Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) led his colleagues in filing an amicus brief opposing the Biden administration’s recent decision to expand the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) E-Rate program to fund Wi-Fi on school buses. The Fifth Circuit lawsuit, Molak v. FCC, was brought by parents concerned about the federal government subsidizing children’s unsupervised access to social media sites, like TikTok and Instagram, on bus rides to and from school. In the amicus brief, the senators argue the FCC’s decision to expand the E-Rate program beyond schools and libraries exceeds the agency’s statutory authority and unlawfully extends a lapsed COVID-era program—the Emergency Connectivity Fund—that Congress did not renew. The brief also argues the FCC’s ruling will harm children by enabling their unsupervised access to the internet. Joining Sen Cruz in submitting the amicus brief are Sens Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Ted Budd (R-NC), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Pete Ricketts (R-NE).

We’re living in the age of broadband internet—internet service providers (ISPs) are announcing major infrastructure investments, committing to fund significant network upgrades and building new high speed service in communities across the country. At the same time, the federal government is also investing unprecedented amounts to support the deployment of broadband in underserved areas. Given the ubiquity of the internet in our daily lives, these efforts are both long overdue and not enough to give customers what they really need from their ISP—yes, fast, reliable internet, but also a redefined customer experience that is both easy to navigate and to understand. As part of its effort to improve broadband service nationwide—not just in terms of speed but also in terms of customer experience — the federal government is requiring all ISPs to provide broadband “nutrition labels” on their websites when purchasing service. These labels are designed to help consumers make clear comparisons between broadband plans based on key factors such as price and speed and to help them understand what they get for their money. As a country, we’re making a huge investment in our internet infrastructure. Initiatives like this one will help make sure that customers are getting a return on that investment, improving the overall customer experience and ensuring more transparency across the industry. And that’s a very, very good thing for all of us. 

Ten-year-old Miguel is putting his new digital literacy skills to an unexpected use: writing stories about his need for a brother. “It is boring only having sisters,” Miguel, who has four sisters, explained. Miguel and his mother Maria teamed up to take bilingual digital literacy classes through the University of Houston-Downtown's (UHD) e-library program. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration awarded UHD more than $2.4 million dollars from the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program to support literacy awareness and connectivity among the local Hispanic community. UHD partners with elementary schools in the surrounding area so families like the Alvarez can improve their technology and literacy skills in both English and Spanish. When Maria learned about the bilingual e-library program during a back-to-school night, she decided to enroll them both. “I’m helping my son so that he has a successful future, but I’m also helping myself because I have access to these stories,” Maria said. “I’m very interested in learning English, and the program helps me to recognize words in English and become fluent.” Thanks to the program, Maria has learned PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. She is also collaborating with Miguel on a book about his dream: having a brother and being a math teacher. 

In response to claims that Mercury Broadband has overstated its ability to provide fixed wireless access (FWA) in 12 Michigan counties on the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) broadband map, the company has released its own map of coverage in the counties in question. Mercury said it uses Forsk’s Atoll software for its mapping. The company stated in an email, “Mercury does not intentionally overstate speeds or coverage. Mercury stands by our coverage reporting.” 

Brightspeed's fiber expansion is gaining momentum. The privately-backed company said its fiber network is now available at one million locations, notching that achievement just one year after it launched Brightspeed Fiber Internet. And sure, hitting that milestone is cool. But what really matters is that people are buying it. A spokesperson for the company said Brightspeed Fiber Internet sales increase every month. “In fact, over the past four months we've seen a monthly average increase of 12%.” Tandem to hitting the 1 million mark, the company said it would be accelerating its fiber expansion, thanks in part to grant funding in various locations across its footprint. According to the spokesperson, there is approximately $4.7 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding available in Brightspeed’s footprint, and the company is “actively evaluating BEAD Program proposals and requirements” in those areas.