The Affordable Connectivity Program lapsed in May 2024. At the time the program ended, there were more than 13 million ACP recipients getting a discount on a cellphone plan and 10 million getting a discount on landline broadband. Charter had fully embraced ACP and was reported to have over half of the landline ACP participants. There were dire predictions at the end of the ACP that many millions of households would drop landline broadband since they could no longer afford it. I think it’s more likely that the results of the end of ACP will be more subtle, spread over time, and be harder to notice. While some homes likely dropped immediately, many have likely held on with one of the low-income alternatives offered by ISPs. Homes that find they can’t sustainably afford broadband will drop off over time and likely not make a noticeable ripple in the national subscribership numbers.

On October 31, NRECA sent a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration expressing concern about the potential for BEAD funds being used to overbuild locations with fiber-to-the-home connections. CEO Jim Matheson wrote "As state broadband offices begin opening BEAD application windows and evaluating proposals, I write to express concern about the potential for BEAD funds being used to overbuild locations with fiber-tothe-home connections. In the time since eligible locations were determined and the state map challenge processes occurred, many rural ISPs have continued to construct fiber broadband networks and connect new customers. Due to this ongoing progress, I encourage NTIA to require states to establish an expedited “true-up” process for BEAD eligible locations prior to approval of final awards."

For Cherokee citizens living on and off the reservation, staying connected is more than just having access to the internet. It’s about staying close to their Tribe and culture and feeling part of the digital world. The Cherokee Nation is making strides toward improving broadband access on their reservation, which spans an incredible 7,000 square miles in rural northeastern Oklahoma. The challenge is real—there are still 6,000 Cherokee households without internet or computers at home, according to estimates from Cherokee Nation. That’s where the Cherokee Nation’s digital navigator program, part of the National Digital Navigator Corps (NDNC), steps in. Partnering with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, AMERIND Critical Infrastructure and supported by Google.org, this program addresses the community’s most significant need—helping Cherokee citizens, especially elders and Cherokee language speakers, access critical services like telehealth or expand educational resources for school-age children.

The three-judge panel hearing the case over the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) now-stayed order to regulate the internet using Title II rules peppered the parties in the case with questions about the definitions of “information services,” “telecommunications” and “telecommunications services.” The panel also questioned the relevance of the Supreme Court’s reversal of the Chevron doctrine and the ambiguities created by the FCC finding on both sides of the Title II question in recent years. Perhaps the most interesting discussion in the session in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals was over the “Major Questions Doctrine,” the concept that a federal agency should not decide an issue of national significance without clear Congressional authorization.  “We agree this is a statutory interpretation case, not a Major Questions case. The Major Questions doctrine is triggered by an agency’s unexpected claim to significant power,” said Jacob Lewis, the FCC’s associate general counsel.

Bell Canada announced it was acquiring Ziply Fiber for $3.65 billion in cash plus the assumption of debt, resulting in a transaction value of about $7 billion. This deal follows Verizon’s recent announcement that it’s acquiring Frontier for $20 billion. The announcement between Bell Canada and Ziply would make Bell the third largest fiber internet services provider in North America, after AT&T and Verizon. Currently, AT&T passes 28 million locations with fiber, and Verizon passes 17.8 million. After close of the Ziply deal, Bell Canada will have about 9 million fiber locations, combining its 7.7 million locations in Canada with Ziply’s 1.3 million in the U.S. Meanwhile, both American companies are pressing the pedal to the metal with ambitious fiber plans. Verizon is in the process of trying to buy Frontier, and if that deal goes through, Verizon says it will pass 30 million locations.