Broadband challenges include consumer expectations matching reality, NARUC heard Monday in Denver. Opening a panel and riffing on Tom Cruise in Top Gun saying “I feel the need for speed,” moderator Chris Nelson said broadband perceptions “can go in a lot of different directions.” The speeds people think they get, what they need, what they get at various times during the day, and other factors all vary, said Nelson. “When we go to buy broadband, we don’t really know what we’re getting; we know what we’re being told we’re being sold,” added Nelson, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission chairman. Broadband has challenges, said Ookla Executive Vice President-Smart Cities Bryan Darr. FCC form 477 data “can be quite out of date,” he said. Generally, “there have not been good, consistent data sources” used by governments, said Darr, whose company provides the Speedtest app for measuring broadband characteristics. Nelson, in an interview afterward, agreed with Ookla’s Darr that the issue of broadband speeds will diminish as overall ISP speeds increase. “As these speeds ramp up, this will be less of an issue,” Nelson told us. He said he doesn’t have a stance on whether the FCC should lift its 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream threshold for what's considered broadband. The priority should be that those who can’t get 25/3 Mbps should be able to buy such service, Nelson said: That’s “who we [should] focus on first.”

Open radio access networks signal “increased competition,” NTIA said in an FCC filing Friday on the March ORAN notice of inquiry (see 2103170049). “The Executive Branch recognizes that many [wireless] network operators, both domestically and abroad, face limited options when selecting vendors,” said the filing in docket 21-63: “Limited competition in the telecommunications infrastructure market can reduce supply chain resilience and security and contribute to higher prices for operators and consumers in the long run.” ORAN “holds the potential to lower operators’ network costs and generate savings that could, in turn, be passed to consumers through lower relative pricing.” It will spur AI and machine learning "without needing additional standards or application programming interfaces,” the agency said. NTIA cautioned that ORAN can help with supply chain security and resilience, but “it is not a replacement for governments taking action in collaboration with industry to protect critical infrastructure … from a full range of security threats, including those posed by untrusted, high-risk vendors.”

DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security announced a new website Thursday to “combat the threat of ransomware.” DOJ described StopRansomware.gov as a “one-stop hub for ransomware resources for individuals, businesses and other organizations.” It includes resources from DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Secret Service, FBI, National Institute of Standards and Technology and all other cyber-related federal agencies. The Senate Judiciary Committee, meanwhile, plans a hearing July 27 on ransomware threats, Chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and ranking member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, announced Wednesday. They asked DOJ, the FBI and CISA to testify. The agencies didn’t comment.

As more of daily life moves online, ensuring access to websites is more important, heard an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation webinar on federal website accessibility. Go beyond Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities, said Andrew Kirkpatrick, Adobe director-accessibility. “Get rid of legacy content and legacy systems not supporting accessibility.” Ensure content is available on modern devices and works well with all browsers, he said Thursday. Put away the mouse, “making sure you can activate all the content” via the keyboard, said Kirkpatrick. American Foundation for the Blind Chief Public Policy and Research Officer Stephanie Enyart stressed user testing as a “key component” in understanding how people “are really using the software.” Something technically accessible “might not be so user friendly.” She recommended federal agencies share best practices. Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., who co-chairs the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus and is a wheelchair user, said “government has to step up its game to be a model.” Noting Section 508 applies only to the executive branch, he said he asked the House chief administrative officer to prioritize site accessibility for congressional offices. “Efforts are underway,” Langevin said. He's seeking increased funding for the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services and the House modernization initiative. ITIF issued a report last month on federal agency accessibility (see 2106030036). Our report on association websites found they mostly scored relatively high on accessibility.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) call for the Biden administration to enable U.S. businesses to provide internet service to Cubans. “While Cuba’s communist regime is blocking Internet access in an effort to hide their brutal crackdown on freedom, American enterprises have the technical capability to beam connectivity to the Cuban people and help power their real and ongoing struggle for life and liberty,” Carr said. “With the backing and authorization of the federal government, these private sector innovators can get to work immediately.” Also Wednesday, Carr spoke with DeSantis about serving remote locations in Cuba. DeSantis sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting federal assistance to provide internet access to Cuba. He requested “all necessary authorizations, indemnifications, and funding to American businesses with the capability to provide internet access” there. The White House didn’t comment Thursday.

FTC Chair Lina Khan should recuse herself from decisions in the agency’s antitrust case against Facebook, the company wrote the commission Wednesday. Khan’s prior work and public statements show she already made up her mind about material facts in the case before joining the commission, the company argued. Facebook cited her work with the Open Markets Institute, the House Judiciary Committee, her academic writing, her public appearances and her Twitter posts. Khan tweeted about the substance of the agency’s complaint hours after the commission filed it, the company contended. Khan “presumed that Facebook has a monopoly in ‘social networking’ and has a ‘copy-acquire-kill’ strategy, calling on ‘enforcers’ to stop Facebook,” the company wrote. The agency declined comment. Amazon previously requested Khan’s recusal in the e-commerce platform (see 2106300044).

Florida appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals a June 30 decision by U.S. District Court in Tallahassee to freeze the state’s law regulating social media. Florida filed a notice of appeal Tuesday at the lower court (case 4:21-cv-00220-RH-MAF). Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) pledged to continue the case (see 2107010055). NetChoice, one of the internet industry groups that sued, expects the appeals court to uphold the preliminary injunction, said a spokesperson. “We look forward to solidifying these important findings across the entire 11th Circuit." While Florida "is within its rights to appeal, its continued defense of a law that the district court concluded was clearly unconstitutional simply wastes taxpayers' dollars," said Computer and Communications Industry Association President Matt Schruers. A similar Texas bill up for consideration in a special session (see 2107080012) met another roadblock this week as Democratic state senators exited the state Monday to prevent a quorum on a different bill.

“We Are UnStoppable” is the theme of an eight-week, 60-second TV ad campaign that debuted Monday in U.S. markets to promote website accessibility for the disabled, said accessiBe. "Despite web accessibility being a critical topic, especially as people continue to do almost everything online, conversations around it have not yet entered the mainstream TV world,” said CEO Shir Ekerling. “We believe this has to change.” People with disabilities "probably can't use your website," says a narrator in the spot. We found that many telecom and tech associations' websites are accessible, yet some need further improvements.

The FTC scheduled an open meeting at noon EDT July 21, to vote on a new policy statement on right to repair restrictions. See our bulletin here. President Joe Biden’s executive order Friday encouraged the FTC to issue rules against "anticompetitive restrictions" on using independent repair shops or doing do-it-yourself repairs of devices and equipment. The vote follows the "Commission's ‘Nixing the Fix’ report which was unanimously agreed to and announced on May 6,” Chair Lina Khan announced Monday. The commission also expects to vote on whether to rescind a policy statement issued in 1995 on “‘prior approval’ and ‘prior notice’ remedies in merger [and acquisitions] cases.” Speaker registration and comment submission is open through 8 p.m. EST July 18. Tech industry associations didn't comment. The agency is continuing to hold open meetings virtually due to the pandemic. Agendas are posted at least seven days before the next meeting.

Revenue in the global smart appliances market is projected to expand to $76.4 billion by 2026, from $33.8 billion this year, reported MarketsandMarkets Friday. Rising energy prices, changing consumer lifestyles and increasing use of wireless connectivity will be top growth drivers, it said: COVID-19 cut the market's growth rate in 2020 and 2021.