August 2024

23 Million Americans Navigate Hiked Internet Costs Since the ACP Ended

In May, the $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program officially ran out of money, leaving 23 million households with internet bills that were $30 to $75 higher than the month before. That's if they decided to hang on to their internet service at all: 13% of ACP subscribers, or roughly 3 million households, said that after the program ended they planned to cancel service, according to a Benton Institute survey

GAO Report Underscores Sen. Cruz’s Concerns Over Wasteful Broadband Spending and Hidden Phone Bill Tax

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report requested Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) that found the Universal Service Fund (USF) operator is burning through cash with only minimal government oversight of its budget. The report confirms the need for greater Congressional oversight of the USF as Sen. Cruz laid out in his Blueprint for Universal Service Fund Reform, published last year.

Biden-Harris Administration Approves Guam’s “Internet for All” Initial Proposal

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Guam’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. This approval enables Guam to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program. Guam was allocated over $156 million to deploy or upgrade high-speed Internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.