June 2024

Sponsor 

Black Churches 4 Digital Equity Coalition 

Date 
Wed, 06/19/2024 - 11:00

An event dedicated to fostering digital equity and literacy within the Black community. 

  • Educational Workshops: Learn about critical funding opportunities coming to states this fall to help end the digital divide.

  • Leadership Speeches: Gain insights from a keynote address by renowned Black national Faith Leader Rev. Dr. Renita J. Weems.



Customers Prefer Fiber Internet When Available, While Satisfaction with Streaming Service Reaches Record High, ACSI Data Show

The fiber rollout may be slow and concentrated in urban areas, but it’s customers’ preferred choice when available. Fiber internet service providers (ISPs) outshine non-fiber ISPs 76 to 68 (out of 100) for customer satisfaction, per the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Telecommunications Study 2024.

Yet Another TDS Divestiture Could Free Up Fiber Funding

Two incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) in Virginia—Amelia Telephone Corporation and New Castle Telephone Company—will be the property of RiverStreet Management Services LLC under an agreement signed on May 31 with TDS Telecom, current owner of the ILECs. The deal is based on a stock purchase agreement with RiverStreet.

Could the ACP Push the Feds to Resolve Festering USF Issues?

For years, the federal government has avoided any attempt to resolve a long-standing problem: how to sustain funding for the Universal Service program. But perhaps that could change now that the lack of funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has gained substantial mindshare with the American public. Some stakeholders believe both problems can be solved by funding the ACP through the Universal Service Fund (USF) and expanding the types of entities that are required to pay to support the program.

Our Balkanized Broadband Leadership

Congress inserted an interesting requirement into the bill that reauthorizes the funding for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Both the House and Senate added language that would require that a national broadband plan be created that would try to put the Federal Communications Commission, the NTIA, US Department of Agriculture, and other agencies on the same page.