Friday, January 10, 2025
Headlines Daily Digest
Congress, Don't Drop Affordable Broadband
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Q&A with South Bend CIO Denise Linn Riedl on city’s digital transformation
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A year ago today, Members of Congress introduced the bicameral, bipartisan Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act. The legislation would have provided $7 billion for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which helped millions of low-income Americans access high-speed internet. The House bill, introduced by Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), eventually gained 232 cosponsors, which is enough to pass. The Senate bill, introduced by Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), gained 32 cosponsors, including Vice-President-elect J.D. Vance (R-OH), and advanced out of committee. Tragically, neither bill was brought to a vote, and so the ACP was forced to shut down June 1, 2024. This increased the price of internet service for one in six U.S. households, all among the most vulnerable in the country. As the 119th Congress sets its agenda, Congress should revive the ACP and ensure low-income families can get and stay connected. For too many Americans, the cost of essentials—like groceries, housing, healthcare, and, yes, internet access—is too high. The ACP was a targeted, effective program that eased the burden of monthly internet bills for veterans, people with disabilities, and families relying on food stamps and Medicaid. Broadband is still essential, and people still need help to afford it. In 2024, hundreds of lawmakers supported the ACP, and the vast majority of them remain in Congress. In 2025, we hope they remember why the ACP earned their support.
It goes without saying fiber broadband is expensive to deploy – especially if you’re digging underground to get the biggest bang for your buck. But what if there’s another, less resource-intensive way to get fiber flowing (literally) to folks who need it? Aqualinq, fresh out of stealth mode, has come up with a technology that lets internet service providers deploy fiber optic cables via existing waterpipes. The company’s goal is to offer an alternative to aerial and buried fiber. And really, water is where the people are, said Ian Deacon, Aqualinq’s head of business development. Here’s how it works. Wherever there’s a water valve, Aqualinq would insert a draw cable into the pipe and then use a “parachute” (a piece of hardware that moves the cable) to pull it down the pipe length until the cable reaches the next valve. Aqualinq then pulls up the draw cable, attaches a conduit with fiber, puts it into the pipe and moves onto the next valve. Rinse and repeat. The fiber can be pre-installed into the conduit, or an ISP can “blow their own fiber through it” if that’s what it prefers.
Michigan High-Speed Internet Office opens BEAD program application period on Jan. 9 to bridge digital divide
The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s (LEO) Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) is advancing efforts to bridge the digital divide with the announcement of the project application period for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Starting Jan. 9, internet service providers, communities and eligible participants will have the opportunity to submit project applications to bring high-speed internet to unserved and underserved locations across Michigan. This milestone follows MIHI’s release of BEAD eligible location data, equipping applicants with critical resources to prepare their proposals. By enabling access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet, the BEAD program aims to unlock opportunities in education, healthcare and economic growth for more Michiganders. Key Dates for BEAD Program Applicants:
- Pre-registration period: Open now through March 10, 2025. This is a necessary step for any entity wanting to participate in BEAD in Michigan.
- Project application window: Opens Jan. 9, 2025, and closes April 9, 2025.
In its State Digital Equity Plan, the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) embraces digital equity to ensure that every person in New Mexico has equal opportunities to access education, health care, job prospects, government services, and information critical to personal growth and well-being. On October 25, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded OBAE over $8 million through the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program to implement the strategies and activities laid out in New Mexico's digital equity plan. Here is the full timeline for OBAE's digital equity programming funded by the award. OBAE organized its timeline to address the four major barriers to digital equity detailed in its State Digital Equity Plan. For all of these barriers, there are measurable objectives with corresponding strategies and activities, and a flexible schedule for each.
Among several cities with 75,000–125,000 residents, the city of South Bend (IN) was named the No.1 Digital City at the 2024 National League of Cities Conference. Established by the Center for Digital Government to recognize cities improving constituent services through innovative technology, South Bend won first place for incorporating generative AI, expanding the Open WiFi Network, and the revamped Police Transparency Hub. Inside INdiana Business spoke with South Bend Chief Innovation Officer Denise Linn Riedl about the digital transformation that is occurring within city government.
While communications impacts are minimal so far, the FCC will continue to monitor how these sets of wildfires are affecting residents’ ability to receive the information they need to stay safe. Should conditions change, the agency stands ready to support in any way it can, including any requests to deploy FCC staff to help with any communications network recovery.
As we move into 2025, the Trump Administration and Congress have a unique opportunity to enact infrastructure policy reforms that will serve as a springboard for finishing 5G deployment and setting the stage for all the future G’s. This is critical to America’s economic success and the safety and vitality of our communities. With a mixture of common-sense reforms and strengthening existing rules, we can build on prior successes and set the stage for continued generational investments in wireless. These investments will pay off immediately in infrastructure jobs, with an exponential effect on growth in America’s economy and communities. To do so we must:
- Set a predictable, proportionate and transparent national framework for broadband permitting
- Rightsize federal review of communications infrastructure projects
- Invest in wireless
- Create a spectrum pipeline to fuel our nation’s wireless needs
- Modernize and streamline inefficient Federal practices and technologies
- Develop the wireless workforce of tomorrow
The private sector will have to spend roughly $1.8 trillion to implement federal rules approved under President Joe Biden, according to an analysis of agency projections by the American Action Forum, a center-right think tank. The surge in regulations, long maligned by Republicans, is getting fresh attention as Trump prepares once again to take office. As part of their nongovernmental “Department of Government Efficiency,” tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have vowed to move rapidly to slash federal rules, with plans to have Trump immediately freeze “thousands” through executive order and permanently undo thousands more. Ramaswamy claims “a majority” of existing regulations are unconstitutional and argues that scrapping them could usher in a “new dawn” for the country, reflecting the broader anger among business executives about Biden’s regulations.
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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Kevin Taglang
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