Press Release

The Federal Communications Commission took a step in its efforts to streamline and strengthen consumer eligibility verification for the Lifeline program, as a nationwide automated connection between the Medicaid program and the Lifeline National Eligibility Verifier went live Sept 17. The connection between the Medicaid and Lifeline databases means that the eligibility of up to 60% of the Lifeline-eligible population can be confirmed automatically.

The Federal Communications Commission authorized over $112.2 million in funding over the next decade to expand broadband to nearly 48,000 unserved rural homes and businesses in nine states, representing the fifth wave of support from 2018’s successful Connect America Fund Phase II auction. Broadband providers will begin receiving funding later in Sept. The FCC has now authorized five waves of funding, and Sept 12’s action brings total authorized funding to over $1 billion, which will expand connectivity to nearly 388,000 homes and businesses nationwide.

The Fiber Broadband Association and strategy consulting firm Cartesian released a study that explores the costs associated with deploying all-fiber networks to all households across the entire US. More than 19 million Americans lack access to broadband — and the vast majority live in rural communities. In fact, 24% of rural Americans lack access to 25 Mbps service, but less than 2% of urban Americans lack this same broadband access. Deploying fiber in rural communities will be a key step to solving the digital divide in the United States.The study finds that:

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the FCC Open Meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 26, 2019:

In 2018, we created the Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund. Today, I shared with my colleagues a draft Order that would finalize Stage 2 of the Funds, allocating about $950 million to improve, expand, and harden broadband networks in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. We will be voting on this draft Order at the FCC’s monthly meeting on Sept 26.

As the Governor of Montana, a state with one of the highest percentages of rural residents in the West, Steve Bullock knows rural America is full of opportunity because he’s lived it. His first priority will be to establish an Office of Rural Affairs to coordinate his initiatives within the White House, reporting directly to the President, to provide leadership for and coordinate the development of policies for rural America across executive departments and agencies. Gov Bullock's plans for rural America include:

Google and its subsidiary YouTube will pay a record $170 million to settle allegations by the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General that the YouTube video sharing service illegally collected personal information from children without their parents’ consent.

Doug Kinkoph is Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information. He also serves as the Associate Administrator of NTIA’s Office of Telecommunications and Information Applications (OTIA) within the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he directs the BroadbandUSA initiative to promote broadband deployment and adoption across communities nationwide. He has been responsible for overseeing the $4 billion Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and State Broadband Initiative program, resulting from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Federal Communications Commission announced staff changes in the Office of General Counsel. David Gossett will serve as Chief of Staff, Ashley Boizelle will succeed Gossett as Deputy General Counsel for Litigation, and Michael Carlson will succeed Boizelle as Deputy General Counsel for Administrative Law.

On Aug 19 and 21, 2019, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai responded to various Members of Congress who expressed concerns about the FCC's inaccurate broadband mapping. Chairman Pai wrote that, "After a thorough review of the record and the painstaking work of our career staff, the Commission adopted a Report and Order at the FCC’s August Open Meeting that will result in more granular and more accurate broadband maps through the creation of the Digital Opportunity Data Collection.