Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the FCC will vote at its March 14, 2024, Open Meeting on creating a voluntary cybersecurity labeling program for wireless consumer Internet of Things (IoT) products. Under the program, qualifying consumer smart products that meet cybersecurity standards would bear a label—including a new “U.S Cyber Trust Mark”—that would help consumers make informed purchasing decisions, differentiate trustworthy products in the marketplace, and create incentives for manufacturers to meet higher cybersecurity standards. Eligible products may include home security cameras, voice-activated shopping devices, internet-connected appliances, fitness trackers, garage door openers, and baby monitors. If the program rules are adopted by a vote of the full Commission:  

• The U.S. Cyber Trust Mark logo would appear on wireless consumer IoT products that meet baseline cybersecurity standards.  
• The logo would be accompanied by a QR code that consumers can scan for easy to-understand details about the security of the product, such as the guaranteed minimum support period for the product and whether software patches and security updates are automatic.
• The voluntary program would rely on public-private collaboration, with the FCC providing oversight and approved third-party label administrators managing activities such as evaluating product applications, authorizing use of the label, and consumer education.
• Compliance testing would be handled by accredited labs. 

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared draft final rules to establish a new regulatory framework to facilitate innovative collaborations between satellite operators and wireless providers. These partnerships leverage the growth in space-based services to provide smartphone users ubiquitous connectivity, even in remote, unserved, and underserved areas. The FCC seeks to establish clear and transparent processes to support supplemental coverage from space. Connecting consumers to essential wireless services where traditional terrestrial mobile service is not available can be life-saving in remote locations and can open up innovative opportunities for consumers and businesses. The rules would also establish, on an interim basis, a requirement that terrestrial providers must route all SCS 911 calls to a Public Safety Answering Point using either location-based routing or an emergency call center. The proposed action will also include a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek further comment on this and other critical public safety issues to ensure these services adequately meet consumers’ needs and expectations for critical services. The Further Notice would also seek comment on issues associated with protection of radio astronomy services. 

Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr is in New Delhi, India, for a series of bilateral meetings focused on security, supply chain, and connectivity matters. Over the course of two days, Carr will meet with his Indian counterparts, including officials at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the Department of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the National Cyber Coordination Centre. Carr will also deliver remarks at the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship multilateral conference on geopolitics, which is hosted in partnership with India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Carr will also participate in a roundtable discussion hosted by the U.S.–India Business Council (USIBC) where he will be joined by a range of communications and technology leaders.

In 2021, Congress created the Affordable Connectivity Program, a program that is helping eligible low-income households afford high-speed internet, and allowing them to stay connected with family, work, healthcare resources, and more. The program provides a discount of up to $30.00 per month toward internet service. Funding for this program is projected to run out by May 2024 unless Congress takes action to continue it. In this survey, when asked whether they support such a program, three-quarters of Americans 50 and older say they do, and nearly eight in ten (78%) surveyed say they support Congress continuing to fund the program. Support for continued funding crosses political lines, with over 90% of Democrats and two-thirds (66%) of Republicans supporting continued funding.

If you follow broadband news, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’re about to end the digital divide. That sentiment has dominated recent conversations we’ve had with foundation leaders who, having initially joined the chorus of voices calling for digital equity at the height of Covid-19, are now drifting to the sidelines, under the impression that the government’s broadband spending push will solve the problem. It won’t. Despite its ambition, the latest round of public investment will not reach all 42 million Americans still living without internet access. But there are still ways for philanthropy to help:

1. Provide seed funds to catalyze broadband investments
2. Give direct support for community broadband initiatives 
3. Invest in the capacity of Community Development Finance Institutions to finance broadband

[Chris Worman is Co-Founder and Chief Partnership and Strategy Officer at Connect Humanity; Erica Mesker is VP of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives at Connect Humanity]

Small rural broadband providers are seeing average customer lifetime value (CLV) of just over $5,000, according to a new report from the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC). The report is based on a survey of NRTC’s rural broadband provider members. The survey had 84 respondents, including traditional telecom providers as well as electric cooperatives that offer broadband. About one-quarter of respondents have less than 2,000 subscribers, while another quarter have more than 15,000 subscribers. Other interesting provider metrics include:

• 100% of respondents offer broadband internet service.
• 91% offer voice service.
• 32% offer video service.
• Average revenue per user is $74 monthly.
• Customer acquisition cost is $135.
• Average churn is 0.9% but is lower for higher-speed tiers and higher for lower-speed tiers.

The vision of the Digital Equity Plan for Hawaiʻi will be the overarching guide that will steer the direction of all strategies, objectives, and actions in this plan. As remote work, online learning, telehealth services, and virtual interactions became essential, individuals and communities faced immense obstacles getting digitally connected. These challenges will continue without high quality Internet access, adequate tools, and the necessary digital literacy skills. The impact of digital inequity extends across various sectors and geographic regions in Hawaiʻi—economy, workforce, education, healthcare, essential services, familial care, and civic and social engagement. Access to affordable, high-speed Internet, connected devices, digital literacy training, and support programs for communities will empower Hawaiʻi’s residents and create a more equitable and prosperous future. Hawaiʻi’s vision for digital equity is informed by its rich history, while looking forward to the next seven generations of a thriving people. It recognizes that digital equity goes beyond acute needs experienced each day and has the power to impact fundamental quality of life. 

In December 2023, the Utah Education Network, in collaboration with the national nonprofit Connected Nation, completed the state’s fifth school technology inventory. This is a statewide inventory of classroom technology and related resources at K-12 district and charter schools across Utah. Key findings include:

• The device-per-student ratio has increased over time since 2015 but remained the same between the 2021 and 2023 inventories for district schools.
• Statewide, 7 out of 10 schools (70 percent) report that they deploy mobile learning devices such as laptops or tablet computers to students on a 1:1 basis.
• Statewide, nearly 2 out of 5 Utah schools (38 percent) offer mobile learning devices on a 1:1 basis and allow students to take those devices home, maintaining a similar rate from 2021 (39 percent).
• Google Chromebooks remain the most popular type of computing device for students, with schools reporting that more than 594,000 Chromebooks are made available to students statewide.
• Only 7 percent of Utah schools say that the wireless hardware used in the school is newer than one year old, which is a significant decline since the 2021 inventory. 
• Wired networking hardware in Utah K-12 schools tends to be even older—with nearly half of the schools (48 percent) reporting that their wired hardware is four years old or older.

Volker Türk, the UN's high commissioner for human rights, was in Silicon Valley last week to deliver a simple message to tech companies: Your products can do real harm and it's your job to make sure that they don't. Technologies like artificial intelligence hold enormous potential for addressing a range of societal ills, but without effort and intent, these same technologies can act as powerful weapons of oppression, said Türk. New regulations are often where the tech debate lands, but Türk tells Axios that the firms should already be ensuring their products comply with the existing UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. That UN document, unanimously approved in 2011, states that "business enterprises have the responsibility to respect human rights wherever they operate and whatever their size or industry."