Michael Calabrese

Bridging the Gap: Funding Universal Service in the Broadband Era The key tool meant to help everyone in the United States access communications services is stuck in the past. Here are the paths forward.

The #UniversalServiceFund (#USF) is central to closing the #DigitalDivide, but its full potential for the future requires major reforms, according to a new @techanddemocracy.newamerica.org report by OTI’s @jessicadine.bsky.social and @tabularaza.net. Read more: www.newamerica.org/oti/reports/...

Bridging the Gap: Funding Universal Service in the Broadband Era The key tool meant to help everyone in the United States access communications services is stuck in the past. Here are the paths forward.

The full potential of #UniversalServiceFund (#USF) to close the #DigitalDivide can’t be realized without major reforms, starting with the contribution base! So says OTI's new report by @jessicadine.bsky.social & @tabularaza.net @techanddemocracy.newamerica.org
www.newamerica.org/oti/reports/...

How to Protect Government Data with Privacy-Enhancing Technology A practical guide to how PETs can help governments use our data responsibly and reduce privacy risks.

By implementing privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), public agencies can enhance security, maintain public trust, and comply with evolving #privacy regulations, according to a new report by @techanddemocracy.newamerica.org’s @sydneysaubestre.bsky.social: www.newamerica.org/oti/reports/...

We're Pouring Billions into a Broadband Program Doomed to Fail | Opinion We're about to see a perfect storm of rushed decisions from states and providers who don't have all the information they need. The likely outcome? Worse quality internet at higher prices for consumers...

New #BEAD guidance from @commercegov.bsky.social’s Howard Lutnick will force states to “redo the results of years of planning on a draconian 90-day timeline,” which could lead to consumers paying more for lower quality #broadband, OTI's
@jessicadine.bsky.social wrote in @newsweek.com:

Exploring Privacy-Preserving Age Verification: A Close Look at Zero-Knowledge Proofs New America’s Open Technology Institute offers a path toward exploring privacy-preserving age verification.

In response to the challenges of age verification mandates & a recent #SCOTUS decision, the Open Technology Institute's new brief explores a path toward implementation that protects a person’s #privacy & #data security through zero-knowledge proofs.

Learn more:

Maurene Comey warns her former colleagues: ‘Fear is the tool of the tyrant’ “If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain. Do not let that happen,” she wrote.

EXCLUSIVE: Fired DOJ prosecutor Maurene Comey sends message to former colleagues, warning that ‘Fear is the tool of the tyrant.’

Medicaid covers...

-40% of births nationwide
-50% of kids with special needs
-72 million people in total

Remember this as Republicans gut the program to finance tax cuts that will overwhelmingly go to the richest 1% of Americans. 

"Party of family values."

GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON: Rally · Volunteer organized for John Lewis Actions · Swing Left ### Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of nonviolent action ### to respond to the attacks posed on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration and to remind them that in America, the ...

I'm attending Swing Left's event, “GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON: Rally · Volunteer organized for John Lewis Actions” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/swingleft/ev...

How to Rebuild Public Trust in Technology and Government | TechPolicy.Press To rebuild public trust in government and technology, public interest technologists need to double down on centering communities, Lilian Coral writes.

In @techpolicypress, @lcoral.bsky.social (@newamerica.org) writes that to rebuild public trust in govt. & tech, public interest #technologists must double down on putting communities at the center of how our digital systems are designed & used. www.techpolicy.press/how-to-rebui...

Thanks to AI, higher ed institutions find themselves at a crossroad: Take a leap of faith on innovation or abstain to ensure autonomy/student privacy?

The answer, per @sydneysaubestre.bsky.social & Joel Yong: None of the above!

💡 @techanddemocracy.newamerica.org: go.newamerica.org/new-trolley-...

How to Rebuild Public Trust in Technology and Government | TechPolicy.Press To rebuild public trust in government and technology, public interest technologists need to double down on centering communities, Lilian Coral writes.

The public’s waning trust in both government and technology companies has deepened. To rebuild it, public interest technologists need to double down on putting communities at the center of how our digital systems are designed and used, Lilian Coral writes.

Hoping @maddow.msnbc.com will tell us why the NYT decided not to cover ~10 M Americans coming out to protest -- I cannot even find a squib (as the WashPo ran as a sidebar to their Trump Glorification stories). This had to be a top-level decision to surrender to Trump
@lawrenceodonnell.msnbc.com

‘No Kings’ protests nationwide to push back on Trump’s ‘overreach’ On the same day as the president’s military parade in D.C., thousands of people are expected to protest what they call his dangerous brand of authoritarianism.

"Interest has dramatically picked up in recent days. Sign-ups surpassed 5,000 — the capacity for the plaza where the rally is scheduled — and organizers are working with law enforcement to potentially close roads to ensure the safety of a larger crowd..."

www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...

Wayne County community rally amid ICE raid at restaurant Newswatch 16's Emily Kress spoke with people in the Honesdale community who are shaken after watching three restaurant employees get detained.

""It's really hard to fathom that the guy making my pizza for 25 years is a gangster and a terrorist, and the person who shows up in an unmarked car wearing a mask and body armor comes to take him away is somehow the good guy," said Simon..."

www.wnep.com/article/news...

A ban on state AI laws could smash Big Tech’s legal guardrails Facial recognition and kids online safety laws could be impacted, too.

