President Joe Biden prepared to sign an executive order which among other things aims to boost broadband competition, but progress could be limited by a deadlocked Federal Communications Commission. The order largely aims to bring back policies championed by the Obama Administration which were either reversed or abandoned under President Donald Trump, but this may be unlikely without a Democratic majority in the FCC. The five-member FCC is currently one head short, with the current four Commissioners evenly divided along political lines. Biden has yet to nominate a fifth Commissioner. Industry groups are also blasting the order over what they say are heavy-handed net neutrality regulations. In the event that net neutrality does make a comeback despite the current situation at the FCC, the issue is likely to end up back in the courts.

Despite the fact that rural and Tribal communities across the country are asset-rich, they make up a disproportionate number of persistent poverty communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework invests in rural and Tribal communities, creating jobs in rural America and wealth that stays in rural America. The Framework delivers 100% broadband coverage, rebuilds crumbling infrastructure like roads and bridges, eliminates lead pipes and service lines, builds resilience to climate change and extreme weather events, and puts Americans to work cleaning up pollution that has impacted fossil fuel communities in rural America. More than 35 percent of rural Americans and Tribal communities lack wired access to broadband at acceptable speeds. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework invests $65 billion, including through USDA rural broadband programs, to make high-speed internet available to all Americans, bring down high-speed internet prices across the board, and provide technical assistance to communities seeking to expand broadband. With the 1936 Rural Electrification Act, the Federal government made a historic investment in bringing electricity to nearly every home and farm in America, and millions of families and our economy reaped the benefits. Broadband internet is the new electricity. It is necessary for Americans to do their jobs, to accelerate precision agriculture, to participate equally in school learning and health care, and to stay connected.

More than almost any other group, Black communities in the Black Rural South lack affordable, high-speed, quality broadband—38 percent of African Americans there report they do not have access to home internet. Expanding broadband could help reduce the deep racial and economic inequalities in education, jobs and healthcare in the region. Too often, efforts to close the digital divide conflate “rural” with “White” and “urban” with “Black.” The Joint Center's report authored by Dr. Dominique Harrison examined the unique plight of Black residents in rural counties with populations that are at least 35 percent Black (152 counties in 10 Southern states), which we refer to as the “Black Rural South," and found that:

• Affordability is a reason that Black families in the Black Rural South lack broadband.
• Lack of availability of broadband is another factor driving less access to broadband in the region. 
• Broadband access could advance education and workforce training in the Black Rural South. 
• Broadband access could create job opportunities. 
• Broadband access can help improve health. 

Dr. Harrison’s issue brief includes further research, analysis and solutions that will be detailed in her forthcoming 45-page report on this same topic, which will be released later in the summer of 2021.

Ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee Roger Wicker (R-MS) sent a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) asking the agency to reassess its data collection processes and sources, and to use only the most up-to-date and accurate data as it updates its map. "Recently, NTIA released its 'Indicators of Broadband Need' interactive map," says Sen Wicker. "This map represents a compilation of a variety of datasets depicting the state of broadband access in the United States. Although it is a novel approach to the challenge, I am concerned that this map is as inaccurate as previous federal maps. Indeed, releasing it has only created confusion regarding the state of broadband availability in the United States. I urge NTIA to reassess its data collection processes and sources, and use only the most up-to-date and accurate data as it updates its Indicators of Broadband Need map and begins administering its broadband grant programs."

Cable broadband operators are telling the Federal Communications Commission that if it opens up the 12 GHz band for sharing between direct broadcast satellite (DBS) and terrestrial 5G, it should not be influenced by incumbent users. The band is currently used for licensed DBS, fixed satellite service, and multichannel video and data distribution (MVDDS). In January 2021 the FCC voted unanimously to propose opening up the 500 GHz midband spectrum for unlicensed 5G use, but said that could only happen if incumbent users are protected from interference. The FCC wanted input on whether to allow 5G sharing throughout the band, modification of existing MVDDS incumbents' licenses to grant flexible use licenses for terrestrial 5G and traditional DBS, or auction "overlay" licenses in the band. In reply comments, NCTA-The Internet & Television Association said it was not weighing in on whether or not the FCC should open up the 12 GHz band—suggesting there was still work to be done to conclude sharing would not interfere with current users—but that if it did, the FCC should allow new entrants an “equal opportunity to access the spectrum.”

Regional US broadband provider Midco announced a $500 million fiber project, aiming to deliver 10 Gbps service to hundreds of thousands of locations in the Midwest. Midco currently provides fiber service to around 460,000 homes and businesses across the Midwest; the company said its multi-year Fiber Forward initiative will connect 300,000 homes and businesses with 10-gigabit capabilities, with 150,000 locations each in North and South Dakota. Midco President and CEO Pat McAdaragh said in a statement that the company will “deploy a mix of next gen fiber technologies” to realize its goal. He added the advanced network will “provide fast symmetrical speeds, low latency, unmatched reliability and rock-solid security.”