Congressional Research Service Reports - 438 Matching Results
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- Telecommunications and Media Convergence: Selected Issues for Consideration
- This report provides an overview of selected topics that provide a broad overview of issues that are central to the telecommunications/media convergence debate.
- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): An Overview of Programs and Funding
- This report provides an overview of funding and programs of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) bureau.
- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): An Overview of Programs and Funding
- This report provides an overview of funding and programs of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) bureau.
- Public-Private Partnership for a Public Safety Network: Governance and Policy
- This report summarizes salient points of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) actions regarding the creation of a public-private partnership to build and manage a national communications network for public safety use.
- Public-Private Partnership for a Public Safety Network: Governance and Policy
- This report summarizes salient points of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) actions regarding the creation of a public-private partnership to build and manage a national communications network for public safety use.
- Public Safety Communications and Spectrum Resources: Policy Issues for Congress
- The availability of radio frequency spectrum is considered essential to developing a modern, interoperable communications network for public safety. Equally critical is building the radio network to use this spectrum. Opinions diverge, however, on such issues as how much spectrum should be made available for the network, who should own it, who should build it, who should operate it, who should be allowed to use it, and how it might be paid for. This report discusses potential paths forward for Congress in regards to modernizing communications. To resolve the debate and move the planning process forward, Congress may decide to pursue oversight or change existing law. Actions proposed to Congress include (1) authorizing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reassign spectrum and (2) changing requirements for the use of spectrum auction proceeds. In particular, legislation in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171) might be modified. This law mandated the termination of analog television broadcasting and the release of those channels for other uses, including public safety.
- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): Policies, Programs, and Funding
- Report on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is an agency of the Department of Commerce set up to advise on domestic and international telecommunications and information policies.
- Funding Emergency Communications: Technology and Policy Considerations
- This report covers U.S. efforts to find a solution that assures seamless communications among first responders and emergency personnel at the scene of a major disaster. Legislation in the 112th Congress includes the Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act, the Broadband for Public Safety Act of 2011, the Broadband for First Responders Act, and the Strengthening Public-safety and Enhancing Communications Through Reform, Utilization, and Modernization (SPECTRUM) Act.
- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): Policies, Programs, and Funding
- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an agency of the Department of Commerce, is the executive branch's principal advisory office on domestic and international telecommunications and information policies. Its mandate is to provide greater access for all Americans to telecommunications services, support U.S. attempts to open foreign markets, advise on international telecommunications negotiations, and fund research for new technologies and their applications. NTIA also manages the distribution of funds for several key grant programs.
- The Siting of Wireless Communications Facilities: An Overview of Federal, State, and Local Law
- The siting of wireless communications facilities has been a topic of controversy in communities all over the United States. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 governs federal, state, and local regulation of the siting of communications towers by placing certain limitations on local zoning authority without totally preempting state and local law. This report provides an overview of the federal, state, and local laws governing the siting of wireless communications facilities.
- Intercarrier Compensation: One Component of Telecom Reform
- No Description Available.
- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): Issues for the 113th Congress
- This report provides and introduction to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and discusses the fiscal year appropriations and budget request, as well as spectrum act, spectrum policy and internet policy.
- Spectrum Needs of Self-Driving Vehicles
- This report discusses issues with the operation and implementation of communication systems for self-driving vehicles.
- Cable and Satellite Television Network Tiering and a la Carte Options for Consumers: Issues for Congress
- The large cable programmers, who provide most of the popular cable (and broadcast) television programming, respond that a single large expanded basic service tier represents the most efficient way to offer programming and that allowing customers to obtain networks on an a la carte basis or in small tiers would raise costs – and hence prices to consumers – and also reduce the diversity of programs offered, so that consumer welfare would suffer in the long run. In this report, the pros and cons of offering subscribers only a single large expanded basic service tier and also of the various proposals to provide consumers more options are presented.
- The Telecommunications Act of 1982 (H.R. 5158, 97th Congress): Provisions and Controversies
- No Description Available.
- A Glossary of Selected Telecommunications Terms
- The following glossary provides short definitions and descriptions of selected telecommunications terminology, agencies, and organizations, as well as a listing of key laws and Federal Communications Commission regulations and decisions.
- Framing Spectrum Policy: Legislative Initiatives
- This report examines legislative initiatives to address issues regarding radio frequency spectrum management and allocation. Access to radio frequency spectrum is essential to wireless communications. As demand for mobile services increases, from all sectors of society and the economy, so does the need to increase the capacity of wireless networks.
- Spectrum Policy: Public Safety and Wireless Communications Interference
- This report discusses the rebanding plan announced by the Federal Communications Commission in 2004 to consolidate public safety frequencies and those used by some other operators, such as utilities. The plan was announce in an attempt to eliminate interference caused by the close proximity and interleaving of commercial and public safety channels.
