Affordability/Cost/Price

Two more states — Michigan and Maine — are now accepting applications for funding in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) rural broadband program. In addition, Colorado plans to begin accepting applications for the state’s second round of BEAD funding on January 27. Providers have until April 9 to apply for funding in Michigan, which has a total budget of over $1.5 billion in BEAD funding. The deadline to apply for funding in Maine, which has $272 million to award, is February 28. The deadline in Colorado’s second round is February 28.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved $32.5 million in broadband investments for California to help close the digital divide, as follows:  

Operators in New York state now have to abide by a new law requiring them to offer a broadband option for $15 per month, whether they like it or not (and many of them don’t). However, the war for broadband access rages on, and the state’s decision doesn’t make matters any less complicated. Originally passed in 2021, the New York law states internet service providers must offer low-income households a 25 Mbps internet plan for no more than $15 per month (or $20/month if it’s a 200-meg plan).

SpaceX's Starlink is trying to exempt itself from a New York law requiring ISPs to offer internet plans starting at $15 per month for low-income residents. New York’s Affordable Broadband Act (ABA) recently went into effect, forcing broadband providers to offer low-inco

Digital skills and access to educational materials at home are critical for preparing students for the future. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put into sharp focus the divide between students with and without consistent, reliable broadband and device access.

The fifth installment of USTelecom’s Broadband Pricing Index (BPI) shows that prices for high-speed broadband internet services continue to decline— even as upload and download speeds rapidly advance. Thanks to the world-leading pace of broadband infrastructure investment by the U.S. private sector1 and an intensive focus on fiber deployments, consumers have never had a stronger value proposition for their connectivity dollar. Key findings from the report include: 

A look at the impacts of universal service support mechanisms and the method used to finance them. Section 1 of the report provides an update on industry revenues, universal service program funding requirements, and contribution factors. Sections 2 through 5 provide the latest data on the low-income, high-cost, schools and libraries, and rural health care support mechanisms. Section 6 presents recent U.S.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has a "fairly lengthy list" of last-minute Biden regulations that Republicans may try to undo in the coming weeks. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) gives Congress until mid-May to reverse what Republicans are calling the "midnight rules" of the Biden administration.

In an open letter, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. shared a summary of the progress the Biden-Harris administration made over the last four years. The focus of the letter is on economic recovery and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. A key tenet is President Biden's Investing in America agenda, which aimed to mobilize historic levels of  investments in the United States and revitalize U.S. infrastructure, including broadband internet access. Here is a look at President Biden's broadband accomplishments as he prepares to leave office.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and her fellow Commissioners heard reports on the agency’s efforts to expand connectivity and access to modern-day communications. The presentation summarized the Commission’s efforts on providing fast, reliable and affordable internet, an essential element for personal and professional aspects of everyday life. These efforts included: