Level of Government

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved $172 million in the sixth round of grants for last mile broadband projects as part of the $2 billion Last Mile Federal Funding Account Grant Program, which expands broadband internet access for underserved and unserved communities across California.

In early August, when corporate activity was in a summer lull, Elon Musk’s SpaceX quietly opened up a new front in a global battle over a scarce and precious resource: radio spectrum. Its target was an obscure international regulation governing the way spectrum, the invisible highway of electromagnetic waves that enables all wireless technology, is shared by satellite operators in different orbits.

In June 2024, ConnectRI, a program of the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation (RICC) released the final and approved version of the state's Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program Initial Proposal Volume II.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Carolina’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. This approval enables Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Carolina to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program. This action allows states to request:  

The Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules to ensure that people with disabilities can fully participate in video conferencing, including by paving the way for the use of telecommunications relay services (TRS).

The Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules to open 1300 megahertz of contiguous spectrum for non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) fixed-satellite service operations in the 17.3-17.8 GHz band. This action promotes spectrum efficiency, fosters competition, and expands the ability of satellite operators to deploy advanced services, including high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved areas.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the October Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 17, 2024:

An idea percolating all summer in the big national argument about social media—warning labels to help reduce the harms of online platforms to kids—has suddenly landed in Congress. Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL) and John Fetterman (D-PA) introduced a bill requiring platforms to add those labels.

High-speed, fiber-optic broadband internet is coming to more than 1,300 unserved and underserved locations in rural Knox County (IL). The expansion is the result of investments by the Knox County board that led to more than $12 million in state grants and a total investment of $17 million, including what local and national internet providers will contribute. The county board allocated $2.4 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the broadband initiative in March 2022 and a broadband steering team was convened.

As public broadband networks expand across the US, so too does the body of knowledge on how to launch and run them successfully.