Dogtown Meets with FCC to Talk Spectrum and More at AppCon

Dogtown’s Marc Fischer and members of ACT – The App Association with FCC Commissioner Michael O’RIelly

Dogtown Media CEO Marc Fischer had an action-packed Wednesday of meetings and policy talk at AppCon ’17, starting in the morning with a chat with the office of Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. The topic was reforming healthcare so that mHealth solutions can provide patients with better care at a lower cost. Fischer and his colleagues in ACT – The App Association then met with FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly in the afternoon to discuss a range of issues including 5G infrastructure, broadband access, and increasing competition so that consumers actually have more choice when it comes to ISPs. Before the day’s close, Fischer was in the White House speaking with Grace Koh, tech adviser to the president, and members of the National Economic Council about issues of great importance to San Francisco app developers.

In their meeting with the FCC’s O’Rielly, Fischer and fellow members of ACT – The App Association made the case for freeing up spectrum for more efficient data connectivity. As more and more tech companies rely on the mobile network to conduct business, more spectrum is required to meet their needs. Dogtown and ACT support the bipartisan MOBILE NOW Act, which aims to open up 500 MHz of spectrum by 2020 for commercial wireless broadband use and remove obstacles to building 5G infrastructure. This legislation would also make it easier to deploy broadband to rural areas, connecting remote communities that run the risk of falling behind in today’s increasingly tech-centric economy. Mobile app developers know that bringing wireless infrastructure into the next generation is crucial for the future of American innovation, especially as we move into the era of the Internet of Things.

Dogtown’s meeting with FCC officials came on the same day that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai set in motion his plan to scale back net neutrality regulations. Pai’s views on net neutrality have long put him at odds with the tech community and consumer groups who fear what will happen to competition, innovation, and customer experience when broadband providers are allowed to regulate themselves. In the absence of FCC regulations, legislation is necessary to preserve the open internet. The app developers at AppCon ’17 are calling for laws that ban content blocking, prohibit paid prioritization, encourage ISPs to be transparent, and clear up the confusion over the differences in the FTC and FCC’s privacy procedures.