Federal
California re-enters the showdown over the future
After a campaign that started out looking like a Queens vs. Scranton rematch, Americans are all but certain to be asked to choose between two visions of the future shaped by California. One is the pioneering candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris, a Bay Area-born politician who would become both the first woman president and woman president of color.
FTC set to look into unequal online pricing scheme
A great deal of the Biden administration’s economic agenda has focused on protecting people from getting ripped off: The ever-shrinking Snickers bar, fighting
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Biden-Harris Administration Awards $20.5 Million to Michigan to Implement Digital Inclusion Efforts
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded more than $20.5 million to Michigan to implement their Digital Equity Plan.
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Biden-Harris Administration Approves Connecticut’s “Internet for All” Initial Proposal
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Connecticut’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 Connecticut to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program. The BEAD program is a $42.45 billion state grant program authorized by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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Celebrating Disability Pride Month by Embracing Inclusion and Accessibility
As we celebrate Disability Pride Month and the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it’s crucial to recognize the achievements, contributions, and resilience of individuals with disabilities. The digital divide disproportionately affects people with disabilities, making it challenging for them to access the same opportunities and resources as their non-disabled peers.
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FCC’s Historic Hotspot Initiative Aims to Close the Homework Gap
At the July Federal Communications Commission Open Meeting, the FCC approved, on a 3-2 vote, an order to make Wi-Fi hotspots and Internet services eligible for E-rate program support for libraries and K-12 schools. This historic decision adopts a SHLB Coalition recommendation we and others proposed over three years ago. The proposed order allows schools and libraries to apply for E-rate funds to help offset the costs of purchasing Wi-Fi hotspots and I
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How Tennessee’s early start on digital equity is benefitting the Volunteer State
Tennessee’s digital skills policies are making the state a leader as full-blown implementation of the federal Digital Equity Act begins.
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Project 2025: Brendan Carr's Agenda for the FCC
In January 2023, Spencer Chretien—a former Special Assistant to President Donald J.
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FCC Caps Exorbitant Phone & Video Call Rates for Incarcerated Persons & Their Families
The Federal Communications Commission voted to end exorbitant phone and video call rates that have burdened incarcerated people and their families for decades. Under the new rules, the cost of a 15-minute phone call will drop to $0.90 from as much as $11.35 in large jails and, in small jails, to $1.35 from $12.10. The new rules also, for the first time, address the exorbitant cost of video visitation calls, dropping those prices to less than a quarter of current prices and requiring per-minute rate options based on consumers’ actual usage.
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Benton Institute Marks a Major Milestone on Road to Prison Phone Justice
July 18 marks a major milestone on the long road to right a market dysfunction that has wronged incarcerated persons and their loved ones for decades. The Federal Communications Commission’s vote on Bringing Common Sense and Fairness to Correctional Facility Phone Rates will lower rates for voice phone calls including, perhaps most importantly, local and intrastate calls. Among the many other long overdue reforms, the agency’s Report and Order will end kickbacks, euphemistically called “site commissions,” to carceral facilities. No less significantly, the new measures are forward-looking