Marginalized Populations

The federal government has set aside $42 billion to connect last-mile communities and just under $1 billion for the middle mile networks that will provide the backbone to reach those unserved homes.

At what point is it too expensive to deploy fiber? That's a key question for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program participants looking to deploy alternative technologies in hard to reach areas of the country.

The Federal Communications Commission took action to assist those affected by Hurricane Milton and future hurricanes, typhoons, tropical storms, and tropical cyclones (together, “tropical weather systems”) by temporarily waiving certain Lifeline program eligibility rules to ensure that consumers receiving federal disaster assistance can easily apply for and enroll in the Lifeline program. Hurricane Milton caused significant power and infrastructure disruptions, in addition to property damage in homes, schools, libraries, businesses, and healthcare facilities in impacted areas.

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

• Alaska: Over $1 billion
• Ohio: Over $793 million

At the Connected Oklahoma – Rural Broadband Summit in Oklahoma City, I shared my thoughts on the future of the Universal Service Fund (USF) and Low Earth Orbit satellites. Here's the homework I asked the audience to do:

Public spaces across Pennsylvania are about to get an internet upgrade. The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) announced $45 million in funding for the Multi-Purpose Community Facilities Program, which provides money to community organizations and local governments to upgrade public facilities. The program will provide grants to 49 projects in 26 counties across the commonwealth. The grants will go toward building and improving public spaces such as schools, libraries, community centers and healthcare facilities for free, high-speed internet.

Nebraska is aiming to connect 99 percent of homes and businesses with reliable and affordable high-speed internet access by 2027. Based on June 2023 data, 12-15 percent of Nebraska’s locations are unserved or underserved, and approximately 105,000 households lack acceptable access to the internet. An unfavorable business case for investment, especially in rural areas, has resulted in limited access.

The growth in mobile data traffic makes our world better informed, more fulfilled, and of course, better connected. It means consumers are taking advantage of the powerful service our networks are delivering. But it also means those networks are being tested like never before. As we know, this network strain will only continue as IoT devices, intelligent infrastructure, and AI-enabled applications proliferate.

Let’s discuss the current Broadband Policy State of Play and how the election may affect it. There are four fundamental goals of broadband policy:

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's mission is to build a better-connected world. That work includes connecting everyone in America to reliable, affordable high-speed Internet service. The Internet for All initiative is historic. As such, we would be remiss if we failed to learn lessons from the recent history of other federal broadband programs. Top of mind are the failings of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, or RDOF.