Administration Health Care Apology, Rural Broadband Prospects

What DC’s Reading

• NBC News: Obama Administration Knew Millions Could Not Keep Their Health Insurance”
• Wall Street Journal: “N.S.A Spy Programs to Undergo Senate Review” (Paywall)
• Washington Post: “Are President Obama’s Eyes Wide Shut?”

U.S. Senate Events

Broadband Advances in Alaska

Alaskan Impact: Last week, the State of Alaska and the Government of the Yukon struck a deal to develop increased availability of broadband – and an international project that could bring higher internet speeds to our state via a fiber-optic cable took a step forward. As many Alaskans still struggle with getting any reliable internet connection at all, today the Senate looks at the future of broadband access across the nation.

6:30am AKDT

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Hearing

Topic: “Broadband Adoption: The Next Mile.”

Testimony from:

• Aaron Smith, Senior Researcher at the Pew Research Center
• David Cohen, Executive Vice President of the Comcast Corporation
• Sunne Wright McPeak, President/CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund
• Bernadine Joselyn, Director of Public Policy and Engagement, Blandin Foundation

(Click image to watch)

Joselyn: “Broadband adoption is a not a technological imperative, it’s a community imperative.”

(Click image to watch)

Senator Klobuchar (D-MN): Children with Internet access at home perform better academically than those without.

Watch the entire meeting online: commerce.senate.gov

U.S. House Events

Obamacare: Administration Apologizes As Enrollment Problems Continue

Alaskan Impact: Yesterday, Enroll Alaska, one of the companies in the state charged with enrolling people for the new health insurance plans, stopped signing Alaskans up due to glitches in the system that miscalculate Alaska’s subsidies. Senator Murkowski recently met with all three organizations tasked with enrolling Alaskans – who alerted her to continued and widespread problems. Alaska is not unique in this, though, and earlier today a key administration official apologized to Americans for the system failures nationwide.

6:00am AKDT

House Ways and Means Committee Hearing

Topic: Full committee hearing on “Affordable Care Act Implementation.”

Testimony from:

• Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Watch the entire meeting online: waysandmeans.house.gov

Headline from hearing: Official apologizes for health site delays, touts applications

NSA: Monitoring Too Much?

Alaskan Impact: Senator Murkowski today joined a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues as an original co-sponsor of The USA FREEDOM Act to curb the ability for the federal government to infringe on Americans’ privacy rights. The National Security Agency (NSA) is again under fire as reports surface that the intelligence agency has been spying U.S. allies throughout Europe, including listening to the phone calls of 35 foreign leaders. Earlier today, a House committee examined what changes should be made to the nation’s intelligence gathering policies.

9:30am AKDT

House (Select) Intelligence Committee Hearing

Topic: “Potential Changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).”

Testimony from:

• Director of National Intelligence James Clapper
• Deputy Attorney General James Cole
• General Keith Alexander, Director of the National Security Agency/Chief of the Central Security Service and Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command

Watch the entire meeting online: intelligence.house.gov