Many stakeholders were shocked when it came to light that over a third of $9.2 billion in winning bids in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund broadband program were rejected after the Federal Communications Commission reviewed winning bidders’ long-form applications. And the tally of RDOF defaults isn’t complete yet. A Benton Institute analysis found that bids associated with nearly $112.8 million in additional RDOF funding are in default. The additional defaults represent nearly 1.9 million locations that had been expected to receive service. And more defaults could be on the way. The $112.8 million in “post authorization” defaults come on top of over $3.1 billion in the initial pre-authorization defaults, according to Benton Institute’s analysis.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar (R-TX) recommended federal officials change requirements for billions of dollars in broadband funding, including eliminating the low-cost requirement. Hegar suggested the change in a letter to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who is the chairman for the Senate committee that oversees the federal agency responsible for allocating federal broadband funds. In the letter, Comptroller Hegar says removing the requirement may increase provider participation. He also suggested it would reduce the administrative burden on state broadband offices to identify which households the low-cost option could apply to, and monitor compliance. 

Arkansas’ first round of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding has yielded an efficient start, with just 2 percent of the state’s $1 billion allocation preliminarily covering 9 percent of eligible locations. The Arkansas State Broadband Office announced Feb. 7 that 18 applicants had been selected to receive $25.3 million in subsidies to extend broadband to 7,136 unserved or underserved locations within the state. The average requested subsidy per location was just $3,555.

Amid a raging debate over the value of the 3.5GHz CBRS band, Lumen Technologies has apparently decided it's no longer interested in holding those spectrum licenses. In a new filing with the Federal Communications Commission, Lumen disclosed it is selling all of the spectrum it bought during the FCC's CBRS auction in 2020 to Citizens Band License Company (CBLC). CBLC appears to be backed by two executives—Jonathan Foxman and Daniel Hopkins—who are tied to Cellular One, a longtime player in the sagging market for regional wireless services. Lumen purchased the 265 CBRS spectrum licenses during the FCC's 2020 auction for around $9.1 million. Cellular One, meanwhile, spent around $200,000 in that auction. Lumen and CBLC did not provide the financial terms of their deal in their new FCC filing.

Rep Vern Buchanan (R-FL) introduced two bills to extend flexible health care options to Americans in need of timely care. Rep Buchanan introduced the Permanent Telehealth from Home Act (H.R. 1407) to remove obstructive geographic limitations to telehealth services and the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act (H.R. 1406) to help ensure timely access to advanced screenings for lung cancer. The Permanent Telehealth from Home Act permanently eliminates the originating site and geographic limitations for using telehealth, which will help patients continue to be able to receive care through telehealth services regardless of the location of the provider or the patient. 

In the first hours of his presidency, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14149, “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.” The Order prohibits any “federal department, agency, entity, officer, employee, or agent” from acting “in a manner that advanced the Government’s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate.” Two days later, the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission reopened a previously dismissed proceeding, the effect of which was to advance a Trump campaign “preferred narrative” about the CBS television network. The action not only inserted the agency into matters of freedom of speech but also the personal lawsuit brought by private citizen Trump against CBS. Two days following the opening of the FCC docket, Donald Trump—acting as a private citizen—doubled the size of the damage claim from $10 billion to $20 billion by including CBS parent Paramount Global as a defendant. Presidents have the right to express themselves on matters before the FCC. However, the president’s input that “CBS should lose its license” (an FCC decision) and its relationship to a lawsuit from which he could personally benefit is unusual.