The digital inclusion program manager of a program to get people online warned during a press conference that if the Affordable Connectivity Program ends and later resumes, tens of millions of  beneficiaries may have to manually re-enroll. Leslie Scott, digital inclusion program manager of KC Digital Drive, raised the concerns in a press conference hosted by advocates of renewing the ACP. Scott said that, during a Federal Communications Commission listening session, she and other observers were informed that if the ACP restarts after shutting down, 23 million program participants might have to sign up again. She lamented that this could cause a significant dropoff in broadband enrollment and slow down existing progress. Scott suggested that more financial help and staffing be provided to community-based programs and organizations so they can assist in the re-enrollment process. Recovering the entirety of the 23 million ACP enrollees will be, “very, very difficult,” Scott said. 

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) well is about to run dry, but some analysts remain hopeful that the program may be able to secure additional funding. As the saying goes: it ain't over till it's over. To be sure, the odds are still favoring ACP funds running out, New Street Research’s Blair Levin said. However, he said chances are “creeping up,” with signs that support for a funding extension is growing. Following months of pleas from the Federal Communications Commission, internet service providers and those receiving ACP subsidies, Congress proposed a $7 billion bill—the ACP Extension Act—to keep the program funded at least through the end of 2024, but it appears to be a slow slog when it comes to actually passing. Former FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly warned that legislating on independent vehicles like the ACP Extension Act can be difficult. The more likely path forward for the program might be packaging it with other, bigger bills. In one such effort, the Biden Administration asked Congress for an additional $6 billion to the ACP through December 2024, as part of a $56 billion budget request for "critical domestic priorities," including childcare, disaster relief and energy independence. That package, proposed in October, has also reached a bipartisan impasse.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) exists to help Americans of all stripes get and stay connected to America’s Excellent Internet. But for millions around the country, Internet access and a device alone aren’t enough to close the digital divide. Digital skills and tech support services offered through a trusted community organization is critical to solving this puzzle—just ask  US Army veteran Bobby Jenks. After leaving the service as a decorated peacetime soldier, Bobby worked as a truck driver for 20 years until an accident left him unable to continue his trucking career. This major life shift might have rattled some people, but not Bobby. He chose to return to school, pursuing an online degree in criminal justice and human services from Colorado Technical University. Just one problem: Bobby didn’t have home broadband and attempted to start his academic journey on his cell phone. But soon a digital navigator help Bobby get connected to the internet through ACP, but they equipped him with the tools to truly take advantage of home broadband. They set up his home Wi-Fi and showed him how to use his computer and take advantage of online tools including accessing his school’s website. The great thing about Bobby’s story is that it’s not unique! Computer Reach’s community-based digital navigator and inclusion programs have helped many other Pennsylvanians get and stay online, enabling them to work, study, and LIVE in the 21st century. Success stories like these are why we must continue supporting digital navigators and critical programs like ACP.

LTD Broadband has filed a petition for review of the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to deny it funding as part of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. LTD, which largely offers fixed wireless broadband, filed a request for judicial review with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on February 2, contesting the agency decision on December 4, 2023. The action follows a series of events stemming from the FCC's proposal for a $21.7-million fine against LTD for defaulting on its bids in the RDOF broadband subsidy program. Under the RDOF program, broadband providers competed with bids to serve unconnected areas using the least amount of government money. LTD was initially the largest winner in the FCC’s 2020 RDOF auction, securing over $1.3 billion in planned support over a decade from the $9.2-billion program. However, in August 2022, the FCC rescinded LTD's award, citing failure to meet eligibility requirements in several states and doubts about the company's ability to deliver high-speed internet to the designated areas.

Once Democrats finally secured a 3-2 majority in the Federal Communications Commission, the agency lost no time in approving a long-anticipated proposal to reintroduce net neutrality by reclassifying broadband providers as common carriers. While its commitment to reclassification seems unwavering, the agency has equivocated about the preemptive effect of agency action. This nuanced shift raises important questions about what role, if any, state authorities will play in future Internet governance. In the 1990s and 2000s, state public utility commissions largely exited the telecommunications world, leaving policymaking to occur mostly at the federal level. But there has been a rejuvenation in state broadband regulation since 2016, not because of a belief that states have a unique role to play, but as a vector for opposition to the Trump administration. In the FCC's current proposal on net neutrality, the agency asks for comment about “how best to exercise our preemption authority to ensure that [broadband] is governed by a national, uniform framework.”

[Daniel Lyons is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on telecommunications and internet regulation. He is also the associate dean of academic affairs and a professor of law at Boston College Law School, where he teaches telecommunications, administrative, and cyber law.]

The township of Edison (NJ) has received a $2 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to expand municipal broadband services. The Township Council passed a resolution accepting the grant, and Edison now has a 24-month period to build a portion of the infrastructure, part of which is a server, as well as a business plan which is expected to be completed soon, officials said. Previously officials have said the business plan would look at the strengths and weaknesses of municipal broadband and determine market competition. A consultant would then analyze the best approach for Edison. The total cost for the broadband structure has not been disclosed. The $2 million is considered a start, according to Business Administrator Sonia Alves-Viveiros. The idea of high-speed municipal broadband in Edison has grown from the quest for faster, more reliable and more affordable internet service in town, where Optimum has been the major provider and residents with old lines have complained of service interruptions and other problems. Residents and officials have cited a need for more competition.

Charter Communications has agreed to modify disclosures in its ad campaign after once again receiving a warning from the National Advertising Division (NAD). This time, it’s regarding Charter’s recent commercial claim that Verizon customers "will save over $1,500 in their first year if they switch to Spectrum Mobile." The commercial features two couples, "George and Heidi" with Verizon, and "Dan and Tina" with Spectrum, both stated to have two lines, unlimited data and nationwide 5G. George and Tina are told they pay "way too much" and decide to switch to Spectrum. On February 21, the NAD, the self-regulatory program run by nonprofit advocacy group BBB National Programs, "concluded that while Charter may compare the pricing of two plans at different “tiers” within the carriers’ offerings, in this context, it must be clear that the lowest tier Spectrum Mobile plan is being compared with a plan that is not Verizon’s lowest tier plan." In its advertiser statement, Charter said that "while it 'disagrees that its existing disclosures were insufficient' it 'will comply with NAD’s recommendations to improve the disclosures it includes with its savings claim for Spectrum Mobile.'"