Upcoming policy issue

With the future of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) looking grimmer every day, wireless operators and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are preparing for its demise and weighing their alternatives. The ACP is expected to run out of money by mid-May, leaving millions of Americans without discounted internet services.

In August 2020, during the heart of the covid-19 pandemic when many schools were closed, social media and news outlets were awash with a picture of two grade school students sitting outside of a Taco Bell, attempting to do their schoolwork.

California can keep enforcing its state net neutrality law after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) implements its own rules.

What would Jesus do about extending the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)? That may be the most important telecommunications policy question answered in 2024.

Ahead of the confirmation from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that the agency plans to vote to restore network neutrality on April 25, a top policy analyst weighed in to say that he doesn't expect a return of the rules to alter the way that broadband service providers operate. Like its 2015 predecessor, this version of the rules will again attempt to reclassify broadband as a more heavily-regulated "Title II" commu

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the April Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 25, 2024:

As policymakers in the nation’s states and territories explore how best to spend billions of dollars in federal infrastructure money intended to expand access to broadband, a key focus has been on how to avoid a host of potential obstacles that can impede or thwart their progress. Critically, stakeholders in a majority of states repeatedly raised the same key issues.

The Federal Communications Commission will vote on April 25 to further expand the government’s power over the Internet. It will do so by implementing President Biden’s call for the FCC to impose utility-style “net neutrality” regulations on the Internet through Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. This decision follows the five-member FCC’s partisan, 3-2 vote last October to seek public comment on this action.

When it comes to tech companies, lawmakers often seem to be talking about different things at once. Sometimes lawmakers are angry that tech companies don’t take enough action to protect their users, saying companies need to be held liable for harms, particularly harms to children.

I’ve heard rumors for years that the policymakers in DC never expected the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) to be permanent. The expectation of the original architects of the plan was that ISPs would bow to public pressure to fill the void when ACP ran dry. However, the giant ISPs are not likely to self-fund the discounts and smaller ISPs can’t afford to do so. I’ve seen some recent articles that argue that the Federal Communications Commission could employ the Universal Service Fund.