The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has accepted California’s Digital Equity plan. Using $4,001,520.00 from the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, California created a plan aimed at addressing disparities in digital access, skills and affordability across the state.
President Joe Biden’s administration called on Republicans in Congress to extend funding for the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a consumer broadband rebate program used by more than 23 million households. The the $14.2 billion ACP was signed into law in November 2021 and began accepting enrollments at the end of that year.
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has accepted Nebraska’s Digital Equity plan. Using $598,746.00 from the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, Nebraska created a plan aimed at addressing disparities in digital access, skills and affordability across the state.
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has accepted Texas’ Digital Equity plan. Using $3,110,150.00 from the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, Texas created a plan aimed at addressing disparities in digital access, skills and affordability across the state.
One tactic that both private and public fiber companies are using to raise capital is to tap asset backed security (ABS), according to the analysts at TD Cowen. ABS is a type of financial investment that uses income-generating assets as collateral and is an alternative to other ways of raising capital, such as corporate bonds.
According to state broadband officials in Michigan, Vermont and Pennsylvania, the termination of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) could not only impact the 23 million households on the program, but also those who live in areas where broadband is being built out. In Michigan, for instance, the state wants to require broadband companies receiving grants under the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to charge lower-income people no more than $30 a month.
April is the last fully funded month for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and the forecast for its future is looking grim. On March 23, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved Congress’ final, fiscal year 2024 spending package, worth a whopping $1.2 trillion. The kicker? The over-1000-page legislation contained no mention of additional funding for the ACP. And the numbers aren’t looking pretty. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has appropriated a total of around $17 billion for the ACP and its predecessor the Emergency Broadband Benefit program.
At the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, our goal is to make sure important technologies—from broadband to spectrum to emerging innovations like AI—are developed in the service of people and progress. Today, there is no better example of that challenge than the conversation around machine learning and artificial intelligence. Responsible AI innovation can – and will – bring enormous benefits to people. It is going to transform every corner of our economy, from advances in medicine to precision agriculture.
In this paper we study the role of Video on Demand services (VOD) as drivers of broadband adoption. We developed a worldwide database of VOD services launch by country since 2012 (including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Disney+, Paramount+, and HBO Max) and explored their contribution as contributors to broadband adoption during the period. Our results confirm that VOD services have been a key contributor to the increase of broadband connectivity, also helping to narrow down the digital divide especially in developing nations.
Minnesota didn’t wait for the federal government’s help to make funding available for rural broadband deployments. The state’s Border to Border program is often cited as a model for rural broadband funding.
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