Letter

Sen Wicker Asks NTIA to Reassess Data Collection Processes

Ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee Roger Wicker (R-MS) sent a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) asking the agency to reassess its data collection processes and sources, and to use only the most up-to-date and accurate data as it updates its map.

Sen Van Hollen Urges the Treasury to Allow American Rescue Plan Flexibility

Sen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the Department of the Treasury to provide crucial flexibility to state and local governments in the use of American Rescue Plan funds in order to help close the digital divide and ensure families can afford broadband. Under the American Rescue Plan, state and local governments are able to use funding from the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund and the $10 billion Capital Projects Fund to expand broadband infrastructure.

172 Organizations Calls on Congress to Increase Broadband Speeds with Future Proof Fiber

Over 170 organizations joined in a letter to Congressional leadership urging full funding to universally build networks that will deliver capacity that will meet local needs for decades and to ensure rigorous scrutiny of recipients of federal dollars so that the program achieves the legislation’s future-proof goals. A federal program by Congress that emphasizes delivering future-proof infrastructure can enable not just ubiquitous fiber wireline access, but also make possible ubiquitous wireless services that rely on fiber optics including 5G, next generation Wi-Fi, and their future iteratio

National Lifeline Association Seeks FCC Rulemaking

The National Lifeline Association urged the Federal Communications Commission to expeditiously release a Public Notice seeking comment on the association's Petition for Rulemaking so that others can comment on it and the FCC can build a record to take the necessary actions to transition the Lifeline program into a program that is post-Emergency Broadband Benefit Program ready. The FCC should not work in a linear fashion, but rather consider important improvements to the Lifeline program now so that those improvements can be in place when the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program funding runs

Sen Schatz Leads Group Of 20 Sens In Calling On Federal Agencies To Share Data, Work Together To Expand Access To High-Speed Internet

Sen Brian Schatz (D-HI) led a group of 20 senators in calling on the leaders of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to share data to identify communities without high-speed internet access and work together to improve broadband connectivity. In a letter to the agency leaders, the senators also called on them to collaborate and find ways to ensure families in need also have information on accessing Lifeline, an existing federal phone and internet service program. “We urge HUD and USDA t

House Commerce GOP Leaders Call for an FCC Oversight Hearing to Assess New FCC Programs and Commitment to Free Speech

House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH) urged Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) to schedule an oversight hearing to review the Federal Communication Commission’s implementation plans regarding key connectivity programs and their commitment to free speech.

Coalition to FCC: Broadband Subsidies Meant for Truly Unserved Areas, Not Some of Nation’s Most Well-Connected and Wealthy Communities

In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, a coalition of organizations noted widespread concerns about the accuracy of the FCC’s broadband maps and called the FCC’s attention to newly released information from the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) that questions thousands of locations where significant Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (“RDOF”) funding is set to be awarded to subsidize areas that are served today. CCA found that subsidie

Acting FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel Response Regarding Broadband Data Collection

On May 5, 2021, Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel responded to various Members of Congress regarding the FCC's efforts to make the broadband deployment data it collects more accurate, particularly after the passage of the Broadband DATA Act. She wrote, "I am pleased to report that we have made significant progress in just a few months, including the efforts highlighted below.

Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel's Response to Sen. Wyden Regarding Broadband Connectivity

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.

Sens Thune and Wicker Request GAO Review of FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Sens John Thune (R-SD) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to request that it conduct an independent review of the Federal Communication Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program to ensure its success. The letter also requested that there be a comprehensive review of the program to determine its effectiveness and efficiency. They asked GAO examine the following issues and questions:

Waste, Fraud, and Abuse: When establishing the EBB program, what measures did the FCC take to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse? 

With All the Talk of 5G Wireless, What About 3G and 2G Consumers

In letters to wireless carriers, 13 US senators caution about shutting down legacy services. Researchers estimate that at least 13% of Americans rely on older 2G or 3G technology. In some areas, 2G and 3G services are the only mobile wireless service available, and this is particularly true in rural and secluded areas where 4G and 5G technologies have not yet been deployed. For many customers who live in these areas, a mobile wireless connection is their only tool for staying in touch with friends and family, doing homework, or making a living.

Sen Wicker Urges Interagency Coordination for Broadband Deployment

In a letter to Department of the Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Sen Roger Wicker (R-MS) urged the department to coordinate its new broadband programs with the other federal agencies supporting broadband deployment. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 added the Department of the Treasury to the list of agencies tackling the digital divide.

