least $200 million in state funding and private investment to jump-start broadband deployment and close the digital divide in these unserved areas more quickly. This partnership with the state program will also result in more efficient and effective use of both state and federal funding.

In its first action under Chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC today voted to provide up to $170 million from the Connect America Fund to expand broadband deployment in unserved rural areas of New York State.The $170 million in federal funding will be coupled with at least $200 million in state funding and private investment to jump-start broadband deployment and close the digital divide in these unserved areas more quickly. This partnership with the state program will also result in more efficient and effective use of both state and federal funding.

In its first action under Chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC today voted to provide up to $170 million from the Connect America Fund to expand broadband deployment in unserved rural areas of New York State. The $170 million in federal funding will be coupled with at least $200 million in state funding and private investment to jump-start broadband deployment and close the digital divide in these unserved areas more quickly. This partnership with the state program will also result in more efficient and effective use of both state and federal funding.

In its first action under Chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC today voted to provide up to $170 million from the Connect America Fund to expand broadband deployment in unserved rural areas of New York State. The $170 million in federal funding will be coupled with at least $200 million in state funding and private investment to jump-start broadband deployment and close the digital divide in these unserved areas more quickly. This partnership with the state program will also result in more efficient and effective use of both state and federal funding.