In 1982, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) were charged by Congress to share patient information for servicemembers transitioning from DOD into the VA health care system. This transition process has been anything but seamless, with medical records being attached to gurneys each time a patient was moved, and […]
Members of Congress Urge Trump and FCC to Conduct a Public C-Band Spectrum Auction
In the latest turn of events in the saga of how best to repurpose the c-band spectrum, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Rep. Greg Gianforte have sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai urging the agency to conduct a public auction of the spectrum, as opposed to turning over the spectrum […]
Time to Move Forward on a National Privacy Framework is Now
I was recently given a new watch by my husband. He was excited about the watch because of all the great things it was going to do for me. Even though I work on technology issues, the only real purpose of a watch in my mind is to tell time. This is where I ran […]
Excessive Cable Franchise Fees to be Scaled Back
In August 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will take a strong step to modernize rules relating to how local franchise authorities will be permitted to regulate cable operators. Section 621 of the Cable Act specifies the limit in percentage that a local franchise authority may charge a cable company to allow it to operate […]
Digital Video Piracy Isn’t Fun and Games
Technology is continually changing, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the video piracy space. In 2014, CAGW President Tom Schatz and I co-authored a report entitled, Intellectual Property: Making It Personal, where we discussed the ongoing issues surrounding the protection of intellectual property rights. In this report, we referred to a study conducted […]
State AGs Are Wrong on T-Mobile/Sprint Merger
On June 11, 2019, 10 state attorneys general (AGs), in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Virginia and Wisconsin filed a lawsuit opposing the T-Mobile/Sprint merger, claiming that its approval would lead to increased consumer prices and decreased competition. In six of those states, the public utility commission (PUC) […]
A Free Internet One Year Later
One year ago, net neutrality proponents were demanding action, protesting in the streets, and threatening public officials and their families because the internet was going to die when the Restoring Internet Freedom Order (RIFO) became effective on June 11, 2018. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the RIFO on December 14, 2017, which overturned the […]
24 GHz Spectrum Auction Wraps Amid Inter-Agency Controversy
As private sector companies continue to build next generation (5G) wireless networks, a controversy over the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auction of the 24 GHz frequency is brewing. Spectrum Auction 102 was completed on May 29, 2019, auctioning approximately 2,900 licenses in the 24.25 and 25.25 GHz bands and generating more than $2 billion. This […]
A Government-Owned 5G Network Would Be a Massive Boondoggle
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary and President Trump’s announcement that he opposes nationalization of 5G, this idea keeps resurfacing. And like many other concepts emanating from the Beltway Bandits, this one would be costly and disastrous. It should be buried and not resurrected. The latest argument being raised by proponents is beating China to […]
House Appropriations Imposes Limits on JEDI Contract
The House Appropriations Committee released its report to accompany the Department of Defense (DOD) Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2020. Included in the report is language that would restrict the expenditure of funds for the DOD’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud procurement. The committee report prohibits funds from being “obligated or expended to migrate […]