Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Headlines Daily Digest
Today: Health Equity in Telemedicine and Digital Equity and Disaster
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Rep. Brett Guthrie wins powerful House Commerce Committee gavel
Paul Krugman's Last Column for the New York Times: Finding Hope in an Age of Resentment
Broadband Funding
State/Local Initiatives
Spectrum/Wireless
Platforms/Social Media/AI
Kids & Media
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Stories From Abroad
The urgency of bridging the digital divide has never been clearer. With millions of Americans in unserved and underserved areas still waiting for reliable internet access, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program offers an unprecedented opportunity to achieve universal connectivity. Yet, the scale of the challenge demands that state broadband offices move with both speed and precision. This is where the FINISH BEAD framework comes into play—a strategic guide for state broadband offices and broadband industry leaders to ensure swift, efficient, and effective implementation of BEAD grant programs while upholding fairness and minimizing waste, fraud, and abuse.
On November 18, 2024, Louisiana’s Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity (also known as ConnectLA) posted its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Final Proposal for public comment, which was an historic achievement. Not only did Louisiana finish months ahead of other states, but it appears to have achieved the BEAD program’s objective of getting on a track for universal broadband coverage—and overwhelmingly by means of projects that will use best-in-class, end-to-end fiber technology—for hundreds of millions of dollars less in subsidy costs than was budgeted. As a result, a lot of digitally left-behind Louisianians are about to find themselves on the cutting edge of connectivity. How did they do it? Louisiana’s industry-friendly program allowed applicants to bundle small “sub-project areas” (SPAs) into custom project areas, while also encouraging them to identify some SPAs as “separable,” giving ConnectLA the flexibility it needed to skillfully fit the puzzle together. In short, Louisiana’s command of deconfliction was key to its success.
Arkansas distribution cooperatives are celebrating building future-proof fiber optic broadband access to more than 1 million rural residents within seven years. “No longer does a person have to live in a metropolitan area to have access to lightning-fast internet service,” said Vernon “Buddy” Hasten, president/CEO of Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. and Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. Fifteen Arkansas co-ops with broadband subsidiaries are equipped to serve a total of 1.4 million residents with nearly 53,000 miles of fiber in rural areas that can deliver gigabit speeds on par with the fastest internet service available anywhere. So far, about 41,000 miles of fiber have been deployed, connecting more than 170,000 subscribers and giving 72 of 75 counties in Arkansas access to co-op broadband. The co-ops have invested $1.66 billion in the estimated $2.2 billion broadband deployment and are hopeful for assistance from the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a public workshop for December 10 at 3:00 EST to describe the process for challenging the FCC cellular data maps. The primary purpose is to discuss how local governments can submit bulk challenges to the FCC cellular data map. In September, the FCC announced a new $9 billion 5G Fund for Rural America that will be used to bring cell towers to rural areas with poor coverage. To qualify for new towers, an area must have no 5G coverage today or have 5G speeds below 7/1 Mbps. The FCC announced it would launch the 5G Fund in 2025 using the current FCC cellular maps. The FCC cellular maps seem to be far worse than the broadband maps have ever been. I’m not entirely sure why the FCC is holding this online meeting. If the FCC launches the 5G Fund using the current maps, then many counties with poor coverage will not be considered for expanded new cell sites. It’s pure speculation on my part that perhaps the FCC wants feedback from the public for cellular coverage.
Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) won the race to lead the powerful House Commerce Committee in the 119th Congress, replacing retiring Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). The panel's vast jurisdiction positions its chairman to play a lead role in crafting policy on an array of issues: everything from blocking China from engaging in U.S. telecommunication networks to influencing drug pricing. Rep. Brett Guthrie chairs the panel's Subcommittee on Health. He beat out Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chair Bob Latta (R-OH). The panel is expected to play a vital role in shaping Republicans' budget reconciliation bill, which the party intends to rely on to pass major elements of President-elect Trump's agenda.
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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