1. Monthly archive
  2. February 2021

February 2021

FCC Seeks Outreach Partners for Emergency Broadband Benefit

Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the FCC is seeking outreach partners to help share important consumer information about the Emergency Broadband Benefit – an FCC program being developed to provide relief to households that are struggling to pay for internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the effort to inform consumers about the upcoming Emergency Broadband Benefit, the FCC has established a new website where stakeholders can sign up to help promote this new program. The website can be found at fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit.

Lumen execs: Fiber builds a bigger bang for the buck than RDOF

While Lumen, CenturyLink's enterprise business, reaped the financial rewards from the Federal Communications Commission's Connect America Fund (CAF) II, the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) is taking a back seat to Lumen's fiber builds. Lumen CEO Jeff Storey and CFO Neel Dev said they see better returns from its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) investments than in the FCC's RDOF project for rural broadband. In the RDOF reverse auction results that were announced in December, Lumen was awarded just over $262 million to deploy broadband in 77,257 locations across 20 states.

Rep. James Clyburn Signals Return of $100 Billion Broadband Bill

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) said that he plans to reintroduce the Internet Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act. The bill would invest $100 billion to close the digital divide. Rep. Clyburn, who created the Rural Broadband Task Force, said he had lined up support in the House and Senate for his bill, which would be re-introduced in the House in the next couple of weeks.

Sponsor 

Federal Communications Commission

Date 
Thu, 02/18/2021 - 14:00

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will virtually host his second HBCU Presidents’ Roundtable to discuss what solutions need to be implemented to ensure students, faculty, staff, and surrounding communities of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) get connected to affordable, reliable broadband during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The policies necessary to bridge the digital divide must center the most marginalized, including Black communities who have been disproportionately impacted by the health crisis.


Sponsor 

BroadbandUSA

Data as the Foundation for Broadband Planning

Department of Commerce

Date 
Wed, 02/17/2021 - 14:00

The federal government compiles huge broadband datasets cataloguing broadband availability and subscriptions through the US Census Bureau and Federal Communications Commission, among others. These can be augmented with commercially available speed test data to provide a better insight into broadband access and availability. Gain a fuller understanding of these datasets and how to use data to strengthen your broadband planning efforts.

Speakers:


Sponsor 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Department of Commerce

Date 
Wed, 03/17/2021 - 14:00 to 15:00

Congress passed the year-end omnibus legislation that included several broadband and connectivity expansion bills. Join NTIA staff for an overview of the new NTIA grant programs, including the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grants, Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Grants and the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program.


Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion Award | Last Day to Nominate!

February 12 is the last day for you to nominate digital equity leaders for the Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion awards! 

ITIF’s Analysis of Broadband and Affordability Misses the Mark

The COVID-19 pandemic has put the digital divide on policymakers’ agenda like never before. It is challenging them to find solutions that meet the urgency of the crisis while building a foundation for sustainable progress over time. This means that policymakers will want to build on lessons learned and explore new approaches. In contemplating these and other ideas, policymakers may want to look at analysis of broadband adoption barriers – the more reliable the better.

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