One of the most interesting sections of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) requires that states must define how they are going to make it easier for grant recipients to implement broadband solutions. Specifically, the BEAD NOFO requires states to try to "reduce costs and barriers to deployment, promote the use of existing infrastructure, promote and adopt dig-once policies, streamlined permitting processes and cost-effective access to poles, conduits, easements, and rights of way, including the imposition of reasonable access requirements." These are all great ideas, but I have to wonder if whoever wrote that understands how hard it is for a state to change any of these policies. Certainly, there is no state broadband grant office with the power to effectuate any of these changes – is this section of the NOFO aimed at legislatures? While I understand the sentiment behind this requirement, I think that state broadband offices are all going to tell the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that these issues are not under their control. I find it a bit ironic that the NTIA wants states to take steps to make it easier and more affordable to build fiber while the NOFO layers on a lot of requirements that significantly inflate the cost of building a BEAD grant network.

[Doug Dawson is president of CCG Consulting.]

As of June 2022, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has been live for six months, providing monthly discounts on the internet bills and device costs of over 12.4 million households in the United States. But the ACP does more than improve the affordability of broadband access for low-income consumers across the country—it provides recipients with increased consumer protections that are more robust than those enjoyed by non-ACP consumers. The National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) prepared an Issue Brief summarizing the most important provisions of the ACP from a consumer protection perspective. The protections include rules that empower ACP households to choose the internet service that best meets their household needs as well as: prohibitions on credit checks and waiting periods; a framework for portability of the ACP benefit; rules that allow ACP participants to switch services or providers; integration between the Lifeline benefit and the ACP benefit; disconnection protections; and the creation of a designated ACP complaint process.

Congress advanced an amendment that would provide billions in funding for next-generation 911, moving one step closer to possibly fulfilling a longstanding wish of the public safety community. The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s communications and technology panel voted unanimously to approve an amendment to the Spectrum Innovation Act (H.R. 7624) that would use funding from wireless spectrum auctions to raise $10 billion for next-generation 911, a suite of IP-based technologies that enables 911 call centers to use location data, photos and video. The amendment would also use auction proceeds to shore up an Federal Communications Commission program that reimburses service providers replacing network devices manufactured by Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE, which were blacklisted by the US in 2020. The funding would come from an auction for airwaves in the Lower 3 gigahertz band, which is to be sold to commercial wireless service providers within the next seven years. The Spectrum Innovation Act was introduced as a response to a provision in last year’s infrastructure law calling for greater access to high-speed internet service. "I applaud the Communications and Technology Subcommittee for their leadership on upgrading our nation’s 911 systems and using the auction of our public airwaves to do it," said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. "We can take the funds from our next spectrum auction to help make next-generation 911 a reality nationwide."

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government today approved by voice vote its fiscal year 2023 bill. For fiscal year 2023, the bill includes $29.8 billion in funding, an increase of $4.3 billion (17 percent) over fiscal year 2022. The bill provides annual funding for certain federal agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission. The bill includes $390 million for the FCC, an increase of $8 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, to support efforts to expand broadband access, improve the security of US telecommunications networks and administer COVID-19 relief programs.

The future of the state’s high-speed internet and wireless connectivity was recently at the center of discussions between industry, community and university leaders at Ohio State University. President Kristina Johnson joined Lt Gov Jon Husted, director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation (OWT), to open the first meeting of the Ohio Broadband & 5G Sector Partnership. The partnership is part of a larger effort by OWT and BroadbandOhio to grow the workforce needed to expand broadband access and 5G in Ohio. Husted announced a new round of broadband and 5G-focused Individualized Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP) funding. This is the third round of the initiative, which helps those who are low-income, partially unemployed or totally unemployed participate in a training program and receive a technology-focused credential at no cost. Eligible credentials focus on fiber optics, telecommunications tower technicians, 5G readiness and other skills. Institutions that currently offer these credentials are eligible to apply, as well as institutions that intend to launch a relevant program within six months from July 1st.

On June 16, the Biden Administration directed the Director of the White House Gender Policy Council and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs to lead an initiative to address online harassment and abuse, specifically focused on technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and to develop concrete recommendations to improve prevention, response, and protection efforts through programs and policies in the United States and globally. The Director of the White House Gender Policy Council and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, or their designees, shall serve as Co-Chairs of the Task Force, as well as the heads of many other executive agencies and departments serving as members. The Task Force will work across executive departments, agencies, and offices to assess and address online harassment and abuse that constitute technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

Many utilities have a long-standing relationship with fiber networks for monitoring and controlling their power distribution grids and it’s one that is increasingly proving valuable to the communities they serve both in terms of improving electric services and generating measurable economic benefits to their customers. “The cost of power outages to our communities is tremendous,” said Katie Espeseth, Vice President of New Products at EPB and FBA Power Utilities Roundtable Chair. “The cost of power outages to Chattanooga was nearly $100 million a year. It’s a cost to our customers as lost productivity if the cash registers or point of sale terminals are not working. If we could improve reliability and cut those outages in minutes and instances, we could provide a huge benefit to our community.” Ten years after turning up its Smart Grid infrastructure, EPB has reduced power outage instances by 65% percent and outage minutes by 52%, translating into nearly $50 million dollars of wealth or productivity the community has gained with improved service. Fiber is now moving from a power utility management tool to something much more. “We consider broadband service an essential utility,” said Pete Hoffswell, Superintendent of Broadband Services at Holland Board of Public Works. “If the Internet service for your business goes out, you can’t run the cash register. We have downtown restaurants with a momentary internet outage, it’s a major panic.”

Charter Communications CFO Jessica Fischer revealed the operator is expecting as many as 70,000 broadband customers to churn off its network in second quarter 2022 as they roll off a government subsidy program, but stressed it still believes it will achieve overall positive broadband subscriber growth for the period. Fischer explained Charter has been an active participant in the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program and its successor, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). While it has acquired some customers through the program, she said its main focus has been signing up members of its base who quality for the benefit. Thus, Charter now has “a much larger population of EBB and ACP subscribers than probably all other broadband providers.” While this has helped its subscriber base weather economic pressures, it also left Charter exposed to churn when the EBB ended and customers were transitioned to the ACP earlier in 2022. A total of between 60,000 to 70,000 subscribers are expected to be dropped as part of this move. Excluding the impact of these losses, Fischer said Charter expects to deliver positive total net internet adds in the second quarter. She added, “I think that we’ll have positive total net internet additions even when including the headwinds that I described.”