To ensure the timely and sound delivery of much-needed upgrades to America’s infrastructure, the Biden-Harris Administration released an Action Plan to strengthen and accelerate Federal permitting and environmental reviews, fully leveraging the permitting provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The plan establishes that Federal environmental review and permitting processes will be:

• Effective, efficient, and transparent to accelerate delivery of well-designed infrastructure projects, to ensure predictability and timeliness for project sponsors and stakeholders;
• Guided by the best science, information, and complete environmental effects analysis to promote the best outcomes; and
• Shaped by early and meaningful public input – particularly from disadvantaged communities – and through partnership with State, territorial, and local governments and in consultation with Tribal Nations to deliver results for all Americans.

The plan contains five key elements that build on strengthened Federal approaches to environmental reviews and permitting: (1) accelerating permitting through early cross-agency coordination to appropriately scope reviews, reduce bottlenecks, and use the expertise of sector-specific teams; (2) establishing clear timeline goals and tracking key project information to improve transparency and accountability, providing increased certainty for project sponsors and the public; (3) engaging in early and meaningful outreach and communication with Tribal Nations, States, territories, and local communities; (4) improving agency responsiveness, technical assistance, and support to navigate the environmental review and permitting process effectively and efficiently; and (5) adequately resourcing agencies and using the environmental review process to improve environmental and community outcomes.

On January 7, 2022, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration requested public comment on a wide range of policy and program considerations associated with the new high-speed internet grant programs authorized and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). NTIA received 557 thoughtful and informative written responses from state and local governments, non-profit and community-based organizations, schools, internet service providers, industry associations and individuals. NTIA also conducted hundreds of stakeholder engagement events, including listening sessions, webinars, panel discussions, and in-person and virtual individual and group meetings. NTIA thanks all the individuals and organizations who shared their views and ideas throughout this process. This input has served an important role in the development and implementation of the new high-speed internet grant programs, informed the drafting of the Notices of Funding Opportunity, and helped shape these programs in ways that will help truly make it a whole-of-nation success.

• Stakeholders believe in and are committed to doing their part to achieve an America where everyone has access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet.
• The IIJA is not the only funding being invested to achieve this goal, and in some cases, may not represent enough funding alone to close the digital divide in each state. 
• IIJA-funded networks should be built to stand the test of time and be fast enough to accommodate current and future needs.
• NTIA should take steps, including via the low-cost plan requirement, to promote affordability as part of IIJA implementation.
• NTIA should establish strong local coordination requirements to ensure all voices are incorporated in state plans before they are approved.
• Respondents voiced concern about the inaccuracy of existing broadband maps and indicated a clear need for more reliable and improved map accuracy. 
• A highly skilled workforce is critical to meeting infrastructure buildout timelines, the safe deployment of sustainable networks, and ultimately achieving universal access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet.

Rural broadband providers breathed a sigh of relief after the Federal Communications Commission announced it would waive steep cuts to Universal Service Fund (USF) support which were set to take effect in July 2022. In an order formalizing the waiver, the FCC said it determined “current circumstances pose significant burdens on legacy carriers, which would be exacerbated should there be a significant reduction in support, at a time when they are facing insufficient cash flow and increased expenses.” Commissioner Brendan Carr in a statement pointed specifically to inflation as a key source of pressure for small, rural operators. “The dollars they need to extend their networks and connect Americans are not going nearly as far today as they did a short while ago. So, today’s decision makes eminent sense,” he said. The cuts in question would have reduced the support rural operators receive from two USF programs: Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support and High Cost Loop Support. Both are subject to a budget control mechanism implemented in 2016 which is designed to systematically lower the monthly per-line subsidy operators receive over the course of several years.

Low-income Americans are discerning broadband consumers who are well-attuned to the nuances of service plans, in the midst of dealing with internet service bills that are often a burden on their household budgets. The indispensability of internet access—a need the pandemic has underscored—places service quality next to affordability in the minds of low-income consumers. This message comes through in focus groups of 22 low-income Americans conducted by EveryoneOn (see full report STATE OF DIGITAL EQUITY: Lessons from survey data and focus groups). The focus groups also explored other perspectives on the internet, such as the role of digital skills and trust in the online environment. Rounding out the research was a discussion with digital inclusion practitioners who have had to address the digital divide during the pandemic and now have to prepare for an influx of federal funds to promote digital equity.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin awarded $500,000 in funding from the Nonprofit Access Grant Program. The funds will go to support 16 projects by 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that will provide access to affordable telecommunication services to low-income households, people with disabilities, or customers in areas of the state with relatively high costs of services. Applications for this grant cycle were due on March 1, 2022. The PSC received 22 applications requesting more than $1.4 million in funding. Over the past 6 years, the Nonprofit Access Grant Program has funded 105 projects for more than $3.3 million.

A federal appeals court has reinstated a Texas state law that bans "censorship" on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, allowing Texas to enforce the law while litigation continues. A US District Court judge had granted a preliminary injunction blocking the law in December 2021, ruling that it violates the social networks' First Amendment right to moderate user-submitted content. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the injunction to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and a panel of three judges issued a ruling May 11 that stayed the preliminary injunction. The ruling did not explain the judges' reasoning. "It is ordered that appellant's opposed motion to stay preliminary injunction pending appeal is granted," the ruling said. The panel ruling was not unanimous, but it didn't say how each judge voted. Tech industry groups Netchoice and CCIA, which sued Texas to block the law, could seek an en banc hearing with all the court's judges or eventually go to the Supreme Court. They could also wait for the trial to play out in US District Court for the Western District of Texas, where Judge Robert Pitman issued the preliminary injunction. Pitman found that the Texas law "compels social media platforms to disseminate objectionable content and impermissibly restricts their editorial discretion" and that the law's "prohibitions on 'censorship' and constraints on how social media platforms disseminate content violate the First Amendment."

TPRC and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society announce the fourth year of the Charles Benton Early Career Scholar Award recognizing scholarship in the area of digital inclusion and broadband adoption. Early Career scholars (those currently enrolled in a degree program or no more than five years from receipt of most recent degree) are invited to submit as per the guidelines below. The winner of this special honor will be presented with a $1,500 cash prize at lunch during the TPRC 2022 conference and the TPRC Conference fee will be waived. The winner will be required to contribute a blog article based on the winning submission for publication on the Benton Institute website. A runner-up may be named but does not receive a Conference fee waiver and is not obligated to do a blog. Applicants are invited to submit any/all of the following for consideration: (1) an original empirically-based research paper pertaining to the area of digital inclusion and/or broadband adoption, (2) a policy proposal for digital inclusion and broadband adoption with a discussion of the justification, and/or (3) an essay on a topic dealing with digital inclusion and/or broadband adoption. Submissions must be less than 25 double-spaced, typewritten pages, inclusive of notes and bibliography and will not have been formally published in a peer review outlet prior to TPRC 2022. Submissions must be received by May 27. The recipient will be chosen by a TPRC Board Committee. The winner will be informed by July 18 and the winner will be required to attend the conference and agree to work with Benton Institute’s Executive Editor, Kevin Taglang, to produce the blog article for benton.org by December 31, 2022. For questions concerning this Award, please contact Prof. Robin Mansell at r.e.mansell@lse.ac.uk