Corey Walker

Even though there are enough Republicans in Congress to pass an extension of the soon-expiring Affordable Connectivity Program, industry observers are pessimistic about its passage. Because House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is not supportive, said Blair Levin, the measure is unlikely to get a vote before the House of Representatives. Paul Gallant, a technology policy analyst for investment bank TD Cowen, agreed. “Congress is probably going to do nothing,” said Levin. "If it were to hit the floor, it would pass, and I don’t think Speaker Johnson is going to let it go to the floor.

America’s Communications Association (ACA Connects), the Rural Broadband Association (NTCA), and the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) issued a joint statement to the Federal Communications Commission urging it to exclude smaller and rural broadband providers from its new digital discrimination rules, citing a lack of evidence they engage in discrimination where they build and calling into question the FCC’s legal authority to impose the rules. The organizations argued that the 

The digital inclusion program manager of a program to get people online warned during a press conference that if the Affordable Connectivity Program ends and later resumes, tens of millions of  beneficiaries may have to manually re-enroll. Leslie Scott, digital inclusion program manager of KC Digital Drive, raised the concerns in a press conference hosted by advocates of renewing the ACP. Scott said that, during a Federal Communications Commission listening session, she and other observers were informed that if the ACP restarts after shutting down, 23 million program participants might have