Jonathan Make, Executive Editor, is a journalist for publications including Communications Daily. He joined the Warren Communications News staff in 2005, after covering the industry at Bloomberg. He moved to Washington in 2003 to research the Federal Communications Commission as part of a master’s degree in media and public affairs at George Washington University. He’s immediate past president of the Society of Professional Journalists local chapter. You can follow Make on Instagram, Medium and Twitter: @makejdm.
Biography for Jonathan MakeRecent Articles by Jonathan MakeLOUISVILLE -- Just as states are pursuing a few approaches to shore up their own USFs, state regulators have a similar array of ideas about how the federal government can put its funds for broadband and other telecom services on sounder financial footing. In interviews on the sidelines of NARUC's gathering and in phone interviews for those who didn't travel here for the Sunday-Wednesday event, commissioners generally agreed the path the federal USF is on isn't sustainable because the percentage fee on some telecom services that consumers are levied on their monthly bills has gone up in recent years.Read More >>
LOUISVILLE -- As state commissions make diversity a focus, regulators from both political parties noted during NARUC's gathering this week their ability to set mandates is limited by authority constraints that include less purview over telecom companies than over electric and other utilities. The public utility commissioners said they and their agencies focus on having a diverse staff and on encouraging companies to pay attention to workforce and supplier diversity. In interviews here, the officials also cited the association's continuing focus on broadening the ranks of regulators and their staffers.Read More >>
LOUISVILLE -- The telco industry and its stakeholders are affected by a workforce crunch and by pole attachment difficulties that make it harder to spread fast broadband around the U.S., a meeting of state regulators was told. So the next time the Telecom Committee gathers at a NARUC meeting, discussion could include pole attachment issues, industry stakeholders and state commissioners requested at the association's ongoing meeting. Speaking Monday about possible future topics for the committee, such as with a panel, industry representatives brought up barriers to telcos using utility poles to attach gear to deliver broadband. Attachments and workforce issues are also getting attention within states, commissioners told us.Read More >>
With no comprehensive recent national privacy law, stakeholders must continue discussions about ways to rebuild consumers' trust in technology -- perhaps via standards or other agreed-upon measures, an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and XR Association conference was told Thursday. Speakers on one panel agreed the U.S. is behind on legislative efforts (see 2110200060). They said Europe is ahead, such as with the EU general data protection regulation. Boosting people's confidence that their information will be appropriately used when it's collected by devices, apps and by content providers is possible but not guaranteed, ITIF and XRA were told.Read More >>
Better FCC broadband maps, receiver standards -- perhaps from industry -- and scaled-back telehealth restrictions were among telecom items sought Friday at a Free State Foundation event. Commissioner Brendan Carr hoped to find out when updated maps will be available, and Republican colleague Nathan Simington again raised the issue of receiver standards. Ex-Commissioner Mike O'Rielly suggested considering factors other than where a company is headquartered in assessing trustworthiness of foreign-made telecom gear. And former Cable Bureau Chief Deborah Lathen wants stakeholders to consider the virtues of permanently scaling back telehealth restrictions.Read More >>
LOUISVILLE -- Just as states are pursuing a few approaches to shore up their own USFs, state regulators have a similar array of ideas about how the federal government can put its funds for broadband and other telecom services on sounder financial footing. In interviews on the sidelines of NARUC's gathering and in phone interviews for those who didn't travel here for the Sunday-Wednesday event, commissioners generally agreed the path the federal USF is on isn't sustainable because the percentage fee on some telecom services that consumers are levied on their monthly bills has gone up in recent years.Read More >>
LOUISVILLE -- As state commissions make diversity a focus, regulators from both political parties noted during NARUC's gathering this week their ability to set mandates is limited by authority constraints that include less purview over telecom companies than over electric and other utilities. The public utility commissioners said they and their agencies focus on having a diverse staff and on encouraging companies to pay attention to workforce and supplier diversity. In interviews here, the officials also cited the association's continuing focus on broadening the ranks of regulators and their staffers.Read More >>
LOUISVILLE -- The telco industry and its stakeholders are affected by a workforce crunch and by pole attachment difficulties that make it harder to spread fast broadband around the U.S., a meeting of state regulators was told. So the next time the Telecom Committee gathers at a NARUC meeting, discussion could include pole attachment issues, industry stakeholders and state commissioners requested at the association's ongoing meeting. Speaking Monday about possible future topics for the committee, such as with a panel, industry representatives brought up barriers to telcos using utility poles to attach gear to deliver broadband. Attachments and workforce issues are also getting attention within states, commissioners told us.Read More >>
With no comprehensive recent national privacy law, stakeholders must continue discussions about ways to rebuild consumers' trust in technology -- perhaps via standards or other agreed-upon measures, an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and XR Association conference was told Thursday. Speakers on one panel agreed the U.S. is behind on legislative efforts (see 2110200060). They said Europe is ahead, such as with the EU general data protection regulation. Boosting people's confidence that their information will be appropriately used when it's collected by devices, apps and by content providers is possible but not guaranteed, ITIF and XRA were told.Read More >>
Better FCC broadband maps, receiver standards -- perhaps from industry -- and scaled-back telehealth restrictions were among telecom items sought Friday at a Free State Foundation event. Commissioner Brendan Carr hoped to find out when updated maps will be available, and Republican colleague Nathan Simington again raised the issue of receiver standards. Ex-Commissioner Mike O'Rielly suggested considering factors other than where a company is headquartered in assessing trustworthiness of foreign-made telecom gear. And former Cable Bureau Chief Deborah Lathen wants stakeholders to consider the virtues of permanently scaling back telehealth restrictions.Read More >>