Last week, the Treasury Department announced the first Capital Projects Fund awards to help increase access to affordable high-speed internet services in four states - Louisiana, New Hampshire, Virginia and West Virginia. 

Earlier this year, INCOMPAS hosted Joseph Wender, director of the Capital Projects Fund for a conversation on how best to use public funding to unleash a faster broadband future. 

“By investing in a faster, better broadband future, the U.S. Treasury Department is unlocking new opportunities and new markets for families and small business in rural communities," said Chip Pickering, CEO of INCOMPAS and co-chair of the BroadLAND campaign. “We wish to commend Joseph Wender and the Capital Projects Fund for their laser focus on faster, future-proof broadband that gives rural Americans access to affordable internet services that can scale and grow to attract the jobs and industries of tomorrow. It will now be critical for Louisiana, New Hampshire, Virginia, and West Virginia – and all states receiving public money – to ensure that competitive bidding and access policies are instituted to ensure the investment is not squandered by old monopoly practices of the past.” 

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) announced a legislative hearing for next Tuesday, June 14, at 10:30 a.m. ET. The hearing is entitled, “Protecting America’s Consumers: Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Data Privacy and Security.”

“For far too long, Americans have been left without comprehensive data privacy protections, while Big Tech exploits and monetizes the information of its users. Congress simply cannot wait any longer to update our laws to protect consumers,” Pallone and Schakowsky said. “[W]e will hold a legislative hearing on the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, the first comprehensive data privacy proposal to gain bipartisan, bicameral support in decades. We look forward to hearing from consumer privacy leaders as we work to finalize this important legislation that holds Big Tech accountable, puts consumers back in control of their data, and protects their privacy.”