Press Release

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the October Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 27, 2022. The Commission will consider:

The US Department of the Treasury approved broadband projects in an additional group of three states under the American Rescue Plan’s (ARPA) Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF): Massachusetts, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Together, these states will use their funding to connect more than 91,000 homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet. A key priority of the CPF program is to make funding available for reliable, affordable broadband infrastructure.

Gov Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced that one million qualifying New York households have enrolled in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a nationwide subsidy to expand broadband access to low-income households. Earlier this year, the Governor launched a multi-agency outreach initiative to build awareness of the program and encourage eligible households to enroll. New York is one of the leading states in the nation for ACP enrollment with 30 percent of eligible households currently taking advantage of this federal benefit.

The Federal Communications Commission is committing $96 million in new funding rounds through the Emergency Connectivity Program (ECP), which provides digital services for students in communities across the country. The funding will support applications for broadband service and connected devices to students across the country, especially those living in states impacted by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, including Florida, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina. Nearly $53 million will benefit students, teachers, and library patrons living in areas impacted by recent hurricanes.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded five grants as part of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC).

As part of our $2 billion commitment from 2021 to 2023 to help close the digital divide, AT&T is launching the Bridge to Possibility: Closing the digital divide, together campaign. It is a month-long, company-wide initiative to drive awareness of the digital divide and the collective response needed to address it. We must demonstrate how broadband connectivity tangibly improves lives.

From the start, Google Fiber was designed to bring you Internet - fiber optic Internet.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released preliminary data that shows over 235 applications were submitted totaling more than $5.5 billion in funding requests for the Enabling Middle Mile Infrastructure Grant Program. Included in President Biden’s “Internet for All” initiative, the Middle Mile grant program provides $1 billion in funding to projects that connect high-speed Internet networks to each other and reduce the cost of bringing Internet service to communities that lack it. Applications for the Middle Mile program were due

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors recently voted unanimously to provide Arizona State University (ASU) and its collaborators $34.6 million through 2026 to advance broadband, community support, equipment, and training across Maricopa County, which includes the metro Phoenix area. The funding makes ASU home to the largest university-led digital equity initiative in the country. ASU Enterprise Technology, Sun Corridor Network and t

The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to bring relief to incarcerated people with communication disabilities by easing the obstacles they face in communicating with family, loved ones, and other sources of support.