Press Release

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared with her fellow commissioners a Notice of Inquiry that, if adopted, would seek information on ways to ensure that consumers have appropriate and efficient access to customer service resources when working with their phone, cable and broadband providers.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced the fifth round of recommended awardees for last mile broadband projects as part of the $2 billion Last Mile Federal Funding Account Grant Program. This program expands broadband internet access for underserved and unserved communities across California.

The Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) awarded two grants totaling $9,600,633 to connect 15,561 homes and businesses across Waldo and Lincoln Counties to expand access to the internet. The grants were made through MCA’s Partnerships for Enabling Middle Mile (PEMM) Program which addresses large-scale, regional broadband needs by leveraging middle-mile infrastructure. These two grants demonstrate 12 collective years of concerted community-driven broadband planning, regional collaboration, and highlight the value of public-private, regional-scale partnerships.

The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity announced the notice of funding availability and guidance for the Stop-Gap Solutions program, which will provide $86 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to facilitate additional high-speed internet infrastructure deployments across North Carolina. The Stop-Gap Solutions program funds are available for the following two uses: 

As part of his commitment to connect every home and business in Kentucky to high-speed internet, Gov. Andy Beshear announced today that the state has opened the Broadband Grants Management Portal for user registration. Registering is the first step in applying for funds from Kentucky’s $1.1 billion allocation from the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Internet service providers, local governments and nonprofits are all eligible.

The Universal Service Fund is a $8 billion decades-old mechanism created by Congress in 1996 to support vital communications investments where the marketplace falls short: connecting schools and libraries to high-speed internet; helping rural hospitals adopt telemedicine; ensuring low-income households have basic communications services; and investing in broadband in communities that need it most. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that the current administration of the Universal Service Fund is unconstitutional. Why is the Universal Service Fund so important?

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Wyoming’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. This approval enables Wyoming to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program. Wyoming was allocated over $347 million to deploy or upgrade high-speed Internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.  

The Federal Communications Commission voted to establish a new alert code to help save missing and endangered persons by delivering critical alert messages to the public over television, radio, and wireless phones. In 2023, more than 188,000 people went missing who fall outside of the criteria for AMBER Alerts.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed new consumer protections against AI-generated robocalls and robotexts.

Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr joined Rep John Joyce (R-PA) in Blair County, Pennsylvania, for a roundtable discussion on the Biden-Harris Administration’s $42 billion plan for extending Internet service throughout rural America. Commissioner Carr and Rep Joyce heard directly from a range of stakeholders that want to see new Internet builds in their communities—from healthcare, education, economic, local government, and other leaders to the broadband builders that are ready to get the job done. Commissioner Carr said: