This post includes articles highlighting the pending FCC deadlock and how it will affect the Biden Administration's telecom policy, the negative impacts of federal policies on international students and the United States, and the Trump Administration's efforts to leverage defense legislation to overturn Section 230 liability protections.
With our "Interesting Policy Reads" blog posts, the EDUCAUSE Policy Office highlights recent articles on federal policy issues and developments that are directly relevant to members or provide insights on higher education policy in general.
- The Technology 202: Biden Could Face a Deadlocked Federal Communications Commission, Washington Post, December 1, 2020. (Confirmation of President Trump's latest nominee to the Federal Communications Commission [FCC] may leave the agency unable to restore net neutrality early in the Biden administration.)
- Trump Threatens to Veto Major Defense Bill Unless Congress Repeals Section 230, a Legal Shield for Tech Giants, Washington Post, December 1, 2020. (President Trump seeks to use a traditionally "must-pass" defense bill to eliminate liability protections for online platforms.)
- The Number of International Students Is Shrinking. Here's How That's Affecting the Economy, The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 1, 2020. (This article highlights the significant negative impact the recent decline in international student enrollment has had on the US economy.)
- To Enhance Data Security, Federal Privacy Legislation Is Just a Start, The Brookings Institution, December 2, 2020. (The author makes a case for comprehensive federal privacy legislation as a key building block for national security in the digital age.)
- College Groups Tell Congress They Need Money, Inside Higher Ed, December 3, 2020. (Higher education associations, including EDUCAUSE, have called on Congress to include $120 billion in financial relief for colleges and universities in the next COVID-19 emergency spending bill.)
- A Federal Court Just Reinstated DACA, and the Implications Go Far beyond Immigration, Vox, December 5, 2020. (A federal court ruling vacated the Department of Homeland Security's [DHS] rules limiting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals [DACA] protections because the acting DHS secretary was illegally appointed to the position, which may limit the next president's ability to appoint acting agency heads.)
- How Biden's FCC Could Fix America's Internet, Vox, December 8, 2020. (The appointment of a new FCC chair by the Biden administration opens the door to bridging the digital divide and restoring net neutrality, but the policy impact will be limited unless a third Democratic commissioner can get Senate confirmation.)
- Senate Confirms Trump Nominee for FCC, Threatening Deadlock under Biden, Washington Post, December 8, 2020. (President Trump's final appointment to the FCC will leave the agency with a 2-2 split and Democratic commissioners waiting for a Biden nominee so they can advance policy changes.)
- I Came to Pittsburgh for Higher Education in 2017. It's Time to Undo the Harm Trump's Rhetoric and Policies Brought to International Students. Public Source, December 9, 2020. (The author provides a firsthand account of the negative effects of recent political rhetoric and federal immigration policies on international students.)
For more information about policy issues impacting higher education IT, please visit the EDUCAUSE Review Policy Spotlight blog as well as the EDUCAUSE Policy web page.
Jarret Cummings is Senior Advisor for Policy and Government Relations at EDUCAUSE.
© 2020 Jarret Cummings. The text of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.