Right now, the wireless network equipment market is highly consolidated, with just a few companies supplying the equipment necessary to support a network. But Open Radio Access Networks, or Open RAN, would unlock that system to allow different companies to compete to supply equipment for different parts of the network. The US Government believes in the promise of these networks.
As many have experienced, either personally or through a friend or loved one, the pandemic has taken a toll on people’s mental health.
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a critical component of the nationwide effort to bridge the digital divide. Established on a bipartisan basis by Congress, the ACP provides subsidies that enable low-income households to get – and stay connected – with monthly broadband subscriptions. Despite its success in reaching over 35% of eligible households, the ACP faces a funding shortfall by 2024.
In 1958, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe purchased a telephone company, becoming the first network of its kind in the US. Since then, eight other Tribes have purchased telecommunications companies. With unprecedented funding for broadband and the migration of financial, health, educational, and employment services online, more Tribes are leading efforts for better broadband in their communities. Trusted community messengers are essential to helping drive enrollment.
On June 14, 2023, the White House kicked off a “week of action” devoted to raising awareness and enrollment for the Affordable Connectivity Program (“ACP”). Nationally, only 18.7 million of the eligible 52 million households (35.8%) are enrolled in the program. This is a truly outstanding achievement for a program that is only a year and a half old. Though there are countless examples of how beneficial the ACP is for communities nationwide, there is a danger the ACP may not last much longer.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) beat its June 30 deadline to announce the amounts it will award each state through its $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, but now the clock is ticking as states and broadband service providers await another milestone.
© 1994-2024 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.
