Analysis

This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced the latest window to receive applications for Rural eConnectivity (ReConnect) Program support to extend broadband networks in rural areas.

February 8 marked the Affordable Connectivity Program’s enrollment freeze as the Federal Communications Commission prepares for it to run out of money in April. This is happening as ACP hit a major milestone—connecting 23 million households to get affordable, reliable access to America’s Excellent Internet. New stats from the White House show the true scope of the ACP’s impact:

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.

A group of lawmakers is making a major push to extend a key internet subsidy program in their upcoming government spending talks, part of a last-ditch effort to head off a lapse in funding. In recent days, top Democratic lawmakers and officials at the Federal Communications Commission have held numerous rallies calling for the $14 billion Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, to receive a new round of appropriations from Congress. The ACP “allowed some 23 million low-income households to receive discounts on their internet bills of up to $30 a month,” or higher for tribal lands.

Cities have been petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to ask it to revisit the issue of the ‘mixed-use’ rule that blocks municipalities from assessing franchise fees on broadband revenues. Cities argue that franchise fees are not taxes, and instead are fees that help cities to manage their rights-of-way. The municipal (or state) franchise fee is capped at 5% of retail cable TV revenue, and cable companies typically tack this fee onto every cable bill. The biggest complaint from cities involves what they call cable company arbitrage.

If you follow broadband news, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’re about to end the digital divide. That sentiment has dominated recent conversations we’ve had with foundation leaders who, having initially joined the chorus of voices calling for digital equity at the height of Covid-19, are now drifting to the sidelines, under the impression that the government’s broadband spending push will solve the problem. It won’t. Despite its ambition, the latest round of public investment will not reach all 42 million Americans still living without internet access.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration made a monstrous mess of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program maps when they decided to allow licensed fixed wireless to be counted as reliable broadband. This has a huge ramification for the BEAD grants. It has made maps into hodgepodges of served and unserved homes.

During the Covid pandemic, there was concern that some households would lose internet access. In the end-of-the-year omnibus spending bill in 2020, Congress created the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBBP). The EBBP was temporary at first, but of course, government programs don’t stay temporary. It was made into a non-emergency program in the bipartisan infrastructure law in the summer of 2021.

Through the implementation of two Executive Orders on equity and President Joe Biden's Investing in America Agenda, the Biden-Harris Administration is working to advance opportunity and make real the promise of America for everyone.  In the rural South and dense 

Over 1300 energized and engaged practitioners, policy makers, academics and activists came together at the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)’s annual Net Inclusion Conference in Philadelphia, PA. The conference brings together experts from the broadband and technology industry, along with national, state, and local digital equity leaders to share ideas, best practices and to champion the fight for digital inclusion.