Background: USTelecom, CTIA, NCTA and ACA - representing America’s broadband providers - have today filed separate motions opposing the State of Vermont’s attempt to dismiss and stay a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Vermont’s Internet Bill (S. 289) and Executive Order No.

Background: Today, U.S. Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Ed Markey (D-MA), members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, announced the reintroduction of the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act (S. 151). 

The following statement can be attributed to Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO, USTelecom:

Background: Today, the Senate confirmed Geoffrey Starks to serve as a Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and reconfirmed Brendan Carr for another term as a Commissioner.

The following statement can be attributed to Jonathan Spalter, President & CEO, USTelecom:

WASHINGTON, DC—Patrick Halley is USTelecom’s new Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Regulatory Affairs, the broadband group announced today. He joins the association from leading communications law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP (WBK), where he was a partner advising communications providers and trade associations on strategic, policy, and legal matters.

Background: The House and Senate have passed the 2018 Farm Bill conference report with bipartisan support. The bill includes provisions to build and connect more Americans to high speed broadband, particularly in rural and unserved areas of the country. 

The following statement can be attributed to Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO, USTelecom:

Background: At an open commission meeting today, the FCC adopted (4-0) an order to offer additional universal service support to all rural carriers in exchange for deploying broadband at increased speeds to more areas.

The following statement can be attributed to Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO, USTelecom:

USTelecom, ITI and CTA publish new report recommending security practices to protect digital economy from rising threat of global botnet attacks 

Botnet threat is more severe today than at any previous point in history; a single botnet can now include 30 million ‘zombie’ endpoints

WASHINGTON – The Council to Secure the Digital Economy (CSDE), led by USTelecom and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), today published – in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ – the 2018 International Anti-Botnet Guide, a comprehensive set of practices to protect the global digital ecosystem from the threat of botnets and other automated distributed attacks.

Background: Today, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) announced the introduction of S. 3655, the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act.

The USTelecom Industry Traceback Group includes 20+ participants from voice providers across the wireline, wireless, VoIP and cable industries working to identify and trace suspicious traffic on networks.

Urges network voice providers to join USTelecom’s Industry Traceback Group to fight scourge of robocalls and advance agency’s top consumer protection priority

Background: The Federal Communications Commission today sent letters to multiple voice providers, calling on them to “assist industry efforts to trace scam robocalls that originate on or pass through their networks.” Letters from the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and Chief Technology Officer were sent to voice providers not currently participating in the USTelecom Industry Traceback Group’s ongoing efforts to identify the source of illegal robocalls.

Background: The United States Supreme Court today denied cert (4-3) in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision in USTelecom and CenturyLink, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission, a case that upheld the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order under former Chairman Tom Wheeler. The FCC’s more recent 2017 Restoring Internet Freedom Order (RIF) under Chairman Ajit Pai classified broadband as an information service, a designation previously upheld by the Supreme Court in the Brand X case.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today the formation and chartering of the nation’s first Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force, a public-private partnership to examine and develop consensus recommendations to identify and manage risk to the global ICT supply chain. 

Background: California, the Department of Justice and USTelecom, CTIA, NCTA and ACA - representing America’s broadband providers - have today agreed to propose a delay in federal court litigation against California’s Internet Bill (SB 822) while the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals continues consideration of Mozilla Corporation v.