Legislation

On September 6, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission launched its latest (and 18th overall, if you're scoring at home) inquiry into the state of broadband in the United States.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB or Bureau) announced that certain Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) census block groups (CBG) are now eligible for other funding programs.

The three-year anniversary of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is fast approaching. Zero households have been connected through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, IIJA’s signature $42.5B broadband program that aims to bring universal internet service to all Americans. While all infrastructure programs take years to implement, BEAD’s pace has led to increased congressional scrutiny of the program. Whether or not the BEAD program is off track is a point of contention amongst stakeholders.

Each year, the Federal Communications Commission must adopt a schedule of regulatory fees to be collected by the end of September. For fiscal year (FY) 2024, the FCC is required to collect $390,192,000 in regulatory fees, pursuant to section 9 of the Communications Act of 1934 and the Commission’s FY 2024 Further Consolidation Appropriations Act. In this Report and Order, the FCC adopts the regulatory fee schedule to assess and collect $390,192,000 in congressionally required regulatory fees for FY 2024.

If the proposed recombination of Windstream and Uniti is completed, the combined company could win Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding for fiber builds to 500,000 locations. Windstream has a strong focus on Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, where locations are most likely to be eligible for BEAD funding. The company also may have a cost advantage in comparison with other companies that might want to bid for BEAD funding to serve the same locations. The company has been touting its comparatively low average fiber deployment cost of $650 per passing.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved New Jersey’s Initial Proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative.  The BEAD program is a $42.45 billion state grant program authorized by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. New Jersey was allocated over $263 million to deploy or upgrade high-speed Internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.  

I've identified some concerns with the order for the new 5G Fund for Rural America that will provide $9 billion to improve rural cellular coverage.

After the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law in 2021, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) was tasked with the creation of an Internet for All plan that will work to close the digital divide for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, expanding high-speed internet access and digital equity programming across the state. MBI plans to accomplish these tandem goals include its Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program Initial Proposals Volume 1 and 2, as well as the State Digital Equity Plan.

The Federal Communications Commission announced it will move forward with the 5G Plan for Rural America. Since the FCC seems determined to move forward with the current maps and seems to be on a fast track to initiate the 5G plan, there should be a sense of urgency in any County that thinks it needs better cellular coverage.

President Joe Biden’s 2021 infrastructure law promised to help Virginia expand broadband internet to hard-to-reach corners of the commonwealth—investing nearly $1.5 billion to improve a key service across a swing state crucial to Democrats’ hopes in the November election. The program, known officially as the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (or BEAD) and embedded in Biden’s mammoth infrastructure law, was meant to bring a vital service to communities across America.