Monday, January 20, 2025
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Biden-Harris Administration Recommends for Award More Than $369 Million to Invest in Digital Skill
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President Biden made a commitment to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet by 2030. We are on track to meet that goal. In the coming years, the work started by the Biden Administration is expected to deliver the following benefits and milestones:
- All American Rescue Plan funded Internet infrastructure projects—over 1,400 projects across all 50 states—will be completed by 2026;
- All 37 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act-funded middle-mile projects will be completed by 2028 bringing more than 12,000 new miles of middle-mile fiber online, making our nation’s Internet networks faster and more resilient to natural disasters and security risks;
- All 56 states and territories will be able to begin construction on Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment-funded projects in 2025 and projects will be completed by 2029; and
- Every home and small business in America will be connected with affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet by 2030.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has recommended for award more than $369 million to 41 organizations to support digital skills and inclusion projects in communities across the country. These investments will empower individuals and communities across the nation with the essential skills they need to thrive in today’s connected world. This funding comes from the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, one of three Digital Equity Act grant programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding will support 41 projects across 46 states and territories.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Nevada’s Final Proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service. Nevada’s Final Proposal outlines its plan for using the more than $416 million in allocated BEAD funding to connect 43,715 households and businesses. Final Proposal approval is the final step required under the BEAD statute before Nevada moves forward with signing agreements with the Internet service providers it has selected to build BEAD-funded networks and begin connecting new locations in 2025.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved $32.5 million in broadband investments for California to help close the digital divide, as follows:
- $28 million for three broadband infrastructure projects as part of the multi-year $2 billion Last Mile Federal Funding Account grant program, which expands broadband internet access for underserved and unserved communities across California.
- $4,455,792 for seven grants to support digital literacy and broadband adoption initiatives from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Broadband Adoption Account.

Operators in New York state now have to abide by a new law requiring them to offer a broadband option for $15 per month, whether they like it or not (and many of them don’t). However, the war for broadband access rages on, and the state’s decision doesn’t make matters any less complicated. Originally passed in 2021, the New York law states internet service providers must offer low-income households a 25 Mbps internet plan for no more than $15 per month (or $20/month if it’s a 200-meg plan). Price increases are capped at 2 percent per year, and state officials will periodically review whether they should raise the minimum required speeds. New York’s Affordable Broadband Act provides a glimmer of hope for certain residents after the federal government pulled the plug on the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Other states may take a page out of New York’s book, said New Street Research policy analyst Blair Levin. But whether state efforts can help revive the ACP is tough to say, especially with the fate of the Universal Service Fund (USF) still up in the air.

SpaceX's Starlink is trying to exempt itself from a New York law requiring ISPs to offer internet plans starting at $15 per month for low-income residents. New York’s Affordable Broadband Act (ABA) recently went into effect, forcing broadband providers to offer low-income consumers internet plans at $15 for download speeds no lower than 25Mbps and $20 per month for speeds at 200Mbps or greater. The law could drastically reduce the price of Starlink, which costs $120 per month for residential users. But the ABA also has a loophole for small internet providers that serve "no more than twenty thousand households" in the state. SpaceX filed for an exemption, which was spotted by a Reddit user. The company says Starlink serves “fewer than 20,000 households within New York State," according to a letter to NY's Public Service Commission.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said his Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) is piloting a competitive grant program to support the deployment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband service in rural, unserved areas of Texas, using $30 million from the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Fund. This initiative continues the Texas Legislature's directive to bridge the digital divide and ensure greater access to high-speed internet for all Texans. For interested service providers that provide LEO satellite broadband, the BDO will release an official solicitation with detailed program guidelines and application instructions this spring. The BDO's pilot project will use LEO satellite technology to connect eligible, unserved locations, focusing first on areas that were not adequately addressed through the fiber-focused Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) Program.
State of Maine Opens Competitive Application to Improve Internet Connections for Nearly 30,000 Homes, Businesses, and Community Institutions

Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA), the public agency leading the statewide expansion of broadband and digital equity in Maine, announces the opening of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Project Application, where applicants will submit bids to provide high-speed, reliable internet to locations still struggling with slow or unreliable service, or no internet connection at all. Maine was allocated $272 million in federal funding from the BEAD Program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This is the largest grant in Maine’s history for internet expansion. Qualified applicants will now request BEAD funding to serve approximately 26,000 homes and businesses and 2,500 Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) such as libraries, community centers, and healthcare facilities across the State with high-speed internet.

The mortality rate from COVID-19 was about 50% lower in U.S. counties with higher internet access in the summer and early fall of 2020. A new University of Michigan study found that broadband connection was a key factor in reducing mortality and incidence during the early months of the pandemic. The average county with high internet access had 48%-53% fewer new COVID-19 deaths and 19%-34% fewer new COVID deaths per 100,000 residents than the average county with low internet access. The research also showed that residents of counties with high internet access reported slightly higher rates of mask-wearing in July 2020 and fewer new COVID-19 cases were reported in counties with higher internet access in July-October of that year. The study adds to growing evidence that internet access is a critical “social determinant of health,” especially during public health crises.

