Kenneth Corbin

The U.S. House of Representatives late on Thursday approved a measure that would block the Federal Communications Commission from implementing the controversial network neutrality rules the agency passed in December. The amendment to the federal spending bill currently under debate, authored by Greg Walden (R-Ore.), would block the FCC from using any of its funding […]

The federal government’s top communications officials have devoted much of their attention over the last couple years to tackling what is often called the digital divide, evangelizing about the benefits of broadband technology and channeling resources to promote deployment and adoption of high-speed Internet service. But hard data about the extent of the problem has […]

House Republicans on Wednesday introduced a resolution of disapproval seeking to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s controversial net neutrality rules, delivering on a threat the incoming leadership of the Energy and Commerce Committee first leveled on the same day in December the agency approved its order. Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) announced the resolution today […]

Offering the Obama administration’s most forceful statement yet on the issue of Internet freedom, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday appealed to the international community to reject online surveillance, censorship and other restrictions on the “town square” of the 21st century. In a speech at George Washington University, Clinton warned that governments that attempt […]

As the Obama administration continues to press a domestic agenda that focuses on innovation and investment as the building blocks of a modern economy, the nation’s top communications regulator on Wednesday outlined his vision for how broadband infrastructure fits into the mix. Speaking at a Washington forum on the economy, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius […]

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday moved to begin the process of overhauling the $8 billion federal telephone subsidy to redirect funding to broadband service in rural areas. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), approved by a unanimous vote, also outlines a path for reforming the system of payments among telephone providers for exchanging local […]

The White House is following up on President Obama’s message of driving innovation presented in last week’s State of the Union address with a new report outlining policy initiatives the administration is pressing, including efforts to build out broadband infrastructure, reform the nation’s patent system and catalyze investment in basic research. The report, released Friday, […]

As anti-government unrest continues unabated in the streets of Cairo, Egyptian authorities have permitted the nation’s Internet providers to resume service, ending a week-long outage that sparked widespread criticism and ultimately appears to have done little to quell the protests. Firms that monitor global Internet activity reported this morning that observed that the nation’s ISPs […]

As anti-government protesters planned a day of massive demonstrations in cities throughout Egypt on Friday, state authorities took dramatic steps that effectively shut down the Internet and wireless communications networks in that country. The government prevailed on the nation’s communications providers to shut down service in an apparent attempt to disrupt the protesters, who had […]

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) seized on President Obama’s message of innovation and economic competitiveness in last night’s State of the Union address to plug the patent-reform legislation he introduced on Tuesday. “I share President Obama’s commitment to preserving America’s role as the global leader in innovation. Entrepreneurs and inventors help to drive the […]