On June 6, 2012, the Federal Risk Assessment Management Program (FedRAMP) began accepting applications from cloud service providers and federal agencies to obtain authorization to operate (ATO) cloud services within the federal government. On October 27, 2016, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced it will begin an audit of the program to measure its progress, […]
Wireless Tax Burdens Continue to Grow
In December 2005, there were 207.9 million wireless subscriber connections in the U.S. As of the end of December 2015, that number had grown to 377.9 million wireless subscribers, a gain of more than 170 million over the ten-year period. Today’s mobile devices and services provide much more than just the ability to make a […]
Transparency Needed at the FCC
There is a problem with transparency at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) relating to the sharing of information with the public on critical regulatory matters under consideration. The most recent issue to arise relates to the proposed mandates being considered by the agency regarding set-top boxes. The notice of proposed rule-making was issued on February […]
Set-Top Box Proposal Takes Center Stage
Technology innovations are great, and the advancement of the electronics industry over the past 20 years has been astounding. However, when the federal government steps in to mandate technology, typically progress comes to a halt. Such is the case with the set-top box. The cable industry has been in the process of moving away from […]
Government Should Not Restrict Free-Data Plans
One only needs to look at the mobile phone bill of a connected teenager’s parent to know that mobile data use is on the rise. Often driven by homework and school expectations, teenagers consume large amounts of mobile data performing classroom internet searches, video messaging their fellow students working on team assignments, as well as […]
The God of Communications is Alive and Well at the FCC
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler is doing his best to emulate Mercury, the God of Communications, whose portfolio also covered commerce and transportation. (He was also known as a trickster and guided people into the Underworld.) The chairman has imposed ancient communications laws on the Internet, usurped the Federal Trade Commission’s role on […]
Reduce Regulatory Burdens Instead of Increasing Fees
Innovative technology has become the foundation for performing mundane tasks, such as vacationing, buying groceries, and even catching a ride, in new inventive ways. The sharing economy is on the cusp of such a revolution, using mobile apps to offer consumers new ways to connect with the services they want to use. However, as noted […]
The FCC’s Lifeline Breakdown
Citizens Against Government Waste highlighting the programmatic issues of the Universal Service Fund (USF) and its Lifeline program for low-income individuals in its 2014 report Telecom Unplugged: Ushering in a New Digital Era. The USF was created by Congress to expand communications technology in unserved regions of the country. The original mission of the Lifeline support program was to provide basic telephone service to low-income individuals. This program was expanded in 2008 to include wireless phone service, and on March 31, 2016, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to further expand the program to include broadband internet subsidies.
Give the FCC an Inch, and It Will Take a Mile
On June 14, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (DC Circuit Court) rejected by a 2-1 decision the petition of US Telecom in its case against the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Open Internet Order (OIO). The net neutrality debate has been through legal gyrations at the FCC and the courts for seven years, and this case is still not the end of the long and winding road.
Veterans Affairs IT System Needs Major Repairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has a systemic problem with information technology (IT) management, according to a June 22, 2016 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The report follows up on recommendations made by GAO following the agency’s February, 2015 designation of the IT system as a high-risk area. It highlights the ongoing need for VA to overhaul its IT to better ensure the quality and safety of veterans’ healthcare. Despite billions of dollars being spent over the past several years on managing and modernizing IT systems, including $3.9 billion in fiscal year 2015, major problems remain unresolved.