1. Monthly archive
  2. May 2021

May 2021

Department of Education Launches Outreach Campaign to Millions of K-12 Students and Federal Pell Grant Recipients Now Eligible for Monthly Discounts on Broadband Internet Service

The US Department of Education launched a major outreach campaign to millions of students who are now eligible for a monthly discount on broadband internet service under a temporary program administered by the Federal Communications Commission. The campaign will inform millions of families with children participating in the free or reduced-price lunch or school breakfast program, and 6.5 million Pell Grant recipients that they are now eligible for the discount of up to $50 per month.

Three essential elements needed for broadband access

Three elements are essential to making universal broadband access a reality: increasing speed minimums, improving accountability measures, and addressing affordability. 

Mozilla, Advocates, And Attorneys General Defend California's Net Neutrality Law

A broad array of advocacy groups, along with 19 attorneys general, other public officials, and tech companies including Mozilla are urging a federal appellate court to uphold California's network neutrality law. The advocacy groups are weighing in on a battle over a California state law that prohibits broadband providers from blocking or throttling traffic, charging higher fees for prioritized delivery, and from exempting certain material from customers' data caps.

Cox Permanently Increases Speed for Low-Cost Internet and Offers Discount through the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Cox Communications announced that the increased internet download speed introduced at the onset of COVID-19 for its low-cost internet package Connect2Compete is now permanent. The speed was temporarily increased from 25 to 50 Mbps in March 2020 to support families in greatest need.  In addition, Cox is working to ensure eligible households can receive discounted service through the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program.

Sponsor: 

Access Now

Date: 
Mon, 06/07/2021 - 06:00 to Fri, 06/11/2021 - 18:00

Human rights in the digital age


Comcast exec talks fiber expansion strategy

Comcast Cable CEO David Watson highlighted the company’s efforts to accelerate expansion of its fiber network by focusing on three primary opportunities for new builds. And he noted Comcast plans to ramp testing of offload capabilities for its wireless service later in 2021. Watson said the company added 2.5 million new residential and commercial passings over the past three years, stating this was a pace it aimed to maintain.

Charter CEO flags broadband build challenges

Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge warned the operator expects to face a range of challenges as it presses ahead with Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) subsidized broadband buildouts. In December 2020, Charter won $1.2 billion in Phase I of the Federal Communications Commission’s RDOF auction to fuel broadband deployments across 24 states. Rutledge stressed the size of the undertaking, and he noted the rural nature of the markets it is set to cover will make construction harder. “Physically getting it done is a big deal,” he said.

Sponsor: 

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Date: 
Wed, 05/19/2021 - 14:00

Let’s get more communities and families digitally connected. Come learn more about the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, a temporary federal program through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) geared toward connecting more households to the internet at a time when we rely on digital connectivity more than ever before.


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