The Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Task Force (Task Force) announces recommended best practices for submitting bulk challenges to the most recent version of the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric) data. The Task Force also provides notice that bulk Fabric challenges submitted as much in advance of March 15, 2023, as possible are most likely to be reviewed and adjudicated in time to be accounted for in the next iteration of the Fabric (version three) to be released in conjunction with the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) filing window for data as of June 30, 2023 that is due no later than September 1, 2023. Preparing a bulk Fabric challenge is fundamentally a geospatial process. Entities therefore should not attempt to upload as a bulk Fabric challenge a list of addresses they have compiled for another purpose (e.g., a list of addresses from a billing system or from an E911 database), though these datasets can serve as a helpful starting point for producing a valid bulk Fabric challenge. As an initial step, challengers can attempt to join this type of address-based data to the address information included in the Fabric in order to associate unique Fabric location IDs with the locations in the prospective challenger’s data. But the challenger should not simply upload as a challenge all of the data it is unable to match to an existing location ID using an address matching join. In other words, the fact that an address is missing from the Fabric does not necessarily indicate that the location is missing from the Fabric. Rather than simply filing a Type 1 challenge consisting of a list of addresses, the challenger should next proceed to a geospatial analysis of both its address data and the data included in the Fabric.

NTIA ended 2022 by awarding $304 million in funding to every state, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, for planning how to best deploy networks to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service. Each state has different needs and unique challenges in bridging the digital divide, and our planning grants recognize the importance of flexibility. Still, there are broad trends driving the ways states are putting this money to use:

• Understanding the digital divide – States are using the funding to identify unserved and underserved locations within their borders. That means finding areas that don’t have access to the Internet at speeds of 25/3 Mbps (unserved) or 100/20 Mbps (underserved).
• Beefing up broadband offices – All 50 states have a broadband office or program now, but many are using federal funding to add staff and capacity. State broadband offices will often be the key decision-makers in how each state will design its funding programs.
• Investing in inclusion – It's not enough to simply build the networks. States are making sure those networks are inclusive by investing in digital equity. That work includes surveying communities to better understand the barriers underrepresented groups face to Internet adoption, making draft plans available for public input, creating a challenge process for communities that feel they’ve been improperly excluded, and maintaining auditable records of engagement with local communities and key stakeholders.

The NTIA expects to announce how much states will receive in funding for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program by June 30, 2023. 

AT&T expects to see Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding flow from the federal government to the states and expects the “more aggressive” states to award some of that funding to broadband projects before the end of 2023, said AT&T CEO John Stankey. Citing the 80/20 rule, Stankey said, “The bigger states that are going to have the bulk of the funding are pretty zoned in on this and are moving pretty aggressively to get the process underway." Smaller states, he said, may “take a little bit longer to get their act together” and may be waiting to see what the more aggressive states do. He cautioned that we “won’t see substantial shovels in the ground or customers served this year, but I do think that you’re going to see projects and monies awarded before we exit this year.” 

A digital equity framework with five broad elements: Infrastructure, Affordability, Digital Skills, Policy, and Content. A global research study of over 7,500 civil society organizations (CSO), highlights include:

• Infrastructure and Access: Inadequate or unavailable internet access affects everyone, but the people CSOs serve are more likely to be impacted by a lack of connectivity due to poor infrastructure and issues with their internet providers.
• Affordability: The high cost of both devices and internet access remains a significant barrier for both CSOs and the people they serve and prevents them from participating meaningful digital world.
• Digital Skills: Though CSOs agree that digital skills are important, a lack of training on how to use the internet and digital devices is a major issue for both CSOs and the people they serve. Few feel their employees are well-trained on the devices and software they use.
• Policy: While CSOs view access to both information and the internet as basic rights, many CSOs feel their governments do not have policies that support this.
• Content: When it comes to the resources that motivate people to use the internet, email and chat services are by far the most important to CSOs and the people they serve. It is important that these services are available in local languages, which, the survey shows, they mostly are.

The data is clear: across the world, many of the communities we serve do not have access to affordable and reliable internet or the digital tools they need to fully participate in this digital age. The promising news is that the knowledge, capital, and solutions to advance digital equity are out there — we must mobilize, harness, and distribute them.

