Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

The Nebraska Public Service Commission approved an Order (CPF-2) opening a second round of Capital Projects Fund (CPF) grants to bring broadband to unserved and unserved areas of the state.The new grant cycle will be used to award $24.3 million in remaining CPF funds for projects falling within the 3^rd Congressional District (which encompasses the state's western three-

Charter Communications announced a nearly $1.25 billion investment in Ohio through its companywide network evolution project and broadband expansion commitments. The investment will enable the delivery of symmetrical gigabit and multi-gigabit speeds across the state, rural broadband expansion programs in Ohio and other customer-benefiting projects. Charter is investing nearly $500 million in a network evolution project in Ohio; the project is expected to be substantially complete across the company’s Ohio service area by the end of 2025. Charter is also expanding its fiber-optic network to

There are so many exciting things happening in the digital equity space. However, as the title of my talk foreshadows—the road to digital equity is not always straight and it’s often bumpy. Over the past 3 and a half years especially, we have made great gains, only to suffer setbacks. And while I’m optimistic about the future, we are now in a critical moment in the effort to get everyone connected to affordable and robust broadband.

In the bi-partisan 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress decided to provide a larger Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) benefit in high-cost areas—up to $75/month, compared to the standard $30/month benefit. Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) quietly announced that service providers could start filing applications on January 17, 2024, to become eligible to receive this larger benefit.

In October 2023, the Biden Administration called on the Federal Communications Commission to implement provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The FCC will vote on Nov 15 on new rules; I oppose the plan for several reasons:

NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association launched its new “Broadband Built to Last” ad campaign, which aims to educate policymakers and the public on the critical role the Universal Service Fund plays in getting and keeping rural consumers connected to high quality, affordable broadband service. 

The state of South Dakota has set a high bar for applicants seeking rural broadband funding in the ConnectSD Broadband Development Program. For example, the state sees fiber broadband as the “gold standard” in broadband technology.

 Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar (R-TX) applauded the federal government’s decision to provide a waiver for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program that will give potential applicants broader financing options. “I am pleased [the National Telecommunications and Information Administration] has agreed to allow alternative ways for providers to comply with this requirement of the [Notice of Funding Opportunity],” Comptroller Hegar said.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the 2023 Technology Use (Farm Computer Usage and Ownership) report. According to USDA, 85 percent of farms reported having access to the internet nationally. In 2023, 32 percent of farms used the internet to purchase agricultural inputs, which was an increase of 3 percent from 2021. Additionally, 23 percent of farms used the internet to market agricultural activities, which was an increase of 2 percent from 2021. Farms which conducted business with non-agricultural websites in 2023 increased by 2 percent to 49 percent.

The Biden-Harris Administration is taking actions to improve the health of rural communities and help rural health care providers stay open. These actions: