Federal

Well, folks, the day we’ve been waiting for is finally here—the Digital Equity Act funds are finally making their way to communities around the country to support digital inclusion work on the ground.

Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) awarded nearly $53.5 million to continue the expansion of high-speed internet service in Alabama. The grant awarded to the Alabama Fiber Network, a coalition of electric and generation/transmission cooperatives, will help develop the second phase of the state’s “middle-mile” broadband network deployment. The project will impact 24 Alabama counties.

Rep Andrew Clyde (R-GA) reintroduced the Free Speech Defense Act to eliminate government-by-proxy censorship. The Free Speech Defense Act:

Anybody not involved in the telephone business will probably be surprised to find that the old TDM telephone networks are still very much alive and in place. The old technologies were supposed to be phased out and replaced by digital technologies.

More than 70,000 Kansas households lack broadband access and over 35,000 additional households’ existing service options render them “underserved.” In addition, many of Kansas’ 8,500 community anchor institutions (CAIs) lack gigabit-level broadband service that would better allow them to provide full levels of support to their communities.

Here’s what to expect for the Federal Communications Commission's jam-packed July Open Meeting agenda.

Every person in America should be able to access affordable, high-speed internet no matter where they live or how much they earn. I am proud to highlight that we are finalizing a rule to allow schools and libraries—primarily in low-income and rural areas—to use funding from the Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate program for Wi-Fi hotspots that will increase access to remote learning and virtual library services. Additionally, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will award over $9 million to the state of Nevada to implement their Digital Equity Plan.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote to end exorbitant phone and video call rates that have burdened incarcerated people and their families for decades.

One year has passed since the White House announced how much money each state and territory will receive from the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.

Millions of students, school staff, and library patrons around the country are on the wrong side of the digital and educational divide and, as a result, lack the same access to educational resources as their peers.