Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr joined Rep John Joyce (R-PA) in Blair County, Pennsylvania, for a roundtable discussion on the Biden-Harris Administration’s $42 billion plan for extending Internet service throughout rural America. Commissioner Carr and Rep Joyce heard directly from a range of stakeholders that want to see new Internet builds in their communities—from healthcare, education, economic, local government, and other leaders to the broadband builders that are ready to get the job done. Commissioner Carr said:

In the coming months, more than $42 billion in federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds will be distributed among U.S. states and territories. Federal and state policymakers have key roles to play in supporting the efforts of the BEAD program. On the federal level, policymakers should focus on removing regulatory barriers rather than erecting new ones. Policymakers have an obligation to be good stewards of billions of taxpayer dollars and should avoid actions that would cause the experienced providers that are essential to success to sit out the program. On the state level, policymakers should focus on making wise decisions with the influx of federal BEAD grants they will receive. They must ensure these funds are targeted for their intended use of connecting unserved areas. There will be ample temptation to stray from that focus and waste funds on unrelated objectives. Partnerships with private broadband providers with a track record of experience, innovation and excellence have proven to be a potent recipe for states to maximize broadband funds and expand connectivity. Established private-sector ISPs understand the unique demands of rural deployments and have developed innovative engineering solutions to overcome any climate or geography. They recognize the massive level of maintenance and investments needed after initial builds to serve communities for the long term. They possess the resources and scale needed to withstand the inevitable natural and economic disasters. They are deeply committed to providing affordable service options, participating in digital literacy programs and supporting local initiatives in the communities they serve.

[Michael Powell is the president and CEO of NCTA-the Internet and Television Association.]

At the Mountain Connect conference, one of Elon Musk’s top lieutenants—Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of SpaceX—regaled the audience with exciting stories about rocket launches, and she also touted SpaceX’s Starlink broadband service as a great way to close the digital divide in hard-to-reach rural locations. Shotwell also revealed SpaceX was working with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on some “structural elements” to determine if SpaceX will bid for Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) projects. Despite Musk's recent bashing of BEAD, Shotwell said SpaceX is “very interested in participating” in BEAD. 

The Federal Communications Commission voted to establish a new alert code to help save missing and endangered persons by delivering critical alert messages to the public over television, radio, and wireless phones. In 2023, more than 188,000 people went missing who fall outside of the criteria for AMBER Alerts. The new alert code will be particularly beneficial to Tribal communities, where American Indians and Alaska Natives are at a disproportionate risk of violence, murder, or vanishing. The new missing and endangered persons alerts within the nation’s Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert system will help law enforcement agencies galvanize public attention to missing and endangered people of all ages who do not qualify for AMBER Alerts, including those who meet the criteria for Ashanti Alerts.

AST SpaceMobile, which is preparing to offer low earth orbit (LEO)-based cellular broadband network services, says that it has gotten an initial license from the Federal Communications Commission for space-based operations in the United States. Initially, AST SpaceMobile’s services will include a cellphone-to-satellite offering. It says that the license enables it to launch and operate V, S and UHF frequencies to support gateway, feeder link and telemetry, tracking, and control operations for the first five commercial BlueBird satellites. AST SpaceMobile’s services will be able to be accessed through traditional cellphones and, unlike other services that operate outside of cell tower reach, will not require special devices. The company says it has agreements with more than 45 network operators worldwide with a collective subscriber base of more than 2.8 billion.