Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved New Mexico and Virginia’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. This approval enables New Mexico and Virginia to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program—a major step towards closing the digital divide and meeting the President’s goal of connecting everyone in America with affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service.  The action allows states to request:  

When it comes to cable earnings, the outlook hasn’t been exactly optimistic. Cable broadband “may decline for the foreseeable future,” Wolfe Research recently predicted, as valuation multiples for Charter and Comcast “near all-time lows.” Charter and Comcast lost 149,000 and 120,000 broadband subscribers, respectively, in the second quarter.

On July 24, the U.S.

For as long as the internet has existed, there’s been a gap between those who have access to it—and the means to afford it—and those who don’t. The vast majority of federal broadband spending over the past two decades has gone toward expanding internet access to rural areas. Only $14.2 billion went to making the internet more affordable through the Affordable Connectivity Program.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Massachusetts' 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 Massachusetts to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program. The BEAD program is a $42.45 billion state grant program authorized by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

We're in the thick of the process to distribute $42.5 billion of government funds to companies that will ultimately win Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds. Carol Mattey, a former deputy bureau chief with the Federal Communications Commission who now works as a broadband consultant said a handful of states, that are early in the game, are allowing pre-qualification applications for BEAD grants. Some of the states doing this include Missouri, 

USTelecom and more than 30 other broadband industry groups sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo covering several ideas for how the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) can remedy the issues posed by the rates being approved for the low-cost service option requirement in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD)Pprogram.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the 

A new survey from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society focusing on low-income Americans shows that affordability challenges are pervasive for low-income households, a problem the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) helped alleviate for those most in need. The survey finds that:

As required by the Digital Equity Act, the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program will be established soon, making hundreds of millions of dollars available in the first Notice of Funding Opportunity to implement digital inclusion projects. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act mandates that funding be directed towards programs designed to empower those impacted by the digital divide, known as Covered Populations.