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 […]
USVI Should Avoid Repeating Municipal Broadband Failures
A U.S. Virgin Islands’ (USVI) public utility company is positioning itself to create a municipal broadband network that could come at the expense of hundreds of millions of duplicative taxpayer dollars under the guise of recovery from hurricanes Irma and Maria. The Virgin Islands Next Generation Network (viNGN) is a public corporation and the sister […]
FCC Chair Says T-Mobile Sprint Merger Good for Rural Americans
On May 20, 2019, T-Mobile US, Inc. and Sprint Corporation filed documents with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which demonstrated the companies’ commitment to serving rural Americans should their merger be approved. These commitments were quickly followed by announcements from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Brendan Carr that with these additional commitments and the […]
Benefits of 5G
With all the focus on creating a nationwide fifth generation (5G) network, questions often arise about why it is important for the U.S. to lead in 5G development, the benefits of moving to 5G, and why is there a continual push for more spectrum to be made available for 5G. The first benefit of developing […]
FCC TV White Space Decision Clears Path for Rural Broadband
Many rural communities and those living in remote areas often have difficulty accessing the internet or using broadband to the extent that their urban counterparts can achieve. There has been a great deal of discussion about bridging the digital divide between urban and rural communities. In seeking solutions to this disparity, technology companies have been […]
The Fallacy of Surveys and Studies
In college, during a discussion of surveys in one of my political science classes, I learned that survey writers often skew questions to achieve the desired results. A prime example of how this occurs can be found in a survey that was frequently cited on March 6, 2019, when Democrats in Congress announced the introduction […]
Net Neutrality or an Open Internet
On March 6, 2019, Congressional Democratic leaders joined together to announce legislation that would ensure “net neutrality.” This legislation would codify former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler’s government takeover of the internet by repealing the Restoring Internet Freedom Order (RIFO) of 2017, reinstituting the Open Internet Order (OIO) of 2015, and prohibiting the […]
DOD’s JEDI Contract Subject to Further Scrutiny
The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud services contract is facing new challenges as the Pentagon investigates potential conflicts of interest by former employees involved in the drafting of the request for proposal (RFP).







