Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

The Federal Communications Commission announced final funding allocations for the Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program (ACP Outreach Grant Program), National Competitive Outreach Program (NCOP) Round 2. The total amount of final funds announced for NCOP Round 2 is over $4.3 million.

On behalf of the Missouri Association of Councils of Government, we provide evidence for bulk challenges of broadband availability claims by licensed fixed wireless access (LFWA) providers across Missouri where LFWA service claims contribute to three-quarters of broadband providers' overstatements of service. We urge the FCC to reverse the burden of proof, requiring that ISPs substantiate their claims rather than saddling communities with the near impossibility of proving a negative across such a wide geographic area.

We are writing to urge [Congressional leadership] to extend funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides families with financial assistance for broadband access, to help bridge the digital divide. Congress has a role in ensuring that high-speed and reliable broadband is accessible to every household, nationwide. We urge you to include full funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in the upcoming government appropriations bill to ensure that households can access the broadband they desperately need.

West Virginia is on the verge of a $1.2 billion federally funded broadband buildout but that expansion may be held up by a problem that’s been around for years. The state Broadband Enhancement Council is considering officially intervening in a case before the state Public Service Commission involving First Energy and Frontier Communications about pole attachments. State Broadband Office Director Kelly Workman told the council that pole agreements are “our biggest source of delay in (American Rescue Plan Act) funding projects so far.” “Costs have gone up exponentially the last three years co

The National Consumer Law Center and the United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry produced a new State Digital Justice Advocacy Toolkit that contains resources to help frontline groups that are working to provide broadband and communication assistance to incarcerated people, people with disabilities, low-income households, veterans, aging and rural populations, people facing language barriers, members of a racial or ethnic minority, and other underserved groups. The State Digi

Broadband plays a pivotal role in facilitating essential activities for residents and fostering societal advancements across various domains, including economic development, healthcare, public safety, government services, and education. The federal government is embarking on an unprecedented investment in broadband, allocating over $100 billion nationwide.

Partnering with counties is an asset for electric co-operatives seeking capital for the matching requirement in the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, said an expert. Darren Farnan, chief operating officer of rural electric co-op United Fiber. He said that Missouri counties used Capital Project Fund (CPF) and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) money to help with the co-op’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) application. Counties have the same goal as co-ops to connect every address to high-speed internet, said Farnan.

C Spire has been working to bridge the middle-mile gap in the rural southeastern US, plugging away at construction of a backhaul network in the area for the past few years.

The federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) announced a new milestone. Launched nearly two years ago in 2021, it has now connected more than 20 million households to the Internet. This is a remarkable achievement and we at Comcast are proud to participate in the program.

Adtran will invest up to $5 million in its Huntsville, Alabama, manufacturing facility to support domestic manufacturing of fiber broadband equipment.