Level of Government

President-elect Donald Trump announced he will appoint current Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr to be the next FCC chair. Here’s a few observations on what this is likely to mean for the telecommunications and broadband industry. Net Neutrality undoubtedly will be reversed again. Since its inception, it has come and gone, depending on which party is in the White House. A Republican commission under Carr could have another big impact that would be detrimental to big tech, according to a research note from Washington insider and National Broadband Plan author Blair Levin.

The purpose of this document is to outline the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Final Proposal Guidance to assist states and territories in submitting quality Final Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. This document is intended solely to assist recipients in better understanding the BEAD Program and the requirements set forth in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for this program.

A new presidential administration will take office in January 2025, ushering in a new era at the Federal Communications Commission. Thanks to Project 2025, we have a unique ability to predict what this will mean for broadband regulation.

Louisiana is the first state in the nation to award federal Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding through the state’s GUMBO 2.0 program. The state will deploy $1.355 billion in total through these awards to support broadband access throughout the state. GUMBO 2.0 will expand fiber optic connectivity to approximately 140,000 locations across the state, supporting 100,000 households, 35,000 small businesses and 4,000 community anchor institutions such as public safety locations, schools and hospitals.

Eight projects totaling $17.3 million for high-speed internet expansion were officially launched by the Oklahoma Broadband Office (OBO) and Dobson Fiber. The projects, funded through $11.6 million in federal grants administered by the OBO coupled with $5.7 million in matching funds from Dobson Fiber, will connect 1,829 homes and businesses with broadband internet using fiber optic technology. The award from ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) was made earlier this year by the Oklahoma Broadband Governing Board. 

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day announced that applications are open for the Office of Statewide Broadband’s new Computer Labs Program. The new digital equity program will administer $2 million in grants to local governments and other partners to support the creation and expansion of computer labs and centers.

US Representative Bob Latta (R-OH) said, "Congratulations to Brendan Carr on being named the next Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission by President-elect Trump. Commissioner Carr has been steadfast in his work at the FCC to help close the digital divide, protect free speech, and safeguard American communications networks from communist Chinese influence. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Commissioner Carr on these initiatives in the House Commerce Committee in the 119th Congress, and I know he will make an excellent Chairman of the FCC."

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, wasted no time in stating his priorities.

President Joe Biden and China’s leader Xi Jinping met for just under two hours on November 16, marking the end to their 15-year diplomatic relationship and ushering in a new era of uncertainty as Donald Trump prepares to return to office. The two leaders agreed to avoid giving artificial intelligence control of nuclear weapons systems, and they made progress toward the release of the two U.S.

We’re about to see the fourth change of the party in the White House in this century, and that means a fourth time that telecommunications regulations will flip-flop in what I’ve called the regulatory yoyo. Regulatory policies have always changed to some extent when the party in power changes, but in this century, the degree of change from administration to administration is more intense than what we saw in the past. Much of the regulatory yoyo comes from attempts to regulate broadband.