Federal
FCC Announces July 18, 2024 Open Commission Meeting Agenda
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold an Open Meeting on the following subjects on Thursday, July 18, 2024, which is scheduled to commence at 10:30 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room of the Federal Communications Commission.
FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel's Response to Members of Congress Regarding the 5G Fund for Rural America
On April 24, members of Congress wrote to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to "urge the FCC to carefully consider and account for the impact of investments funded by the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to maximize the reach and efficiency of the 5G Fund." On July 2, Chairwoman Rosenworcel responded, agreeing that it is critical to maximize the efficiency and impact of federal broadband programs.
Congress grills FCC on ACP, mapping, broadband funding overlaps
On July 9, a House subcommittee held a hearing to get an update on how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is addressing some of the most pressing broadband issues in the country. Here’s what the FCC had to say:
House Commerce Committee Leaders Open Investigation into NTIA’s IIJA BEAD Funding Deployment, Citing Abnormal Lack of Transparency and Allegations of Rate Regulation
On July 9, Reps Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Bob Latta (R-OH), and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of Commerce and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator Alan Davidson regarding concerns that NTIA is unlawfully pressuring states to rate regulate low-cost broadband plans required by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. “States have reported that the NTIA is directing them to set rates and conditioning approval of initial proposals on doing so.
FCC Announces Certain RDOF Census Block Groups Are Eligible for Other Funding Programs
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announces that certain Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) census block groups (CBG) are now eligible for other funding programs.
Important Ideas to Streamline Broadband Permitting and Support Internet for All Deployments
High-speed Internet service connects and builds communities, accelerates economic progress, and enhances public service capabilities.
Getting Connected: How Wide Is the Digital Divide?
North Carolina has about 400,000 homes and businesses either not served by high-speed Internet or with woefully inadequate service. North Carolina, like every state and U.S. territory, is in the throes of getting a clearer understanding—than perhaps ever before—of just how wide their digital divides are. They have organized state broadband offices, generally within technology agencies, to count, quantify and analyze the depth of the problem.
States Work to Make Digital Services Accessible for All
People with disabilities regularly face accessibility challenges while using government websites. Solving these challenges has become more urgent, for two reasons. First, COVID-19 pushed more of life online, and it is often easier now to do business digitally than in person. Second, the U.S.
5G Fund: How many locations will be eligible for this $9 billion program for rural 5G?
As all of us have focused on the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to bring fixed broadband to rural areas, the Federal Communications Commission has quietly moved another program forward: the proposed “5G Fund for Rural America”, a program that could be as large as $9 billion. As of March 2024, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated to colleagues a draft order that would restart the 5G Fund.
Biden-Harris Administration Approves Maryland’s “Internet for All” Initial Proposal
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Maryland’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative.