While the logjam of Biden administration nominees is slowly loosening, Democrats say that it’s not happening equitably. Progressive activists and party officials are accusing Republicans of disproportionately delaying women and nominees of color in their quest for confirmation to the executive branch. Jeff Hauser, the executive director of the Revolving Door Project, said, "There are some very slow nominations.
Broadband efforts in Colorado remain a high priority, with Brandy Reitter to serve as the new executive director of the Colorado Broadband Office. Reitter, who has been serving in local government for the last 15 years, will begin her new role at the Colorado Broadband Office in February 2022, replacing Julia Richman, who serves as deputy executive director of the Office of Information Technology (OIT). Reitter will lead the state’s broadband strategy during a time of robust advancement and development of Internet connectivity, particularly for rural areas.
With significant funds being allocated by federal and state governments, the requisite attention and resources may finally be lining up to make big headway in narrowing the digital divide. However, the focus must shift to expanding broadband access in the fastest and most efficient way. Leveraging extensive data sets from private, public and nonprofit sources and applying artificial intelligence capabilities can provide insights from the largest lens down to a microscopic view of state, county and census block groups.
With an influx of federal funding for broadband development, the Kansas governor's office is championing a goal to have the state among the leaders in high-speed internet access by the end of the decade. "We understand how high the stakes are," said Lieutenant Gov and Commerce Secretary David Toland (D-KS).
The Federal Communications Commission is considering putting new restrictions on wireless use of C-Band spectrum, including a nationwide power reduction, as the Biden Administration works on how best to free up that spectrum for 5G without risking interference to critical aviation communications. Wireless deployments in the band were delayed from fall 2021 given concerns by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but are now scheduled to launch January 5, 2022.
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