Lumen restored 911 service in eight Minnesota counties where dispatchers couldn’t hear callers’ voices on emergency calls Monday, said the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Emergency Communication Networks division. The division reported 911 service restored at 9:20 p.m. It reported earlier that it was alerted to problems at 3 p.m. Affected counties were Dodge, Freeborn, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha and Winona. “Some customers in southeastern Minnesota experienced a disruption in 911 service,” a Lumen spokesperson said Tuesday. “All services have been restored.” Affected callers could hear the 911 dispatcher, but dispatchers couldn’t hear callers from 12:56-8:08 p.m., the division said in a Tuesday update. As a workaround, public safety answering points used displayed caller information to contact callers over administrative lines. PSAPs urged people to use 10-digit nonemergency numbers, and text-to-911 was working, the division said. No emergency calls went unanswered, it said. Lumen initially blamed a fiber cut, and now blames “a bad card that supports a large national fiber” in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the division said. Engineers restored service by rebooting the faulty equipment. Lumen’s investigation continues and will provide a “reason for outage” in three to five business days, per its contract. The outage occurred during the final year of the state’s five-year contract with the former CenturyLink.
Consider alternatives to verify providers' eligibility for the emergency broadband relief fund due to "the shortcomings of the National Verifier database," digital and civil rights groups led by Public Knowledge told FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, per a filing posted Tuesday in docket 20-445. Free Press, MediaJustice, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and Gigi Sohn of the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy participated. Set criteria for new entrants that encourage "participation by a broad array of providers," including noneligible telecom carriers, the groups recommended, and include periodic reporting so Universal Service Administrative Co. can track how much funding remains available throughout the program and a method for notifying program participants about their eligibility for Lifeline services. The groups raised concerns about public awareness of the fund and recommended the commission use some administrative funds for marketing campaigns (see 2101070052). Adopt "plug and play" materials to inform and reach eligible participants, they said. Starks has been meeting with such groups on their recommendations.
Consider alternatives to verify providers' eligibility for the emergency broadband relief fund due to "the shortcomings of the National Verifier database," digital and civil rights groups led by Public Knowledge told FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, per a filing posted Tuesday in docket 20-445. Free Press, MediaJustice, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and Gigi Sohn of the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy participated. Set criteria for new entrants that encourage "participation by a broad array of providers," including noneligible telecom carriers, the groups recommended, and include periodic reporting so Universal Service Administrative Co. can track how much funding remains available throughout the program and a method for notifying program participants about their eligibility for Lifeline services. The groups raised concerns about public awareness of the fund and recommended the commission use some administrative funds for marketing campaigns (see 2101070052). Adopt "plug and play" materials to inform and reach eligible participants, they said. Starks has been meeting with such groups on their recommendations.
Consider alternatives to verify providers' eligibility for the emergency broadband relief fund due to "the shortcomings of the National Verifier database," digital and civil rights groups led by Public Knowledge told FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, per a filing posted Tuesday in docket 20-445. Free Press, MediaJustice, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and Gigi Sohn of the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy participated. Set criteria for new entrants that encourage "participation by a broad array of providers," including noneligible telecom carriers, the groups recommended, and include periodic reporting so Universal Service Administrative Co. can track how much funding remains available throughout the program and a method for notifying program participants about their eligibility for Lifeline services. The groups raised concerns about public awareness of the fund and recommended the commission use some administrative funds for marketing campaigns (see 2101070052). Adopt "plug and play" materials to inform and reach eligible participants, they said. Starks has been meeting with such groups on their recommendations.
The White House launched a National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office to help ensure U.S. leadership in AI technology, it said in a news release Jan. 12. The office will oversee the national AI strategy and act as the “central hub” for AI research and federal policymaking across government agencies, including engagement with industry and academia. In October, the White House issued a national strategy on critical and emerging technologies to better synchronize agency policy efforts, including for AI technologies (see 2010150038). The new AI office within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy comes as the Commerce Department works on export controls for AI and a range of emerging technologies (see 2101050018 and 2009170026).
