June 2025

BEAD and Vendors

It’s clear that the new National Telecommunications and Information Administration guidelines for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program will both significantly pare down the overall outlay from the $42.5 billion BEAD grant program and also will reduce the amount of the grant funding that will be used for fiber construction. Any shift away from fiber will have a definite impact on fiber cable vendors like Corning, CommScope, Lightera, and Prysmian. Fiber vendors love rural projects like BEAD since low population density means a lot of miles of fiber are needed.

FCC Announces the Availability of Unused Funds to Fully Satisfy Demand for Rural Health Care Program Funding

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau, in consultation with the Office of the Managing Director (OMD), announces the amount of unused funds for the Rural Health Care (RHC) Program that have been carried forward for funding year 2025. The FCC’s rules for the RHC Program establish a process to carry forward unused funds from past funding years for use in future funding years. The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) projects that, as of May 31, 2025, $129.30 million in unused funds is available for use in future funding years beginning in funding year

Availability of Unused Funds and Rural Health Care Program Demand for Funding Year 2025

The Universal Service Administrative Company’s (USAC’s) estimated total Rural Health Care Program demand for Funding Year 2025 is $823.08 million, including the gross demand estimate of $787.21 million for the Telecommunications (Telecom) and Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Programs and the projected USAC administrative expenses of $35.87 million.

Reps Harshbarger, Sherrill Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Digitize Prescription Information, Improve Patient Safety

Reps Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) reintroduced the bipartisan Prescription Information Modernization Act.

Sens Wyden, Markey Demand Answers from Trump Administration Using AI and Other Technology to Label People as National Security Risks

Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen Edward Markey (D-MA) are demanding answers from the Trump administration about its use of artificial intelligence and other technologies to label people as a risk to U.S. national security. Sens Wyden and Markey called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to reverse the Trump administration's decision to expand its social media screening of visa applicants.

Verizon's Project 624 is all about better customer experience

Go big or go home. That’s the strategy Verizon appears to be taking with the overhaul of its customer service strategy. How big?