Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

America’s Communications Association (ACA Connects), the Rural Broadband Association (NTCA), and the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) issued a joint statement to the Federal Communications Commission urging it to exclude smaller and rural broadband providers from its new digital discrimination rules, citing a lack of evidence they engage in discrimination where they build and calling into question the FCC’s legal authority to impose the rules. The organizations argued that the 

North Dakota is leading the way in precision agriculture, in large part thanks to the work and research being done at the Grand Farm Innovation Campus just outside of Casselton. Precision ag, like almost anything these days, requires reliable, secure, high-speed internet connectivity and that’s where Dakota Carrier Network (DCN) is offering expertise. DCN and Grand Farm have partnered for the wireless infrastructure at the farm, an investment of $200,000. There are four primary components to the connectivity DCN is providing on the Grand Farm Innovation Campus:

Regional provider Fastwyre Broadband is investing more than $65 million in new and existing markets in southwest and south central Louisiana. A Fastwyre spokesperson said that “the vast majority of the $65 million investment is self-funded with small federal and state grant funding in more remote areas.” Fastwyre is a portfolio company of Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC and Catania ABC Partners. The company says that it will build or expand fiber broadband networks to support symmetrical services that eventually will reach 10 Gbps.

The broadband availability data that mobile and fixed wireless providers report to the Federal Communications Commission is flawed, according to several rural broadband organizations.

The Federal Communications Commission is poised to raise taxes through its Universal Service Fund—a regressive, hidden tax on consumers' phone bills that funds a series of unaccountable, bloated internet subsidy programs. Rather than giving the FCC carte blanche to expand its balance sheet, Congress must reform the USF's structural problems, reevaluate its component programs, and get the FCC's spending under control. Here is my plan to do that. 

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) seeks comment on a letter from 69 Internet Service Providers, Trade Associations, State and Local Officials, School Districts, Unions, and Civil Society Organizations [including the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society].

The Maine Connectivity Resource Exchange is Maine Connectivity Authority's home to resources and knowledge to support, enable, and empower municipal and Tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, subgrantees, and the public on all aspects of the broadband ecosystem in Maine. The first module is in support of the upcoming BEAD State-Led Challenge Process. This module contains 7 units that will work to guide our partners through this several months-long process.

The Fiscal Year 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act provides a total of $68.537 billion in discretionary funding.  The bill provides $10.8 billion for the Department of Commerce.

The Department of Commerce's Inspector General asked industry stakeholders to identify challenges they are facing with broadband programmatic deployment to unserved and underserved locations.

Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) announced over $50 million in grants to expand broadband access to an estimated 8,900 homes and businesses throughout Minnesota. Twenty four broadband expansion projects will receive grants from the Department of Employment and Economic Development's (DEED) Office of Broadband Development, helping deploy new broadband infrastructure around Minnesota.