Press Release

We are continuing the Federal Communications Commission's push for more builds, more spectrum, and more out of our public safety and consumer protection rules. First up—permitting reform. For too long, outdated and unnecessary environmental rules have slowed America’s builders down. This has left communities stuck and waiting on the wrong side of the digital divide. That is why we will be voting this month on an order that overhauls the FCC’s approach to NEPA. Second, we are making way for more spectrum that can be used for faster broadband from space.

To meet surging demand for consumer broadband and converged services alongside emerging AI needs, Verizon and Corning have reached a multi-billion-dollar agreement for 80+ million miles of high-density optical fiber and connectivity solutions from 2027 to 2032. The multi-use fiber deployment will accelerate broadband expansion for homes and businesses while building the national long-haul backbone required by AI hyperscalers.

The Golden State Connect Authority has signed an agreement with FiberTel for the design and construction of multiple county projects within the Golden State Fiber broadband network, which aims to expand last-mile connectivity across rural California. Under the agreement, FiberTel will design and build fiber deployments in Alpine, Amador, Imperial, Mono, and Tehama counties, as well as the Town of Mammoth Lakes. The company will also complete Phase 2 of the network buildout in Glenn County, where GSCA broke ground on Phase 1 in April 2026.

The Federal Communications Commission announced the return of $3.08 billion to the U.S. Treasury, which was borrowed in March 2025 to support the FCC’s Rip-and-Replace reimbursement program. The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act established the reimbursement program to help eligible communications providers remove, replace, and dispose of covered communications equipment and services. The quick repayment of this loan was due in part to a successful AWS-3 Spectrum auction conducted in June 2026.

Every unserved home and business deserves a broadband connection, and this notice gives states a new path to find the locations the first round of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program missed. We support the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's effort to true up the Federal Communications Commission's maps and ensure funding follows the households and small businesses still waiting for service. Congress recognized that universal connectivity requires investment in both the physical and human infrastructure of broadband.

The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program’s initial investment is failing rural America. Delayed implementation, shifting guidance, cost constraints, and unrealistic funding assumptions have slowed progress, discouraged participation, and weakened a historic opportunity to bring long-overdue broadband service to rural communities. Directing further investment under the same misguided approach will not deliver universal connectivity to rural America.

Veneeth Iyengar, executive director of ConnectLA, has been appointed to the Louisiana Rural Health Transformation Program Advisory Council by Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA). The advisory council was created as a result of Gov. Landry’s executive order signed in April, establishing the Office of Rural Health Transformation and Sustainability within the Louisiana Department of Health, advancing efforts to strengthen health care access and outcomes for rural communities across the state.

Rep Richard Hudson (R-NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, led a markup of six bills to strengthen communications networks and modernize satellite regulations. 

• H.R. 8255, the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act, was forwarded to the Full Committee.

• H.R. 9129, the GUARD Act, was forwarded to the Full Committee.

By completing the National Environmental Policy Act review process for broadband projects covering over 50,000 serviceable locations, Louisiana has made significant progress in its effort to deliver high-speed, reliable internet access across the state. Louisiana is first in the nation to complete NEPA approvals for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment projects, and internet service providers have reached yet another milestone in helping bring high-speed internet to unserved and underserved communities across the state.

Broadband construction in Louisiana is advancing and moving quickly, with construction for nearly 15,000 broadband serviceable locations projected to be complete by the end of the first quarter of 2027 across 23 parishes. Nearly 1,800 miles of fiber are being deployed across the state to help Louisiana create the infrastructure needed to connect more communities and expand economic opportunities.