January 2022

FCC Proposes Updates to Standards Used in Equipment Authorization

The rapid and widespread deployment of radiofrequency (RF) devices has enabled the communications sector to drive innovation, promote economic growth, and become integral to nearly all aspects of modern life. The Federal Communications Commission’s equipment authorization program is one of the principal ways the agency ensures that the communications equipment people rely on every day, such as their cellphones and Wi-Fi devices, operate effectively without causing harmful interference and otherwise comply with the Commission’s rules.

National Urban League Backs Gigi Sohn’s FCC Nomination

The head of the National Urban League is calling on the Senate Commerce Committee to favorably report Democrat Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society]'s Federal Communications Commission nomination to the full Senate and to work actively for a vote in that body.

FCC Commits Another $240 Million in Emergency Connectivity Funding

The Federal Communications Commission announced that it is committing $240,888,016 in its eighth wave of Emergency Connectivity Fund program support. The funding commitments will support over 600,000 students and provide funding for 693 schools, 55 libraries and 8 consortia in 49 states, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the District of Columbia. The institutions are approved to receive nearly 683,000 connected devices and 182,000 broadband connections. Since its June 2021 launch, the program has committed over $4.4 billion in support.