Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel

On May 3, Rep Bob Good (R-VA) wrote to Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel with a request for a handful of information:

A few years ago I was actually the first at the Federal Communications Commission to speak about the power of opening radio access networks (Open RAN), and we’ve come a long way since then. There’s momentum building in this agency and across government. One company has already made it into the history books as the first to launch an Open RAN network—and it is winning customers every day. One nationwide provider right here in the United States has committed to building a nationwide 5G network using Open RAN by 2023.

On May 12, the Federal Communications Commission opened the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to the public. Since that time, households across the country that are eligible—including those who struggled with job loss during the last year, who have a child in the free and reduced school lunch program, or who received a Pell grant—have benefited from the broadband supported by this program. Local efforts to get out the word about [EBB] benefits are key. And that’s especially true for Pell grant recipients.

Here's what the Federal Communications Commission will consider at its June 2021 open meeting.

On March 30, Sen Ron Wyden wrote to Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel saying he believes it is time to state unequivocally that broadband is an essential service on which every household could count, in every nook and cranny of rural America.

The Federal Communications Commission opened the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to participating broadband providers for testing. This important milestone will allow these providers to familiarize themselves with the Program systems in anticipation of the impending consumer launch of the Program. As the agency continues to work to rapidly deliver much-needed relief to families across the country, I’m proud of the progress we’ve made in record time. I am thrilled that we have more than 600 providers now committed to the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

In a matter of weeks we have already made progress on improving our broadband maps and there’s much more going on behind the scenes:

On February 12, Sens Roger Wicker (R-MS) and John Thune (R-SD) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel raising concerns about the Universal Service Fund’s (USF) long-term sustainability as a mechanism to close the nation’s digital divide.

Adopting these rules today is just the first step. So what happens next? First, for this program to be a success, we need the assistance of local organizations, national organizations, schools, faith-based institutions, and others who are trusted voices in their communities, to help get the word out and encourage those in need to enroll. To make it easy for those who are interested in helping, we have a website dedicated to this program that includes a place for outreach partners to learn how they can get the word out.

A flurry of orders, rulemakings, inquiries, and adjudications aimed at advancing the United States’ economic recovery and preparing for a post-COVID world.: