Internet/Broadband

In 2021, Congress enacted the Digital Equity Act (DEA) as part of the massive Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This marked the first time that federal lawmakers had dedicated funding specifically for digital equity programming, providing money for state broadband offices to analyze the digital equity landscape in their states and develop plans to reduce the barriers to accessing such critical service. For the first time, all 50 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico created digital equity plans under the planning grant program.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau and the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau announce that comments in response to their September 2024 Public Notice are due no later than November 4, 2024, and reply comments are due no later than November 18, 2024. On September 11, 2024, the FCC released a Public Notice inviting supplemental comment to refresh and expand upon the record regarding the annual reporting and certification requirements for providers of incarcerated people’s communications services (IPCS).

The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau announced the addition of Andy Hendrickson as its new Chief Technology Officer to provide strategic and technical advice on technological developments and issues with respect to the Enforcement Bureau’s work and as part of the ongoing effort to strengthen the Bureau’s technical expertise in support of its privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, and network outage enforcement work.

Minnesota is one step closer to being awarded federal funds for improving broadband infrastructure around the state. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) held a short press conference, on Sept. 26, to announce that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved Minnesota’s plan for broadband infrastructure deployment. In June 2023, the U.S. Commerce Department awarded $651,839,368 in federal funding to Minnesota.

Heartland Forward is launching an initiative to expand telehealth access in Arkansas and Oklahoma by teaching librarians how to prepare community members for a telehealth visit.

You've probably heard of Project 2025—the not-so-secret plan the Heritage Foundation cooked up for the next Republican administration. Project 2025’s contents are so noxious, unpopular and anti-democratic that even Donald Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from them—though at least 140 former Trump officials contributed to the plan. What you might not know is that just one of Project 2025’s authors currently works for the federal government: Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, the agency's senior Republican.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the federal agency tasked with running the Biden Administration’s $42.45 billion effort to close the digital divide, reported that more than 2.4 million previously unserved homes and businesses have been connected since President Biden entered office in January, 2021. However, the press release did not name the programs that led to the increase or provide details about the locations of the newly connected.

The Federal Communications Commission’s top Republican has opposed expanding the agency’s broadband subsidy for schools and libraries. He said the July ruling that found the fund unconstitutional could be an additional reason to proceed with caution.

Areas with poor or no broadband service often also suffer from a lack of competition among Internet providers, which can also lead to higher costs for consumers. “Only about 60 percent of all locations nationwide have competition,” remarked Joe Ross, senior partner and co-founder of Televate LLC, which provides Internet consulting services for government.

The Washington State Department of Commerce released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Broadband Equity Assistive Technology program. The Department of Commerce is soliciting proposals from qualified entities to distribute assistive technology and digital literacy skills training to individuals with disabilities. The goal of this project is to promote equal access to technology and digital inclusion to online education, employment, and community life for individuals with disabilities. Proposals are due November 12 by 5pm PST.