Federal

In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) that touched on a series of controversies, Meta Platforms Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said it was improper for the Biden administration to have pressured Facebook to censor content in 2021 related to the coronavirus pandemic, vowing that the social-media company would reject any such future efforts. Zuckerberg wrote that senior Biden administration officials, including from the White House, had “repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire, and expressed a lot

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is seeking public comment on one of the most challenging aspects of the Internet for All initiative: projects serving the most difficult and remote locations to connect. Connecting everyone in America will require a variety of technologies.

The Federal Communications Commission announced a $950,000 settlement with AT&T to resolve an Enforcement Bureau investigation into whether the company violated FCC rules by failing to deliver 911 calls to, and failing to timely notify, 911 call centers in connection with an outage AT&T experienced on August 22, 2023, in parts of Illinois, Kansas, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Kentucky is working to remove barriers to digital adoption by creating opportunities through technology, affordable high-speed internet, and digital skills development for all people and businesses. The goal is to bridge the digital divide and ensure that each citizen can participate in the modern economy and society. Kentucky's affordability strategy leaned heavily on promoting ACP participation by eligible residents and internet service providers (ISPs). Of course, the ACP expired earlier this year due to a lack of funding.

There are a lot of folks who think there will be substantial Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) spending in 2025. I don’t want to burst bubbles, but I just can’t see that happening. Like every other part of the BEAD process, there are delays coming that are going to drive folks crazy.

In May, the $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program officially ran out of money, leaving 23 million households with internet bills that were $30 to $75 higher than the month before. That's if they decided to hang on to their internet service at all: 13% of ACP subscribers, or roughly 3 million households, said that after the program ended they planned to cancel service, according to a Benton Institute survey

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report requested Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) that found the Universal Service Fund (USF) operator is burning through cash with only minimal government oversight of its budget. The report confirms the need for greater Congressional oversight of the USF as Sen. Cruz laid out in his Blueprint for Universal Service Fund Reform, published last year.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Guam’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. This approval enables Guam to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program. Guam was allocated over $156 million to deploy or upgrade high-speed Internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.  

On July 24th the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) launched the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity. As applicants work on their applications, it is critical to keep in mind the importance of sustainable project planning and meaningful change. Meaningful change can create a lasting, measurable impact that resonates for years to come. Successful Digital Equity Projects should be designed with both the present and future in mind, ensuring that the benefits extend well beyond the initial grant period.

The Federal Communications Commission issued notices of Citation and Order to eleven broadband providers for failure to file mandatory broadband data. The Broadband DATA Act requires the Commission to collect broadband service availability data twice per year for use in creating coverage maps. The companies that received citations had missed two or more occasions to submit data. The companies are: