Federal

On March 1, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) sought public comment on the design and implementation of two components of the Digital Equity Act of 2021 (a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act): the $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program.

House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), along with the chairs of the subcommittee of jurisdiction, wrote letters to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), requesting a full accounting of how they’ve spent taxpayer dollars. The Chairs specifically requested funding information from: the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Ac

On April 6, 2022, Sen Shelley Moore Capito wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel about pole attachment and replacement regulations in West Virginia. On February 22, Chairwoman Rosenworcel reminded Sen. Capito that, since 2020, West Virginia regulates pole attachments at the state level. This means that the state retains complete authority to deviate from the federal regime to suit the particular needs of West Virginia.

The US Treasury Department awarded Kansas $15 million for digital equity work, with the money going toward public Wi-Fi, digital skills training, and more. In addition, 20 other states have applied for digital equity funding from the same source, with other awards expected to be made soon. “Kansas is just the first of many more to come,” said Joseph Wender director of the Treasury Department's Capital Projects Fund (CPF), which is part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Over the past two years, millions of low-income US households have received broadband internet at a discount through two consecutive government programs. But they could soon lose that benefit. More than 16 million US households are currently enrolled in the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) which offers a $30 discount on broadband services to qualifying low-income households.

The Federal Communications Commission committed over $20 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Program (ECP), which provides digital services for students in communities across the country. This funding commitments support applications from all three filing windows benefiting approximately 190,000 students across the country, including students in California, Florida, Maine, Oklahoma, Washington, and Wisconsin. This commitment will support over 90 schools, 8 libraries, and 5 consortia.

Much of the hype around broadband funding is focused on the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, but money continues to flow from the Capital Projects Fund (CPF). To date, the US Treasury Department has awarded nearly $5 billion from the CPF across 33 states. That amount is almost half of the Treasury Department’s $10 billion allotment for the fund. States that have received funding thus far expect to connect 1.4 million households as a result. The CPF was created in March 2021, but Treasury only began approving state funding requests June 2022.

Many residents of federally assisted multifamily—also called affordable rental—housing lack access to broadband service and face persistent challenges in getting a connection.

The United States will reimagine cyberspace as a tool to achieve our goals in a way that reflects our values: economic security and prosperity; respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; trust in our democracy and democratic institutions; and an equitable and diverse society. To realize this vision, we must make fundamental shifts in how the United States allocates roles, responsibilities, and resources in cyberspace.

The top Republican and Democrat on the House Commerce Committee are working to avert a lapse, in March 2023, of the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction spectrum as Congress seeks a more lasting plan that could pay for a number of telecommunications priorities.  Auctions of the spectrum have been a financial boon for the government.