Public Policy
The USCCB’s primary legislative concerns in communications relate to ensuring a religious presence in mass communications by removing the barriers that the Church confronts in communicating its message; allowing access to communications technology for incarcerated people at fair rates; eliminating the presence of pornography and violence in the media, with special emphasis on protecting children; maximizing information and education programming in the media (e.g. fair coverage of views from all segments of society); preserving an open Internet; promoting diversity in ownership of communications outlets; advocating for access to broadband internet for low-income persons, students and schools, and rural communities; and advocating for a regulatory framework for AI ethics that promotes the moral agency of humans in decision-making and addresses data protection, accountability, bias, and the impact of AI on employment
Public Policy Documents
Joint Letter on Funding the Affordable Connectivity Program
As Congress begins to accelerate its work on both supplemental funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 and regular appropriations for FY 2025, we write on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Communications, USCCB Committee on Catholic Education, the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) and Catholic Charities USA, to bring to your attention an urgent need for the continuation of funding for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). We urge Congress to move swiftly to secure continued funding for this important program, by enacting H.R. 6929/S. 3565, the “Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024”, legislation introduced in the House and Senate by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, and by providing funding through the regular or supplemental appropriations processes.
Joint Letter on Artificial Intelligence Principles and Priorities
Several bishop chairmen write to Congress to offer some principles and policy recommendations concerning artificial intelligence (AI) as pastors entrusted with concern for the life and dignity of the human person and the common good. AI offers both opportunities and challenges to our nation and the world. As our new Holy Father Pope Leo XIV reminds us, AI requires “responsibility and discernment in order to ensure it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity.” Congressional response to this rapidly developing technology should include a regulatory framework informed by ethical principles and reasonable policy considerations.