The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved and recommended for award applications from Georgia and Indiana, allowing them to request access to more than $37 million to implement their Digital Equity Plans. This funding comes from the $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, one of three Digital Equity Act grant programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The states will use the funding to implement key digital equity initiatives.

Georgia: $22,455,639

• Deploying Digital Navigators to help access online education, health, financial and government services
• Expanding access to digital devices, such as Upgrade public computer labs and device loan programs

Indiana: $15,096,770

• Rolling out large-scale programs facilitated with other state agencies focused on telehealth expansion, digital skills for incarcerated individuals, and accessibility of state websites and digital services
• Upgrading state websites for accessibility and usability
• Introducing the Indiana Digital Skills program, a campaign to address connectivity barriers, device access and digital literacy

As states begin to receive their allocations from the $42 billion federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment or BEAD program, Florida is leading the way in preparing the workforce needed for new high-speed internet networks. State officials were quick to convene industry stakeholders as part of their broadband planning process last year, and the state’s BEAD proposal has an unusually detailed section on workforce readiness. Notably, Florida anticipates that a healthy chunk of its $1.1 billion in BEAD funding will be available for so-called “non-deployment” uses that can bolster the state’s broadband deployment projects. The phrase “broadband jobs” often brings to mind roles like fiber splicers or tower technicians. But Florida officials are also thinking about the occupations that will be needed over the longer term. This bigger-picture perspective is unusual among states, and is crucial to ensuring the long-term success of BEAD funding. By thinking holistically from the beginning, Florida is ensuring that its workforce planning takes into account the kinds of roles that will be essential to making sure that broadband is not only installed, but is widely adopted and effectively used.

The City of Scranton (PA) is celebrating the investment of tens of millions of dollars from Verizon over the next three years, at no project cost to the City. This project, which has already begun in sections of the City, will develop a ubiquitous network of fiber internet access to homes, providing the opportunity for all Scranton residents to subscribe to high-speed internet. Verizon was selected from four vendors in a request for qualifications (RFQ) process that began in October 2023. Per the agreement, the costs for the project will be borne by Verizon with no funding needed from the City. According to Verizon, millions of Americans still lack necessary access to broadband internet service, with many unable to afford it. To help Scranton close its existing digital divide, Verizon will construct a Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) network to reach all broadband serviceable locations in the City that are reasonably able to be served by a fiber-optic connection.

Analysts expect the U.S. government ultimately will approve T-Mobile’s bid to buy UScellular’s customers and about 30 percent of its spectrum in a deal valued at $4.4 billion. But two attorneys are raising red flags about a small portion of the spectrum that’s changing hands, and they’re not going away quietly—even as T-Mobile and UScellular are telling the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that the attorneys are out of line and their concerns should be disregarded. Mark O’Connor and Sara Leibman have been fighting UScellular in court for years over the way UScellular acquired spectrum that is designed for small and minority-owned businesses through the FCC’s designated entity (DE) program. In UScellular’s case, the attorneys are relying on the False Claims Act, which was originally signed into law in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln.

It’s clear we need more resiliency in our broadband policy. If nothing else, the hurricanes ravaging the U.S. Southeast have shown us that. In the last few weeks, pervasive wireless and wireline communication outages have left people that are already struggling in the wake of disaster completely cut off from resources, important news updates, and loved ones. Going forward, we could mitigate this risk by designing our networks with resiliency in mind—like by constructing overlapping networks where possible. Building resilience into our digital infrastructure is an obvious must. But without resilient policies, U.S. broadband networks will never be able to weather the increasing intense storms. Policymakers must continue to push forward strong, consistent, and consumer-friendly broadband policies—regardless of whether disasters are taking place and making headlines.