You’re reading the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s Weekly Digest, a recap of the biggest (or most overlooked) broadband stories of the week. The digest is delivered via e-mail each Friday.

Round-Up for the Week of November 18-22, 2024

On November 5 North Carolinians continued a trend of ticket splitting during the 2024 elections. Although Donald Trump won in the state with nearly 51 percent of the vote, state Democrats were successful down-ticket, and broke a Republican supermajority in the state legislature.

Back in September, I wrote about how broadband was on the ballot this year. As I noted, outgoing Roy Cooper (D-NC) has set achievable broadband goals for North Carolina including:

• Raising the percentage of North Carolina households with high-speed internet subscriptions from 73% to 80%.
• Raising the percentage of North Carolina households with children with high-speed internet subscriptions from 81% to 100%.
• Increasing adoption rates to 80% across racial subgroups:
  • Native American (currently 57%)
  • Black: (currently 64%)
  • Latinx: (currently 68%)
  • White: (currently 76%)

Here’s a look at the team of elected officials who will work to further those goals.

Race for Governor

Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein won the race for Governor of North Carolina. He beat Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, whose campaign was plagued by controversies, by almost 15 percent, the largest margin in a North Carolina gubernatorial race since 1980.

As Attorney General, Stein consistently championed broadband, repeatedly calling for increased funding for broadband access, and notably negotiating a settlement with Frontier Communications that required the company to invest $20 million to improve internet speeds and access in the state.

In his time as AG, Stein also:

• In 2021, along with 29 other attorneys general, urged the FCC to “amend or waive E-Rate program rules as necessary to provide broadband connectivity for remote schooling.”
• Joined with 16 other attorneys general to protect users of the Lifeline program. The attorneys general asked the FCC to make sure that any mergers or acquisitions between telecommunications companies protect and maintain the affordable services that Lifeline provides for millions of Americans.
• After winning over $13 million in a settlement with Dish Network, urged the North Carolina legislature to use the funds to address the digital divide.  

Race for Attorney General

U.S. Representative Jeff Jackson (D-NC-14) won the race for Attorney General, beating U.S. Representative Dan Bishop (R-NC-8) by 2.8 percent of the vote.
In 2019, Jackson sponsored a bill in the North Carolina State Senate to remove restrictions blocking electric cooperatives from seeking federal funding for broadband services.

In Getting to Universal Broadband in North Carolina, Rep Jackson wrote about the various issues preventing universal broadband in North Carolina, including the ban on municipal broadband, and laid out some of the possible solutions, writing,

First Congressional District

Rep. Don Davis (D-NC-1), the incumbent, won the race for North Carolina’s first Congressional district. He defeated retired Colonel Laurie Buckhout by 1.5 percent in one of the most competitive races in the Southeast.

The rural district includes parts of 21 counties. Households there are poorer than in other parts of the state, and agriculture remains an economic driver.

Davis is a supporter of the Affordable Connectivity Program and has spoken about the importance of broadband. In February, Davis co-sponsored the Broadband Industry Development Act, which would have amended the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to “direct the Secretary of Labor to award grants to train workers for broadband careers.”

Other Notable Races

Republican Tim Moore won the race for North Carolina’s 14th Congressional district, where he will replace AG-elect Jeff Jackson. Moore has served as Speaker of the North Carolina  House of Representatives since 2015. Moore does not have an extensive record on broadband, but when asked about restoring funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, he said,

“I’m not overly familiar with that particular bill, so I don’t want to comment specifically, but I believe it’s a matter of economic development. It’s almost like the electrification of decades ago; you need that now for business, for education. As a member of Congress next year, I would continue to support putting funds into broadband, just like we’ve done in North Carolina…With Starlink and things that aren’t fiber-based, we ought to as a nation look into if there are lower cost methods of getting broadband and access out that don’t involve a cable in the ground.”

Democrat Dante Pittman won the race for NC House District 24, ending a veto-proof Republican supermajority in the state legislature.

In advance of losing the supermajority in January, House Republicans have proposed sweeping legislation that would strip the Governor’s office of appointment powers to the State Board of Elections, shifting the power to newly elected Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek.

The legislation would also:

• Limit the power of the State Attorney General by blocking the AG from taking any positions contrary to the legislature, and by participating in court actions in other states that may invalidate North Carolina state laws.
• Block the State Superintendent from appealing decisions by the state’s Charter Schools Review Board.
• Reduce the governor's appointments to the utilities commission, which sets public utility rates for the state.
• Repeal the Energy Policy Council, which advises the governor and legislature on policy that "addresses domestic energy exploration, protects the environment and encourages economic development."

These sweeping and controversial power shifts were proposed as part of what is being presented as a disaster relief bill for areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, in a last-minute move that House Democrats described as "politicizing a natural disaster” and “completely inappropriate."

A Post-Helene Broadband Agenda

Helene dealt devastating blows to infrastructure throughout Western North Carolina. Some basic services—like potable running water—have just been restored in recent days.

Internet and cell service were out for weeks after the storm, even after power was restored. The lack of communications infrastructure made recovery more difficult, as residents were cut off from emergency services and could not receive updates on supply distribution and relief efforts.

On October 21, Attorney General and Governor-elect Josh Stein asked major internet providers and cell carriers to offer unlimited data and internet to customers impacted by the storm for at least two billing cycles. Stein also requested that companies reimburse customers for service they paid for but did not get after the storm hit.

Leadership from newly elected officials will be critical as North Carolina works to rebuild from Hurricane Helene and work towards achieving broadband expansion and digital equity goals.

Quick Bits

• Three Years of High-Speed Internet Infrastructure Investment
• Every State and Territory is Ready to Implement Internet for All
• Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Announces Departure from FCC
• Trump Picks Brendan Carr to Lead FCC

Weekend Reads

• A Nonprofit Evaluation Guide for Digital Equity
• FCC Releases Fifth Version of National Broadband Map
• The Road to Broadband for All: Internet as a Public Good and Civil Right: A Small Scale Survey
• Openness in Artificial Intelligence Models

ICYMI from Benton

• How States Plan To Track Digital Equity Progress
• What does Project 2025 have to say about broadband regulation?
• Meeting Veterans' Digital Equity Needs
• Veterans and Digital Equity

Upcoming Events

Dec 03––Open RAN Certification Principles Listening Session (NTIA)

Dec 05––Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States (FCC)

Dec 06––Meeting of the Communications Equity and Diversity Council (FCC)

Dec 11––December 2024 Open Federal Communications Commission Meeting (FCC)

Feb 11––State of the Net Conference 2025 (Internet Education Foundation)

Feb 25––The Attention Economy: Monopolizing Kids’ Time Online (FTC)

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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