Universal Service Fund

The late Congressman John Lewis once prophetically noted that “access to the Internet is the civil rights issue of the 21st century.” In the long struggle to recognize Lewis’ vision and close America’s digital divide, civil rights advocates have repeatedly reminded policymakers of one central truth: progress is measured by results, not good intentions. In 2015, for example, the Federal Communications Commission modernized Lifeline—a decades-old program that had long helped low-income households obtain phone service—to apply to internet service as well. But restrictions blocked customers of

For decades we have known that for many underprivileged students, leaving the school grounds contributes to a homework gap because they cannot do much schoolwork without a robust internet connection. Bus Wi-Fi could fill a need for the millions of students who have a school-issued laptop but no reliable internet at home.

In light of changes in the way we all connect, it is time for an E-Rate program that supports the educational needs of students and library patrons and permits them to learn without limits.  In other words, under existing law, this program is set for an update that helps ensure those who count on school and library connections can use them no matter who they are, or where they go. We now seek to build on those lessons from the pandemic and modernize the E-Rate program.

Spectrum announced the launch of Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 530 homes and small businesses in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. Spectrum’s newly constructed fiber-optic network buildout in Orangeburg County is part of the company’s approximately $5 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund-related investment in unserved rural communities, partly offset by $1.2 billion in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) RDOF auction.

Rep Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced the Clarifying E-Rate Act of 2024, which would expand Wi-Fi access to school buses by making them permanently eligible for E-Rate funding, a program that provides discounts to schools and libraries for affordable telecommunications and internet access.

I have been asked my opinion several times about Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) amnesty—letting RDOF winners walk away from their obligations without big penalties. There is no easy answer to the question. It’s certainly a timely topic, since we are seeing internet service providers (ISPs) walk away from RDOF. There are several good arguments to be made that favor some kind of amnesty.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the June Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 6, 2024: 

Sen Ted Cruz (R-TC) will propose plans May 16 to maintain the Affordable Connectivity Program in a slimmed-down new form.

On May 16, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission approved a transfer of a domestic section 214 authorization from Echo Wireless Broadband to Resound Networks. As a result of this approval, the Parties have received FCC consent to transfer certain assets of Echo—including Echo’s Connect America Fund Phase II auction (CAF Phase II) support and associated obligations to serve eligible areas in Texas and New Mexico—to Resound. As a condition of this authorization, Resound assumes sole responsibility for complying with universal service fund requirements and FCC rules, regardless of any pr

As part of its ongoing network expansion, Great Plains Communications (GPC) announced network expansion to an additional 5,000+ homes and businesses in urban and rural Nebraska communities in 2024. The company recently completed projects and turned up fiber services including symmetrical Internet speeds up to 2 Gigabits per second to over 3,900 homes and businesses in Gretna, Papillion, Ralston and additional areas of their existing Kearney, Nebraska footprint. Additional urban Nebraska projects in progress include over 1,000 passings in LaVista, projected to be complete in Q3, 2024.