Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
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FCC Inspector General Answers GOP Leaders on Broadband Subsidies
Are Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) subsidies being targeted to households currently without broadband?
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Maximizing new federal investments in broadband for rural America
Congress appropriated $65 billion through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to close the digital divide and ensure universal access to reliable, high-speed, and affordable broadband across the US. The cornerstone—$42.45 billion—rests with the implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which entrusts execution and deployment of the resources to state governments. To maximize the opportunity that BEAD presents and to close the digital divide once and for all, we recommend the following 11 points:
Sen. Rosen Pushes FCC to Fix National Broadband Map's Nevada Coverage
US Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) successfully pushed the Federal Communications Commission to update its National Broadband Map to more accurately reflect Nevada’s current broadband needs, which is critical for the allocation of funding for high-speed internet from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's (IIJA) $42 billion Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. A previous, deeply flawed map misrepresented the high-speed internet coverage in Nevada and would have caused the state to lose out on potentially millions of dollars in BEAD funding.
The state that lost its chair after the music stopped
On first look, the new Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Map seems to be a step in the right direction. For example, in Alaska, a known problem area, the number of locations and the estimated amount of money allocated increase significantly. But Michigan is another story. Michigan has 71,139 fewer Unserved locations on the new map versus the old one, by far the biggest decrease in the 50 states.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, BEAD supercharge US digital equity efforts
Across the country, broadband advocates and representatives are crunching numbers to figure out how to implement an often under-examined piece of the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program puzzle: What does digital equity look like? Passed alongside BEAD as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Digital Equity Act (DEA) provides $2.75 billion dollars that will be parsed between states and territories to help them implement digital equity plans.
Mears cautions fiber hopefuls to engage construction firms early
Mears is a division of Quanta that provides construction services for fiber broadband deployment projects.
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FCC Announces Additional Funding Opportunities for Outreach Grants to Raise Nationwide Awareness of Affordable Connectivity Program
The Federal Communications Commission announced details for additional outreach grant opportunities to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The outreach grants seek to enlist targeted trusted community messengers to develop innovative outreach strategies to reach historically unserved and underserved communities.
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Governor Walz (D-MN) Signs Broadband Bill Into Law
Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) signed a broadband bill into law. The legislation includes a $100 million investment to expand high-speed broadband to help achieve the state’s goal of ensuring everyone has access to high-speed broadband across the state. This investment will supplement federal funding allocated to Minnesota under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
Louisiana releases BEAD proposal draft, digital equity plan
As states prepare to receive their allocations from the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, Louisiana is putting the finishing touches on its plan to put that money to work. The state’s broadband office released the first volume of its BEAD proposal, outlining Louisiana’s current efforts to deploy broadband, a breakdown of unserved and underserved locations as well as how it plans to tackle the challenge process.