The Supreme Court ruled against TikTok rejecting the company’s First Amendment challenge to a law that effectively bans it starting on January 19. The unanimous decision may deal a death blow to the U.S. operations of the wildly popular app, which serves up short-form videos that are a leading source of information and entertainment to 170 million Americans, especially younger ones. In accepting the government’s arguments that China’s control of TikTok’s corporate parent poses a threat to the nation’s security, the court ruled that Congress was entitled to put its owners to the choice between selling it or letting it go dark. The decision, delivered on an exceptionally abbreviated schedule, has few rivals in the annals of important First Amendment precedents and in the vast practical impact it will have. Although TikTok’s lawyer told the justices last week that the app would “go dark” if it lost the case, it was not clear how quickly a shutdown would play out.

TikTok flickered back to life in the United States on January 19 after President-elect Donald Trump said that he would issue an executive order to stall a federal ban of the app. The abrupt shift came just hours after major app stores removed the popular social media site and it stopped operating for U.S. users as a federal law took effect. The company said in a post on X that in “agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service.” Trump said in a Sunday morning post on Truth Social that he would “issue an executive order on January 20 to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.” The ban stems from a 2024 law that requires app stores and cloud computing providers to stop distributing or hosting TikTok unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Lawmakers passed the law over concerns that the Chinese government could use the app, which claims roughly 170 million United States users, to gather information about Americans or spread propaganda.

In early 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Alan Davidson to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information—and to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress charged the NTIA with administering $48.2 billion in federal investments to close the digital divide—including the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society's Kevin Taglang had the opportunity to ask Assistant Secretary Davidson a few questions as his NTIA tenure came to an end. Asked to articulate his version of digital equity, Assistant Secretary Davidson said, "So, I guess to me, “digital equity” means that whoever you are, or wherever you live, everyone in America should have the opportunity to thrive in the modern digital economy. You should have access to reliable high-speed Internet service. You should be able to afford that service. You should have the devices you need to get online. And you should know how to meaningfully participate in the online economy."

Under the Biden-Harris Administration and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s leadership, the Department of Commerce took a new approach to economic policy to turn the agency into an engine of innovation and growth. With transformational investments to enhance U.S. competitiveness, Secretary Raimondo worked to unite the Department’s bureaus and economic tools to ensure the United States can meet the challenges of the 21st century and lead for decades to come. Some highlights from the Department of Commerce under Secretary Raimondo:
- The CHIPS Program Office is investing $39 billion to rebuild the domestic semiconductor manufacturing base and secure the semiconductor supply chain
- Commerce established the U.S. AI Safety Institute (U.S. AISI), a scientific center of excellence advancing the frontier of evaluating models for dual-use domains such as cyber capabilities, chemical and biological misuse risks, and software and AI development capabilities.
- Commerce designated thirty-one regional Tech Hubs, with more than $700 million in investments to ensure the key technologies of the future start, grow, and remain in the United States. Investments include developing facilities to commercialize new technologies in fields from sustainable polymers, to drones, to quantum sensing
- Internet for All programs are bringing every single household and small business access to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service by 2030

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan released a summary of the agency’s key accomplishments over the last four years that have improved Americans’ everyday lives and stopped illegal consolidation that raises prices and hampers innovation. These accomplishments include:
- Checking Harmful Commercial Surveillance: The agency has aggressively policed the illegal collection, use, and sale of consumers’ sensitive personal information, banning data brokers from selling consumers’ precise geolocation data and banning digital health apps from disclosing consumers’ sensitive health data for advertising purposes. The agency has been particularly focused on protecting kids and teens online, strengthening the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) to further limit companies’ ability to profit from kids’ personal data.
- Protecting Americans’ Right to Repair: The FTC has worked to combat unlawful restrictions on consumers ability to repair products they buy, saving Americans money and allowing independent repair shops to thrive.
- Putting Money Back in Americans’ Pocketbooks: The Commission has helped put more money back into the pockets of American consumers by banning junk fees for short-term lodging and live-event ticketing; finalizing a “click to cancel” rule requiring companies to make it just as easy to cancel subscriptions as it is to sign up; and banning auto dealers from sticking American consumers with junk fees.

Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms submitted her letter of resignation from the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) Board to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, effective on January 20, 2025. Mayor Bottoms was appointed to the FirstNet Authority Board and designated the Board Chair in October 2024. Until the incoming Secretary of Commerce appoints a new Board Chair, the FirstNet Authority Board Bylaws direct Vice Chair Renee Gordon to perform the duties of the Board Chair.
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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