Thursday, June 13, 2024
Headlines Daily Digest
Today: FCC Tribal Consultation Session in Phoenix, Arizona
Don't Miss:
NTIA Approves Colorado and New Hampshire’s “Internet for All” Initial Proposals
Broadband Funding
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Wireless
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Ownership
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Platforms/AI/Social Media
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Biden-Harris Administration Approves Colorado and New Hampshire’s “Internet for All” Initial Proposals
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The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Colorado and New Hampshire’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. This approval enables Colorado and New Hampshire to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program—a major step towards closing the digital divide and meeting the President’s goal of connecting everyone in America with affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service. Today’s action allows states to request access to:
- New Hampshire: More than $196 million
- Colorado: More than $826 million
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Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX) asked New Street Research Policy Advisor and Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Blair Levin to clarify remarks Levin made about the negative impact the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) will have on the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Levin answered saying that BEAD does not fund the cost of deployment broadband to an unserved or underserved area; rather it funds the difference between the cost of deployment and what a provider would be willing to invest to serve that area. ACP increases the revenue for any such area, those closing the gap described above and decreasing the amount of BEAD funding necessary for that specific area, making the funds available for other areas. The consulting group BCG found that ACP reduces the amount needed to incentivize ISP investment by about 25% per location or $500. A conservative projection indicates that the number of locations that will miss out on the opportunity to obtain fiber due to the end of the ACP program will be at least 47,705, though the actual number is likely to be larger. "The bottom line is that while there can be some uncertainty about the number of homes that will lose out on fiber if ACP, there can be no uncertainty that tens of thousands of underserved Texas locations will be forced to connect with a wireless or satellite provider, instead of fiber, due to the end of the ACP program."
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The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) approved the revised performance plans of Bristol Bay Cellular Partnership (BBCP), TelAlaska Cellular, Inc. (TelAlaska), and Windy City Cellular (WCC), filed pursuant to the terms provided by the Alaska Plan Order. The Alaska Plan Order requires eligible service providers participating in the Alaska Plan to submit for WTB approval individual performance plans with their service commitments. WTB approved wireless service providers’ initial performance plans in 2016. However, WTB “may require the filing of revised commitments at other times if justified by developments that occur after the approval of the initial performance commitments.” Based on claims that BBCP, TelAlaska, and WCC made pursuant to their respective participation in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program about improvements to their network, WTB contacted BBCP, TelAlaska, and WCC about filing revised commitments to address these developments. In response, the three mobile-service providers filed revised performance plans.
- BBCP’s revised performance plan commits to provide a minimum of 10/2 Mbps to 5454 Alaskans—which is an expansion of coverage of commitments over the 4530 Alaskans it initially committed to cover with LTE—and it also commits to covering an additional 1277 Alaskans with 25/15 Mbps 4G LTE.
- TelAlaska’s revised performance plan improves the service offered for the majority of the Alaskans that it commits to cover. Specifically, it commits to upgrade many of its 2G and 3G areas to 4G LTE, and in the Nome, Alaska area, it commits to upgrade to 4G LTE at a minimum of 10/1 Mbps.
- WCC’s revised performance plan improves the service offered from 2G at 200/200 kbps to 4G LTE at a minimum of 5/1 Mbps speeds where people live on Adak Island, Alaska. Although WCC’s revised performance plan reduces its coverage commitment for the five- and ten-year mark, it reflects a vast improvement in technology and minimum expected download/upload speeds.
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The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB or Bureau) seeks comment on the petition of EMPOWER Broadband (EMPOWER) to expand its Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) designated service area in Virginia. EMPOWER seeks to expand its ETC designated service area to become eligible to receive Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II Auction (Auction 903) support associated with certain census blocks (constituting complete census block groups (CGBs)) in Virginia, a subpart of an original CAF II support award authorized to RiverStreet Communications of Virginia. In connection with this ETC petition, EMPOWER and RiverStreet have sought WCB’s approval of a section 214 authorization transfer application to assign this support in addition to all rights, obligations, and conditions associated with the receipt of this support, which remains pending. Accordingly, the expansion of EMPOWER’s ETC designated service area to include the Assigned CGBs will be conditioned upon approval of the 214 Transfer Application. EMPOWER also seeks to expand its designation to include additional areas that are not eligible for high cost support but for which it intends to seek Lifeline support, which the FCC will evaluate separately from the general ETC designation request to become eligible to receive support for areas where it may be authorized to receive high cost support.
