Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area
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House Debates FCC Budget
On July 9, the House Commerce Committee's Communications and Technology Subcommittee held a hearing on the fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget for the Federal Communications Commission. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel testified before the subcommittee along with fellow commissioners Brendan Carr, Geoffrey Starks, Nathan Simington, and Anna Gomez.
Unlocking Broadband in the Heartland: A Harvest of American Opportunity
Across America’s heartland, reliable, high-speed internet remains out of reach for many.
How California’s ‘once in a century’ broadband investment plan could go wrong
Californians will work to make broadband maps as accurate as possible via a challenge process running from July 8 through Aug. 5. The final maps will determine if the most in need will get internet infrastructure into their homes. But advocates say the internet access maps are highly inaccurate. Only local and tribal governments, internet service providers, and advocacy groups can demand changes to the map.
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FCC Provides Guidance for RDOF and CAF Phase II Support Recipients on Procedures for Provider Defaults to Ensure That Broadband Networks Are Deployed to All Consumers
The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau provided guidance to Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II support recipients and other stakeholders regarding the processes for provider defaults. Support recipients are showing significant progress in meeting their deployment milestones and there is no demonstrated need for widespread relief from the RDOF and CAF Phase II default penalties.
AT&T CEO Underlines the Need for an Effective Implementation of BEAD
AT&T CEO John Stankey said the most critical issue facing the telecommunications industry is the effective implementation of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. To close the digital divide, Stankey said, additional policies should be created to ensure that all BEAD Program funds (“every dollar of taxpayer money”) are used to expand access to broadband as quickly as possible.
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Urban Digital Divide Efforts
NATOA, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) recently made Community Broadband and Digital Equity Awards to three communities and recognized the strides the cities have made in tackling the digital divide.
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Supporting Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program Grantees
The National Telecommunications Information Administration's (NTIA) $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) aims to expand access to and adoption of broadband service on tribal land. NTIA is distributing these funds through two rounds of grant funding; NTIA finished announcing awards for the first round of funding in September of 2023, and the application period for the second funding round closed in March 2024.
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The Kansas Affordability Plan
More than 70,000 Kansas households lack broadband access and over 35,000 additional households’ existing service options render them “underserved.” In addition, many of Kansas’ 8,500 community anchor institutions (CAIs) lack gigabit-level broadband service that would better allow them to provide full levels of support to their communities.
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Biden-Harris Administration Awards $9 Million to Nevada to Advance Digital Inclusion Efforts
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded more than $9 million to Nevada to implement its Digital Equity Plan.
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Tribal Broadband: Additional Assistance to Recipients Would Better Support Implementation of $3 Billion in Federal Grants
This report examines topics related to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) including: (1) grants that reached Tribes that had not received previous federal broadband support; (2) the extent to which NTIA provided support to recipients on financial sustainability; and (3) the extent to which NTIA provided recipients with technical assistance in the environmental review process. Tribal leaders have hailed the TBCP as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to close the digital divide on their lands, areas that have long lag