Level of Government

The likely expiration of the Affordable Connectivity Program, the largest ever connectivity support program for low-income households, invites a discussion about the impact of the program and what alternative policy tools are available to promote digital equity. This study offers a preliminary assessment of the ACP’s goal to promote fixed broadband among lowincome households.

The Federal Communications Commission announced the appointment of the Honorable Mary Pat Regan to serve on the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (Universal Service Joint Board). The FCC also announced the appointment of the Honorable Karen Charles,the Honorable Mary Pat Regan, the Honorable Maida J. Coleman, and the Honorable Steven M. DeFrank, to the Federal-State Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations (Separations Joint Board).

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote to Congressional leaders about a more than $3 billion funding shortfall in the FCC's “rip and replace” program. The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act requires the removal, replacement, and disposal of communications equipment and services produced or provided by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation, and established the FCC’s reimbursement program which has only been appropriated $1.9 billion toward the approximately $4.98 billion in reimbursable costs.

The US Congress faces an imminent decision about the future of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and the connectivity it delivers to 23 million households.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel made a final plea to Congress, asking for money to continue a broadband-affordability program that gave out its last round of $30 discounts to people with low incomes in April. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has lowered monthly Internet bills for people who qualify for benefits, but Congress allowed funding to run out. People may receive up to $14 in May if their ISP opted into offering a partial discount during the program's final month.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) unveiled the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, which contains more than 100 bipartisan bills and puts the 2024 Farm Bill back on track to being signed into law by the end of 2024. The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act reflects more than two years of bipartisan work on the Senate Agriculture Committee and incorporates more than 100 bipartisan bills and the work of Senators on and off the Committee.

Congress included the ACCESS BROADBAND Act in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and established the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG) within the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). On April 30, OICG released its annual report detailing the office's work for 2023. OICG administers broadband programs created by both the Consolidated Appropriations Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Four interconnected core pillars drive OICG’s initiatives, strategy, and key accomplishments:

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Brendan Carr today announced a proposal to ensure that wireless equipment authorizations are not compromised by entities that have been found to pose national security concerns. If adopted by a vote of the full Commission at its next Open Meeting, this bipartisan proposal would ensure that telecommunications certification bodies and test labs that certify wireless devices for the U.S.

Figuring out what you’ll actually pay for your home internet service each month has often been like trying to follow a recipe with an incomplete list of ingredients. There’s the advertised price, but what will you pay after the promotional period ends? What about the cost for the modem you have to rent?

When the internet was new, people talked a lot about long-haul networks in the United States. That’s because a lot of the early data centers were on the East and West coasts, and they needed to be connected. These days long-haul networks are largely overshadowed by last mile builds. There’s a lot of existing long-haul and middle-mile fiber that can be patched together to create the desired routes for any business.