Archives: Broadband / Articles
Archives: Broadband / Articles (page 3)
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DEA Data Collection Program Served as Model for NSA Program
“The wicked flee when no man pursues,” according to the book of Proverbs. USA Today recently reported that the United States Drug Enforcement Agency maintained a domestic wiretapping program…
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Grady v. North Carolina – Satellite Based Monitoring Programs Are Searches
A decision announced by the Supreme Court earlier this term may force states to re-evaluate their Satellite Based Monitoring (SBM) programs for repeat criminal offenders. Last week, the Court determined…
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Message to States: Don’t Let High Pole Attachment Rates Become Barriers to Broadband
This article by Seth L. Cooper first appeared at the Free State Foundation on June 1, 2015. State and local governments have important policy roles to play in spurring…
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Arbitrary Pole Attachment Fees Can Limit the Spread of Broadband
The value of access to broadband is well-known, and discussions of how to increase the spread of broadband most effectively and efficiently are common. But, often not discussed are the…
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ALEC Members Tour Port of Savannah
Late this past week, ALEC members converged on the historic southern town of Savannah, Georgia to attend the 2015 Spring Task Force Summit. Before participating in task force meetings…
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Changes to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Allows the FBI to Install Malware on Computers
Have you ever accidentally downloaded malware? Under proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the malware on your computer may provide the Federal Bureau of Investigation the…
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FCC’s Broadband Preemption Analysis and Prediction
There may not be a better example of Washington poignantly ignoring our federalist system than the recent FCC order preempting state laws regarding under what circumstances the municipalities may build…
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Operating on Constitutional Boundaries – Is There a Need for Legislative Updates to Electronic Privacy Protection Laws?
Long gone are the days when law enforcement surveillance meant officers with cameras standing on corners wearing trench coats, hats and sunglasses. Now law enforcement can use thermal imaging cameras…
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Expanding Internet Access Through Innovation in the Private Sector
The promise of broadband is being realized across the country, in urban and rural communities, including all demographics, amongst the middle class and the poor. While access to, and adoption…
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Regulating Like Its 1934: The FCC’s Decision to Reclassify the Internet as a Public Utility
Why should the Internet—a “modern technology”—be subject to regulations originally drafted in the mid-1930s? The Federal Communications Commission’s recent vote was less an adoption of “Net Neutrality” regulations and…
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FCC opposes ALEC Proposal and Hurts the Broadband Economy and Consumers
Yesterday in a 3-2 vote, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) weakened the U.S. economy, reduced our quality of life and slowed the advance of broadband –a shocking vote blatantly opposing…
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ALEC Comments on FCC Municipal Broadband Vote
Overtly political acts are often breathtaking, usually for the arrogance, ignorance and desperation they bring to light. They are made even more so when appointed officials of a so-called independent…
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Florida Governor Rick Scott Proposes $470 Million in Communications Services Tax Relief
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/state-capitol-florida-tallahassee-102601826 Great news for consumers in Florida: Governor Rick Scott has proposed $470 million in communications services tax relief. Governor Scott’s proposed budget would reduce the communications services…
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At Least One More Year of Tax-Free Internet Access
Last night, the US House of Representatives passed a measure to avoid a government shutdown. The $1 trillion spending authorization bill, or continuing resolution (CR), is expected to pass…
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Like Your Cell Phone? That’ll Be An Extra 17 Percent
Since Americans have become more mobile the demand for wireless access has increased. However, high tax burdens on wireless services have made it increasingly difficult for consumers to pay their…
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ALEC Urges FCC to Respect Federalism
Recently two local governments have filed petitions with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in an attempt to have the federal government preempt state laws on local government-owned broadband networks. In…
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It’s Time for the FCC to Call Off Its Convoluted Power Grab
A potential heavy-handed federal power grab is threatening the fabric of constitutional federalism, and Congress is divided on whether to interfere. The Federal Communications Commission is considering proposals that will…
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A Number That Does Not Compute – 706: FCC Preemption Will Cost Taxpayers Millions
ALEC commends former FCC Commissioner and Tennessee regulatory official Deborah Taylor Tate for her principled and reasoned criticisms of current proposals to federally preempting state laws restricting muni broadband networks.
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ALEC Urges FCC to Respect Federalism, Reject Preemption on Muni Broadband
On August 29, ALEC CEO Lisa Nelson and twenty state legislators sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). They called on the FCC to respect principles of…
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FCC Commissioner’s Staffer Makes Compelling Case Against Muni Broadband Preemption
On August 20, Matthew Berry, Chief of Staff to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Ajit Pai, spoke out in convincing manner against FCC preemption of state laws restricting municipal…