Infrastructure

he Federal Communications Commission voted to approve final rules to support the students, school staff, and library patrons around the country who find themselves on the wrong side of the digital and educational divide. Now, schools and libraries will be able to utilize E-Rate resources to loan out Wi-Fi hotspots which will provide internet access for those individuals without a reliable connection at home.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) highlighted the recent investment of billions in grants and loans to provide reliable, affordable high-speed internet to thousands of rural residents, farmers, and business owners across rural America.

Although broadband internet access is a functional prerequisite for modern civic and economic life, significant inequities in broadband access remain. The Federal Communications Commission’s most recent report on the state of broadband in America (2021 Broadband Deployment Report) finds that millions of Americans lack access to reliable broadband service, and that millions more must procure broadband service from a local monopolist. U.S.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announces 97 communities that have been selected to participate in the ConnectHomeUSA (CHUSA) initiative, bringing training and technical assistance to help communities access affordable internet access, affordable devices, and digital skills training.

There’s been much handwringing this year over the prospect of defaults in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program, but very little empirical analysis of the actual extent of default that has occurred to date or data-driven projections of what’s likely to occur in the future. It’s time to dig deeper to figure out what’s going on at the local level. The FCC authorized 379 companies to receive $6 billion in RDOF support over a ten-year term, covering just under 3.5 million locations in 48 states and one territory.

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 Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announced an update to the Interim Eligible Locations list for use in the Enhanced Alternative Connect America Model (Enhanced ACAM) mechanism.  Pursuant to the Enhanced A-CAM Order, the Bureau must provide a final report on the Enhanced A-CAM obligations and support amounts no later than December 31, 2025.  The Interim Eligible Locations file is intended to update to Enhanced A-CAM carriers and other stakeholders regarding the status of locations in Enhanced A-CAM service areas based on currently available data.

As society continues to expand our digital universe, the development of broadband infrastructure has never been more vital. The permitting processes required by federal, state, and local agencies play a crucial role in ensuring that broadband projects meet regulatory standards and serve the public interest.

The Indiana Connectivity Program announced the 10th round of awards on July 11, 2024. The Indiana Connectivity Program aims to connect residents and businesses that lack access to broadband internet service with service providers and assist in the expense of extending broadband to those locations. The 10th round of the program awarded $3,327,496 to expand broadband to 708 addresses across 38 counties. The awardees and amounts were:

One in three Americans doesn’t have internet at speeds fast enough to use Zoom. Despite being an essential utility, building out the nation’s internet infrastructure has been largely left to market forces with highly uneven results: 40 million Americans are still waiting to be connected. Large traditional internet service providers have not and will not invest in communities where the economics don’t fit their business models.