Federal

In comments filed with the Senate Working Group on the future of the Universal Service Fund (USF), many organizations underscored the issue of redundant government expenditure in their submissions, with a notable focus on whether the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) should be integrated into the USF framework. The USF includes four programs targeting different vulnerable portions of the broadband market: the Connect America Fund, Lifeline, Schools and Libraries (E-Rate) and Rural Health Care.

To maintain American leadership in the global 5G economy, the wireless industry must keep deploying more spectrum for consumers. It’s as simple as that. At T-Mobile, we have a record of putting our spectrum to good use quickly, now covering 326 million Americans with 5G service, 285 million of whom are covered by Ultra Capacity 5G. But in 2023, the government has not been doing its part to keep the pipeline flowing and action is needed. In 2022, the Federal Communication Commission completed Auction 108.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is working to catalyze the development of an open 5G wireless ecosystem to help the private sector move away from a highly consolidated marketplace with few vendors and technologies. One way it is doing this is through the lab at the Institute of Telecommunications Sciences, which is partnering with the Department of Defense on the 2023 5G Challenge.

The US Copyright Office is undertaking a study of the copyright law and policy issues raised by generative AI and is assessing whether legislative or regulatory steps are warranted. The Office will use the record it assembles to advise Congress; inform its regulatory work; and offer information and resources to the public, courts, and other government entities considering these issues. The notice of inquiry (NOI) seeks factual information and views on a number of copyright issues raised by recent advances in generative AI.

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is greatly concerned with the preservation and advancement of the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program—a vital Universal Service Fund program that must continue to be improved to achieve its goals, broaden its reach, and expand access to those who can benefit the most. Lifeline was created nearly 40 years ago with the aim of providing low-income households with low-cost landline telephony options. Now, nearly all U.S. households have telephone service and the Lifeline program plays an essential role in ensuring affordability.

The Federal Communications Commission largely rejected petitions to reconsider its Broadband Consumer Label rules. Today’s action preserves consumer access to clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate information about the cost and performance of broadband services. Following the adoption of the Broadband Label Order, several petitions were filed asking the FCC to clarify and/or reconsider certain label requirements.

There is a huge disparity in regulating two distinct but highly intertwined industries – broadband and voice. Voice regulation includes the cellular business, and, in terms of revenue, the voice market is larger than broadband. JD Powers reported in April 2023 that the average household is spending $144 for cellular per month. I call these industries intertwined because the players at the top of both industries are the same. The big internet service providers (ISP) are Comcast, Charter, AT&T, and Verizon. The biggest voice players are AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

One of the greatest untold urban stories in America is playing out right now. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) — which launched at the start of 2022 to help struggling families cover the cost of monthly broadband plans — has connected over 20 million households to the internet across the nation, opening countless doors for education, jobs, health care and community connections.

An important aspect of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s work has focused on schools and libraries. As far back as 1995, Benton published The Learning Connection: Schools in the Information Age, examining how educators were grappling with the difficult interplay of technological change and educational values.

H.R. 4250, the "PRESS Act," would exempt journalists and third-party service providers, such as telecommunications carriers and Internet service providers (ISP), from being compelled to identify a source or disclose other information that was gathered or created as part of news gathering activities unless such information is necessary to prevent an act of terrorism or a threat of imminent violence.