Level of Government

The Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) awarded two grants totaling $9,600,633 to connect 15,561 homes and businesses across Waldo and Lincoln Counties to expand access to the internet. The grants were made through MCA’s Partnerships for Enabling Middle Mile (PEMM) Program which addresses large-scale, regional broadband needs by leveraging middle-mile infrastructure. These two grants demonstrate 12 collective years of concerted community-driven broadband planning, regional collaboration, and highlight the value of public-private, regional-scale partnerships.

On August 7, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released the third funding report showing fiscal year (FY) 2022 data reported by 13 agencies across 70 programs making investments in broadband.

Since Congress established the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, the media, government officials, and the public want to know how much funding will be available, which technologies will be deployed, and how the program will be administered. Often lost in the shuffle, however, are important steps Congress took to address long-standing challenges to equitable broadband access to ensure that funds received by state broadband offices are used to advance the BEAD program’s goals.

The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity announced the notice of funding availability and guidance for the Stop-Gap Solutions program, which will provide $86 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to facilitate additional high-speed internet infrastructure deployments across North Carolina. The Stop-Gap Solutions program funds are available for the following two uses: 

As part of his commitment to connect every home and business in Kentucky to high-speed internet, Gov. Andy Beshear announced today that the state has opened the Broadband Grants Management Portal for user registration. Registering is the first step in applying for funds from Kentucky’s $1.1 billion allocation from the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Internet service providers, local governments and nonprofits are all eligible.

In a recent panel, Gary Bolton, CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), spoke candidly about the idea of SpaceX getting Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds. Bolton said he thought using federal funding for low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite broadband coverage was “absurd.” He said SpaceX’s top boss Elon Musk already has his roadmap set for deploying Starlink satellites. He added that it would be a big “cop out” if the BEAD program left the most difficult-to-reach locations to satellite broadband. The U.S.

On August 12, Rep Jerry Nadler (D-NY) wrote to Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH) to request that the House Judiciary Committee investigate political censorship on X. Five secretaries of state recently sounded the alarm that Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot on X, has been sharing inaccurate information about the 2024 election. Rep Nadler wrote "I am concerned that X will not take this matter seriously absent this Committee’s attention. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon described X’s response as 'the equivalent of a shoulder shrug.

Nokia says that it will self-certify a number of products as being manufactured in the United States and okay to use in the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The self-certifications are mandated by the requirements of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act. Nokia says it is the first vendor to have completed self-certification. The Nokia press release links to a webpage that lists 21 products that it has certified.

After weeks of negotiations, Brightspeed of Southern Alabama and the City of Foley (AL) have agreed to a settlement in a federal lawsuit filed by the high-speed broadband company. Brightspeed claimed the City and its Utilities Board have created barriers that violated state and federal law.

The Federal Communications Commission voted to boost efforts by schools and libraries to loan out portable Wi-Fi hotspots, programs that mostly began before the COVID-19 pandemic but accelerated at its height. By a 3-2 vote, commissioners OK’d the use of E-Rate funds to support the initiatives.