There is a rising tide of support for Congress to provide permanent funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) — a program that currently ensures that over 19.5 million low-income families can purchase broadband service, which is critical for accessing job, education, and health information and is an absolute necessity to participate in today’s economy and society. The ACP is expected to exhaust its funding in the first half of 2024, and without action before the end of 2023, we can expect that the Federal Communications Commission and the program’s stakeholders will begin the process of winding down the program. Recognizing that families will likely disconnect their service, or face unaffordable price increases, a significant number of policy leaders and other stakeholders are urging Congress to act to shore up the program. ACP subscribers and the broadband providers that serve them need certainty, and they need it fast. As the FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel discussed, the agency and the providers will need to begin making plans for winding down the program in the coming months in order to provide adequate notice to subscribers of upcoming changes. All of this can be avoided with clear and precise action from Congress to renew ACP funding. Congress should take this opportunity to listen to the tremendous support from all stakeholders including industry, trade groups, public interest organizations, and the federal and state governments that are all calling on Congress to refund this vital program. Refunding the ACP must be a top priority of Congress when it returns from August 2023 recess.

A group of Internet service providers that won government grants are asking the Federal Communication Commission for more money or an "amnesty window" in which they could give up grants without penalty. The ISPs were awarded grants to build broadband networks from the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), which selected funding recipients in December 2020. A group calling itself the "Coalition of RDOF Winners" has been meeting with FCC officials about their requests for more money or an amnesty window. The group says broadband construction costs have soared since the grants were announced. They asked for extra money, quicker payments, relief from letter of credit requirements, or an amnesty window "that allows RDOF winners to relinquish all or part of their RDOF winning areas without forfeitures or other penalties if the Commission chooses not to make supplemental funds available or if the amount of supplemental funds the Commission does make available does not cover an RDOF Winner's costs that exceed reasonable inflation," a July 31 filing said. A different group of ISPs urged the FCC to reject the request, saying that telcos that win grants by pledging to build networks at a low cost are "gaming" the system by seeking more money afterward. So far, the FCC leadership seems reluctant to provide extra funding. The commission could issue fines to ISPs that default on grants—the FCC recently proposed $8.8 million in fines against 22 RDOF applicants for defaults.

BroadbandOhio has drafted Volume 1 of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal including: identification of existing broadband efforts, existing unserved and underserved locations, and community anchor institutions as well its detailed challenge process plan. Ohio will incorporate any guidance received from the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA) on this draft of Volume I of the BEAD Initial Proposal to ensure compliance with the BEAD requirements, as enabled by existing provisions. Following a 30-day public comment period, and review and consideration of received comments, BroadbandOhio plans to submit this document to NTIA, in partial fulfillment of the BEAD Initial proposal requirements.

From its inception, LinkNYC – the public WiFi kiosks that are run by a consortium of companies including Google subsidiary Sidewalk Labs – has always posed a threat to privacy. But after nine years of operation and a recent audit, it’s fair to say LinkNYC represents a barely mitigated privacy disaster. The project puts the personal information of millions of New Yorkers at serious risk and primarily sees the public as walking targets for adverting. LinkNYC’s promoters promised the kiosks would usher in a new era of greater Internet access, particularly for poor people of color. We heard that LinkNYC was a critical tool in the effort to reduce the digital divide between wealthy people with reliable, high-speed access, and those without it. But there is minimal evidence LinkNYC has helped with this worthy endeavor. It’s also not a meaningful solution given its limited reach and focus on providing Internet in the streets rather than in homes. LinkNYC’s funders have repeatedly made privacy protections an afterthought. After the NYCLU raised serious concerns, LinkNYC’s privacy policy was amended in 2017. But it hasn’t been amended since, and it remains too vague and opaque. Worse still, a recent audit commissioned by the City’s Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) revealed that CityBridge – the consortium behind LinkNYC – repeatedly violated its own privacy policy. Among other issues, the audit shows CityBridge failed to anonymize MAC addresses of user devices. MAC addresses are unique identifiers assigned to each network device and they can be used to identify and track the devices, or the people using them, over time. We need a publicly funded and controlled municipal broadband program that ensures every New Yorker, regardless of who they are or how much money they have, can enjoy high-speed, reliable Internet access. This program must put our privacy rights front-and-center so they aren’t traded away to the highest bidder.

Charter Communications will cover 100% of tuition costs for full-time employees pursuing select degrees and certificates through the new Charter Education Benefit powered by Guild. The program will provide Charter’s more than 101,000 employees with better tools and support needed to start, continue or complete their education, expand their skill sets, and grow their careers with Charter. The Charter Education Benefit provides employees with tuition-free access to a broad catalog of over 300 online programs and degrees from more than 30 universities and learning providers including eCornell, University of Denver, Ohio University, and Spelman College. Charter also will cover qualified program-related expenses such as books, supplies and enrollment fees. Participating employees are encouraged to pursue business-aligned programs in high-growth areas for Charter including Operations Management, Marketing, Project Management and Technology.