What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
A meeting to consider legislation and a nomination including:
Senate Inaction on ACP Could Strand Tens of Millions of Americans Without Affordable Broadband Access
On May 9, the US Senate passed the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization package without a proposed amendment to provide $6 billion to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Without this injection of new capital to the ACP, the broadband-access subsidy that has helped more than 23 million households get and stay online will expire in May. Free Press Action Internet Campaign Director Heather Franklin said “Free Press Action is deeply disappointed in Congress for failing to pass funding for this essential and successful internet-access subsidy ... While the program’s days
Roundtable Outcomes Report: A Look Ahead to Access and Regulation in the Not-Too-Distant Broadband Future
In an era of increasing internet ubiquity, the ability to access and use online tools, services, and information is an essential aspect of everyday life. Many segments of society, however, remain underconnected and even excluded from the digital world. As technology evolves, the harms associated with the digital divide are compounding.
Los Angeles County to offer discounted home internet to lower-income residents in some neighborhoods
Los Angeles County has started work on a wireless broadband network that will deliver high-speed connections for as little as $25 a month. The county signed a contract with WeLink of Lehi, Utah, to build the network and offer the service in East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles.
Sen Luján Highlights Growing Bipartisan Momentum for Affordable Connectivity Program Push
Sen Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Chair of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, announced additional co-sponsors for his amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2023 to strengthen the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), complete the equipment removal of China-based companies, Huawei and ZTE, and allow the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reauction certain spectrum licenses to create more responsive networks for consumers.
Sen Luján, Bipartisan Coalition Introduce Amendment to Strengthen Affordable Connectivity Program
Sens Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), JD Vance (R-OH), Peter Welch (D-VT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2023 to strengthen the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), complete the equipment removal of China-based companies, Huawei and ZTE, and allow the Federal Communications Commission to reauction certain spectrum licenses to create more responsive networks for consumers. Access to broadband provides vital connections to education, health care and economic opportunity.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline Issues Letter of Support for the Affordable Connectivity Program
On behalf of The National Domestic Violence Hotline, we write to request robust additional funding for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Access to affordable high-speed internet is not a luxury in 2024. This ACP is the largest broadband affordability effort in our Nation’s history which has successfully allowed more than 23 million households to get—and stay—connected to robust broadband service at home.
Witnesses will be announced and are by invitation only, and the hearing livestream will be available at http://energycommerce.house.gov.
Broadband infrastructure is crucial for rural communities in today's digital economy. Broadband connects people to education, jobs, healthcare, and other essential services. But a shortage of skilled workers to build and maintain broadband infrastructure poses a significant challenge, threatening to widen the digital divide in underserved and unserved regions and limiting opportunities for economic growth and innovation in rural communities.
A discussion about the crucial role broadband champions play in addressing the connectivity needs in their communities.
Dr. Pierrette Renee Dagg, Director of Research at Merit Network and an inaugural Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund Fellow, will present her research based on in-depth profiles of six Michigan communities that organized themselves to address their broadband needs.