Federal Broadband Programs

There’s a new sheriff in town for the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Arielle Roth, policy director of telecommunications on the U.S.

This year’s policy platform highlights the various broadband issues that SHLB plans to prioritize in 2025. Within each topic, we look for opportunities to advocate for anchor institutions and their communities at the federal and state level. While we highlight many issues in this platform, these remain only guideposts to the policy work that we might accomplish throughout the year. SHLB always remains flexible in its efforts and stands ready to respond to the dynamic policy landscape.

Broadband access for all has long been a critical issue for The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund. With the launch of the Center for Civil Rights and Technology in September 2023, these legacy civil rights organizations renewed their commitment and dedication to closing the digital divide—the persistent gap between people who have access to digital technology and those who do not. The startling connections among demographics, regions, and lack of access to broadband highlight the critical need to close this gap.

This episode of The Divide features a conversation with Danielle Perry, chief compliance officer at TruConnect, and a board member at the National Lifeline Association (NaLA), where she also chairs NaLA's regulatory and government affairs committee.

The Be Linked Alabama initiative is the state’s united effort to expand access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet to all Alabamians. Coordinated by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), Be Linked Alabama led to the development of the Alabama Statewide Digital Opportunity Plan.

According to Albert Einstein, insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Congress is taking this to a whole new level with its latest discussions about how to “fix” broadband internet deployment across the United States. The most vociferous criticisms of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program have centered on how long it has taken to deploy. On its face, that is a fair criticism. Contextualized, however, the criticism does not hold water. No one is asking why it took so long. The simple answer: Maps.

This annual report provides a summary of the National Verifier and its functionality, and it outlines how the National Verifier meets the Federal Communications Commission's key objectives: to protect against waste, fraud, and abuse; to lower costs to the Universal Service Fund (Fund) and service providers through administrative efficiencies; and to better serve eligible beneficiaries by facilitating choice and improving the enrollment experience. This report also provides an update on the use and performance of the National Verifier, including a discussion of system enhancements.

The New York State Digital Equity Plan––created by the state's ConnectALL Office––envisions a state transformed by digital infrastructure that brings to all New York residents access to high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband for education, economic growth, and full participation in civic life.

Howard Lutnick, a wealthy donor to President Trump who has been chosen to lead the Commerce Department, defended Mr. Trump’s plans to impose broad tariffs and said he would take a tough stance on technology sales to China during his Senate confirmation hearing. If confirmed, Lutnick would lead on trade policy and oversee a broad portfolio of government programs touching on business promotion, technology and science.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has rescinded a memorandum that would have put a pause on all federal grant funds, creating significant confusion.