Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

In an open letter, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. shared a summary of the progress the Biden-Harris administration made over the last four years. The focus of the letter is on economic recovery and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. A key tenet is President Biden's Investing in America agenda, which aimed to mobilize historic levels of  investments in the United States and revitalize U.S. infrastructure, including broadband internet access. Here is a look at President Biden's broadband accomplishments as he prepares to leave office.

As the Senate Commerce Committee is set to convene for the first time in the 119th Congress, we look at the membership of the panel and their priorities when it comes to broadband policy. Previously, we looked at the priorities of Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who sits on the Commerce Committee as well. The committee includes 15 Republicans and 13 Democrats. 

The National Telecommunications Administration (NTIA) awarded the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Commission for Educational Technology over $9 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant funding towards implementing the state's Digital Equity Plan.

The Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act, was signed into law as part of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (S. 4367). S. 4367 was approved by both House and Senate in December 2024. The E-BRIDGE Act removes hurdles for broadband projects under Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants, including difficult last-mile efforts that often delay rural broadband deployment.

A comprehensive and ongoing assessment and celebration of states’ digital inclusion work. This new evaluation reflects a broader focus on other components of digital inclusion and reflects a range of activities that state governments can engage in:

Private and federal broadband investments have achieved universal broadband deployment throughout the United States. Still, barriers that prevent some households from accessing the Internet remain. This lack of broadband adoption, not lack of deployment, is the central reason for the remaining digital divide. Therefore, identifying and addressing barriers to broadband adoption should be the core of broadband policy. One major barrier to broadband adoption is whether low-income households can afford it.

The vast majority of funding in the immense Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is focused on building physical networks to locations where people are unconnected or insufficiently connected. Investments and research have traditionally privileged the wires and poles of broadband infrastructure without accounting for or making explicit the human infrastructure needed to enable digital opportunity.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau adopted the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric, the most up-to-date and comprehensive source for identifying broadband serviceable locations (BSLs), as the basis it will rely on for generally verifying compliance with high-cost program deployment obligations and for adjusting the location obligations for certain high-cost support mechanisms.

In its State Digital Equity Plan, the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) embraces digital equity to ensure that every person in New Mexico has equal opportunities to access education, health care, job prospects, government services, and information critical to personal growth and well-being.

Back in 2024––October, to be exact––the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) over $22 million through the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program to implement its Digital Connectivity