Affordability/Cost/Price

J.D. Vance, the Ohio GOP senator announced as Donald Trump's running mate for the presidency, isn't expected to have a broad impact on US telecommunications policies. But he could have something to say about how the country helps consumers afford access to critical broadband services.

San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont (CA) all received a federal grant for $32 million to expand their internet access. The grant is hoping to serve people who lack fast internet service, and create more options for accessing the web. The grant comes from a program by the California Public Utilities Commission to expand broadband infrastructure across the state for underserved communities.

A new report funded by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) through Massachusetts ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Funds examines access to information technology in Worcester, and the “capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy,” which is part of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NOIA) definition of “Digital Equity.” The City of Worcester is a member of the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program through the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI).

On July 18, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on new rules to make the offpremises use of Wi-Fi hotspots and mobile wireless internet services eligible for E-Rate funding. The new rules would take the next step towards modernizing the program to ensure students and library patrons have access to the connectivity needed for a 21st century quality education.

Affordable access was top of mind for elected county leaders from across the United States at a roundtable discussion hosted by Cox Communications. Carmen Moore-Zeigler, a commissioner representing District 2 in Alabama’s Montgomery County, stressed that the internet is a key factor when it comes to inspiring young people. Stan Sallee, a Tulsa County Commissioner from Oklahoma serving District 1, echoed similar sentiments.

I read an interesting article in The Lever titled, Everybody Has a Price – And Corporations Know Yours. The article discusses how the massive data collection of our personal shopping and browsing habits, along with machine learning algorithms, has allowed marketing firms to paint an individual profile of everybody.

To help millions of households navigate and evaluate low-cost internet plans, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) created a new rating system to evaluate a plan’s affordability and quality. NDIA GIG (Grading Internet for Good) reflects lessons from the Affordable Connectivity Program that contributed to the program’s success and evaluates plans on cost, transparency, speed, performance, and eligibility criteria. We’ve also updated our Honor Roll of Low

On July 9, a House subcommittee held a hearing to get an update on how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is addressing some of the most pressing broadband issues in the country. Here’s what the FCC had to say:

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Maryland’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative.

Nevada's universal access mandate can only be achieved when the internet services offered to consumers are affordable and desirable, and when offering those services makes business sense for a provider. Affordability is a central tenant of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation and Technology's (OSIT) broadband deployment and digital adoption goals and strategies.