The Small Business Broadband and Emerging Information Technology Enhancement Act of 2022 (S. 3906) would require the Small Business Administration to hire a coordinator for and train employees on broadband and emerging information technologies and to complete a study and report to Congress. The act also would require small business development centers to help entrepreneurs access broadband and other emerging information technologies. CBO estimates that enacting S. 3906 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO has not estimated the discretionary costs of implementing the legislation. The legislation contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

New federal programs and resources through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act  provide an unprecedented opportunity to build on the existing infrastructure and expertise of our nation’s libraries to inform state digital equity plans and accelerate broadband adoption and skills building for all nationwide. Libraries provide:

• Reach with a physical presence in communities of all sizes, as well as in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, military bases, and more that provide high-speed internet access, computers, specialty software applications, central meeting spaces, and trusted hubs for information and community referrals for people across diverse backgrounds and interests;
• Expertise and resources with trained staff experienced in tackling digital equity gaps, boosting literacies and digital skills needed to survive and thrive in today’s networked world, and developing collections and resources relevant to local needs; and
• Sustainable, flexible collaboration ranging from digital equity coalitions to state workforce development plans to telehealth collaborations that strengthen networks and support sustainability.

These assets align with the goals of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and must be leveraged as part of upcoming state planning efforts, as well as efforts to boost awareness of and enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program. Not only do library staff have deep experience enabling digital access and skills building, they have a proven track record of stewarding public funding to successfully meet the needs of local residents of all ages and backgrounds.

[Michelle Frisque is a broadband consultant for the American Library Association]

Back in April, Illinois enacted legislation, the Broadband Infrastructure Advancement Act (P.A. 102-0699), that requires overarching procedures to make use of coming federal monies to support broadband deployment projects. The new law requires the Illinois Office of Broadband to establish program eligibility and selection criteria by administrative rules for any grants for broadband deployment, broadband expansion, broadband access, broadband affordability, and broadband improvement projects. The administrative rules will establish programmatic information, including addressing application requirements and eligibility criteria. The Illinois Office of Broadband now seeks comment on its proposed rules that aim to create added certainty in advance of federal funding available to the state through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Comments in the proceeding are due Monday, November 21.

The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) was established by Act 71 (2021), legislation relating to accelerated community broadband deployment, to coordinate, facilitate, support, and accelerate the development and implementation of universal community broadband solutions. The board develops policies and programs to accelerate community efforts that advance the state’s goal of achieving universal access to reliable, high-quality, affordable, fixed broadband achieving speeds of at least 100 Mbps symmetrical. On October 26, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the approval of over $90 million for broadband projects in the state of Vermont under the American Rescue Plan’s (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund (CPF). Vermont will use its funding to connect nearly 14,000 homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet. Vermont estimates the funds will connect 13,818 households and businesses—representing 22% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Vermont's broadband strategy focuses on funding the efforts of Communications Union Districts (CUDs), organizations of two or more towns that join together as municipal entities to build communication infrastructure together. Vermont’s award will fund the Vermont Community Broadband Construction Grant Program, a formula grant program that provides funding to communities for the construction of locally defined and prioritized broadband infrastructure projects through CUDs. The $90 million represents 80% of the state’s total allocation under the Capital Projects Fund program. Vermont submitted plans for the remaining 20% of funds and those plans are currently under review by Treasury.

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of Better Business Bureau National Programs has upheld some claims made by Cox in television and radio advertising for its Gigablast internet service but has advised Cox to make changes to the advertisements. BBB National Programs is a non-profit organization that resolves disputes between advertisers. The decision came in response to a challenge from AT&T. In the ads, Cox states that it has gigabit available everywhere – a claim that NAD said is true throughout areas where the advertising has run. NAD also accepted Cox’s claim that less than half of AT&T Fiber customers have access to speeds of at least 1 Gbps because of the limited availability of AT&T services based on fiber-to-the-premises. NAD noted, however, that Cox upload speeds are only 35 Mbps and advised Cox to indicate that in its advertising. According to a press release, NAD noted that “consumers seeking gig-speed (or faster) internet services should understand both the upload and download speeds, particularly because the upload and download speeds are so different. Both upload and download speeds may be relevant to a consumer’s interest in gig-speed internet.”

The Federal Communications Commission proposed a plan to extend certain Universal Service Fund support to eligible mobile and fixed carriers in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to ensure consumers have access to advanced telecommunications services in the face of hurricanes and other natural disasters. With the effects of Hurricane Fiona clearly evident, the proposal seeks to build on the FCC’s Bringing Puerto Rico Together Fund and the Connect USVI Fund and continue support for the restoration, hardening, and expansion of resilient communications networks on the islands. Without FCC action, some of the existing support is scheduled to end starting in June 2023. The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on a plan providing transitional support for strengthening and hardening the networks on the islands to withstand storm damage and have redundant capabilities. The Further Notice seeks comment on providing transitional support for current mobile support recipients for up to 24 months following the end of Stage 2 support in June 2023, or until a long-term mobile funding mechanism is created. For fixed broadband network providers, the item proposes to extend phase-down support that is scheduled to end in June 2023 for providers who were not awarded long-term competitive support in a given area.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed rules to bolster the operational readiness and security of the nation’s public alert and warning systems, the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. These systems warn the public about emergencies through alerts on their televisions, radios, and wireless phones. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted, the FCC proposes to:

• Protect against cyberattacks by requiring Emergency Alert System participants, such as broadcasters and cable providers, to report incidents of unauthorized access to their Emergency Alert System equipment to the Commission within 72 hours. This would allow the Commission to work with participants and other government agencies to resolve an equipment compromise before it is exploited to send false alerts.
• Promote security by requiring Emergency Alert System participants and the wireless providers that deliver Wireless Emergency Alerts to annually certify that they have a cybersecurity risk management plan and implement sufficient security measures for their alerting systems.
• Guard against false alerts by requiring participating wireless providers to transmit sufficient authentication information to ensure that only valid alerts are displayed on consumer devices.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking also seeks comment on the effectiveness of the agency’s current requirements for ensuring that Emergency Alert System equipment is ready to transmit alerts, and whether there are any alternative approaches that improve readiness