We write to express our strong opposition to a plan circulated by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to expand the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC or the Commission) E-Rate program. This plan would not only violate federal law but also duplicate programs across the federal government, directly contradicting FCC commissioners’ repeated commitments to streamlining federal broadband funding. Instead of expanding the FCC’s authority beyond current statutory and budgetary constraints, the FCC should address the E-Rate program’s existing problems and follow the law as written. Chairwoman Rosenworcel calls her plan “Learn without Limits,” but it really should be called “Spend without Limits.” We ask that you reject this unlawful plan to vastly expand the E-Rate program. Instead, the FCC should work with Congress, not ignore the text of section 254, to advance its policy goals. Thank you for your attention to this request, and we look forward to your response in writing by October 10, 2023.

Without reliable, affordable internet, rural communities have limited economic opportunities and lack access to education, healthcare, and many other services. Broadband expansion is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, said Adrianne Furniss, director of the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society. Federal money is vital for rural broadband because without the subsidy, there is little to no incentive for internet companies to lay fiber optic cables in rural areas. It would never be financially feasible for them to bring high-speed internet to some of these communities. But even once the infrastructure exists, not all rural residents will have access to the internet. “Everybody says the problem in rural areas is access and no infrastructure and the problem in urban areas is affordability,” said Furniss, “The answer is affordability is as much of a problem in rural areas as it is in urban areas. And in fact, people are paying more for worse service in rural areas.” The Benton Institute is helping communities create plans for broadband expansion, and part of that is finding alternative service providers that are able to provide competition for the larger players. “When Frontier is the only game in town, we look next door and see whether there’s a co-op provider that might edge out into your area.,” said Furniss. “One of the reasons I’m in love with electric co-ops and telephone co-ops is that they, the community owns the network,” said Furniss. “They don’t care if the return on investment takes 10-plus years. They’re ok with that. The big guys want their return in three years.”

Plans to spend Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program dollars to connect underserved populations could be impacted by state elections, according to broadband policy experts. Among the ten states that got the largest BEAD allocations, three (Missouri, North Carolina and Louisiana) will hold gubernatorial elections before the end of 2024. Executive Director of ConnectLA Veneeth Iyengar—Louisiana’s broadband program—plans to have as much BEAD work as possible done before the inauguration of a potential Republican Governor in January. Additionally, North Carolina plans to spend most of its $1.53 billion BEAD allocation in rural areas that tend to vote Republican, but New Street Research Analyst Blair Levin said that doesn’t necessarily mean a new Republican governor would stick to the current plan. He added that at this time “the odds slightly favor the Democrats” in the North Carolina governor’s race, Gov Roy Cooper (D-NC) is term-limited. Missouri, which is set to receive $1.73 billion in BEAD funding, is also holding a 2024 election to replace a term-limited governor, though incumbent Gov Mike Parsons (R-MO) is a Republican and pollsters are projecting that the state’s next governor will be as well.

Mayor Jim Strickland (D-Memphis) unveiled a program that could create affordable broadband internet access for thousands of Memphians currently living without it. The plan would partner the city with a private telecommunications company to install fiber optic cables to at least 6,000 properties—both residential and commercial. The applicant awarded the contract would have to meet a series of guidelines, and if the City of Memphis finds that the company is not in compliance with the requirements, it could remove the "Smart City Fiber Access System" designation—which allows that company to pay lower fees. Within two years, applicants given the Smart City Fiber Access System designation will have to have installed fiber optic cables to at least 20% of residences and businesses in the city and have installed cables to 10% of the low-income properties. By three years time, those numbers have to reach 40% and 30%, respectively. By the fourth year, 60% of properties and low-income residences must be installed. Ultimately, applicant companies will have to install at least 6,000 connection points throughout the city by the end of that four-year period. A political action committee registered in the Washington, D.C. area, named A Better Tomorrow for Tennessee, sent a series of texts to Memphians opposing Strickland's proposal before it was formally introduced. The texts called the broadband plan "costly" and "unneeded," saying the priority for the administration should be crime and jobs.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed new rules to allow very low-power devices to operate in the 6 gigahertz (GHz) band alongside other Wi-Fi-enabled devices. These rules, if adopted at the FCC's October Open Meeting, will spur an eco-system of cutting-edge applications, including augmented and virtual reality, that will help businesses, enhance learning opportunities, advance healthcare opportunities, and bring new entertainment experiences. The 6 GHz band is an important haven for next generation Wi-Fi operations. The proposal circulated to the FCC commissioners includes new rules, would take further comment, and issues a clarifying order. The rules, or Report and Order, would authorize very low-power (VLP) operations in the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII)-5 and U-NII-7 portions of the 6 GHz band totaling 850 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum. Operations at power levels up to -5 decibel-milliwatts(dBm)/MHz could occur anywhere, indoors or outdoors, without any need for a frequency coordination system.

Limited global research exists about girls’ and boys’ access to and use of mobile phones. For girls, access is much more diverse and colourful than simply whether they ‘have’ or ‘have not’ got a phone. Access is often transient, and diverse ownership, borrowership and sharing practices are flourishing. Boys are 1.5 times more likely to own a phone and 1.8 times more likely to own a smartphone. They're also more likely to use phones in more diverse and internet-enabled ways than girls. Girls are going to great lengths to gain access. They are active agents in achieving their own access, and in some cases have ‘secret phones’.