Chairman Ajit Pai said Tuesday a top challenge for the next FCC is the rising USF contribution factor (see 2012150018). “The current funding mechanism is regressive, hitting low-income Americans and seniors the hardest. We need to fix this problem, and fix it soon,” he said. Pai repeated his support for setting aside auction funds for broadband deployment in unserved communities and suggested Congress allocate $50 billion to fund USF for the next five years so lawmakers can identify a better contribution system. Pai also touted his efforts to close the digital divide during the event with the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council and National Grange. It's one of several events he is attending as he prepares to leave Jan. 20. Pai called the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (see 2012070039) his proudest initiative, saying it will “connect millions of Americans living in some of the hardest-to-serve places.” He continued responding to critics that providers may be unable to provide the services they successfully bid on (see 2012210026). The auction was “overwhelmingly a success,” he said. “There will always be those who are upset that other people are getting the money instead of themselves.” Part of the COVID-19 relief law provided funds to improve broadband mapping before the RDOF Phase II auction. “I hope that the next FCC will approach that phase with vigor,” Pai said. With millions relying on internet access for work and education, the $3.2 billion emergency broadband relief fund (see 2101070052) “will go a long way,” Pai said: “Our staff is moving quickly to stand up this program to help consumers who need that help." Pai touted his efforts to close the digital divide by visiting 49 states and two U.S. territories -- he would have visited all 50 if not for the pandemic, he joked. “I learned about a woman who was found dead in her home, clutching her cellphone,” Pai said. The woman dialed 911 38 times, but the calls never went through, Pai said: “There just wasn’t wireless coverage in her area.” The pandemic underscored the need for access to telehealth services, he said, praising the commission’s efforts to increase the budget for the rural healthcare program.
Chairman Ajit Pai said Tuesday a top challenge for the next FCC is the rising USF contribution factor (see 2012150018). “The current funding mechanism is regressive, hitting low-income Americans and seniors the hardest. We need to fix this problem, and fix it soon,” he said. Pai repeated his support for setting aside auction funds for broadband deployment in unserved communities and suggested Congress allocate $50 billion to fund USF for the next five years so lawmakers can identify a better contribution system. Pai also touted his efforts to close the digital divide during the event with the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council and National Grange. It's one of several events he is attending as he prepares to leave Jan. 20. Pai called the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (see 2012070039) his proudest initiative, saying it will “connect millions of Americans living in some of the hardest-to-serve places.” He continued responding to critics that providers may be unable to provide the services they successfully bid on (see 2012210026). The auction was “overwhelmingly a success,” he said. “There will always be those who are upset that other people are getting the money instead of themselves.” Part of the COVID-19 relief law provided funds to improve broadband mapping before the RDOF Phase II auction. “I hope that the next FCC will approach that phase with vigor,” Pai said. With millions relying on internet access for work and education, the $3.2 billion emergency broadband relief fund (see 2101070052) “will go a long way,” Pai said: “Our staff is moving quickly to stand up this program to help consumers who need that help." Pai touted his efforts to close the digital divide by visiting 49 states and two U.S. territories -- he would have visited all 50 if not for the pandemic, he joked. “I learned about a woman who was found dead in her home, clutching her cellphone,” Pai said. The woman dialed 911 38 times, but the calls never went through, Pai said: “There just wasn’t wireless coverage in her area.” The pandemic underscored the need for access to telehealth services, he said, praising the commission’s efforts to increase the budget for the rural healthcare program.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo OK'd the Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies Bureau, to “reorganize” U.S. cyberspace and emerging technology security policy, the State Department said. CSET will address national security challenges from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and “other cyber and emerging technology competitors,” leading U.S. efforts “on a wide range of international cyberspace security and emerging technology policy issues,” the department said Thursday.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo OK'd the Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies Bureau, to “reorganize” U.S. cyberspace and emerging technology security policy, the State Department said. CSET will address national security challenges from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and “other cyber and emerging technology competitors,” leading U.S. efforts “on a wide range of international cyberspace security and emerging technology policy issues,” the department said Thursday.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo OK'd the Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies Bureau, to “reorganize” U.S. cyberspace and emerging technology security policy, the State Department said. CSET will address national security challenges from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and “other cyber and emerging technology competitors,” leading U.S. efforts “on a wide range of international cyberspace security and emerging technology policy issues,” the department said Thursday.