Digital Divide

Comcast Corporation reported results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024. Connectivity & Platforms Customer Relationships Decreased by 29,000 to 51.7 Million and Domestic Broadband Customers Decreased by 87,000 to 32.0 Million, Including the Impact From the End of Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

Rural broadband consolidator LICT Corporation has received a $100 million revolving credit facility from CoBank, a key rural broadband lender. LICT keeps a low profile, but the company, which trades over the counter on the pink sheets, is an important player in the rural broadband market. The five-year revolving credit facility extends the term of an existing facility through 2029 and increases the facility from $50 million to $100 million. LICT currently has 11 subsidiaries in multiple states.

In this Order, the Federal Communications Commission adopts the final eligible services list for funding year 2025 for the schools and libraries universal service support program (more commonly referred to as the E-Rate program). The FCC also releases the final eligible services list for funding year 2025 and authorize the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to open the annual FCC Form 471 application filing window no earlier than 60 days after the release of this Order.

The Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission has entered into a Consent Decree to resolve its investigations into whether AT&T violated the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB) and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) rules. To settle these matters, AT&T agrees to a total settlement value of $2,299,990 to fully resolve the FCC’s investigations, which includes (i) a civil penalty of $1,921,068, and (ii) repayment to the United States Treasury in the amount of $378,922.

Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) Executive Director Brandon Carson announced the approval of $45 million in Multi-Purpose Community Facilities grant funding to 49 projects in 26 counties across Pennsylvania. This funding will support key projects in local communities and help connect Pennsylvanians to the internet at places like a primary care health center in Allegheny County, affordable housing in Delaware County, and a public library in Northumberland County.

Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, New Hampshire will receive $196.5 million and will be given the opportunity to finally close the digital divide for the entire state, finishing the task undertaken with previous state and federal programs. BEAD will bring unparalleled investment in broadband infrastructure over the next five years and has tasked the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) Office of Broadband with bringing affordable broadband to all New Hampshire residents.

Jefferson County (OH) is receiving $2.5 million in an Appalachian Regional Commission POWER grant to go toward expanding broadband services. The services will be targeted to the underserved areas of the northern part of the county, including the townships of Knox, Ross, Salem, Springfield, Island Creek, and Wayne. "A group of about 750 addresses that have been identified -- the bulk of them are households,” Brooke Hancock Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission Executive Director Mike Paprocki said.

The race between Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake for Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat is among the more competitive races in the country. Races in the state’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts are also toss-ups. Winning Congressional candidates will have a say in the country’s broadband future. Arizona has a unique set of broadband access and adoption challenges. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has a record on broadband access and affordability issues.

Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) says she will build an Opportunity Economy where everyone has the opportunity to not just get by, but to get ahead. Renewing the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is part of that agenda. Earlier this year, Congress failed to allocate funding for ACP and made monthly broadband bills more expensive for 23 million households enrolled in the program.

The internet plays an ineffable role in our election process. But imagine if you didn’t have internet access to livestream the recent debates, or if you couldn’t read up on the candidates’ policy platforms with a quick Google search. Worse than that, what if you missed your state’s voter registration deadline or couldn’t locate your polling site, since you couldn’t look it up online? It’s often overlooked that many Americans still don’t have high-speed internet access, even in 2024 when our lives have increasingly shifted online.