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  2. May 2024

May 2024

FCC Authorizes Resound Networks to Receive CAF Phase II Auction Support Transferred from Echo Wireless Broadband

On May 16, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission approved a transfer of a domestic section 214 authorization from Echo Wireless Broadband to Resound Networks. As a result of this approval, the Parties have received FCC consent to transfer certain assets of Echo—including Echo’s Connect America Fund Phase II auction (CAF Phase II) support and associated obligations to serve eligible areas in Texas and New Mexico—to Resound. As a condition of this authorization, Resound assumes sole responsibility for complying with universal service fund requirements and FCC rules, regardless of any pr

BEAD Project Area Possibilities: Rules Vary a Lot from State to State

Rules for the $42.5 billion Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) rural broadband funding program give individual states considerable leeway in how they define project areas—and broadband providers applying for funding should expect to see considerable variation from one state to the next. Depending on the state, providers may even be able to define their own project areas. There is considerable variation among states that are allowing providers to define their own project area. For example, Louisiana established clusters of Hex9s, which the state calls sub project areas (SPAs).

Analysis

Another Vehicle for ACP Funding

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Monday, May 13, 2024

Congressional hearing in Bakersfield (CA) focuses on rural broadband debate

A delegation of US Congress members part of the Congressional Western Caucus and House Commerce Committee was in Bakersfield (CA) on May 10. At a nearly two-hour field hearing, Central Valley farming representatives joined rural internet service providers in highlighting the importance of high-speed connectivity to precision agriculture as well as poor communities reliant on computers for health care, education and remote work. While there was little question how vital internet service has become to rural areas, the underlying question was what role the government should have in not only he

Comcast does public-private broadband projects across footprint

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited a recently completed Comcast rural broadband project in Stafford County, Virginia, highlighting that this is a public-private project between Comcast and the county. The giant cable company is involved in public-private partnerships across its national footprint. For years cable operators such as Comcast, Charter and Cox have fought hard against municipal broadband projects, always crying that it’s wrong for taxpayer dollars to compete against their private investments.

Pillars, Policies, And Plausible Pathways Linking Digital Inclusion And Health Equity

Digital inclusion is considered a super social determinant of health and rests on four pillars: available and affordable broadband service, quality devices, digital skills and training, and technical support for using accessible applications. Evidence suggests two pathways through which digital inclusion and health equity are connected. The direct pathway is through increasing access to health care services.

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