Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Headlines Daily Digest
Today: Communications Equity and Diversity Council
Don't Miss:
Updated ACP Enrollment Performance Tool Includes ACP Risk Score
Access to internet service is meaningless to consumers if the cost of signing up is a barrier
Cable internet service provider is fined $10,000 for lying to FCC about where it offers broadband
Digital Equity
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Labor
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Infrastructure
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Privacy
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Artificial Intelligence
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Platforms/Social Media
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Ownership
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Kids & Media
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TV
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Company News
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Policymakers
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Stories From Abroad
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Today we are releasing our latest version of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Enrollment Performance Tool, which updates data through February 2024. We introduce a new feature in this version—the ACP Risk Score for each zip code included in the tool. This score indicates the degree to which households in a given zip code are at risk of losing or reducing internet connectivity should the ACP benefit lapse. A high score (on a scale of 0 to 100) is a sign that households in that zip code may be more likely to lose internet connectivity than households in areas with a lower score. If a zip code area has a risk score above 70, it stands a good chance of having its households face significant disruption from ACP's demise. Losing connectivity could mean giving up home internet service completely or choosing between having a wireline or wireless subscription plan. As states and localities plan for Digital Equity Act funds and continue to focus on Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) investments, the disruption in home broadband subscription brought about by ACP’s end will be important to understand. The ACP Risk Score aims to provide a means to examine which areas are likely to be hardest hit.
[John B. Horrigan is a Benton Senior Fellow and a national expert on technology adoption, digital inclusion, and evaluating the outcomes and impacts of programs designed to promote communications technology adoption and use.]
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We write in support of your ongoing focus on internet affordability as you work to administer the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program enacted in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. For years, Democrats and Republicans expressed concern over the digital divide, and the $42 billion investment in the BEAD Program gives us a real opportunity to finally bridge this divide and connect every American to high-speed, reliable, and affordable internet. As recently as 2021, just before enactment of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, research indicated that one quarter of the U.S. population (about 80 million Americans) were on the wrong side of digital opportunity because they lacked a reliable, high-speed internet connection.... We urge you to continue to prioritize affordability in your administration of this bipartisan program and look forward to seeing it connect people in all communities across America to affordable, reliable internet service.
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Are federal labor protections for broadband workers strong enough, or should state lawmakers intervene to give them a boost? That question is at the heart of a fiery debate raging in Colorado’s state house over a piece of proposed legislation that would codify additional rights for broadband workers. If passed, the bill would mandate that any company using federal or state money for broadband projects of over $500,000 would have to pay workers prevailing wages. Brandy Reitter, Executive Director of the Colorado Broadband Office, contended that the state’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) proposal already includes “significant labor requirements.” The provisions in the House bill go “above and beyond the BEAD notice of funding opportunity,” Reitter continued, and could “have a chilling effect on our BEAD program to deter any providers from applying altogether.” Hilltop Broadband CEO Eric McCluskey noted that in the face of labor shortage challenges, his company has “consistently” offered competitive wages and benefits to employees, including employer-funded health care, and that the passage of the bill would exacerbate recruitment and retention issues.
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An Internet service provider (ISP) that admitted lying to the Federal Communications Commission about where it offers broadband will pay a $10,000 fine and implement a compliance plan to prevent future violations. Jefferson County Cable (JCC), a small ISP in Toronto (OH) admitted that it falsely claimed to offer fiber service in an area that it hadn't expanded to yet. A company executive also admitted that the firm submitted false coverage data to prevent other ISPs from obtaining government grants to serve the area. The FCC announced the outcome of its investigation on March 15, saying that Jefferson County Cable violated the Broadband Data Collection program requirements and the Broadband DATA Act, a US law, "in connection with reporting inaccurate information or data with respect to the Company's ability to provide broadband Internet access service."
