Universal Service Fund

FCC Provides Guidance for RDOF and CAF Phase II Support Recipients on Procedures for Provider Defaults to Ensure That Broadband Networks Are Deployed to All Consumers

The Federal Communications Commission's  Wireline Competition Bureau provided guidance to Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II support recipients and other stakeholders regarding the processes for provider defaults. Support recipients are showing significant progress in meeting their deployment milestones and there is no demonstrated need for widespread relief from the RDOF and CAF Phase II default penalties.

AT&T CEO Underlines the Need for an Effective Implementation of BEAD

AT&T CEO John Stankey said the most critical issue facing the telecommunications industry is the effective implementation of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. To close the digital divide, Stankey said, additional policies should be created to ensure that all BEAD Program funds (“every dollar of taxpayer money”) are used to expand access to broadband as quickly as possible.

The Divide: Gigi Sohn on how the FCC could (still) save the ACP

In this episode of The Divide, broadband advocate Gigi Sohn returns to the podcast, on behalf of the Affordable Broadband Campaign (ABC), to discuss the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and how to get a version of the ACP back through Universal Service Fund (USF) reform.

We Got Millions of Low-Income Students and Families Online Before Funding Expired. Restoring It Is Essential.

It’s a familiar scene in communities across the nation: teenagers lingering outside fast-food restaurants and inside malls with laptops on their knees, surfing for free public Wi-Fi to be able to do their homework. Some 17 million students across the nation don’t have internet service at home, hampering their ability to study and complete assignments and prepare themselves for college and the workforce.

Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on New Administration Actions to Increase Access to Affordable, High-Speed Internet

Every person in America should be able to access affordable, high-speed internet no matter where they live or how much they earn. I am proud to highlight that we are finalizing a rule to allow schools and libraries—primarily in low-income and rural areas—to use funding from the Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate program for Wi-Fi hotspots that will increase access to remote learning and virtual library services. Additionally, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will award over $9 million to the state of Nevada to implement their Digital Equity Plan.

FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel Proposes Final Rules to Support Wi-Fi Hotspots Through E-Rate Program

Millions of students, school staff, and library patrons around the country are on the wrong side of the digital and educational divide and, as a result, lack the same access to educational resources as their peers.

The Future of Affordable Broadband: Life after the Affordable Connectivity Program

What can be done for the 23 million households that relied on the Affordable Connectivity Program? The Federal Communications Commission could start a proceeding to increase the amount of money in the USF so that it can fund an ACP-like subsidy. It has the power under the Communications Act, it has a consistent funding source, and it has a reason with the ACP’s expiration—an event former FCC Chief of Staff Blair Levin describes as the “biggest step any country has ever taken to widen, rather than close, its digital divide.” Given all this, why doesn’t the FCC act?

Promoting Digital Equity by Automating Enrollment in Consumer Support Programs

Lifeline and the now defunct Affordable Connectivity Program have helped millions of families afford Internet services that support online learning, remote work, and access to telehealth, among many other uses linked to social and economic wellbeing. However, individuals and families entitled to receive these benefits often have to navigate a complex web of procedures to demonstrate eligibility, enroll in the program and receive services.

Industry Presses the FCC to Keep Funding Broadband Growth

Despite problems with the wider U.S. economy, demand for broadband and consumer take rates for increasing speeds has not slowed.

Where the Puck is Going: The Close of the ACP and Coming USF Reform

I recently testified at a Senate Communications Subcommittee Hearing in support of legislation to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).