Letter
Republican Senators Push NTIA to Implement Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as Congress Intended
Sixteen Republican senators sent a letter Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, calling on the department to follow congressional intent in implementing the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program that was created through the bipartisan infrastructure law. The Senators are seeking changes to the following areas:
FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel Responds to Rep Pence Regarding the Broadband Interagency Coordination Act
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel responded to a June 29 letter from Rep Greg Pence (R-IN) regarding the Broadband Interagency Coordination Act and the need for coordination of federal funding for broadband deployment. In her response, Rosenworcel detailed how the FCC has worked with other federal agencies to share information on existing and planned broadband projects and to coordinate and harmonize their efforts, as required by the Act.
A strengthened Community Reinvestment Act must advance digital equity
A group of organizations and individuals committed to digital equity wrote a letter to US Bank Regulatory Agencies urging them to modernize the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).
House Lawmakers Urge Biden Administration to Co-Locate Broadband and EV Charging Infrastructure
Reps Anna G Eshoo (D-CA) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) led a letter to Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Secretary Jennifer Granholm, and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information at the National Telecommunications and Information (NTIA) Alan Davidson, urging them to use funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to build out broadband and electric vehicle charging infrastructure simultaneously.
SpaceX Responds to Viasat Over Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Concerns
SpaceX filed a letter to the Federal Communications Commission on July 29 in response to Viasat's previous claims that the company is unable to fulfill the requirements of its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) award. According to SpaceX, Viasat is trying to protect its legacy technology through influence the FCC to limit competition. The company also said that recent data from Ookla shows Starlink is able to provide the speeds necessary for RDOF funding, which exceed Viasat's performance.
Viasat Sends Letter to FCC Regarding Starlink's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Commitments
On July 13, Viasat wrote to the Federal Communications Commission regarding SpaceX's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) commitments. "Viasat writes to update the record with respect to the continued inability of the authorized Starlink system to satisfy SpaceX’s RDOF commitments," said the letter.
INCOMPAS Letter to FCC: Faster Speeds or Slower Economy
After years of advocacy, INCOMPAS is hoping the Federal Communications Commission is finally ready to give the greenlight to raising internet speed benchmarks in the United States. In a new letter to the FCC, INCOMPAS – the internet and competitive networks association – once again urged the Commission to raise the current 25/3 Mbps standard to 1 Gigabit.
Lawmakers Urge FCC To Advance Broadband And Spectrum Access For Native Communities
A bicameral group of lawmakers sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urging the FCC to consider more ways to advance Native communities’ access to and ownership of spectrum over their lands. It was recently estimated that nearly a third of Tribal lands in the United States lacked internet access. Over 1.5 million people living on Tribal lands lack access to broadband services. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this disparity, limiting access to telemedicine, virtual and remote learning, and public safety programs, among other services.
FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel Responds to Reps Latta and McMorris Rodgers Regarding FCC's 2023 Budget and Staffing Requests
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel sent letters to Reps Bob Latta (R-OH) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) on June 30, 2022, in response to their letter on the FCC’s fiscal year 2023 proposed budget and full-time equivalent employees.
FCC needs an additional $3 billion for Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, Chairwoman Rosenworcel Says
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the FCC needs an additional $3 billion to fund the removal and replacement of telecommunications equipment from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE over national security concerns, which would bring the total cost of the program to $4.98 billion. In a letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Rosenworcel said without extra funds, the FCC would use the "prioritization scheme" specified by Congress for the program.