Consumers shopping for new devices and considering making changes to their existing home or mobile broadband service plans this holiday season may find that some internet service providers have not updated their websites and other marketing materials to reflect that the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and its monthly discount on broadband services ended on June 1, 2024. Some provider websites even continue to collect personal information from consumers seeking enrollment in ACP. The FCC and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), the ACP program administrator, have reminded providers that failing to accurately update websites and materials to reflect that the ACP has ended may violate the Commission’s ACP rules that prohibit providers from engaging in false or misleading advertising of the ACP. If you encounter a website claiming to provide an ACP benefit or seeking personal information for ACP enrollment, file a complaint by visiting the FCC’s Consumer Complaint Center.

The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity today posted Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program scopes of work to expand high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved homes and businesses at approximately 93,674 eligible locations. The CAB program creates a partnership among state government, county leaders and internet service providers to identify eligible project areas, develop the scope of work and fund broadband deployment projects with $400 million from the American Rescue Plan. [more at the link below]

An $11 million investment in regional infrastructure is planned to bring high-speed, low-latency connectivity to more than 6,600 locations in western Maine. These are sites that either don’t currently have access to the internet or have access to slower broadband or copper-based connections. The funding for the project, which entails building more than 450 miles of fiber, was announced by FirstLight, a provider of digital infrastructure services. The Maine Connectivity Authority made the agreement with FirstLight to receive the funding. The grant is part of a statewide initiative in Maine called the Partnerships for Enabling Middle Mile (PEMM).

Information on racial disparities in Maryland housing and neighborhood conditions, as well as the current and ongoing work of the Department to address inequities. Highlights efforts toward reducing digital redlining in Maryland through statewide investments and the Maryland Digital Equity Plan. A lesser-known consequence of disinvestment, “digital redlining” refers to the underdevelopment of broadband infrastructure in low-income neighborhoods. Maryland’s rural counties are particularly hard hit by digital redlining, since Internet service providers, directed by the profit motive, are unlikely to build infrastructure in outlying areas without government support. A second, equally pernicious form of digital redlining is common in Maryland. Without the skills and devices required to connect to the Internet, low-income households – in all geographies and of all races – lack the consistent access to jobs, education, medical care, and more that the Internet confers.  Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development's (DHCD) Office of Statewide Broadband has invested over $100 million to redress both forms of digital redlining. Recently published, DHCD’s Statewide Digital Equity Plan will direct DHCD’s efforts to grant nonprofits, local jurisdictions, and “anchor institutions” such as prisons and libraries monies for the skills training and device distribution that are required to achieve high-speed, affordable Internet for all. 

The Federal Communications Commission's Space Bureau granted the application of Space Exploration Holdings, LLC (SpaceX) to construct, deploy, and operate a constellation of second generation non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) fixed-satellite service (FSS) satellites, known as its Gen2 Starlink constellation. The Bureau also granted SpaceX's application to provide Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) within the United States and to operate on certain frequency bands for the purpose of performing direct-to-cellular (direct-to-cell) operations outside the United States using its previously authorized 7,500 Gen2 Starlink satellites and granted SpaceX’s modification application to operate using V-band frequencies at altitudes ranging from 340 km to 360 km. The FCC authorizes SpaceX to operate its previously authorized 7,500 Gen2 Starlink satellites at the previously proposed altitudes of 340 km, 345 km, 350 km, and 360 km.  SpaceX is authorized to communicate with these satellites in the previously authorized Ku-, Ka-, E-, and V-band frequencies, in conformance with the technical specifications SpaceX has provided to the FCC the conditions previously placed on its authorizations, and new conditions the FCC now places on SpaceX. SpaceX is also authorized to conduct operations using its very high frequency (VHF) beacons at altitudes of 340 km, 345 km, 350 km, and 360 km, again, subject to conditions. Authorization to permit SpaceX to operate up to 7,500 Gen2 satellites in lower altitude shells will enable SpaceX to begin providing lower-latency satellite service to support growing demand in rural and remote areas that lack terrestrial wireless service options. The FCC decided that this action will facilitate SpaceX’s operations for its Gen2 system, which the FCC previously found would bring improved broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved areas of the United States.