- Spectrum Policy: Public Safety and Wireless Communications Interference
- This report discusses the rebanding plan announced by the Federal Communications Commission in 2004 to consolidate public safety frequencies and those used by some other operators, such as utilities. The plan was announced in an attempt to eliminate interference caused by the close proximity and interleaving of commercial and public safety channels.
- Mobile Technology and Spectrum Policy: Innovation and Competition
- This report traces the current and possible future evolution of mobile communications networks and some of the changes in spectrum policy that might better accommodate innovation.
- The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape
- The report discusses the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-Related Congressional Actions in the 112th Congress. The policymakers, including some in Congress, have long called for varying degrees and types of reform to the FCC. Most proposals fall into two categories: (1) procedural changes made within the FCC or through congressional action that would affect the agency's operations or (2) substantive policy changes requiring congressional action that would affect how the agency regulates different services and industry sectors.
- Net Neutrality: Back to the Future (Part One and Part Two)
- This report is the first two reports in a series discussing the Federal Communication Commission's proposal to reclassify broadband Internet access services and modify or eliminate "net neutrality" regulations. Various legal aspects of the debate and classification of telecommunications are discussed.
- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): Policies, Programs, and Funding
- This report discusses the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is an agency of the Department of Commerce set up to advise on domestic and international telecommunications and information policies.
- Current Legal Status of the FCC’s Media Ownership Rules
- This report discusses the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) media ownership regulations, which place limits on the number of broadcast radio and television outlets one owner can possess in a given market and place cross-ownership restrictions on these outlets and on the cross-ownership of broadcast properties and newspapers.
- Fairness Doctorine: History and Constitutional Issues
- The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) that required broadcast licensees to cover issues of public importance and to do so in a fair manner. In 1987, after a period of study, the FCC repealed the Fairness Doctrine. The debate in Congress regarding whether to reinstate the doctrine continues today. This report covers the history of such debates.
- Seafarer: Extremely Low Frequency Naval Communications System
- No Description Available.
- Telework for Executive Agency Employees: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Legislation Pending in the 111th Congress
- This report discusses legislation (S. 707 and H.R. 1722) designed to foster the development of telework in executive agencies of the federal government.
- Telework for Executive Agency Employees: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Legislation Pending in the 111th Congress
- The 111th Congress is considering legislation (S. 707 and H.R. 1722) to foster the development of telework in executive agencies of the federal government. Legislation to augment telework in executive agencies of the federal government is currently pending in the 111th Congress. S. 707, the Telework Enhancement Act of 2009, and H.R. 1722, the Telework Improvements Act of 2010, were introduced on March 25, 2009, by Senator Daniel Akaka and Representative John Sarbanes, respectively. This report presents a side-by-side comparison of the provisions of S. 707, as reported, and H.R. 1722, as ordered to be reported.
- Telework for Executive Agency Employees: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Legislation Pending in the 111th Congress
- The 111th Congress is considering legislation (S. 707 and H.R. 1722) to foster the development of telework in executive agencies of the federal government. Legislation to augment telework in executive agencies of the federal government is currently pending in the 111th Congress. S. 707, the Telework Enhancement Act of 2009, and H.R. 1722, the Telework Improvements Act of 2010, were introduced on March 25, 2009, by Senator Daniel Akaka and Representative John Sarbanes, respectively. This report presents a side-by-side comparison of the provisions of S. 707, as reported, and H.R. 1722, as ordered to be reported.
- Telework for Executive Agency Employees: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Legislation Pending in the 111th Congress
- S. 1000, the Telework Enhancement Act of 2007, and H.R. 4106, the Telework Improvements Act of 2008, are currently pending in the 110th Congress. Under the pending legislation and Senate amendments, the heads of executive branch agencies would be required to establish policies under which employees (with some exceptions) could be eligible to participate in telework. This report presents a side-by-side comparison of the provisions of S. 1000, as reported; H.R. 4106, as passed by the House.
- Telework for Executive Agency Employees: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Legislation Pending in the 111th Congress
- S. 1000, the Telework Enhancement Act of 2007, and H.R. 4106, the Telework Improvements Act of 2008, are currently pending in the 110th Congress. Under the pending legislation and Senate amendments, the heads of executive branch agencies would be required to establish policies under which employees (with some exceptions) could be eligible to participate in telework. This report presents a side-by-side comparison of the provisions of S. 1000, as reported; H.R. 4106, as passed by the House.