The internet—and, more specifically, the ubiquitously connected society driven largely by next-generation wireless broadband—will be a crucial domain for both autocracies and market democracies in the twenty-first century. Remote and mobile connectivity is an increasingly essential component of a functioning modern society; if leveraged for dynamism and innovation rather than authoritarian command and control, fifth-generation (5G) wireless connectivity provides the foundation for solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Telecommunications regulatory governance is therefore a powerful strategic security lever that the United States and its allies should wield to advance free-market democracy. To this end, this paper recommends the following policy solutions:

• First, the US should foster rapid 5G deployment by continuing to make low-, mid-, and high-band spectrum—particularly licensed spectrum designated for flexible, exclusive use suitable for cutting-edge mobile networks—available to the commercial wireless market; reducing barriers to deployment such as European-style patchwork siting and licensing regulations; and maximizing the impact of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) by funding fixed-wireless services where fiber to the premises is not the most effective solution.
• Second, the US should pave the way for future innovation by clarifying and reestablishing the Federal Communication Commission as the federal government’s primary authority for commercial spectrum allocation to head off interagency spectrum disputes early and thoughtfully; and advance the efficient use of spectrum through exclusive-use licenses, flexible-use rights, reliance on market forces to ensure spectrum is put to its highest and best use, the development of a new pipeline for auctionable spectrum, and investment-friendly technical rules.
• Third, the United States should work with its allies to prove that competitive free-market democracies best foster trusted, innovative communications technologies by promoting trust in communications networks and supply chains, leveraging partnerships with like-minded nations to counter predatory practices and promote global economies of scale for network operators and vendors serving these markets; and safeguarding international standards-setting processes for private sector technological innovation and protecting intellectual property rights.

Social media companies need to further enhance transparency around the content moderation requests that they receive from governments to better safeguard users’ speech online, according to Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), who has focused on tech-related policy issues during her time in office. Sen. Lummis—who serves on the influential Senate Commerce Committee—said that it is “an unprecedented time in history” for freedom of speech and the manner in which governments regulate public discourse, particularly “the real-time failures of government when it comes to interacting with companies that provide platforms for speech on the internet.” Sen Lummis cited the PRESERVE Online Speech Act—legislation that she co-sponsored in 2021—as one way of enhancing the transparency of moderation requests. The bill would require social media platforms “to issue a public disclosure containing specified information related to a request or recommendation by a government entity that the service moderate content on its platform.”

As Chair of the committee tasked with overseeing the historic $65 billion investment in broadband under the Infrastructure and Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Sen. Cantwell (D-WA) is working to ensure funding goes to communities that need it most. Through a broad array of broadband initiatives, our Committee Democrats believe we can expand economic opportunity and access to education, healthcare, telehealth, and e-commerce, regardless of where people live. Sen. Luján (D-NM), Chair of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, in December 2022, highlighting Congress’ ongoing efforts to best deliver IIJA funding and resources to make affordable, resilient, and secure broadband access to every American household. These highlights include:

• Connecting Rural America: Sen. Tester (D-MT), Sen. Rosen (D-NV), Sen. Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Sen. Warnock (D-GA), worked across the aisle to champion a $42.5 billion investment - the single largest broadband investment in US history - to connect rural America through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.

• Closing the Digital Divide: Sen. Warnock ensured that funding secured through the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act could be used for devices to ensure everyone has access to the education, jobs and opportunities available online, no matter where they live or their socioeconomic background.

• Connecting Tribes: Sen. Rosen, Sen. Hickenlooper, Sen. Tester, and Sen. Warnock secured $2 billion for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) to help Tribal governments with broadband deployment, telehealth, distance learning, affordability, and digital inclusion. 

• Building Resilient and Redundant Networks: Sen. Rosen secured $1 billion in grants through the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program to link homes and businesses to the internet and reduce the cost of high-speed internet to unserved and underserved communities. 

• Creating Affordable Options: Sen. Blumenthal secured $14.2 billion for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides low-income households up to $30 per month toward internet service and up to $75 a month for households on Tribal lands.