NTIA’s latest BEAD guidance just dropped — what does it mean for schools, libraries, health centers, and other community anchors? Join us for a timely policy-focused webinar examining the latest changes to the BEAD program.
Hosted by: Joseph Wender & Kristen Corra – SHLB Coalition
Featuring Panelists:
▪️ Christine Hallquist – Vermont Community Broadband Board
▪️ Bree Maki – Minnesota Office of Broadband Development
▪️ Greg Guice – Vernonburg Group
Fiber has officially taken the backseat now that the federal government rewrote the rules to the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. But the changes don’t mean much to the equipment vendors that have already moved on to greener pastures.
In an astonishing turn of events, a former Republican Federal Communications Commission commissioner slammed fellow Republican and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for making a “dangerous mistake” in threatening to take away EchoStar’s spectrum licenses. “The FCC threatens such severe sanctions that they put EchoStar’s financial viability in question and threaten to kill the company,” newly ex-FCC commissioner Nathan Simington wrote in an opinion piece.
The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program presents an opportunity for NTCA members and others committed to rural vitality to deliver the broadband that rural America deserves. Our job is to act immediately and forcefully in a focused way to turn this opportunity into reality, even after all the twists and turns in the program’s development to date. NTCA suggests three specific areas to focus on in getting BEAD implementation right:
After setting aside “visceral” reactions against the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's June 6 restructuring policy notice governing the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, state broadband officials expressed willingness to roll up their sleeves and make it work. “It appeared to be much more of a mess last week, when we were all very visceral in our reactions to it,” said Eric Frederick, Chief Connectivity
Broadband providers using unlicensed spectrum should make sure the coverage they reported to the Federal Communications Commission is up to date, said WISPA. Under new rules for the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, states will have to make ineligible for funding some locations served with unlicensed fixed wireless.
Drawing on her experiences in the Indiana State Senate for eight years, Rep Erin Houchin (R-IN) called for more efficient deployment of rural broadband through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.
“The best way to predict the future is to invent it,” the famed computer scientist Alan Kay once said.
Sen Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced the Responsible Innovation and Safe Expertise Act of 2025, clarifying that when professionals—such as physicians, attorneys, engineers, and financial advisors—use AI systems in their practice, they retain the legal duty to exercise due diligence, verify the system’s outputs, and stand behind the advice they deliver. Background on the RISE Act:
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