Federal

Verizon is bringing internet to Maryland residents as it deploys high-speed, fiber optic broadband internet service across the state. Nearly 4,000 new households and businesses in Charles, Garrett, Cecil, Howard, St. Mary’s and Washington County will have access to Verizon’s Fios network as part of one of the biggest upgrades in our history.

I agree that the Federal Communications Commission should be doing everything it can to speed the deployment of broadband to all areas of the country and that ensuring there is a transparent, fair, and fast pole attachment process that considers the needs of pole owners and attachers is a key part of that effort.

Public Knowledge and New America’s Open Technology Institute, on behalf of the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition, filed comments with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in response to the agency’s Request for Comment on developing a national spectrum strategy. The filing urges the NTIA to adopt a national spectrum strategy that will not only secure our nation’s future as a wireless leader but also serve the public b

In comments submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) concerning a National Spectrum Strategy (NSS)—an initiative that plans to unify federal spectrum strategy and provide a roadmap for future allocations—our coalition is urging the Administration to recognize the value of the 12 GHz band and to call upon other agencies, primarily the Federal Communications Commission, to maximize the 12 GHz band’s usage.

States must be the arbiter of coverage disputes for the allocation of coming federal funds, said broadband experts. The $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program directs states to design their own grant programs. To successfully implement these state grant programs, states must “be the source of truth for challenges,” said Peggy Schaffer of mapping software company VETRO. It is the responsibility of states to determine truth by sifting through many sources of coverage claims, said Schaffer.

State and federal government officials said that state laws restricting municipal broadband deployments aren’t expected to delay the distribution of funding from the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. BEAD support is expected to be divvied up among all 50 states in the coming months, but, as BroadbandNow noted, rules for BEAD stipulate that states with laws that either restrict or prohibit municipal broadband must disclose whether or not they plan to waive such laws.

Service providers in the state of Washington are concerned about legislation pending in the state’s House of Representatives.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of $20 million to deliver broadband technical assistance resources for rural communities and to support the development and expansion of broadband cooperatives. USDA is offering funding under the new Broadband Technical Assistance Program.

Georgia’s Clayton County, a growing community that includes Hartsfield Airport, has been ignored by large providers that have not upgraded their broadband facilities to support higher speeds necessary for remote work and learning. This leaves many residents, many of whom are low- or middle-income, with slow-speed DSL or cable connections. The lack of broadband facilities is just one problem for the county.

A years-long debate slowed progress in the Keystone State, but in September 2022, Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) announced that $500 million from the American Rescue Plan Act will go to local governments to invest in infrastructure, including broadband, accelerating the Commonwealth's efforts to close the digital divide.