Federal

Rep Dave Taylor (R-OH-02)  introduced the Expanding Appalachia’s Broadband Access Act, which aims to increase access to broadband for rural communities across Appalachia. The Expanding Appalachia’s Broadband Access Act will direct the submission of a request to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on the capabilities of low-orbit satellites operated under the purview of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

The Department of Government Efficiency should live up to its name and propose lasting reforms that improve government efficiency. Freeing up federal spectrum for commercial uses presents such an opportunity. For that to happen, however, the agencies that control much of the nation’s spectrum need a better incentive to give some of it up. Spectrum is the foundation for the ubiquitous wireless technologies that have become essential for businesses and consumers.

Why is the government risking a return to a healthcare regulatory regime that results in worse outcomes, less access to care and higher costs? The motives are unclear, but that would be the outcome if Congress lets the current regulatory framework for telehealth and hospital-at-home lapse, which it will if not renewed in 2025. The arguments to extend the waivers, as laid out in a letter from more than 350 healthcare organizations, are powerful.  Extensions will:

The largest owner of low-power TV stations in the country is asking federal regulators to allow datacasting on the 5G broadcast standard, and potentially sunset the sector’s obligation to provide at least one free signal viewable on traditional TV sets.

Reps Greg Landsman (D-OH-1) and Troy Carter (D-LA-2) led ten other members of the House Communications Subcommittee to send a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging the immediate release of stalled Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program funds. "While we understand you have launched a review of the program, we urge you to consider the reality of where BEAD sits today and the consequences of retroactive mandates at this late stage. Despite predictions to the contrary, the so-called “pointless requirements” have not deterred private industry participation in BEAD.

The Commerce Department is considering changes to the distribution of the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program that could significantly delay broadband deployment and redirect billions away from fiber and fixed wireless in favor of Low-Earth Orbit satellite services like Starlink’s. LEO satellites have distinct advantages in remote areas, but they also have technical & economic tradeoffs that would undermine BEAD’s long-term goals of reliable, scalable broadband access.

The expansion of broadband in the United States is at a critical inflection point.

Governor Patrick Morrisey (R-WV) announced that West Virginia has been granted a 90-day extension to submit its final proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

Governor Kathy Hochul highlighted the launch of Phase 4 of New York State’s Municipal Infrastructure Program Request for Applications, making nearly $50 million available to support broadband infrastructure projects across the state. MIP connects unserved and underserved communities to high-speed internet through open-access and publicly controlled broadband infrastructure. To date, ConnectALL has awarded over $240 million, enabling the construction of almost 2,400 miles of fiber and connecting nearly 100,000 locations statewide.

At least two states—Maine and Minnesota—have contacted the U.S. Department of Commerce concerning the changes that may be made to the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. Minnesota’s suggestions about BEAD came via a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick from Bree Maki, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development.