The Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) is taking a significant step toward bridging the digital divide by announcing the release of the draft Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) eligible location information to prepare internet service providers, communities and others interested in the program for the application period that will launch Jan. 9, 2025. Providing access to affordable high-speed internet will benefit more Michiganders with online learning, healthcare and economic opportunities.  MIHI encourages organizations interested in participating in BEAD to pre-register as soon as possible to ensure a timely review process. 

• Pre-registration period: Open now, with submissions accepted through March 10, 2025. Early submission is encouraged, as submissions made by Jan. 9 will be replied to with feedback and requests for clarification if additional information is needed. 
• Project application window: Opens Jan. 9, 2025, and closes April 9, 2025. 

North Dakota has the potential to be the first state in the country to bring a fiber connection to 100% of their broadband service locations. Brian Newby, the State Broadband Program Director, said North Dakota is in this position thanks to their forward-thinking providers: “The state had nothing to do with it.” Newby said a provider-led push led to the current reality in which North Dakota enjoys broad fiber coverage. “They went out on a limb as a group and borrowed money to do this over the years. It was their own foresight and leadership to do that.” Newby became North Dakota’s State Broadband Program Director in March 2023. He is one of just two full-time staff members in the state’s broadband office, working with Guidehouse to augment their small team. Because North Dakota has a relatively small number of underserved or unserved locations—compared to states of similar size—the state received $130 million in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds, just a little over the $100 million per-state minimum.

Cable broadband companies continue to insist that data caps are good for people with low incomes, pushing back against comments filed by consumer advocacy groups. NCTA—The Internet & Television Association urged the Federal Communications Commission to avoid regulating the monthly data limits and overage charges that cable firms such as Comcast and Cox impose on many Internet plans. Advocacy groups "suggest that usage-based pricing disproportionately harms low-income users, reasoning that these users are least able to afford overage fees if they exceed data thresholds," the NCTA said in comments filed last week with the FCC. "However, in reality, usage-based pricing benefits low-income or price-sensitive consumers by providing additional options for less expensive plans." The cable lobby argument is similar to one made by Federal Communications Commissioner Nathan Simington, who said that requiring unlimited data would be like requiring coffee shops to supply unlimited free refills. The FCC also received joint comments before last week's deadline from advocacy groups Public Knowledge, the Open Technology Institute at New America, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, and the National Consumer Law Center (which said it is representing its low-income clients). The advocacy groups' joint filing said that comments filed by individual Internet users demonstrate the negative effects of data caps on people with low incomes.

Nearly 30 state broadband officers attended the recent Fierce Network Broadband Nation Expo in Washington, D.C., where they outlined some of their top concerns related to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Some of their top issues include when they will disburse funds for broadband projects, who will bid for BEAD monies, what types of technologies they’ll use to deliver broadband to unserved locations and how they’ll set the high-cost thresholds in their states. State broadband officers also talked about the cost and availability of middle-mile networks. And they discussed the fact that BEAD biddable areas aren’t always in rural areas. There are urban areas to consider as well. Finally, they are thinking ahead about the procurement of supplies and labor to deploy all the new fiber networks.

Leading think-and-do tank, Heartland Forward announced Executive Vice President Angie Cooper has been named president and chief operating officer, and Ross DeVol, who has led Heartland Forward as president and CEO since its inception, will assume the role of chairman of the board while remaining CEO. These leadership changes come as Heartland Forward pursues a new goal of generating a $500 million economic impact by 2030. Driven by innovative policy proposals, impactful programs and cutting-edge research across the 20 states comprising the heartland, this goal will focus on four key economic drivers: innovation and entrepreneurship, human capital and workforce development, health and wellness and regional competitiveness. As part of this goal, Heartland Forward is launching a new initiative, Pulse of the Heartland to track, communicate and lead, on-the-ground economic data, insights and research in the middle of the country.