news

Congressmen Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA) have introduced bipartisan legislation to improve connectivity in rural areas in order to reduce barriers to implementation of precision agriculture. The legislation, the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act, requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to form a task force in conjunction with the U.S. Department of… Read more »

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) released the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 to approve the Restoring Internet Freedom Order. “I firmly believe in and support net neutrality principles such as no blocking, no throttling, and no paid prioritization that are important elements of a free and open Internet. At the same time, it is not… Read more »

Congressmen Bob Latta (R-OH) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) have authored bipartisan legislation, the Small Entity Regulatory Relief Opportunity Act (SERRO), to provide regulatory relief for small businesses and entities under the jurisdiction of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules. Any entity that qualifies as a small business as defined by the Small Business Administration would be… Read more »

Today, Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) questioned witnesses at an Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing about the mapping and coverage measurements of broadband in rural America and how it could be improved to better identify underserved and unserved areas. At the hearing, entitled, “Defining and Mapping Broadband Coverage in America,” Latta… Read more »

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) has issued the following statement after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai’s proposal to roll back the reclassification of broadband as a “common carrier” under Title II of the Communications Act was announced.   “The action by the previous FCC to impose a heavy-handed regulatory framework on the Internet was a… Read more »

Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) has re-introduced two telecommunication bills that promote competitiveness in markets and increase regulatory transparency at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The first piece of legislation, H.R. 557, the FCC Analysis of Benefits and Costs (ABCs) Act, requires the FCC to produce cost-benefit analysis for proposed rules and would also require a… Read more »

Today, Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) joined his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R. 288, the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act, which exempts small business providers of broadband Internet access from cumbersome regulatory requirements. The legislation protects these providers from the wave of regulations that accompanied the Federal Communications… Read more »

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Internet of Things (IoT) Working Group, co-chaired by Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) and Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT), has released a report detailing findings they gathered during the 114th Congress. The white paper summarizes the activities of the working group. The IoT Working Group met with technology experts, key stakeholders, and leaders in… Read more »

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) spoke at a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing today about the susceptibility of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to hacking in light of the recent Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that caused large internet outages. The subcommittee hearing, entitled “Understanding the Role of Connected Devices in Recent Cyber Attacks,” aimed… Read more »

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) joined his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in passing legislation this evening to improve call quality in rural communities. The bill, H.R. 2566, the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act, requires intermediate providers to comply with service quality standards set by the FCC. Rural call quality is often poor due to… Read more »