April 2025

FCC Addresses Petitions for Reconsideration of Enhanced A-CAM Order

In this Order on Reconsideration, the Federal Communications Commission address several petitions for reconsideration (PFRs) of the Enhanced A-CAM Order, which established the Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Enhanced A-CAM) program as a voluntary path for supporting broadband deployment of at least 100/20 Mbps throughout the rural areas served by carriers that previously received A-CAM support and in areas served by legacy rate-of-return support recipients.  Among other requests, Petitioners encouraged the FCC to extend the Enhanced A-CAM Program’s deployment milestones by

T-Mobile casually suggests killing the 5G Fund for rural wireless

Criticism is mounting against the 5G Fund, a long-gestating US government program that would distribute billions of dollars to wireless network operators with the goal of funding the construction of 5G networks in rural areas. Indeed, the issues are so lengthy and complex that T-Mobile has suggested just ending the program altogether.

The Relentless and Rewarding Work of a Digital Navigator in Rural Iowa

Working in rural Iowa, where seven of the state’s smallest incorporated communities are located, Digital Navigator Allison Ruhl has been tirelessly building a program to reach residents with technical assistance, digital skills training, and devices. Her work bridges the gap for people in hard-to-reach geographies, helping them gain the tools and confidence they need to thrive in an increasingly digital world. Allison is central to the Community Broadband Action Network (CBAN)’s participation in NDIA’s National Digital Navigator Corps.

President Trump’s War on ‘Information Silos’ Is Bad News for Your Personal Data

Dizzied by an accumulated pileup of busted norms, you might have missed a presidential executive order issued on March 20. It’s called, “Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos.” It basically gives the federal government the authority to consolidate all the unclassified materials from different government databases.

Rural 5G

The Federal Communications Commission voted in 2024 to launch the 5G Fund for Rural America to expand 5G coverage into the many parts of the country with poor cell coverage. It may turn out that market forces might mean that some of that subsidy won’t be needed since the big carriers are expanding into rural areas. A recent blog from Ookla documents the rural expansion of 5G.