A 10 year ban on state AI laws will have devastating consequences for workers, consumers, and kids. The consequence of AI on jobs is not getting enough attention in our politics. I make the case against the ban in this interview with the Verge.

www.theverge.com/politics/681...

NO KINGS San Francisco · Indivisible Indivisible SF and 50501SF are hosting a No Kings mass mobilization on June 14, 2025. We will gather at Dolores Park at 11:30 AM, and March at 12 NOON SHARP to Civic Center Plaza via Market St. There,...

I'm attending No Kings's event, “NO KINGS San Francisco” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/indivisible/...

Huh? @LindseyGrahamSC is disturbing: Why are ICE arrests "covert"? ICE agents wear masks because to encourage them to be needlessly violent - exactly what Trump wants!

POLITICO Pro: Senate moves to ax Biden-era Wi-Fi hotspot rule E-Rate is among the subsidies included in the Universal Service Fund, but Democrats argued it needed to be expanded to subsidize Wi-Fi hotspots.

Senate Republicans vote to widen the Homework Gap by repealing FCC Order that allows schools to use E-Rate funds to lend Wi-Fi hotspots to poor kids without home internet.
@techanddemocracy.newamerica.org @opentechinst.bsky.social

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

The 2025 Ranking Digital Rights Big Tech Edition A comprehensive ranking of top big tech disclosed policies and practices affecting people’s rights to freedom of expression and privacy.

New @SDGBenchmarks data shows that the world’s largest tech giants are still failing to create the guardrails needed to protect the rights of billions online, per the 2025 @rankingrights Index. None scored above 50%. Read more: bit.ly/RDR25 #RDR2025

A Q&A with Stefaan Verhulst, Co-Founder of The GovLab and The Data Tank | TechPolicy.Press New America senior fellow Akash Kapur spoke to Verhulst about ways to enable private data to be reused for the public good.

Check out this new @techpolicypress.bsky.social Q&A! Planetary Politics Senior Fellow Akash Kapur interviews Stefaan Verhulst (@sverhulst.bsky.social), co-founder of @thegovlab.org & @thedatatank.bsky.social. www.techpolicy.press/q-a-with-ste...

Trump administration’s mass firings could leave federal government with ‘monumental’ bill, say experts Lawyer says ‘astounding’ purge will cost government, after workers with positive reviews cut due to ‘poor performance’

DOGE may well cost more than it saves
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

How to Protect Government Data with Privacy-Enhancing Technology A practical guide to how PETs can help governments use our data responsibly and reduce privacy risks.

By implementing privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), public agencies can enhance security, maintain public trust, and comply with evolving #privacy regulations, according to a new report by @techanddemocracy.newamerica.org @sydneysaubestre.bsky.social www.newamerica.org/oti/reports/...

The Pro-Growth Minimum Wage If progressives want to get a higher minimum wage over the finish line, it’s time for them to make the case for a higher minimum wage on the grounds of growth first and fairness second, writes ITIF Pr...

Hey, if Republicans want to boost their inroads with working class voters they should do a "Nixon goes to China" and boost the minimum wage. It would spur both fairness and growth.

itif.org/publications...

Based on the replies l, it looks like there a lot of fed workers on @bsky.app

I just wanted to say THANK YOU. I can't imagine the shit you are going through right now

Thanks for your service to our country

How to Protect Government Data with Privacy-Enhancing Technology A practical guide to how PETs can help governments use our data responsibly and reduce privacy risks.

By implementing privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), public agencies can enhance security, maintain public trust, and comply with evolving #privacy regulations. See this new report by @techanddemocracy.newamerica.org’s @sydneysaubestre.bsky.social: www.newamerica.org/oti/reports/...

Holding onto Hope in 2025: Why Long-Term Policy Solutions Still Matter Eddy Conroy shares why doing the important policy work keeps him optimistic about a better future for Americans beyond Trump’s second term.

"Managing this moment means balancing the immediate crisis with the important big picture."

@educationwork.newamerica.org 's Edward Conroy highlights the importance of staying focused in the midst of public policy chaos for The Thread.

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World Poetry Day: Celebrating the Power of Poetry with Sarah Kay and Clint Smith Explore the powerful poetry of former New America Fellows Sarah Kay and Clint Smith, reflecting on culture and the transformative power of words.

This #WorldPoetryDay, we celebrate the profound impact of poetry as a form of artistic expression and mirror to our shared human experiences.

The Thread highlights New America Fellows and acclaimed poets @kaysarahsera.bsky.social and @clintsmithiii.bsky.social.

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Opinion | Elon Musk Is Corrupting More Than Just Government Silicon Valley is becoming all the things it once hated.

Elon Musk Is Corrupting More Than Just Government www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/o...

If GOP lawmakers won't talk to voters about DOGE’s Medicaid cuts and Trump’s mass firings, I will. That’s why I’m hosting three Benefits Over Billionaires town halls in California to speak directly with voters betrayed by this administration. RSVP: linktr.ee/ro_khanna_to...

Elon Musk’s Starlink Expands Across White House Complex (Gift Article) Trump administration officials said the company donated the internet service, saying the gift had been vetted by the lawyer overseeing ethics issues in the White House Counsel’s Office.

For a good laugh, read this @nytimes.com article - I've never read such tech illiteracy by not 1, but 4 reporters! They seem to think Starlink is a Wi-Fi service - and a cellular service - and then claim it is backhaul for WH fiber network! www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/u...