Former FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly called the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) "the best mechanism we've had to date" for subsidizing low-income broadband. But he added that the current Congress is unlikely to pass funding for the ACP without changes to the program.  According to O'Rielly, Congress will want to address waste, fraud, and abuse with the program, and likely limit its eligibility. By some estimates, up to 40% of Americans currently qualify for the program. "That's probably not suitable for policymakers that I talked to on Capitol Hill. It's just not in the cards," he said. it's unclear if there's support to fund the ACP again, with or without changes. Meanwhile, the program is projected to run out of funding sometime in 2024. How soon that date arrives depends in part on the success of new grant programs launched by the FCC to fund local government and non-profit efforts to boost enrollment in the ACP. While there are currently over 18.5 million households enrolled, according to the latest available data, that's a fraction of the estimated eligible households. Industry stakeholders generally see the effort to extend the ACP's reach as far as possible as a positive thing, despite the fact that it will force the program to end faster without congressional action.

Solving the digital divide in Maine takes vision and resources. Maine’s vision is for a statewide connectivity infrastructure that will improve the lives of Mainers now and in the future, empowering broad participation in modern society. The Maine Connectivity Authority exists to plan, invest in, deploy, and enable universal access to affordable, high-speed broadband that will dramatically improve the quality of life of Mainers. MCA proposes the following primary strategies and related activities to achieve affordable universal access to broadband in Maine.

1. Prioritize funding to maximize impact, balancing urgency, universality, and equity
2. Proactively drive investments as a comprehensive portfolio
3. Optimize Broadband Deployment
4. Expand and Enhance the Foundation for Digital Equity
5. Focus on Affordability
6. Raise Awareness and Strengthen Feedback Loops

Representatives for T-Mobile and Ka’ ena Corporation met with Federal Communications Commission officials to argue why T-Mobile should be able to acquire Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile from Ka’ ena. According to a June 5 , 2023 filing with the FCC, T-Mobile presented a PowerPoint spelling out why the transaction will not harm the competition or consumers. In fact, T-Mobile said it’s a much easier case than Verizon’s acquisition of TracFone for a number of reasons. The move is notable given that some industry stakeholders advocate for more government scrutiny in T-Mobile’s potential $1.35 billion buyout of the Mint and Ultra brands. Both Mint and TracFone are MVNOs, or mobile virtual network operators, that use the networks of facilities-based carriers. In the case of Mint/Ultra, its customers already are exclusively on the T-Mobile network. Verizon closed on the TracFone acquisition in November of 2021. Mint Mobile serves about 2 million customers and Ultra Mobile has about 500,000 customers, according to T-Mobile’s filing. Mint is distributed almost exclusively online, whereas Ultra, which targets budget customers who want international calling, is distributed through third-party retailers like Walmart. Also used as arguments in its favor: Mint and Ultra don’t target the same customer segments as T-Mobile’s prepaid brands, and as MVNOs, Mint, and Ultra have limited ability to independently reduce prices or improve quality. Plus, they’re both already using T-Mobile’s network and don’t offer the aforementioned Lifeline or Affordable Connectivity Program benefits.

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed into law a so-called “digital bill of rights” aimed at giving residents more control of their data, boosting children’s protections online, and barring social networks from coordinating with government officials to “censor” speech. It marked the latest broadside from a Republican presidential contender against Silicon Valley, which is poised to be a significant target as the 2024 campaign heats up. White House hopefuls are increasingly outlining their views on key tech fronts as we barrel toward the election. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) has not been a major player in the debates around tech regulation in Congress, in part because he has not sat on the most relevant committees. But he has weighed in more decisively on two fronts: claims of tech “censorship” and industry ties to China. It’s unclear how much Mike Pence’s tech agenda may differ from Trump’s — whose enforcers targeted the tech giants over claims of bias and on competition grounds but also faced criticisms for not doing more to check their alleged antitrust and privacy abuses. Nikki Haley has taken two notable positions in recent months as her campaign has geared up: calling for a total ban against TikTok in the United States, decrying what she called Chinese “spying,” and assailing the Silicon Valley Bank rescue as a “bailout” for “Big Tech and Chinese companies.”

Whether you believe that generative AI has the potential to change the world for good, or that it poses more risks than benefits, most experts agree it is likely to have a significant impact on the future of our economy and society as a whole. This is certainly true for the communications industries. From security to broadcast content, and from online safety to spectrum management, generative AI promises to disrupt traditional service delivery, business models, and consumer behaviour. The use of generative AI could also pose risks. Teams across Ofcom are closely monitoring the development of generative AI. Our technical, research and policy teams are undertaking research to better understand the novel opportunities and risks surrounding the development and use of generative AI models across the communications sectors that Ofcom regulates, and the steps that developers and other industry players are taking to mitigate those risks.