June 2024

Tribal Broadband: Additional Assistance to Recipients Would Better Support Implementation of $3 Billion in Federal Grants

This report examines topics related to the  National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) including: (1) grants that reached Tribes that had not received previous federal broadband support; (2) the extent to which NTIA provided support to recipients on financial sustainability; and (3) the extent to which NTIA provided recipients with technical assistance in the environmental review process. Tribal leaders have hailed the TBCP as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to close the digital divide on their lands, areas that have long lag

NTIA-Funded High-Speed Internet Project Breaks Ground in Nevada

A project funded by a $24 million high-speed Internet grant from the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) broke ground in Reno, Nevada. Internet service provider Zayo Group, which received the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program grant.

Sen Schmitt Letter to NTIA Assistant Secretary Davidson on "Covert Broadband Rate Regulation"

A June 11 letter to National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson about the unlawful pressure campaign on states by the Biden Administration to regulate broadband rates through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. It is my priority to hold this Administration accountable for its propensity to act with impunity.

Texas Nonprofit Works With Volunteer GIS Expert to Map Broadband Need

An unexpected volunteer, a geographic information system (GIS) mapping expert helped a rural community in Texas establish its broadband connection. Bernie South is the GIS volunteer who mapped the data using information from the Census, school district hotpost addresses and areas of growth in the county. South began volunteering with Bastrop County Cares during the pandemic to vaccinate people, he said.