It’s Time to Kick the Tires on Those Enforceable Broadband Deployment Commitments
Thursday, September 28, 2023
September 2023
Op-ed
Op-ed
Real Girls, Real Lives, Connected: A global study of girls' access and usage of mobile internet
Limited global research exists about girls’ and boys’ access to and use of mobile phones. For girls, access is much more diverse and colourful than simply whether they ‘have’ or ‘have not’ got a phone. Access is often transient, and diverse ownership, borrowership and sharing practices are flourishing. Boys are 1.5 times more likely to own a phone and 1.8 times more likely to own a smartphone. They're also more likely to use phones in more diverse and internet-enabled ways than girls. Girls are going to great lengths to gain access.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Over $74.4 Million in Internet for All Grants to Tribal Lands
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded 28 grants totaling $74,424,986.73 to 28 Tribal entities as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP). Grants were made to tribes in Alaska, Arizona, California, Michigan, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Chairwoman Rosenworcel Proposes Next Step for 6 GHz Band Operations
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed new rules to allow very low-power devices to operate in the 6 gigahertz (GHz) band alongside other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
North Carolina Governor Cooper Urges Congress to Continue the ACP
Having a high-speed internet connection—and the ability to use it—is critical to modern life. One major challenge persists: we can run fiber broadband to every home in North Carolina, but if the residents can’t afford the service, they still risk being left behind. Fortunately, Congress created a tremendously impactful tool to combat the high costs of internet service as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). I urge you to reauthorize this critical program that makes internet access more affordable.
Treasury Department Announces Approval of Federal Funds to Connect Over 17,000 Oregonians
The Department of the Treasury approved $156.7 million for high-speed internet projects in Oregon under the American Rescue Plan Act's (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund (CPF). Oregon is approved to receive $149 million for broadband infrastructure projects, which the state estimates will connect approximately 17,195 homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet.
Vecima Announces Expansion of Manufacturing of Certain Entra Access Products to the US for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program
Vecima Networks intends to expand manufacturing into the US for certain products in its Entra portfolio.
State broadband officials race the clock as elections loom
Plans to spend Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program dollars to connect underserved populations could be impacted by state elections, according to broadband policy experts. Among the ten states that got the largest BEAD allocations, three (Missouri, North Carolina and Louisiana) will hold gubernatorial elections before the end of 2024. Executive Director of ConnectLA Veneeth Iyengar—Louisiana’s broadband program—plans to have as much BEAD work as possible done before th
Sen. Cruz, Rep. McMorris Rodgers Urge FCC Commissioner to Reject Rosenworcel Plan to Subsidize TikTok on School Buses
We write to express our strong opposition to a plan circulated by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to expand the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC or the Commission) E-Rate program. This plan would not only violate federal law but also duplicate programs across the federal government, directly contradicting FCC commissioners’ repeated commitments to streamlining federal broadband funding.