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Rural America disproportionately lacks access to high-speed broadband, an essential component of modern life. Though the issue—and many attempts to address it—go back much farther, the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act appropriated $42.5 billion for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program to close the gap once and for all. In this episode, Tony Pipa visits Macon County, Alabama, and also talks with leaders from Jal, New Mexico, and Humboldt County, California to learn how they have overcome their challenges to bring broadband to their rural communities. And the director of the new BEAD program lays out the federal government’s broadband agenda.
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The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Department of the Navy (DON) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have successfully collaborated to expand the unencumbered service area of a critical swath of shared mid-band spectrum. Modifications to the aggregate interference model used in the 3.5 GHz band would allow the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, or CBRS, to provide uninterrupted access to mid-band spectrum that supports wireless Internet and other services to approximately 72 million more people. After careful coordination with the DON and the FCC, NTIA formally submitted a request to change the aggregate interference model in a letter to the FCC on Tuesday. The FCC issued a Public Notice to endorse the changes and to invite Spectrum Access System administrators to submit demonstrations of their ability to implement the modified protection criteria.
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In a deal between two providers focused on multifamily broadband, Smartaira has acquired Florida-based Lux Speed Inc. Smartaira provides multi-gigabit, symmetrical service via both fiber internet and managed Wi-Fi. It markets to homeowner-association, condo-association and multi-tenant rental properties in 26 states. The company said that the acquisition is its fourth since 2021 and that it will strengthen its operations in the southeast.
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Sens Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced the bipartisan Small Business Artificial Intelligence Training and Toolkit Act of 2024 that would authorize the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to work with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to create and distribute artificial intelligence (AI) training resources and tools to help small businesses leverage AI in their operations. The Small Business Artificial Intelligence Training and Toolkit Act of 2024:
- Develops AI training resources and toolkits for small businesses, led by the DOC, in coordination with the SBA.
- Includes new trainings on how to use AI or emerging technologies to improve financial management and accounting, business planning and operations, marketing, supply chain management, government contracting and exporting. It also directs specific AI training for small businesses in rural and tribal communities, and small businesses involved in advanced manufacturing.
- Provides new DOC AI training resources to small businesses through SBA resource partners, including Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, SCORE, Veteran Business Opportunity Centers and the Apex Accelerator.
- Authorizes the DOC Secretary to create a grant program for organizations providing AI trainings developed under this bill. It allows gift authority to use private sector and philanthropic donations to support these grants, with at least 25 percent of any grant funds going toward small businesses located rural or underserved communities.
- Requires the Secretary of Commerce to update AI training materials and toolkits at least every two years.
- Requires biannual reporting to Congress on the impact of AI training and toolkits developed and distributed under this bill.
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Social media platforms are an important part of the American news diet: Half of U.S. adults say they get news at least sometimes from social media in general. But specific platforms differ widely in structure, content and culture. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that the ways in which Americans encounter news on four major platforms—TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram – vary widely. Key findings from this study include:
- Majorities of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok users say keeping up with news is not a reason they use the sites. X (formerly Twitter) is the exception to this pattern: Most X users say that keeping up with news is either a major or minor reason they use the platform, and about half say they regularly get news there.
- Still, people are seeing news on all four platforms, especially through opinion- or humor-based content. Majorities of users on all four sites say they see people expressing opinions about current events and funny posts that reference current events. On the whole, more people see these types of posts than news articles or breaking news, although many also see that type of content (particularly on X and Facebook).
- News on each platform comes from a variety of sources. Those who regularly get news on Facebook and Instagram are more likely than those on TikTok and X to get news from friends, family and acquaintances. More news consumers get news from influencers or other people they don’t know personally on TikTok than on other platforms. And news outlets or journalists are a more common source of news on X than on any other site.
- Most news consumers on each of the platforms studied say they at least sometimes see news on the platform that seems inaccurate. This includes roughly a quarter or more on each site who say they extremely or fairly often see inaccurate news.
- In general, Democrats tend to be more skeptical than Republicans of the news they see on X, while the reverse is true on Facebook. Among those who regularly get news on X, for example, 42% of Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party say they often see news there that seems inaccurate, compared with 31% of Republicans and GOP leaners.
Upcoming Events
Jun 13—Tribal Consultation Session in Phoenix, Arizona
Jun 17—Virtual Tribal Consultation
Jun 18—Executive Session on the Spectrum and National Security Act of 2024
Jun 18—Announcing CBRS 2.0
Jun 18—Connecting Missouri: Show Me Digital Equity!
Jun 18—Listening Session with Formerly Incarcerated People
Jun 19—Juneteenth National Digital Equity Bible Study
Jun 21—Technological Advisory Council Meeting
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.
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