Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Tracking Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Winners
The Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) is still in the process of authorizing bids from its $9.2 billion auction conducted in December 2020. Areas for which winning bids are authorized will have a much harder time going after Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funding.
The Fate of the Affordable Connectivity Program
The White House made much ado of an announcement that it had secured commitments from a collection of large Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to adjust speed tiers and monthly costs for their existing plans so as to be able to offer a $30/month, minimum 100 megabit per second (Mbps) download offering for low-income households across the country.
Podcast: Lessons on Retail and Wholesale Broadband Models from Europe, Asia, and the US (Institute for Local Self-Reliance)
Submitted by Grace Tepper on Wed, 05/11/2022 - 12:04Biden Administration Celebrates Telecom Companies Undermining His Agenda (Institute for Local Self-Reliance)
Submitted by Grace Tepper on Mon, 05/09/2022 - 11:34The United State(s) of Broadband
Tens of billions of dollars in federal funding are poised for new broadband infrastructure deployment over the next five years. But a crucial step in allocating funds from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program - for states and local governments - lies in knowing where fast, affordable, reliable broadband access currently is, so that they know where to drive new investment.
Former Sen. Heitkamp’s Attacks on Gigi Sohn for FCC are Wildly Off-Base
Gigi Sohn is still up for confirmation by the Senate to complete the Federal Communications Commission. I’ve known Gigi for many years and respected her from the first time I saw her in action. She isn’t a political agent trying to figure out the best path to the top. She has strong beliefs, and she’ll tell you what they are in a wonderful Long Island blur of passion. She respects other beliefs and ideas but she isn’t going to pretend she agrees with you when she doesn’t.
Exploring Digital Equity Fact Sheets (Institute for Local Self-Reliance)
Submitted by Grace Tepper on Tue, 04/26/2022 - 16:43New York State Budget Bill Sets Table for Municipal Broadband
There were some concerns that certain language in New York’s proposed state budget would lock out municipal broadband projects from being able to capitalize on the federal funding bonanza contained in the American Rescue Plan Act and forthcoming money in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. However, the bill that was ultimately signed into law by Gov Kathy Hochul (D-NY) was amended and includes some golden nuggets for municipal broadband.
Michigan Moves to Limit Federal Funds for Municipal Broadband
With an unprecedented amount of federal funds to build broadband networks flowing into individual states, lawmakers in some states are doing the bidding of the big monopoly Internet Service Providers and potentially blowing a once-in-a-generation chance to invest in the locally-accountable infrastructure that offers the best chance to bridge the broadband gap for millions of families once and for all.