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Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) led his colleagues in introducing the “Supporting National Security with Spectrum Act” to fully fund the “Rip and Replace” program to remove Chinese components from US wireless communications systems. Without full funding, wireless and broadband providers across the United States will be saddled with billions of dollars in costs that could result in service blackouts and companies closing down, including many in eastern Montana. The Rip and Replace program was created in 2020 to remove Chinese components from our wireless communications systems. The “Supporting National Security with Spectrum Act” fully funds the Rip and Replace program by requiring the Federal Communications Commission to re-auction certain spectrum licenses that were recently returned to the FCC.
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When internet service providers are asked about the impediments they encounter for building new fiber networks, they almost always list pole issues at or near to the top of the list. Why are poles of such big concern? Building aerial fiber means putting the fiber on poles. Most poles are owned by electric utilities, although some belong to telephone companies or municipalities. Invariably, some poles have to be replaced in order to add a new fiber line. This mostly occurs when there is not enough space for the nationally required distance between wires. But often, poles must be replaced because they are obsolete or in bad condition. Regardless of why poles have to be replaced, the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) grants are going to be used to replace huge numbers of poles. The cost of replacing poles is built into the construction costs of adding new aerial fiber. Since BEAD will pay up to 75 percent of the cost of fiber construction, that means BEAD will pay up to 75 percent of the cost of replacing poles. That is a huge windfall for electric utilities. In far too many cases, the poles that will replaced by BEAD should have already been upgraded and replaced by the pole owners.
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The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Privacy and Data Protection Task Force in parallel with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other federal and state agencies announced ongoing initiatives to strengthen law enforcement efforts through increased technical expertise and cooperation, including for privacy and data protection enforcement matters. Since establishing the intra-agency Task Force in June 2023, the FCC has:
- more than doubled the number of staff working on privacy and data protection enforcement investigations;
- integrated technologists, software and hardware engineers, and other subject matter experts in its enforcement matters, adding to the FCC’s deep technical expertise in rulemaking and licensing matters;
- convened technical experts on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other emerging technologies through its Technological Advisory Council; and
- engaged technical experts from the private sector and academia to support privacy and data protection enforcement efforts.
The FCC recognizes the need for greater coordination and cooperation between technical experts across federal agencies, and will continue to support greater technical engagement between agencies in support of the Task Force’s focus on privacy and data protection.
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According to a new Pew Research Center survey, overall, 54 percent of Americans say artificial intelligence programs that generate text and images, like ChatGPT and DALL-E, need to credit the sources they rely on to produce their responses. A much smaller share (14%) says the programs don’t need to credit sources. Generative AI programs work by reviewing large amounts of information, such as the works of an artist or news organization. That allows them to generate responses when users ask questions. This process has spurred lawsuits from authors, artists and news organizations, who argue that this is an unauthorized use of copyrighted material. But some technology companies argue that this is fair use under copyright law and that the programs provide a clear public benefit. Pew's survey finds that the public consistently says AI programs should credit sources across seven examples of content they could generate.
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It’s been more than a year since ChatGPT’s public debut set the tech world abuzz. And Americans’ use of the chatbot is ticking up: 23 percent of US adults say they have ever used it, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in February 2024, up from 18 percent in July 2023. The February survey also asked Americans about several ways they might use ChatGPT, including for workplace tasks, for learning and for fun. While growing shares of Americans are using the chatbot for these purposes, the public is more wary than not of what the chatbot might tell them about the 2024 US presidential election. About four in ten adults have not too much or no trust in the election information that comes from ChatGPT. By comparison, just 2 percent have a great deal or quite a bit of trust. Distrust far outweighs trust regardless of political party. About four in ten Republicans and Democrats alike (including those who lean toward each party) have not too much or no trust at all in ChatGPT’s election information.
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.
© Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 2023. Redistribution of this email publication — both internally and externally — is encouraged if it includes this message. For subscribe/unsubscribe info email: headlines AT benton DOT org
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Kevin Taglang
Executive Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Institute
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