Federal Communications Commision

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau and the Office of Economics and Analytics announced revised 2024 reasonable comparability benchmarks for fixed broadband services for eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) that are subject to broadband public interest obligations.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 13, 2023:

The Federal Communications Commission is targeting approximately $7.445 million for two additional one-year, pilot outreach grant programs to raise awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The two pilot programs will test a variety of methods to reach out to federal housing communities, and work with trusted third parties to assist consumers with completing and submitting an ACP application. The FCC selected 23 applicants for the Your Home, Your Internet Program and 9 applicants for the ACP Navigator Pilot Program.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed rules to help ensure that the public has access to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline if a service outage occurs.

The Federal Communications Commission is committing $96 million in new funding rounds through the Emergency Connectivity Program (ECP), which provides digital services for students in communities across the country. The funding will support applications for broadband service and connected devices to students across the country, especially those living in states impacted by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, including Florida, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina. Nearly $53 million will benefit students, teachers, and library patrons living in areas impacted by recent hurricanes.

Elected officials will have a chance to question those who run Silicon Valley tech giants. This public scrutiny comes at an important time, as Americans across the political spectrum debate the ever-increasing role of these massive companies in our economy and civic society. Here are a few things I hope to learn from these hearings:

The Federal Communications Commission announces that Jean Kiddoo has been named Chair of the Incentive Auction Task Force and that Hillary DeNigro will join her as Deputy Chair. Kiddoo takes over for Gary Epstein, who will retire from the Commission April 28 after serving as chair of the Task Force since 2012.

Kiddoo has served as Deputy Chair of the Task Force since June 1, 2016, primarily focusing on the post-auction transition. Before that, she served as Deputy Chief of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, where she oversaw the Bureau's Auctions, Broadband, and Mobility Divisions. Prior to joining the Commission in 2014, Ms. Kiddoo spent more than three decades in private practice, most recently at Bingham McCutchen (now Morgan Lewis & Bockius), representing telecommunications, media and technology companies before federal agencies, courts, state regulatory commissions, and local authorities nationwide. Kiddoo graduated with honors from Colgate University and earned her law degree magna cum laude from the Catholic University of America.

DeNigro has served as Associate Bureau Chief of the Media Bureau. Prior to joining the Media Bureau’s front office, she was Chief of the Media Bureau’s Industry Analysis Division where she led the review of complex mergers, rulemaking proceedings, and the production of industry and market reports. She previously served as Chief of the Enforcement Bureau’s Investigations and Hearings Division, overseeing hearings and directing investigations involving a broad range of matters in the telecommunications and media industries. Before joining the Commission, she practiced commercial litigation at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy and, prior to that, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. She received her J.D. magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA Phi Beta Kappa from Emory University.