The Big Story: FCC opens up unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi. The Federal Communications Commission voted this week to free up spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band for unlicensed use, a move that will add 45 MHz to the 5GHz spectrum band currently used for Wi-Fi networks. The spectrum had been allocated to the U.S. Department of Transportation nearly two decades ago but had been largely unused. The move to open up spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band will increase Internet speeds and connectivity once devices are able to support it, largely because it’s near the portion of the 5GHz band already used for Wi-Fi. And, as FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly noted in a statement, “most equipment will be able to take advantage of this spectrum with only a quick software upgrade.”
Engine has long called for policymakers to open up the 5.9 GHz band for unlicensed use. We submitted comments to the FCC earlier this year expressing support for the agency’s efforts, noting that “enabling greater access to unlicensed spectrum is critical for developing the startup economy and bolstering American innovation.” Startups and entrepreneurs rely on unlicensed spectrum for a variety of purposes, including to connect Internet of Things (IoT) devices across short distances. The increase in available Wi-Fi is a boon to startups and entrepreneurs all across the country that depend upon reliable, high-speed connectivity in order to maintain their online platforms and reach new users—particularly as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Policy Roundup:
Trump tries to trade military base renaming for Section 230. The Trump administration is reportedly offering to support legislation removing the names of Confederate generals from U.S. military bases if Democrats agree to the repeal of Section 230. The president and other Republican lawmakers have attacked the bedrock Internet law—which allows companies of all sizes to host and moderate user content without the fear of potentially crippling lawsuits—over unfounded claims of political bias by the largest tech companies. As we noted earlier this week, however, U.S. startups on bootstrap budgets rely on Section 230’s liability framework in order to attract funding, grow, and compete against more established industry competitors without being sued out of existence.
Democrats, Republicans far apart on content moderation concerns. Democrats and Republicans both expressed interest in regulating the content moderation practices of big tech companies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, although the two parties had wildly disparate concerns. Republican members of the panel used the hearing—which featured Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey—to make unsubstantiated accusations that tech platforms are censoring conservative users, while Democrats on the committee expressed concern that Internet companies are not doing enough to combat harmful and misleading content on their sites.
Startups call on Congress to preserve and grow the H-1B visa program. Engine sent a letter this week to congressional leaders expressing concern with the Trump administration’s continuing efforts to undermine America’s visa programs and urging Congress to instead bolster the high-skilled visa program. Startups and the tech industry depend on access to high-skilled talent, and ongoing efforts to restrict H-1B visas and suspend entry for H-1B and other visa recipients threaten to harm many U.S. businesses struggling to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. We called on Congress to embrace innovation and the contributions of foreign-born talent, strengthen and expand the H-1B visa program, and consider the talent needs of America’s startups and tech community.
Tell the Patent Office to oppose rule change that would embolden patent trolls. Patent quality and the patent review process are important, especially for companies that have been targeted by so-called “patent trolls.” However, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) is currently receiving public comments about a rule change that would weaken a critical patent review procedure that has proven valuable for startups and other small companies looking to fight back against patent trolls. Learn more about the proposed rule change here, as well as how you can submit your own comments to PTO before the Dec. 3rd public commenting deadline.
Startup Roundup:
#StartupsEverywhere: Broomfield, Colorado. Niolabs is a startup that provides a platform for users and companies to create, design, and deploy their own distributed computing systems. We spoke with niolabs’ CEO, Doug Standley, to learn more about the startup’s work, the importance of application programming interfaces and interoperability, and how policymakers can work to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on early-stage companies.
#EngineStartupSpotlight. Each Wednesday, Engine is spotlighting a different startup on social media to highlight the policy issues affecting their business. Reach out to us here to be featured.