House Commerce Committee Leaders Urge NTIA to Provide Leadership Across the Administration in the Management of Federal Spectrum

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Full Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA), and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH) wrote to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration urging the agency to fulfill its statutory role and provide needed leadership in the management of federal spectrum use.

House Commerce Committee Republicans Caution FCC Chair Rosenworcel on Rolling Back Internet Service Protections for Americans

House Commerce Committee Republicans, led by Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Republican Leader Bob Latta, sent a letter urging Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Rosenworcel not to impose stringent net neutrality regulations, which could result in Americans losing their internet offerings. Almost immediately after California enforced its new net neutrality law, two Internet providers reportedly told the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that the law could force them to end arrangements with US wireless carr

Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel's Response to Members of Congress Re: GAO Report on FCC High-Cost Programs

On April 9, 2021, Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote to various Members of Congress regarding the Oct 1, 2020 Government Accountability Office report entitled "FCC Should Enhance Performance Goals and Measures for Its Program to Support Broadband Service in High-Cost Areas". In their Sept 17, 2020 response to the draft report, the Managing Director and Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau noted that the FCC has adopted targeted performance goals and measures for specific high-cost support mechanisms.

Reps Matsui and Langevin Urge Biden Administration to Address Cybersecurity Threats in K-12 Schools

Reps. Doris Matsui (D-CA-06) and Jim Langevin (D-RI-02) sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, urging him to issue guidance that will allow K-12 schools to make investments in increased cybersecurity measures. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA) Act both included funding streams to support school operations during the pandemic.

Senators Question Online Ad Exchanges on Sharing of Americans’ Data with Foreign Companies

In a series of letters, six US senators questioned eight digital advertising exchanges about the possible sale of Americans’ personal information to foreign-owned companies. The senators are seeking information about the sharing of Americans’ data through “real time bidding” – the auction process used to place many targeted digital advertisements.

Senators Urge the FCC to Listen to State & Local Input on Broadband Buildout

In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, a group of senators urged the FCC to ensure that state, local, and tribal governments are included in efforts to update nationwide broadband maps. Following decades-long use of inaccurate data maps that denied broadband funding to eligible communities, the FCC was charged by Congress with creating new maps in 2020 to accurately depict the current state of broadband access in our nation.

Sen Wicker Requests Hearing on FCC Broadband Maps

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, sent a letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, requesting that the Committee hold a Federal Communications Commission oversight hearing to discuss the agency’s plans and timelines for developing new broadband maps.

Sen Wyden Urges FCC to Make Rural Broadband a Priority This Year

In a letter to Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, Sen.

Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel's Response to Senators Regarding the Broadband Deployment Data

On March 8, 2021, Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS), Communication Subcommittee Ranking Member John Thune (R-SD), House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel expressing surprise that Acting Chair Rosenworcel testified that the FCC could improve broadband maps within three-to-six months, but that the FCC suggested recently that new maps would not be ready until 2022.

Reinstating net neutrality in the US

Mozilla together with other internet companies ADT, Dropbox, Eventbrite, Reddit, Vimeo, Wikimedia, sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission asking the agency to reinstate net neutrality as a matter of urgency. With the recent appointment of Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to lead the agency, there will be a new opportunity to establish net neutrality rules at the federal level in the near future, ensuring that families and businesses across the country can enjoy these fundamental rights. “By using its authority to restore net neutrality at the federal level, the FCC can

Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel's Response to Sen Wicker Regarding the Funding Capabilities of the Universal Service Program

On March 2, 2021, Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS) asked Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel for a detailed status of funds report for all Universal Service Fund (USF) accounts, including but not limited to the Connect America Fund (CAF), Lifeline Program for Low-Income Consumers, E-Rate - Schools & Libraries Program, and the Rural Health Care Program.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Leadership Could Shape Broadband Access for Decades to Come

In February 2021, Next Century Cities collected feedback from local officials on ways to improve broadband over the next four years. This letter includes several of their submissions. Their words echo sentiments of local leaders nationwide, calling for higher broadband Internet speeds, lower prices, and improved service quality. The Biden-Harris Administration’s leadership would not only have an immediate impact on their communities and others but would pave the way for inclusive and equitable broadband policies for years to come.