Feb 28, 2018

FCC to vote on infrastructure rule changes to speed up 5G networks

The FCC's Republican majority. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The FCC will vote in March on whether to eliminate certain requirements for building wireless infrastructure to help speed up the development of super-fast 5G networks.

The details: Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr announced that the agency would vote on whether to effectively exempt smaller transmitters crucial to 5G from reviews related to their environmental and historic preservation impact. They'll also limit a permitting process for larger construction projects linked to wireless.

The bigger picture: 5G networks require more transmitters and cell-sites to be placed on buildings, streets and other structures. AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile are all racing to build out 5G networks, and they've been pushing for the FCC to speed up the process it takes to get new infrastructure and equipment approved.

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Scott Rosenberg

8 mins ago - Technology

Trump forces fateful choices on Twitter and Facebook

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

President Trump's war with Twitter is confronting social media platforms with a hard dilemma: whether to take fuller responsibility for what people say on their services, or to step back and assume a more quasi-governmental role.

The big picture: Facebook is trying to be more like a government — committing to impartiality and protecting free speech and building mechanisms for arbitration. Twitter, pushed by Trump's inflammatory messages, is opting to more aggressively enforce conduct rules on its private property, like a mall owner enforcing rules inside the gates.

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Axios

Updated 15 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 5,851,494 — Total deaths: 362,238 — Total recoveries — 2,445,181 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 1,729,185 — Total deaths: 101,706 — Total recoveries: 399,991 — Total tested: 15,646,041 — Map.
2020: North Carolina asks RNC if convention will honor Trump's wish for no masks or social distancing.
Public health: Hydroxychloroquine prescription fills exploded in March —How the U.S. might distribute a vaccine.
Transportation: National mobility keeps rising as more states reopen economies.
🎧 Podcast: Saying goodbye to U.S. megacities.

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Marisa Fernandez

34 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Obama on George Floyd's death: "This shouldn't be 'normal'"

Photo: Getty Images/Getty Images for EIF & XQ

Former President Obama said in a statement Friday that the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, "shouldn't be 'normal' in 2020 America."

What he's saying: "[W]e have to remember that for millions of Americans being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly 'normal' — whether it’s while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or watching birds in a park."

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