Programming Note: This is the final edition of The Week in Science & Technology for 2017, and summaries will return in January 2018. We wish all of our readers a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year.

What you can do

  • Join the fight to push back against the FCC's repeal of net neutrality rules.

FCC repeals net neutrality rules

On December 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to repeal the net neutrality rules that currently regulate high-speed Internet as a utility and forbid providers from charging extra for some content. The three Republican FCC members, including chair Ajit Pai, voted for repeal, but the commission's two Democratic members, Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel, issued strongly worded dissents. The repeal plan drew the ire of consumers and technology companies, spurred in-person and online protests, and flooded the FCC's website with millions of comments by individuals as well as by automated bots; half a million comments supporting repeal were later traced to Russian email accounts. Though the repeal could take effect once entered into the federal register (possibly within a few weeks), consumer and business groups opposed to the repeal have promised to file lawsuits, which could delay implementation of the new rules, and attorneys general from 18 states plan to file a claim to block implementation of the repeal. Democrats have called for legislation that would put net neutrality rules back in place.

Congress avoids shutdown with second continuing resolution, prepares for third

Right before its December 8 deadline, Congress approved a two-week continuing resolution to keep federal government open and funded through December 22. This is the second continuing resolution so far this year (because the Republican Congress was not able to pass an FY18 budget before the new fiscal year began, it approved the first continuing resolution in September and wasn't able to pass a full budget before it expired). The federal government will shut down after December 22 unless Congress approves a budget or another continuing resolution. On December 13, House Republicans introduced their latest plan, which would fund the government through January 19, and would fund the Department of Defense and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for the full year, though several flaws have been noted in the plan.

Graduate students, energy innovators, drug companies, and others weigh in on GOP tax bill

On December 13, Republicans in the House and Senate announced that they have reached a tentative consensus on their deeply unpopular tax reform bill. The STEM community has opposed many provisions of both the House and Senate versions. Thirty-one House Republicans have opposed the House bill's proposed tax on tuition waivers for graduate students, which is likely to be removed from the final version. Meanwhile, both the House and Senate bills would threaten tax incentives for clean and renewable energy projects, though there may be bipartisan support for protecting these incentives. The Senate bill would add restrictions to the eligibility of small developers for tax credits, while the House bill reduces credits specific to solar and wind energy. Drug companies and patient advocates are also concerned about the fate of the 34-year-old "orphan drug" tax credit for producing drugs that treat rare diseases. The House bill would repeal this credit; the Senate bill would retain but sharply reduce it. A final vote on the bill is expected during the week of December 18.

The Supreme Court will decide whether police can follow your phone without a warrant

On November 29, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Carpenter v. United States, a case which centers around whether state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies can use a cellphone's location data to track a person's location without a warrant. Due to the implications this has for personal privacy, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a petition which noted that, by allowing such broad powers, law enforcement could obtain personal data by simply requesting it from providers, and then use it in criminal prosecutions without first obtaining a warrant. Law enforcement contends that citizens using cellphones have no "reasonable expectation of privacy" because all cell phone data passes through a third party—namely, cell phone carriers. This theory is known as the third-party doctrine. Today, virtually all data now passes through, and is stored by, internet and telecommunications providers. The court's decision will determine whether the third-party doctrine is still valid, or whether a new theory will need to be created to address how data is treated in an era when data is managed by third parties.

FCC appoints new CEO of USAC, cuts application window for school and library technology funding

In a development that has been overshadowed by the tumult surrounding massive policy changes at the FCC in recent days and weeks, FCC chair Pai appointed Radha Sekar to be the new CEO of the Universal Service Administration Corporation (USAC) on December 13. USAC is an entity overseen by the FCC that administers and disburses more than $2 billion a year to rural and low income schools and libraries to subsidize critical broadband internet and telecommunications modernization infrastructure projects. While the work of the USAC is not widely known outside educational circles, the funding it oversees has been responsible for providing up-to-date technology infrastructure to some of the nation's most remote and poor schools and libraries. To obtain USAC funding, schools and libraries must undergo a rigorous application process that follows a strict calendar. This year, the USAC has announced the shortest filing window in its history. This compressed time frame hits at a time when the USAC's online application system has been plagued with ongoing technical and logistical issues, with outages occurring during key windows in the months-long application and funding process.

House holds hearing on how algorithms impact consumers

Two House Energy and Commerce subcommittees met on November 29 to hear testimony focused on how companies use data analysis algorithms to advance their business objectives, and how those techniques might negatively impact consumers. Private and government entities now have considerable ability to obtain and analyze consumer data, including customers' web browsing histories, cell phone locations, and purchasing decisions. This information is routinely used to target online advertising, calculate credit ratings, and even make college admissions decisions. However, data analysis algorithms can be biased or flawed, and errors can have serious or even deadly consequences. Consumers currently have little control over the information they release, or how companies and government entities share this information. Although statements and follow-up questions by House members indicated strong bipartisan concern, participants in the hearing offered few solutions to these problems.

The Trump Administration illegally withheld funds from popular energy research program, according to the Government Accountability Office

The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan government oversight agency, claimed the Trump administration had violated the Impoundment Control Act by refusing to disburse funds toward the Advanced Research Projects ­Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), a basic technology research agency that has created billions of dollars in value on the cutting edge of energy research. The administration has since paid out the funds to research groups, but critics worry that these illegal tactics will continue in the effort to stall science investment by the federal government.

As NASA budget cut in Congress, Trump announces space exploration plan

President Trump outlined an ambitious, though vague, direction for American investment in space exploration on December 11. He announced a plan to send astronauts to the moon for the first time in over 45 years, adding that "[We] will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint, we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars." No details were offered about achieving this goal, especially with regard to funding. The bulk of current funding for NASA goes toward science research, and a return to supporting manned exploration would be a dramatic shift that, without a significant increase in the NASA budget, risks damaging the important science output at NASA. As Congress debates cutting NASA's funding to one of its lowest-ever shares of the federal budget, the path to the moon remains unclear.

Quick takes

  • On December 7, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt testified before the Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on his "Back to Basics" plan for reducing EPA regulations. Pruitt also noted that his misguided "red team/blue team" debate on climate change could be coming soon.
  • On December 11, the House passed H.R. 3359 (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act), advancing it to the Senate.
  • Kathleen Hartnett White, who Trump nominated to head the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), has been accused of plagiarizing some of her answers to Senate questions.
  • Following U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, President Emmanuel Macron has allocated funds to bring U.S. climate researchers to France for the remainder of President Trump's term.
  • Republicans concerned about climate change are struggling to reach conservative audiences.
  • Most of the small group of scientists and engineers surveyed by Science magazine were open to joining or advising the Trump administration.
  • Citing threats to priceless fossil resources, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology plans to sue the Trump administration over the planned shrinkage of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.

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