Upcoming policy issue

As a new administration refashions the federal government in Washington, D.C., questions have arisen about the billions of dollars previously allocated to bringing speedy internet connections to every home and business in the U.S. Pennsylvania’s share of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration’s $42.35 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program is $1.16 billion.

This year’s policy platform highlights the various broadband issues that SHLB plans to prioritize in 2025. Within each topic, we look for opportunities to advocate for anchor institutions and their communities at the federal and state level. While we highlight many issues in this platform, these remain only guideposts to the policy work that we might accomplish throughout the year. SHLB always remains flexible in its efforts and stands ready to respond to the dynamic policy landscape.

Broadband access for all has long been a critical issue for The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund. With the launch of the Center for Civil Rights and Technology in September 2023, these legacy civil rights organizations renewed their commitment and dedication to closing the digital divide—the persistent gap between people who have access to digital technology and those who do not. The startling connections among demographics, regions, and lack of access to broadband highlight the critical need to close this gap.

According to Albert Einstein, insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Congress is taking this to a whole new level with its latest discussions about how to “fix” broadband internet deployment across the United States. The most vociferous criticisms of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program have centered on how long it has taken to deploy. On its face, that is a fair criticism. Contextualized, however, the criticism does not hold water. No one is asking why it took so long. The simple answer: Maps.

What’s the likelihood of the wireless industry getting a piece of the lower 3 GHz band, currently occupied by the Department of Defense (DoD)? The prospects look a lot better since President Donald Trump took residence at the White House, as well as Sen Ted Cruz seizing (R-TX) control as chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Wireless industry evangelists are downright giddy over the prospects of lower 3 GHz spectrum being made available for wireless operators.

The Senate Commerce Committee is back at work, considering key presidential nominations, and marking up legislation.

Federal workers are on edge after the Trump administration spent its first days dismantling long-held protections for career staffers. There’s another safeguard that government employees worry the Trump administration will kneecap before it even gets off the ground: protecting them from online harassment.

The Trump administration is spurring confusion as it seeks to implement a sweeping freeze of federal assistance, undermining laws Congress has enacted in recent years.

The American people elected Donald Trump to be President of the United States and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of every federal taxpayer dollar. In Fiscal Year 2024, of the nearly $10 trillion that the Federal Government spent, more than $3 trillion was Federal financial assistance, such as grants and loans. Career and political appointees in the Executive Branch have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities.

Six concrete actions that can be taken quickly to speed up connectivity to all in America:

1. Champion the Networks of the Future
2. Secure and Reform Universal Service
3. Put the Pedal to the Metal on Broadband Deployment
4. Review All Legacy Regulations with Fresh, Modern Eyes
5. Break the Federal Permitting Log Jam
6. Model Efficient, Effective Government on Cybersecurity