Connectivity in the Commonwealth: Virginia's Plan
Friday, February 9, 2024
February 2024
Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest
Satellite spectrum usage is governed largely by legacy frameworks that may not be appropriate given increased deployments and use of satellite connections. What new developments from WRC-23 affect satellite policy going forward? The FCC’s Space Bureau, other federal agencies and international bodies, have levers to speed up or slow down innovation in space. What is the state of policy in satellite spectrum, can there be more flexibility or is command and control inevitable?
The federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program will provide $42 billion to states to improve high-speed internet access for unserved and underserved locations, including libraries.
But there is a catch. Your library must be on the map as lacking gigabit service to get BEAD funding. Many maps are wrong and miss libraries that need better broadband. Luckily, most states will let libraries file a “challenge” to fix the map.
Featuring information security executive and social scientist Tarah Wheeler.
Biden advisor, Federal Communications Commissioner push to extend broadband discount program
Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez and Stephen Baldwin, Senior Advisor to the President, spoke about the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program at an event hosted by the Information Technology Institute in Washington DC. “We want to make sure that every user is connected to the internet, it is so important for participation in society, in our economy,” Commissioner Gomez said.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces First-Ever Consortium Dedicated to AI Safety
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the creation of the US AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC), which will unite AI creators and users, academics, government and industry researchers, and civil society organizations in support of the development and deployment of safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI).
Audio | High-speed internet is a necessity, not a luxury: Gigi Sohn (WCAI)
Submitted by zwalker@benton.org on Thu, 02/08/2024 - 16:24Advocate remains hopeful ACP funding will be renewed as new enrollment freezes
Enrollment for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has frozen, as of 11:59 pm on February 7, according to the website for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but advocates like Gigi Sohn believe that momentum is on their side to keep the program alive. Sohn, the American Association for Public Broadband’s executive director, has been a leading voice to keep the program, which provides subsidies for nearly 23 million Americans to help pay for broadband services.
The FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program Could End. Here’s Why That Might Not Be Bad for Schools
The Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which helps low-income families pay for home internet services, will end without Congressional action. The program, known as the ACP, stopped enrolling new applicants on February 7, and funding for all participants will run out by May.