The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau seeks additional comment on the proposed eligible services list (ESL) for the schools and libraries universal service support mechanism (more commonly known as the E-Rate program) for funding year (FY) 2024. On September 12, 2023, the Bureau released a Public Notice seeking comment on the proposed ESL for FY 2024. Subsequently, on October 19, 2023, the FCC adopted a Declaratory Ruling regarding Wi-Fi on school buses. Specifically, in the Declaratory Ruling, the FCC  clarified that the use of Wi-Fi, or other similar access point technologies, on school buses is an educational purpose, and the provision of such service, including the equipment needed to provided such service, is eligible for E-Rate support. The Declaratory Ruling further directed the Bureau to fund these services, and seek comment on the services and equipment that would be eligible as part of the eligible services list proceeding for funding year 2024. The Bureau now seeks comment on the specific services and equipment needed to provide Wi-Fi service, or similar access point technologies, on school buses and proposes several small modifications to the funding year 2024 eligible services list consistent with the Declaratory Ruling. [WC Docket No. 13-184. Comments due November 24, 2023]

In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, Sen Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) asked the FCC to take action on a long-standing proceeding which could change the way broadband providers access utility poles. Capito said she continues to hear “problems and delays” associated with broadband providers getting access to utility poles. Broadband networks are dependent on access to utility poles, especially in rural parts of the country where infrastructure often cannot be buried underground given difficult terrain. According to the senator, reasonable access to poles is currently obstructed by a number of factors, including workforce shortages and pole owners that want to offer broadband services of their own and receive funding from federal broadband programs. Capito also pointed to “inconsistent policies that allow pole access by owners are keeping some broadband networks from being built.” “The State Broadband Office has noted that these issues are unnecessarily draining the resources of broadband providers, as it has documented massive increases in rates sought by pole owners compared to those from just a few years ago,” she wrote, and the FCC taking action in a years-long pole attachment proceeding is “an important first step.”

Recent telecommunications conferences have yielded one consistent disconnect – between wireless carriers seeking details about future spectrum allocations and government representatives offering vague assurances of better bandwidth to come. Consider the quizzing of Scott Blake Harris, senior spectrum advisor and director of national spectrum strategy at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, at ForumGlobal's 12th Americas Spectrum Management Conference in Washington on October 10. When asked about the National Spectrum Strategy study that the Biden administration had set in motion in March 2023, Harris provided zoomed-out answers. "I think we're going to exceed the objective of finding spectrum to study," he said. "I think we will find more than 1500MHz of spectrum to study in the near to medium term." He didn't speculate how much spectrum all those studies might eventually liberate for carrier use.

After weeks of uncertainty, House Republicans elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), a conservative Christian who opposes abortion rights and same-sex marriages, to become House speaker. While his hardline conservative record is not one that's widely known nationally, it's being celebrated by many Republicans in his home state who are welcoming what they see as an important moment in Louisiana's history. The state's  Gov.-elect Jeff Landry (R-LA) praised Johnson, saying he's "well-liked by everyone." Still, others have been less enthusiastic. Many Democrats are concerned with his record on restricting access to abortions and are not confident in his ability to work across party lines. Speaker Johnson represents Louisiana's 4th Congressional district, which covers most of the western and northwestern parts of the state, including Shreveport. His record is considered just as reliably conservative as that of Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH). But Speaker Johnson is lesser-known and has often been described as an under-the-radar lawmaker who has a kinder façade than Rep Jordan. Former President Donald Trump praised the  new speaker saying "he's a tremendous leader." Rep Johnson is also a staunch election-denier who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. He served on the team that defended Trump in his first impeachment inquiry. And he supported a lawsuit to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in four swing states.

The United Kingdom's current net neutrality rules are set out in legislation. Any changes to the rules in future would be a matter for Government and Parliament. Ofcom is responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the rules and providing guidance on how ISPs should follow them. In 2021 Ofcom started a review of net neutrality. The review has found that, in general, it has worked well and supported consumer choice as well as enabling content providers to deliver their content and services to consumers. However, there are specific areas where we provide more clarity in our guidance to enable ISPs to innovate and manage their networks more efficiently, to improve consumer outcome.

• ISPs can offer premium quality retail offers: Allowing ISPs to provide premium quality retail packages means they can better meet some consumers’ needs. For example, people who use high quality virtual reality applications may want to buy a premium quality service, while users who mainly stream and browse the internet can buy a cheaper package. Our updated guidance clarifies that ISPs can offer premium packages, for example offering low latency, as long as they are sufficiently clear to customers about what they can expect from the services they buy.
• ISPs can develop new ‘specialised services’: New 5G and full fibre networks offer the opportunity for ISPs to innovate and develop their services. Our updated guidance clarifies when they can provide ‘specialised services’ to deliver specific content and applications that need to be optimised, which might include real time communications, virtual reality and driverless vehicles.
• ISPs can use traffic management measures to manage their networks: Traffic management can be used by ISPs on their networks, so that a good quality of service is maintained for consumers. Our updated guidance clarifies when and how ISPs can use traffic management, including the different approaches they can take and how they can distinguish between different categories of traffic based on their technical requirements.
• Most zero-rating offers will be allowed: Zero-rating is where the data used by certain websites or apps is not counted towards a customer’s overall data allowance. Our updated guidance clarifies that we will generally allow these offers, while setting out the limited circumstances where we might have concerns.