Federal Agency

Aldo Soledad relies on his phone's data plan to take care of his internet needs. When it comes to living without home internet, he isn't alone. Millions of Americans are without broadband, either because of a lack of access or because they can't afford it.

As energy companies around the country deploy fiber to improve grid reliability, they open the door to enabling broadband connectivity to previously unserved rural communities. Alabama Power has invested over $1 billion in infrastructure upgrades to add over 1,600 miles of fiber within its service areas since 2017.

The National Lifeline Association (NaLA) submitted a petition to the Federal Communications Commission requesting that the FCC temporarily waive the Lifeline reimbursement amounts in the Commission’s rules until Congress allocates additional funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) or passes broader legislation to reform the Universal Service Fund (USF) and pay for the ACP in an alternative manner.

Connecticut has been building its digital infrastructure to get more households online. Those efforts rely on federal funding to help the state address these gaps, particularly in places with limited access to affordable high-speed internet. But a federal program reducing monthly internet bills and providing device subsidies for lower-income households will sunset at the end of April if Congress does not renew funding.

The projected end of the federal government's ACP (Affordable Connectivity Program) will leave many low–income households looking for affordable internet options. Nearly 23 million people nationwide rely on the $30 subsidy ($75 for tribal land) to defray the cost of internet service or secure internet service for free.

The Federal Communications Commission voted to restore a national standard to ensure the internet is fast, open, and fair. This decision to reclassify broadband service as a Title II telecommunications service allows the FCC to protect consumers, defend national security, and advance public safety. With this vote, the FCC restores fundamental authority to provide effective oversight over broadband service providers, giving the Commission essential tools to:

Net neutrality, a set of policies designed to prevent internet-service providers from playing favorites among the websites they carry, is coming back. In a vote on April 25 the Federal Communications Commission classified internet service as a public utility. The definition is part of a new framework the FCC will use to regulate broadband networks. Net-neutrality rules typically bar internet-service providers from assigning priority to certain web traffic or creating so-called fast lanes for certain websites.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said, "Broadband is now an essential service. Essential services, the ones we count on in every aspect of modern life, have some basic oversight. So let's be clear about what we are doing today. This agency, the nation's leading communications authority, believes every consumer deserves Internet access that is fast, open and fair.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed improvements for wireless call routing to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline that would connect callers in crisis to behavioral health resources in their state or county while protecting their privacy.

An organization called the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America submitted a filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking the agency to use its official powers to go after Elon Musk, based on their view that he is not doing enough to help Ukraine. Their filing asks the FCC to require Musk to step down from Starlink, to stop processing Starlink applications altogether, and ultimately to revoke SpaceX’s FCC licenses.