Public Notice

California's Broadband Loan Loss Reserve Fund is a $500 million fund that provides a credit enhancement related to the financing of local broadband infrastructure development. The reserve fund expands the ability of local governments, tribes and non-profits to secure financing for building last-mile projects, with an emphasis on public broadband networks. The Fund will provide collateral to local governments to enable more favorable borrowing rates and terms for bonds issued to deploy broadband infrastructure. The Fund was established in 2021. The benefits of the Fund include:

The Federal Communications Commission formally notified Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) providers that, due to a lack of additional funding from Congress, the agency will only be able to fully fund the program through the month of April. The Public Notice also (1) provides guidance on the May 2024 partial reimbursement month; (2) reminds participating providers of the notices they must send to ACP households; and (3) provides guidance on the consumer protections for ACP households during wind-down and after the ACP ends.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has accepted Idaho’s Digital Equity Plan. Using $564,706 from the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, Idaho created a plan aimed at addressing disparities in digital access, skills and affordability across the state. States are continuing to submit their plans for NTIA’s acceptance, and NTIA will accept plans on a rolling basis.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) announced the grant of two long-form applications and issuance of nine licenses for Auction 108. WTB finds the applications for the licenses to be complete and in conformance with the FCC's rules. Granting the applications for the licenses serves the public interest, convenience, and necessity.  Furthermore, the FCC has received full payment for the licenses.

The US Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service is accepting applications under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program for fiscal year (FY) 2024, subject to the availability of funding. Based on FY 2023 appropriated funding, RUS estimates that approximately $60 million will be available for FY 2024. Successful applications will be selected for funding and subsequently awarded to the extent that funding may ultimately be made available through appropriations.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) announced that BARConnects and North Alabama Electric Cooperative have notified the FCC  that they will not fulfill their commitment to offer voice and broadband service to certain census block groups (CBGs) within their Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and/or Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II auction supported service areas.  These providers will be subject to penalties for the CBGs where they are defaulting.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has appointed members to serve on the Technological Advisory Council (TAC). The TAC is comprised of a diverse group of leading technology experts.

The Governments of the United States, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom concur on these shared principles for the research and development of 6G wireless communication systems; and recognize that by working together we can support open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, resilient, and secure connectivity. We believe this to be an indispensable contribution towards building a more inclusive, sustainable, secure, and peaceful future for all, and call upon other governments, organizations, and stakeholders

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is reopening an application window for nominations to the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC). On December 27, 2023, NTIA published a Notice seeking nominations to the CSMAC with a deadline of January 31, 2024, for submissions.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) launched a Request for Comment on the risks, benefits and potential policy related to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models with widely available model weights—the core component of AI systems. These “open-weight” models allow developers to build upon and adapt previous work, broadening AI tools’ availability to small companies, researchers, nonprofits, and individuals.