Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Headlines Daily Digest
Don't Miss:
Federal Broadband Funding Report: These Agencies Are Funding Internet for All (Part II)
American Customer Satisfaction Index Telecommunications Study 2022-2023
Broadband Funding
Broadband Service
Wireless
Local Initiatives
Platforms/Social Media/AI
Stories From Abroad
Broadband Funding
On May 8, 2023, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth released its second annual report on federal broadband funding. The report summarizes and analyzes fiscal year 2021 (FY21— October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021) data collected from across the federal government, including the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund (USF) programs. Over a dozen agencies provided data to NTIA for the report. Last week we examined the programs at the FCC and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Treasury. Here we look at smaller federal programs that can impact universal broadband.
Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s Response to Senators Cruz and Thune Regarding the Distribution of Funds in Various Programs
Thank you for your letter sent on March 16, 2023, asking for specific information regarding the Federal Communications Commission’s distribution of funds in the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB), Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), COVID-19 Telehealth program and the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF).
- For EBB in 2021: 2,039,585 participants were qualified via an existing low-income program; 31,347 were qualified via federal Pell grant; 20,075 were qualified via federal public housing assistance; 112,347 were qualified via income; 5,060,168 were qualified via Lifeline; 1,609,371 were qualified via Medicaid; 314,292 were qualified via Medicaid or SNAP; 36,738 were qualified via Medicaid, SNAP, or SSI; 17,723 were qualified via Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or income; 213,713 were qualified via school lunch/breakfast; 245,554 were qualified via SNAP; 24,056 were qualified via SSI; 27,282 were qualified via substantial loss of income
- For ACP in 2022: 3,036,946 were qualified via an existing low-income program; 30,494 were qualified via federal Pell grant; 69,061 were qualified via federal public housing assistance; 451,677 were qualified via income; 3,698,407 were qualified via Lifeline; 3,437,702 were qualified via Medicaid; 409,287 were qualified via Medicaid or SNAP; 59,763 were qualified via Medicaid, SNAP, or SSI; 20,796 were qualified via Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or income; 38,102 were qualified via school lunch/breakfast; 394,760 were qualified via SNAP; 51,312 were qualified via SSI; 1,075 were qualified via Tribal food distribution; 362 were qualified via Tribal general assistance; 427 were qualified via Tribal Head Start; 131 were qualified via Tribal TANF; 22,062 were qualified via veterans pension; 10,581 were qualified via WIC.
- For ACP in 2023: 485,631 were qualified via an existing low-income program; 5,255 were qualified via federal Pell grant; 10,834 were qualified via federal public housing assistance; 91,837 were qualified via income; 432,445 were qualified via Lifeline; 578,009 were qualified via Medicaid; 56,848 were qualified via Medicaid or SNAP; 8,382 were qualified via Medicaid, SNAP, or SSI; 3,008 were qualified via Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or income; 8,317 were qualified via school lunch/breakfast; 64,988 were qualified via SNAP; 1,822 were qualified via SNAP or Tribal TANF; 5,815 were qualified via SSI; 174 were qualified via Tribal food distribution; 50 were qualified via Tribal general assistance; 90 were qualified via Tribal Head Start; 22 were qualified via Tribal TANF; 10,245 were qualified via veterans pension; 2,187 were qualified via WIC.
Customer satisfaction is a driving force that impacts the financial outlook of individual firms and the health of the US economy at large. New results from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) include customer satisfaction benchmarks for three telecommunications industries: subscription TV service, internet service providers (fiber and non-fiber), and video streaming service (streaming apps and live TV apps). American customer satisfaction with internet service providers rose by 6% from 2022 to 2023, from 64% to 68%. For fiber internet service providers, average customer satisfaction is at 75% in 2023.
Block Island, located just 12 miles south of mainland Rhode Island, has launched a municipal broadband network in partnership with Sertex Broadband Solutions. Dubbed BroadbandBI, the gigabit fiber network will power the town of New Shoreham, which has a population of roughly 1,000 people. New Shoreham initially struck a partnership with Sertex in 2017 to build a municipal broadband network serving community anchor institutions, such as schools, libraries, and hospitals. That network was completed in 2019. The BroadbandBI project kicked off in July 2020, when New Shoreham residents voted to authorize $8 million in tax-supported bonds to finance a network expansion. Construction was completed in February 2023. To make up for the network’s cost, New Shoreham plans to collect an annual tax from property owners beginning in 2025, as well as incorporate additional monthly fees into broadband subscriptions. Those fees would cover things like installation, equipment and maintenance costs.
Telecommunications ministers from at least 18 European Union countries have rejected a proposal by network operators to have major technology companies fund the rollout of 5G and broadband. The proposal, put forward by lobbying groups GSMA and ETNO (which represent 160 operators across Europe), says that big tech companies that account for more than 5% of a provider’s peak average internet traffic should help foot the bill for rolling out the services across Europe. The EU launched a consultation on the issue in February 2022. Telecommunications ministers met with EU Commissioner Thierry Breton to raise their objections, with those who are against the proposal saying there is a lack of analysis to prove the measure would actually work and some citing concerns that tech companies would end up passing these costs onto consumers. The report also said that some ministers are worried the proposal could potentially violate the EU’s net neutrality rules, which require all internet traffic to be treated without discrimination, blocking, throttling, or prioritization. Google, Apple, Meta, Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft — all of which would most likely be the target of any network fee levy — have rejected the idea, arguing that they already invest heavily in the region’s digital ecosystem.
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and David L. Clay II (dclay AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
© Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 2023. Redistribution of this email publication — both internally and externally — is encouraged if it includes this message. For subscribe/unsubscribe info email: headlines AT benton DOT org
Kevin Taglang
Executive Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Institute
for Broadband & Society
1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-328-3040
headlines AT benton DOT org
Share this edition:
The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society All Rights Reserved © 2023