Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded more than $20.5 million to Michigan to implement their Digital Equity Plan.

In March 2021, President Biden announced the American Jobs Plan, a precursor to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act designed to kick-start the U.S. economy amid the global coronavirus pandemic. As part of the announcement, the President made a prophetic statement: “broadband is the new electricity.” Comparing the Internet and electricity connected the dots between a centuries-long experiment in universal access.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Rhode Island’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. This approval enables Rhode Island to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program. Rhode Island was allocated over $108 million to deploy or upgrade high-speed Internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.  

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Hawaii’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. This approval enables Hawaii to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program. Hawaii was allocated over $149 million to deploy or upgrade high-speed Internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.  

There’s a huge amount of energy in the fiber broadband ecosystem right now driven largely by the Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) program. But as someone who’s covered telecommunications for three decades, I suspect that we’re nearing the peak of the hype cycle for broadband.

In a meeting with officials at the Federal Communications Commission, Recon Analytics shared results of a survey of 4,000 consumer mobile and 4,000 home internet consumers.

Many people have criticized the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its execution of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program, which awarded $6 billion in funding to bring broadband to 3.5 million locations across the country.

TBlair Levin, analyst for New Street Research and former chief of staff at the FCC, discusses the Supreme Court's June 28 decision striking down Chevron deference (a.k.a, the Loper Bright decision), and the implications for the telecommunications industry at large.

Experts expressed concern that federal support for municipal broadband is limited, prompting uncertainty about future funding and operational sustainability. Tyler Cooper, editor-in-chief of Broadband Now, said that Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grants are less promising for municipal broadband deployments despite initial promises. Cooper expressed concern that BEAD rules and requirements may not favor municipal networks, potentially favoring larger providers.

This first-of-its-kind kit includes bond forms to address the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announcement to accept surety bonds as an additional form of security in lieu of letters of credit (LOCs) for the  Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) and the Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) formed a surety working group to develop performance bond forms and model language to facilitate the use of surety bonds to meet BEAD Program security requirements.