For LGBTQ+ people living in the United States, suicide is nothing less than a pandemic. For the general population, suicide is one of the top ten leading causes of death in the country, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). As high as that is, for LGBTQ+ people, the risk for suicide runs even higher. LGB youth in particular seriously contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of their heterosexual counterparts, and are almost five times as likely to have

At a White House event on Friday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the FCC is auctioning off more 5G spectrum than ever. Specifically, high-band airwaves that would technically open the doors to much faster speeds than those achievable under 4G currently. This is one part of the FCC’s multi-pronged approach to 5G. Under Chairman Pai, the FCC is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to Facilitate America's Superiority in 5G Technology (the 5G FAST Plan). The Chairman's stra

At an event held recently at the Indiana Statehouse, Commissioner Brendan Carr announced the FCC’s next 5G order and unveiled a proposal to cut costs and streamline approval periods for small cells—the physical building blocks of 5G. LGBT Tech has spoken in the past about the importance of launching newer technologies to close the digital divide and specifically how 5G has the potential to transform technological access to unserved and underserved communities such as the LGBT

Today, the Federal Communications Commission’s Restoring Internet Freedom Order officially goes into effect and sets the stage for establishing rules that apply equally to all participants in the broadband space. Strong and fair rules that protect all consumers equally no matter what Internet site they happen to be surfing are essential for all consumers. In response, LGBT Executive Director and Co-Founder Chris Wood issued the following statement: “What’s important to remem

As we kick off the discussion around 5G and Small Cells in the final 2017 Moving The Conversation Forward Event - No Community Left Behind 5G & Small Cell Deployment today, we wanted to make sure everyone had a basic understanding of the technology we are discussing. 5G Today’s mobile users want faster data speeds and more reliable service. The next generation of wireless networks—5G—promises to deliver that, and much more. With 5G, users should be able to download a high-def

LGBT Tech and The Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP) have partnered to convene a thought-provoking series: Moving the Conversation Forward. This series is a platform designed to bring together the brightest minds advocating for minority communities in a continued effort to discuss, educate and highlight issues and challenges facing minority communities around technology and telecommunications in the United States. Our hope is to continue advancing p

LGBT Tech has submitted initial comments addressing the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) In the Matter of Restoring Internet Freedom.[1] The NPRM seeks public comment on how to preserve the basic principles of net neutrality and in its comments, LGBT Tech reiterates that the FCC needs to establish rules that apply equally to all participants in the broadband space. The Internet has become an indispensable tool for members of

Updated 4/28/17 In light of the announcement by Chairman Pai yesterday that he would seek public comment on how to preserve the basic principles of net neutrality — the prohibitions of blocking, throttling and paid priority for online traffic, LGBT Tech reiterates it’s desire that the FCC establish rules that apply equally to all participants in the broadband space. Strong and fair rules that protect all consumers equally no matter what Internet site they happen to be surfin

We are excited to announce that out of 380 applications, LGBT Tech's, Carlos Gutierrez was selected to serve on the Federal Communication Commission's Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC). "I'm extremely proud to have been selected to serve on Chairman Pai's Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee," said Carlos Gutierrez "we look forward to working with the Committee to close the digital divide and ensure the connectivity needs of diverse communities are addressed."

Published first on Huffington Post. On July 14th the Federal Communication Commission unanimously voted to adopt new rules to facilitate the deployment of next-generation wireless technologies, or what’s widely referred to as “5G” (4G LTE networks that are widely-used today), opening substantial portions of the radio spectrum to support the expansion of future 5G networks. The current FCC Chairman believes that 5G technologies will help more Americans get access to high-speed

It is a common myth that LGBT individuals are more affluent than the general population at large. In fact, rural gays and lesbians often face poverty at higher rates than the general population. Furthermore, approximately 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT making them vastly overrepresented in the homeless population (LGBT individuals only make up about 4% of the general population). As such, LGBT populations are especially vulnerable to being left behind and becoming vic

LGBT Tech has concerns with the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) proposed regulation for Set-Top Boxes. We filed those concerns with the FCC on April 7, 2016. To view the press release, please click here. Click the image below to see a copy of the comments filed. #settopbox #LetterofSupport #FCC

This past Friday the DC Circuit Court of Appeals heard three hours of oral arguments on the legality of the FCC’s net neutrality order. The case is a result of a suit filed by internet service providers seeking to overturn the FCC’s recent net neutrality rules. A decision is not expected until the spring. Reading the tea leaves, both sides argue that they have grounds to feel some optimism. Opponents of the rule note that the judges seemed receptive to their procedural object

Over the past two decades, the Internet has transformed the economy and daily life for millions of Americans. For the LGBT community in particular, the ability to connect to the Internet has been critical, offering connections and communication, and also access to education, health care information, and other vital resources. For LGBT individuals in remote or rural areas, a broadband connection provides an immediate connection to a large, welcoming, global community. Furth

This month, the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee met separately to discuss spectrum policy and how to meet consumer demand for better cellphone networks. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing entitled “Removing Barriers to Wireless Broadband Deployment”. At the same time, the House Energy & Commerce Committee held a hearing entitled “Improving Federal Spectrum Systems”. Both hearings

This month the FCC voted to advance a proposal that would allow the government to subsidize broadband services for low-income Americans. Currently, under the Lifeline program, Lifeline receivers must be at or below 135 percent of the federal poverty line, or be enrolled in some type of public assistance program. Users may use the subsidy for either wireline or mobile service, but not both. Only one Lifeline account is allowed per household. The expansion approved today woul

Next year, the FCC is scheduled to auction off valuable spectrum that is currently licensed and held by television broadcasters to be purchased by wireless companies who can convert the old broadcast TV spectrum into more useful services for consumers. We are concerned because even with the additional spectrum being auctioned off to wireless carriers, many experts are worried that we are going to hit another “Spectrum Crunch” where demand for mobile broadband surpasses the a

As avid, daily mobile phone users, we don’t often spend a lot of time thinking about how our texts, emails or Snapchats move from one phone to another. We pick up our device, we hit send on one of the hundreds of apps we have downloaded and almost instantly, it arrives on our friend’s device. In the beginning of cell phone technology, we could only make phone calls. Then, text messages were introduced (up to 140 characters) and shortly thereafter, the ability to send pictures

March 18, 2015 Yesterday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation held it’s first public opportunity to directly question the Commission about its Open Internet Order. All the statements can be found below. U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission. Majority Statement CHAIRMAN JOHN THUNE Chairman John Thune’s statement included a tongue lashing to Chairman Wheeler, Commissioner Rosenw

It is extremely important for the LGBT community to understand the recent decision handed down by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the impact it has on a crucial tool to our community – the Internet. “The Internet is the most powerful and pervasive platform on the planet, it’s simply too important to be left without rules and without a referee on the field.” – FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. On February 26th, by a 3-2 party line vote, the Federal Communications Commi