Federal

In the State of the Union speech earlier in 2023, President Biden made it clear that he wants to see the monies spent on infrastructure projects follow the Buy America rules. The law says that purchasing funded by the US government should have a preference for using American-made products. The rules allow for waivers from this provision, but the presumption is that without a waiver that American goods must be used.

Approximately 1.4 million locations currently eligible for funding in the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program would not be eligible if the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) were to change its definition of “reliable” broadband, according to an analysis by telecom consultancy Vantage Point Solutions. At issue is whether fixed wireless access (FWA) service deployed in unlicensed spectrum bands is considered “reliable.” Currently, NTIA doesn’t consider it to be reliable because of concerns about the long-term ability of unlicensed spectrum to s

New data published by the Federal Communications Commission, in response to a Senate inquiry, reveals how much funding the commission has committed to providers through its affordable broadband programs, including the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) and its successor, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). According to that report, Charter Communications is far and away the largest participant in both programs.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is at an inflection point. Launched in early 2022, ACP provides 17 million households up to $30/month in subsidies to offset the cost of broadband. But the program faces two critical challenges. First, less than a third of eligible households currently participate in the program—mainly because the people who could benefit most from the subsidy are unaware that it exists. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), local governments, and digital equity groups are stepping up efforts to improve ACP awareness and participation.

Few people think of the Federal Communications Commission as an environmental cop. It’s known for regulating television and radio and overseeing the deployment of communications technology. But the agency also has a broad mandate to ensure that technology doesn’t damage the environment. The task includes everything from protecting wildlife and human health to preserving historic sites and even preventing aesthetic blight.

Workforce and waivers. Those were two of the key themes and indeed the potential stumbling blocks for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program deployments, said TIA CEO Dave Stehlin. Now that the US government has issued a waiver for its Middle Mile grant program, the prospect of forthcoming relief for the BEAD program seems more promising. The waivers in question relate to Buy American requirements associated with the Middle Mile and BEAD programs.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed $8,778,527.39 in fines against 22 applicants in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I Auction (Auction 904) for apparently violating Commission requirements by defaulting on their bids between May 3, 2022, and December 16, 2022. Two applicants also failed to submit their audited financial paperwork, resulting in an additional monetary liability. The FCC provided clear guidance in its rules and notices on the monetary forfeitures associated with defaults in Auction 904.

The Federal Communications Commission is poised to reject a proposal it has been considering for several years that would have made spectrum between 12.2-12.7 GHz available for mobile use.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH5) and Robin Kelly’s (D-IL2) bipartisan legislation, H.R. 1339, the Precision Agriculture Satellite Connectivity Act. H.R. 1339 would require the Federal Communications Commission to review its current satellite rules to determine if rule changes can be made to promote precision agriculture.