• On January 5, 2011, the FCC announced the Open Internet Challenge designed to encourage the public to create applications to monitor Internet providers’ compliance with the Open Internet rules. One winner will get a trip to Washington, DC and will be honored at an FCC Chairman’s reception. The submission deadline is June 1, 2011, and winners will be chosen by a public vote and a panel of experts. More information can be found here.
  • On January 6, 2011, the FCC released a report “on the state of broadband connectivity at schools and libraries receiving funds from the federal E-rate program.” The report, based on a 2010 survey, found that although most E-rate recipients have access to broadband, faster speeds are needed, and that e-books are poised to be widely adopted in the next two to three years. The survey found, for example, that “95% of all E-rate survey respondents have some form of terrestrial broadband connection to at least one facility, while 2 percent use satellite and 3 percent use dial-up.” The report may be found here.
  • In the wake of the Open Internet rules adopted by the FCC in December, new cell phone plans announced by MetroPCS last week raised protests that MetroPCS may be violating the Open Internet rules, if the same wireline rules applied to wireless carriers. Free Press called on the FCC to investigate the MetroPCS plans, because they appear to favor YouTube over Netflix and could block Skype. Such practices would likely violate the nondiscrimination rule applicable to wired broadband providers, but could be acceptable under the wireless provider rules. Free Press’s press release is available here. More information can be found here.