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  2. January 2022

January 2022

Sponsor 

Senate Judiciary Committee

Date 
Thu, 01/20/2022 - 09:00

The committee will consider two bills:

  1. S. 2992, American Innovation and Choice Online Act (Klobuchar, Grassley, Durbin, Graham, Blumenthal, Kennedy, Booker, Hirono, Hawley)
  2. S. 2710, Open App Markets Act (Blumenthal, Blackburn, Klobuchar, Booker, Graham, Kennedy, Hirono, Hawley, Durbin)

Incumbent Internet Service Provider Challenges Hinder Broadband Grants

One of the most annoying aspects of the current federal broadband grants is the ability of incumbent internet service providers (ISPs) to challenge the validity of grant requests. In the typical challenge, the incumbents claim that they are offering fast broadband and that an applicant should not be able to overbuild them. The challenges put a burden on anybody filing for a grant since they must somehow prove that incumbent broadband speeds are slower than 25/3 Mbps.

The Keys To Unlocking Universal Broadband Are in the Hands of Our Communities

For so many people living in rural or low-income city neighborhoods, access to high-speed fiber-fed broadband would be a game-changer. Jobs are going remote, school is taught at a distance, and broadband is opening the door to telemedicine, reducing the need for trips to the doctor, but many people across the country still have no access to these options.

Indio, California, Starts the Process of Building Its Own Broadband Network

The city of Indio (CA) is planning to build its own fiber-based broadband network. In late October of 2021, the city launched its Fiber Master Plan project, with a goal of ascertaining whether the quality of life and real-world functionality of residents and businesses would be improved if the city could help provide them with high-quality, affordable and consistent broadband access. Kevin Snyder, Indio’s director of community development, is awaiting the results of a survey of Indio’s residents and businesses. “I would say that there are probably two major objectives,” Snyder said.

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