- Media Consolidation: United States v. AT&T and Implications for Future Transactions
- This report discusses the proposed merger of AT&T, Inc. (AT&T) with Time Warner Inc. (Time Warner), after one of the most closely watched antitrust trials in recent memory. This report first outlines current Section 7 doctrine and then discusses the particularities of the government's case against AT&T and Time Warner and the court's decision to allow the transaction to proceed. Finally, it analyzes the decision's implications for the media industry and future antitrust cases, and identify potential considerations for Congress.
- Telework for Executive Agency Employees: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Legislation Pending in the 111th Congress
- This report discusses legislation (S. 707 and H.R. 1722) designed to foster the development of telework in executive agencies of the federal government.
- Third Generation ("3G") Mobile Wireless Technologies and Services
- No Description Available.
- Communications Act Revisions: Selected Issues for Consideration
- This report provides an overview of selected topics which the 109th Congress may address in its examination of telecommunications issues. The issues included in this report cover: broadband Internet regulation and access; broadcast indecency; digital television transition; Federal Communications Commission structure and reform; intercarrier compensation; media ownership rules; municipal deployment of broadband; public safety communications, the “savings clause” and monopoly issues; spectrum auctions; and universal service fund reform.
- Communications Act Revisions: Selected Issues for Consideration
- This report provides an overview of selected topics which the 109th Congress may address in its examination of telecommunications issues. The issues included in this report cover: broadband Internet regulation and access; broadcast indecency; digital television transition; Federal Communications Commission structure and reform; intercarrier compensation; media ownership rules; municipal deployment of broadband; public safety communications, the “savings clause” and monopoly issues; spectrum auctions; and universal service fund reform.
- Proposals for Revision of the Communications Act of 1934: Telecommunications Issues
- No Description Available.
- Telecommunications Act: Competition, Innovation, and Reform
- No Description Available.
- Telephone Industry Issues
- No Description Available.
- FCC Media Ownership Rules: Current Status and Issues for Congress
- The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) adopted an order on June 2, 2003 that modified five of its media ownership rules and retained two others. The new rules have never gone into effect. Congress passed the FY2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 108-199), Sec. 629 of which instructs the FCC to modify one of the rules — the National Television Ownership rule. This report examines these rules and relevant policy issues.
- The Net Neutrality Debate: Access to Broadband Networks
- This report discuses debates and regulations regarding net neutrality and broadband internet's classification as a telecommunication service in a 2015 rule that was upheld in court in 2016. A major focus in the debate is concern over whether the current regulatory framework as delineated in the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) 2015 Open Internet Order is the appropriate approach to ensure access to the Internet for content, services, and applications providers, as well as consumers, or whether a less regulatory, "light touch" approach is more suitable.
- Cybercrime: The Council of Europe Convention
- This report discusses the Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime of November 2001, which includes forty-two countries and the United States.
- Reauthorizing the Satellite Home Viewing Provisions in the Communications Act and the Copyright Act: Issues for Congress
- This report discusses the regulatory framework for the retransmission of broadcast television signals by satellite television operators,the Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1994, the 1999 Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA), and the 2004 Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (SHVERA)
- The FCC's "a la Carte" Reports
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released two reports on a la carte pricing of cable television networks that reach contradictory conclusions. The purpose of this report is to explain how these two reports reached differing conclusions and to analyze the different assumptions and calculations used in each.
- The FCC's "a la Carte" Reports
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released two reports on a la carte pricing of cable television networks that reach contradictory conclusions. The purpose of this report is to explain how these two reports reached differing conclusions and to analyze the different assumptions and calculations used in each.
- Funding Emergency Communications: Technology and Policy Considerations
- This report identifies areas where changes in existing policies and practices may facilitate achievement of the important goals for emergency communications that Congress and others have identified. Why these goals have become important, and recent planning efforts to achieve these goals, is discussed first. Next, possible barriers to achieving these goals are identified and described. The conclusion revisits key options presently under consideration by Congress.
- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): Issues for the 113th Congress
- This report examines the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is is the executive branch's principal advisory office on domestic and international telecommunications and information policies. The report specifically focuses on the new responsibilities granted to the NTIA under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-96).
- Telecommunications Services Trade and the WTO Agreement
- No Description Available.
- Telecommunications Services Trade and the WTO Agreement
- No Description Available.
- Net Neutrality: Background and Issues
- As the 109th Congress continues to debate telecommunications reform, a major point of contention is the question of whether action is needed to ensure unfettered access to the Internet. The move to place restrictions on the owners of the networks that compose and provide access to the Internet, to ensure equal access and nondiscriminatory treatment, is referred to as “net neutrality.” There is no single accepted definition of “net neutrality.” However, most agree that any such definition should include the general principles that owners of the networks that compose and provide access to the Internet should not control how consumers lawfully use that network; and should not be able to discriminate against content provider access to that network.