Public Notice

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau—in conjunction with the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force and the Office of Economics and Analytics—authorize Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (Auction 904) support. For these winning bids, the FCC has reviewed the long-form application information, including the letter(s) of credit and Bankruptcy Code opinion letter(s) from the long-form applicant’s legal counsel.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau announces the E-Rate and Rural Health Care (RHC) programs’ funding caps for funding year 2022. The new caps represent a 4.2% inflation-adjusted increase in each program cap from funding year 2021. The E-Rate program funding cap for funding year 2022 is $4,456,460,992. The new cap represents a 4.2% inflation-adjusted increase in the $4,276,833,965 cap from funding year 2021.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau announced that it is implementing additional measures to strengthen program integrity surrounding the enrollment of households in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) who also qualify for the Lifeline benefit. Consumer choice and consent are fundamental principles for both the Affordable Connectivity Program and the Lifeline program. No provider should undermine those principles or take advantage of consumers.

The Federal Communications Commission's Office of Inspector General alerted Lifeline, Emergency Broadband Benefit, and Affordable Connectivity Program consumers and providers to improper and abusive enrollment practices that are part of some providers’ online enrollment processes. These providers impermissibly coerce and deceive applicants for Lifeline service into enrolling in unwanted EBB/ACP service or into transferring their EBB/ACP service away from their preferred provider, contrary to the FCC Enforcement Bureau’s earlier Enforcement Advisory and FCC rules.

On February 22, 2022, the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Data Task Force and Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) announced the filing dates for the initial Broadband Data Collection (BDC) availability data collection. On March 9, the Task Force, OEA, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and the Office of Engineering and Technology released the BDC Mobile Technical Requirements Order, which adopts technical requirements to implement the BDC mobile challenge, verification, and crowdsourcing processes.

On February, 28, 2022, the Department of Treasury released the updated Compliance and Reporting Guidance for the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program.

The Federal Communications Commission released a Notice of Inquiry seeking comment on steps that the FCC should take to protect the nation's communications network from vulnerabilities posed by the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). The Department of Homeland Security warned US organizations at all levels that they could face cyber threats stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The proposal would begin an inquiry into the vulnerabilities of the Internet’s global routing system.

All facilities-based providers of fixed and mobile broadband Internet access service can begin to submit broadband availability data under the new rules and procedures for the Broadband Data Collection beginning on June 30, 2022. Filers must submit data depicting deployment as of June 30, 2022, and must submit the data by September 1, 2022. The Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Task Force and the Office of Economics and Analytics are providing this Public Notice more than six months in advance of the September 1, 2022 filing deadline.

The Federal Communications Commission granted, in part, a waiver requested by a group of Emergency Connectivity Fund Program stakeholders led by the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition extending the service delivery date to June 30, 2023 for all applicants who applied for Emergency Connectivity Fund support for equipment, other non-recurring services, and recurring services during the first and second application filing windows.

This Executive Order builds upon Executive Order B 2020 009 that directed the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) to oversee and coordinate broadband activities for all Agencies and/or Departments. Through this Executive Order, I direct OIT, through the Colorado Broadband Office, to lead collaboration and coordination between all Agencies and/or Departments for all broadband deployment efforts in Colorado.