1. Monthly archive
  2. March 2025

March 2025

Congressman Taylor Introduces Bill Aimed at Expanding Broadband Access Across Appalachia

Rep Dave Taylor (R-OH-02)  introduced the Expanding Appalachia’s Broadband Access Act, which aims to increase access to broadband for rural communities across Appalachia. The Expanding Appalachia’s Broadband Access Act will direct the submission of a request to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on the capabilities of low-orbit satellites operated under the purview of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

Sponsor 

Gigabit Libraries Network

Date 
Thu, 04/03/2025 - 11:00

Speaker

Evan Feinman, fmr Director, BEAD

The massive BEAD program "provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed Internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five territories participating in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program have approved Internet for All plans." -NTIA 

Current debate revolves around best technologies to use. Wired or wireless? Fiber or low earth orbiting satellites?


DOGE Should Focus On Wasted Federal Spectrum

The Department of Government Efficiency should live up to its name and propose lasting reforms that improve government efficiency. Freeing up federal spectrum for commercial uses presents such an opportunity. For that to happen, however, the agencies that control much of the nation’s spectrum need a better incentive to give some of it up. Spectrum is the foundation for the ubiquitous wireless technologies that have become essential for businesses and consumers.

Let’s Not Move Backward on Telehealth and Hospital-at-Home Services

Why is the government risking a return to a healthcare regulatory regime that results in worse outcomes, less access to care and higher costs? The motives are unclear, but that would be the outcome if Congress lets the current regulatory framework for telehealth and hospital-at-home lapse, which it will if not renewed in 2025. The arguments to extend the waivers, as laid out in a letter from more than 350 healthcare organizations, are powerful.  Extensions will:

Major Low-Power TV Station Owner Wants to Shift to Datacasts

The largest owner of low-power TV stations in the country is asking federal regulators to allow datacasting on the 5G broadcast standard, and potentially sunset the sector’s obligation to provide at least one free signal viewable on traditional TV sets.

Reps Landsman, Carter Lead on Letter Urging Commerce Secretary to Release Broadband Program Funds

Reps Greg Landsman (D-OH-1) and Troy Carter (D-LA-2) led ten other members of the House Communications Subcommittee to send a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging the immediate release of stalled Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program funds. "While we understand you have launched a review of the program, we urge you to consider the reality of where BEAD sits today and the consequences of retroactive mandates at this late stage. Despite predictions to the contrary, the so-called “pointless requirements” have not deterred private industry participation in BEAD.

Sponsor 

Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

Date 
Wed, 04/16/2025 - 09:00 to 10:00

One year after its implementation, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is reshaping digital competition, fueling a global shift from traditional antitrust enforcement to preemptive regulation. But is this new approach fostering competition and innovation—or introducing unnecessary risks and uncertainty?

As some jurisdictions double down on interventionist economic policies, others remain at a crossroads, weighing the trade-offs between regulation and more market-driven solutions. Alternative models exist, offering better ways to balance competition enforcement with innovation.


Sponsor 

Center for Data Innovation

Date 
Thu, 04/17/2025 - 12:00 to 13:00

Chinese startups like Manus are moving fast to develop and deploy AI agents that can execute real-world tasks—rebooking flights, managing online services, and automating workflows with minimal human input. In the United States, while the technology is available, deployment has been more cautious. Yet the transition from a world where AI enhances decision-making to one where AI actively completes tasks is already underway and could reshape global competition.


Slowing BEAD to Speed Up Satellites: Evaluating Trade-Offs in Rural Connectivity

The Commerce Department is considering changes to the distribution of the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program that could significantly delay broadband deployment and redirect billions away from fiber and fixed wireless in favor of Low-Earth Orbit satellite services like Starlink’s. LEO satellites have distinct advantages in remote areas, but they also have technical & economic tradeoffs that would undermine BEAD’s long-term goals of reliable, scalable broadband access.

Fiber Public-Private Partnerships in the BEAD Era: How Localities Can Attract Broadband Investment

The expansion of broadband in the United States is at a critical inflection point.

© 1994-2025 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.