Federal

WISPA’s President and CEO David Zumwalt commended the House Agriculture Committee and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for their work in closing the rural digital divide, and offered numerous suggestions on how the 2023 Farm Bill may more effectively narrow the broadband gap, in testimony today before the full Committee. WISPA represents the wireless internet service provider (WISP) industry.

Electric cooperatives need Congress to improve critical broadband programs to bring high-speed internet service to rural America, said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. More than 200 electric co-ops across the US are deploying broadband or developing plans to do so. Matheson asked the committee to make key improvements to broadband programs at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as it develops the Farm Bill:

Shirley Bloomfield, Chief Executive Officer of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture on NTCA’s broadband priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill.

Six representatives from the broadband and satellite industries testified at a House Agriculture Committee hearing on the digital divide, or the lack of some digital services in rural America. Committee Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA) asked the witnesses if the Department of Agriculture (USDA) was the right agency to handle the issue of rural broadband. “They know rural America. They prioritize issues that matter in rural America in their broadband funding in terms of rurality or low population density. That’s one of the criteria they look at.

Federal Communications Commissioner Nathan Simington told Congress that he and his fellow commissioners need to serve as a check on the power of the chair. According to testimony for the House Commerce Committee FCC oversight hearing, Commissioner Simington, a Republican, said that if the agency does not adopt rules allowing for full commission oversight of decisions made by staffers under authority delegated by the chair, Congress should step in to mandate it. “The FCC chair has broad discretion in delegating matters to career officials and political appointees, which restricts those matte

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel sent a clear signal to Congress she is not looking to apply multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) regulations to streaming video services, and that she does not think the regulator has the authority to expand into that area in any event. Rep.

The House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered opening remarks at the Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing titled “Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission:"

We write regarding the Affordable Connectivity Program, an important tool in our efforts to close the digital divide. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided significant funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which has already enabled 18 million Americans to access the high-speed broadband services they need. However, given the current rate of enrollment, projections indicate that the funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program could be exhausted as early as the first quarter of 2024.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) unveiled a legislative framework for regulating artificial intelligence (AI), warning that “Congress must join the AI revolution” now or risk losing its only chance to regulate the rapidly moving technology. Majority Leader Schumer also said that starting in Fall 2023, he would launch a series of “AI Insight Forums” featuring top AI developers, executives, scientists, community leaders, workers, national security experts, and others. Those discussions, he said, will form the foundation for more detailed policy proposals for Congress.