December 2023

FCC Extends Deadline to Submit Nominations and Recommitment Letters for Membership on the Native Nations Communications Task For (Federal Communications Commission)

Submitted by zwalker@benton.org on Fri, 12/01/2023 - 13:07

Viasat’s Broadband Arctic Extension Closer as Spacecraft Complete Key Tests

Viasat, Inc. announced the second satellite in the upcoming Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission has completed thermal vacuum testing at Northrop Grumman’s Dulles, VA, site: a significant milestone as the project looks to connect the Arctic region with high speed broadband in the second half of 2024. The mission, led by the Space Norway subsidiary Heosat, will see two satellites deployed in a highly elliptical orbit (HEO) in the world’s first HEO mission carrying a broadband commercial service payload.

Weekly Digest

Equity for the Digital Age: Maryland's Plan

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Friday, December 1, 2023

2023 Report on School Connectivity

The past decade has been marked by unprecendented challenges and opportunites for digital transformation in K-12 education. Today, the broadband landscape continues to thrive for education and the impact is inspiring. 74 percent of all districts are now meeting or exceeding the Federal Communications Commission’s recommended bandwidth goal of 1 Megabit per second per student, an increase of 57.4 percent since 2020. Prices continue to decrease, making upgrades more affordable.

Limited Waiver of Engineering Certification for Broadband Data Collection Extended with Conditions

The Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Task Force, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, the Wireline Competition Bureau, and the Office of Economics and Analytics responded to a Petition for Extension of Waiver filed by the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) and USTelecom – The Broadband Association (USTelecom).

Illinois courts help secure Foundation for Rural Services-Community Service Grants

The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) announced that two Illinois Probation Departments/County Court Services Departments were each awarded a $5,000 grant from the Foundation for Rural Services-Community Service Grants Program. The Foundation for Rural Services (FRS) is a nonprofit organization that works with the National Telephone Cooperative Association (NTCA) Rural Broadband Association to sustain and enhance the quality of life in rural America. Effingham County Probation Department’s ‘Discovery to Recovery Outpatient Substance Abuse Program’ will “provide new equipme

Spending on infrastructure has fallen in real terms in America

Bringing broadband to under-served parts of rural America is one element of a giant infrastructure program that began in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed it into law. It was hailed as a historic opportunity to repair America’s bridges, rebuild its roads for electric vehicles and update its power grid and communications technology. However, instead of the anticipated surge, total infrastructure spending has fallen by more than 10% in real terms since the passage of the law. The most charitable explanation is that it takes time for big projects to get going.

Copyright law will shape how we use generative AI

In the year since the release of ChatGPT, generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been moving fast and breaking things, and copyright law is only beginning to catch up. Intellectual property law has shaped the internet for three decades.

Sponsor

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

U.S. Department of Commerce

Date

Tue, 12/19/2023 - 14:00 to 17:00

The planned meeting will be the last meeting of this term and will include the final reports and recommendations from the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), 6G wireless systems, and Electromagnetic Compatibility Improvements (ECI) subcommittees.

NTIA will post a detailed agenda on its website, http:// www.ntia.gov/category/csmac, prior to the meeting.

To the extent that the meeting time and agenda permit, any member of the public may address the Committee regarding the agenda items.

Read more about Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee Meeting

Reps Salinas, Harshbarger Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Telehealth Services for Rural Americans

Representatives Andrea Salinas (D-OR) and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) introduced the bipartisan Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act, legislation that would expand access to remote mental health and substance use services in rural America, especially for individuals working in the farming, fishing, and forestry industries.

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