We commend the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or commission) for moving quickly to implement the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022 (Martha Wright-Reed Act). The barrier between incarcerated people and their loved ones created by sky-high prison phone rates makes it more difficult for incarcerated people to succeed when they return home and places a significant financial burden on their families, while disproportionately impacting communities of color.

We write to convey our strong support for the nomination of Anna Gomez to serve as commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or commission) and the renomination of Commissioner Geoffrey Starks to continue serving as FCC commissioner. At a time when access to reliable, diverse news and information — as well as affordable broadband and communications — is paramount, a fully staffed FCC is a top priority for the nation and for the constituencies we represent. Both Ms.

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the undersigned organizations, we write to strongly urge YouTube to reverse the recent decision to allow false election claims about the outcome of the 2020 election on your platform and reinstate the policy that prohibits 2020 election denial content on the platform.

Data brokers have immeasurable influence over consumers’ lives as they collect, store, and sell personal data that can include a childhood home address, email, phone number, browsing activity, credit card purchases, and more. As data brokers have commodified the collection and sale of personal information, it is crucial that the CFPB use its regulatory power through the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to address the deceptive exploitation of consumers’ personal information by data brokers.

We, the undersigned civil rights, technology, policy, and research organizations, write to commend the Biden-Harris administration on its recent efforts to center equity and civil rights in technology policy and to call on you to take the necessary next steps to advance a whole-of-government approach to addressing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on people’s rights and opportunities. 

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (The Leadership Conference) and its Media/Telecommunications Task Force, we write in response to the National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration’s (NTIA) Notice of AI Accountability Policy Request for Comment. We appreciate NTIA’s continued commitment to protecting the public in the age of rapidly emerging new technologies.

We, the undersigned groups, write to emphasize the importance of developing specific, concrete civil rights protections in the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) ongoing Commercial Surveillance and Data Security Rulemaking (ANPR). We applaud the Commission’s broad efforts to rein in unfair and deceptive commercial surveillance practices. In order to protect civil rights in a data-driven economy, the forthcoming proposed rules must clearly prohibit discrimination as an unfair trade practice.

Today, the ACP’s current rate of expenditure is roughly $500 million per month. Based on this and projected growth, funding for the ACP could be exhausted by Q2 of next year, if not sooner. Without adequate and sustained funding, millions of vulnerable Americans currently relying on the program would see their internet bill jump or be disconnected entirely, and Congress’ bipartisan $42 billion investment in broadband deployment will not meet the goal of universal broadband deployment and adoption.

As the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) discussed in their Digital Discrimination comments, small businesses in San Francisco’s Japantown experience an economic disadvantage compared to surrounding businesses because the businesses in Japantown “are limited to copper lines with a maximum capacity of 100 megabits/second”.

To: All Members of the U.S. Congress 

Date: September 14, 2023