In Fall 2022, states, territories, and the District of Columbia (DC) will receive Digital Equity Act (DEA) Planning Grant awards – and, with approximately a year to develop their state digital equity plan, they’ll start the process quickly. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requires states, territories and DC (or the administering entities) to engage with a variety of stakeholders in creating the plan, including community anchor institutions, county and municipal governments, local educational agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The DEA Notice of Funding Opportunity further encourages states, territories, and DC to collaborate with digital inclusion coalitions, people with lived experiences encountering digital equity barriers, local foundations, and other stakeholders. The bottom line: Administering entities need local input to develop the plans, and this is an opportunity for coalitions to partner with government leaders to support the development of an impactful digital equity plan. NDIA breaks down where coalitions can add value to DEA plans and how they can get started.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel spoke at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) 2022 Spectrum Policy Symposium on September 19. Rosenworcel made it a point to discuss how far the FCC has come in the last 5 years in its dealings with spectrum policy and auctions. Her speech focused on the future of the FCC's relationship with the spectrum and spectrum-related policies, initiatives, rule-making, and innovation. "We will see fresh competition in the delivery of household broadband, increasing the number of ways families get online," said Rosenworcel. "Plus, using next-generation wireless technology in the power, transportation, and manufacturing sectors could lead to emissions savings that could help put us on course to reach future climate targets." The chairwoman stated that the FCC will continue to "reset spectrum policy in the United States so we continue to lead the world in wireless," through the following efforts: 

• Extending the FCC's Auction Authority: it has been through auctioning that spectrum and wireless technologies have been a powerful engine for wireless innovation and economic growth.

• Creating More Mid-Band Spectrum: mid-band airways are essential for 5G services to reach everyone, everywhere

• Consider Receiver Performance in the Realm of Spectrum Security and Future-Proofing : deployment of older receiver technology denies the introduction of new services but also can degrade the spectrum environment, lessening innovative and economic potential. 

You can find Chairwoman Rosenworcel's remarks here. 

To provide relief to E-Rate program participants affected by this unprecedented national pandemic, the FCC will extend the service implementation deadline to September 30, 2023 for certain funding year 2020 and 2021 applicants with non-recurring service deadlines that expire on September 30, 2022. In providing this relief, the FCC seeks to prevent schools and libraries from losing their funding due to circumstances out of their control, alleviate administrative burdens, and assist schools and libraries by giving them additional time to receive the equipment and services they need to serve their students and patrons. Generally, the FCC's rules may be waived for good cause shown. Thus, the FCC has exercised its discretion to waive the rule where the particular facts made strict compliance inconsistent with the public interest. Program participants remain otherwise subject to audits and investigations to determine compliance with E-Rate program rules and requirements.

Incarcerated people often have limited access to technology and pay exorbitant rates for even basic communication tools, like phones. The Last Mile, a nonprofit organization established more than a decade ago to teach entrepreneurial skills to those in correctional facilities, pivoted to web development classes in 2014 because it found those skills were most effective in helping people find jobs after their release. The program says the laptops allow participants to spend more time learning and ensure their studies won't be disrupted by quarantines or lockdowns. The Last Mile is one of a growing number of projects using technology as a means of reducing recidivism and improving economic outcomes for those who are incarcerated. Despite challenges due to staff shortages, students could still access the curriculum thanks to their laptops. The Last Mile aims to broaden its work to cover a wider range of people by offering more than just coding skills.