US Telecom

America’s broadband industry invested $94.7 billion in U.S. communications infrastructure in 2023, as broadband providers worked intensively to connect communities to high-speed networks.

At the end of May, the Affordable Connectivity Program, which helps over 23 million low-income households access high-speed internet at home, officially ran out of funding. This lapse occurs despite strong support from the White House and lawmakers of both parties, as well as the backing of four out of five Americans. The focus must now shift to delivering a long-term fix. Fortunately, the solution is staring us in the face.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has been a transformative force, connecting more than 23 million households. It’s a true unicorn among public policies, attracting the support of 4 out of 5 Americans. Yet, despite the program’s massive success, the ACP is on life support.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has been a transformative force, connecting over 22 million households, but it's in trouble. This proposal would allow this national commitment to continue uninterrupted, bring greater accountability to Big Tech, and create a stable, permanent source of funding that would safeguard the program from the uncertainties of the annual appropriations process. 

• Step One: Maintain Connectivity- Congress needs to immediately provide stop-gap funding to keep the program operational while a permanent fix is put in place.

For 20 years, proponents of so-called Title II net neutrality have argued the only way to ‘save the internet’ is to impose 1930s-era Ma Bell telephone regulations on today’s broadband networks.

US internet traffic is projected to grow two-and-a-half times over the next five years, according to a new USTelecom analysis of annual Internet Protocol (IP) traffic data from Cisco’s Visual Networking Index(link is external), a continuation of explosive growth over the past decade. A massive shift toward online consumer video is the primary driver of traffic growth.

USTelecom announced it has selected veteran technology leader Jonathan Spalter to be President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Jan 1, 2017. Spalter brings a blend of public policy, entrepreneurial and executive experience to USTelecom’s helm. For the past eight years, he has served as chair of Mobile Future, the national wireless technology association. He has a long track record leading innovative technology companies in the US, Asia/Pacific, and Europe. He also held key positions in national security policy and technology management in the Clinton Administration. Spalter will replace Walter B. McCormick, Jr. who is retiring after 16 years of service.

Spalter is a veteran of President Bill Clinton’s Administration where he served as Associate Director of the United States Information Agency and also managed the agency’s global technology resources as Chief Information Officer. In the Clinton White House, he served on the staff of the National Security Council and as Vice President Al Gore’s chief international affairs spokesperson and speechwriter. He also was a policy aide to the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy at the Pentagon. In the private sector, Spalter’s executive roles include serving as CEO of Snocap, the digital content services company founded by the creators of Napster. He also was CEO of Atmedica Worldwide, the online healthcare affiliate of the Fortune 100 telecommunications and media company Vivendi Universal, where he also served as Executive Vice President for Business Development and Strategy at its Internet subsidiary VivendiNet; and as the group's Senior Vice President for global public policy. He has been an advisor to and board member of cutting-edge technology companies, financial institutions, and not-for-profit organizations in Silicon Valley and beyond.

A graduate of Harvard College and Cambridge University, he currently resides in the Bay Area of California with his wife Carrie Goux, the Vice President of Communications at GreatSchools, the Oakland-based non-profit, and their four children.