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FCC approves $170 million for New York broadband rollout
The FCC's first action under new Chairman Ajit Pai will direct up to $170 million in federal funding to help ease the digital divide in New York State. The commission voted Thursday to approve the funds as part of the Connect America program, which is designed to invest in broadband deployment and infrastructure in rural and underserved areas.
GOP pushes new FCC chief to kill set-top box rental proposal
If you were excited at the prospect of no longer having to pay your local cable company a monthly stipend to use their set top boxes, boy does the House GOP have a surprise for you! Now that the FCC is being helmed by famed net neutrality opponent, Ajit Pai, Republican lawmakers are seizing upon the opportunity to squeeze a little more money out of the American public.
Ajit Pai confirmed as new head of the FCC
Just as expected, Ajit Pai has been named as the new chairman of the FCC, replacing the outgoing Tom Wheeler. Pai has worked at the FCC since May of 2012, when he was nominated by President Obama as the senior Republican party commissioner. In his time at the FCC he's made his stance against net neutrality well-known -- Pai and fellow Republican commissioner Michael O'Rielly sent a letter in December vowing to "revisit" net neutrality rules "as soon as possible."
Net neutrality foe Ajit Pai tapped to take over the FCC
FCC commissioner and outspoken critic of net neutrality Ajit Pai will reportedly be promoted to the agency's top post when Chairman Tom Wheeler steps down today. Pai, who was nominated by President Obama and served as the senior Republican commissioner, would not require Senate approval and his new position could be announced as early as Friday afternoon, Politico reports.
FCC Republicans promise to limit net neutrality when 'possible'
If you're worried that the US government will stomp on net neutrality the moment Trump becomes President, your concerns are well-founded. The FCC's two Republican Commissioners, Ajit Pai and Michael O'Rielly, have sent a letter to carrier lobbying groups promising to "revisit" net neutrality rules "as soon as possible" -- that is, once Chairman Tom Wheeler leaves and the right wing gets majority control of the agency. They write that the requirements for traffic fairness and transparency create "unjustified burdens" for providers, and previously said that they intended to "undo" net neutrality and other policies opposed by their party.
FCC expands Lifeline to help low-income Americans afford internet
Today the FCC voted 3-2 to approve expanding its Lifeline program that has subsidized phone and prepaid wireless access for low-income Americans since the 80s, so that now it covers internet access too. The $9.25 household subsidy is paid directly to service providers, and now it can be applied to standalone internet access, or bundled voice/data service. There are requirements for the services provided, like a minimum 150GB monthly usage cap, as well as minimums for mobile broadband usage and cellphone voice minutes.
The government is about to make outdoor WiFi faster
Just over a year ago, the FCC said it was working on a proposal to make outdoor and public WiFi faster, and, well, it's finally come to pass. Today, the outfit announced that it has freed some 100 megahertz of spectrum in the 5 gigahertz band, which will make wireless connections faster. By how much? Well, this could allow transfer rates of up to a gigabit per second for the likes of laptops, smartphones and tablets. It'd also immediately benefit beefy 802.11ac networks, according to Gigaom. If you're thinking that your favorite coffee shop's network could get faster as a result, that's only part of the plan: the ruling also allows for the deployment of speedier outdoor WiFi hot spots. As FCC commissioner Ajit Pai tells it, this could push the price of related gizmos down, too. If you want to see government employees liken licensed and unlicensed spectrums to peanut butter and jelly, or data transfers to Tom Selleck's moustache (yes, really), hit the source links.
