The Michelson 20MM Foundation is proud to launch the Digital Equity in Tribal Communities Project, a new multi-year effort to address digital inequity in indigenous communities. This project looks to empower tribal nations with the knowledge, tools, and means necessary to access the internet and the opportunities that come with it. We aim to center the voices, expertise, and wisdom of tribal leaders in our efforts because the solutions for the challenges faced by the community must come from those most knowledgeable of the community’s needs. In partnership with the Institute for Local Self Reliance, we have created this series to provide tribal communities with resources to establish and maintain broadband networks and help their communities connect to the economic, health, education, and civic engagement opportunities to thrive. These bootcamps align with the Michelson 20MM Foundation’s philosophy of affecting catalytic change and centering community as the foundation for that change. The convenings foster digital sovereignty and center tribal communities as the source for solutions to digital inequity on tribal lands. 

The US government has spent billions of dollars on several rounds of programs to upgrade internet speeds in rural areas over the past decade. Despite those efforts, many residents are still stuck with service that isn’t fast enough to do video calls or stream movies—speeds that most take for granted. Many communities have been targeted for broadband upgrades at least twice already, but flaws in the programs’ design have left residents wanting. The Wall Street Journal analyzed 1.4 million largely rural census blocks that were included in a series of nationwide Federal Communications Commission broadband programs over the past decade. In the latest program, the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, rolled out in 2020, internet service providers won rights to public funding in about 750,000 census blocks, covering every state except Alaska. The Journal's analysis found that more than half of those census blocks—areas with a combined population of 5.3 million people—had been fully or partially covered by at least one previous federal broadband program.

The OpenVault Insights Report for the first quarter of 2022 shows that broadband usage remains high. Average household broadband usage in March 2022 was measured at 514 gigabytes, staying over half a terabyte of data used for the average household. This is a drop from 536 gigabytes in the fourth quarter of 2021, but the first quarter has always shown seasonally lower usage than at the end of the previous year. Usage for the first quarter is up 11% from the 462 gigabytes in the first quarter of 2021. That’s a lower growth rate than the 20% growth rate we’ve come to expect – however, 2021 was not a normal year due to the extraordinary growth from the pandemic. The OpenVault statistics continue to show a huge number of users that are consuming more than 1 terabyte of data per month. At the end of the first quarter, 14.6% of homes used more than 1 terabyte of data, including 2.4% who used over 2 terabytes. That’s a significant increase since the first quarter of 2021 when 10% of homes used more than 1 terabyte of data – a year-over-year growth rate of 46%. One of the most interesting statistics reported by OpenVault is the migration of customers over time to faster broadband tiers. OpenVault’s conclusion from the latest data is that ISPs should expect the continued growth of customers who use more than a terabyte of data per month. They also note that there is a marketing opportunity for ISPs since customers seem willing to pay to upgrade to faster speeds.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared with her colleagues new draft rules to improve the reliability and resiliency of wireless networks during emergencies. If adopted by a vote of the full FCC, the rules would help reduce wireless phone outages for the public and support faster service restoration after hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters. In September 2021, the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to improve communications during disasters. The FCC also convened a field hearing on this topic, where stakeholders from public safety, industry, and consumer groups testified. The draft rules result from this effort. Disaster recovery activities in the wireless industry are currently supported by the Wireless Network Resiliency Cooperative Framework, a voluntary industry agreement to promote resilient communications and situational awareness during disasters through roaming agreements, mutual aid, and other measures. At present, the nation’s largest wireless providers are signatories to this agreement. If adopted, the rules would codify the Framework and expand its applicability to all facilities-based wireless providers. Among other changes, the rules would require facilities-based wireless providers to enter into mutual aid arrangements that enable them to request, or receive a request, for assistance during emergencies. The rules would also require that facilities-based wireless providers enter into bilateral roaming agreements in advance of disasters to help the public communicate. In addition, the rules would expand the triggers for activation of these provisions, and provide for critical testing and reporting on wireless roaming implementation during disasters. If adopted, the rules would take a significant step forward to improve network resiliency. At the same time, the FCC would continue examining the record in this proceeding and real-world performance during disasters in order to take any necessary further actions.