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Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband: Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses some of the commercial and federal radio frequency spectrum policy changes required by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. It also summarizes new policy directions for spectrum management under consideration in the 112th Congress, such as the encouragement of new technologies that use spectrum more efficiently.
Date: May 28, 2013
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Spectrum Policy: Provisions in the 2012 Spectrum Act

Description: This report discusses the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. The act established a process for television broadcasters to release spectrum licensed to them for auction as commercial licenses. The act also included provisions to apply future spectrum license auction revenues toward deficit reduction; to establish a planning and governance structure to deploy public safety broadband networks, using some auction proceeds for that purpose; and to assign additional spectrum resour… more
Date: December 23, 2013
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband: Issues for Congress

Description: Report that discusses some of the commercial and federal radio frequency spectrum policy changes required by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. It also summarizes new policy directions for spectrum management under consideration in the 112th Congress, such as the encouragement of new technologies that use spectrum more efficiently.
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Spectrum Policy: Provisions in the 2012 Spectrum Act

Description: This report discusses the Spectrum Act, a provision of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. It includes an overview of the Spectrum Act, the specific policy revisions (deficit reduction, directed auctions, incentive auctions, federal spectrum use and reallocation, and unlicensed spectrum) and a conclusion discussing geographic coverage of spectrum licenses, spectrum caps, and planning for future needs.
Date: May 22, 2014
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade in Services: The Doha Development Agenda Negotiations and U.S. Goals

Description: The United States and the other 153 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have been engaged in a set or "round" of negotiations called the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) since December 2001. The DDA's main objective is to refine and expand the rules by which WTO members conduct foreign trade with one another. This report is designed to assist the 112th Congress to understand and monitor progress of the negotiations and the major issues that the negotiators are addressing. The report prov… more
Date: March 10, 2011
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Funding Emergency Communications: Technology and Policy Considerations

Description: The 112th Congress is under renewed pressure to come to a decision about the assignment of a block of radio frequency spectrum licenses referred to as the D Block, and to provide a plan for federal support of broadband networks for emergency communications. The cost of constructing new networks (wireless and wireline) is estimated by experts to be in the tens of billions of dollars over the long term, with similarly large sums needed for maintenance and operation. Identifying money for federal … more
Date: May 27, 2011
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Media and Disasters: Current Uses, Future Options, and Policy Considerations

Description: This report summarizes how social media have been used by emergency management officials and agencies. It also examines the potential benefits, as well as the implications, of using social media in the context of emergencies and disasters.
Date: September 6, 2011
Creator: Lindsay, Bruce R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Funding Emergency Communications: Technology and Policy Considerations

Description: 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.
Date: June 23, 2011
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape

Description: 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 … more
Date: September 13, 2011
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Universal Service Fund: Background and Options for Reform

Description: This report discusses the idea that all Americans should be able to afford access to the telecommunications network; this is commonly called the “universal service concept” and can trace its origins back to the 1934 Communications Act. The current policy debate has focused on five concerns: the scope of the program; who should contribute and what methodology should be used to fund the program; eligibility criteria for benefits; concerns over possible program fraud, waste, and abuse; and the imp… more
Date: April 11, 2011
Creator: Gilroy, Angele A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Charter-Time Warner Cable-Bright House Networks Mergers: Overview and Issues

Description: The combination of Charter, Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC), and Bright House Networks (BHN) would create a single entity providing cable television and broadband access service to 23.9 million customers in 41 states, making it the nation’s second-largest cable television operator and broadband access provider. At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must approve the transactions before they can close.This report describes recent t… more
Date: July 24, 2015
Creator: Scherer, Dana A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Telemarketing Regulation: National and State Do Not Call Registries

Description: This report will outline the laws underpinning the National Do Not Call List; describe the regulations implementing the list; answer some of the most frequently asked questions related to the list; and discuss the possible penalties for violating the rules. The report will also briefly discuss some of the ways the various states have implemented their own do not call lists.
Date: April 1, 2016
Creator: Ruane, Kathleen Ann
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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What's on Television? The Intersection of Communications and Copyright Policies

Description: This report discusses how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Congress, and the courts have overseen the rise of the internet by applying a combination of communications and copyright laws to regulate the distribution of television programming.
Date: April 20, 2016
Creator: Scherer, Dana A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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