Broadband funding has been pouring in from the federal government, and much of it is being allocated on the state level. This is the case for two of the biggest federal funding pots on the table right now, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the yet-to-be-passed bipartisan infrastructure deal. Kathryn de Wit, Project Director of the Broadband Access Initiative at Pew Charitable Trusts, said that states are increasingly pursuing legislation to set aside “some allotment of incoming federal funds to support their ongoing broadband efforts.” While she noted the details of how much funding is allocated “may ultimately depend on the legislative oversight committees or decisions made by the governor,” several states are planning to use federal funds for broadband deployments. Pew has reported that the most successful state programs incorporate a state-level broadband office with full-time staff alongside planning and technical support systems for local governments and well-funded grant programs for service providers. While the federal funding will help with the latter, Senior Officer for Pew’s Broadband Access Initiative Anna Read noted that having an official broadband office with full-time staff is “operationally important” because it “creates a clear point of contact for broadband stakeholders” and can make it easier for communities and providers to connect to meet unserved needs.

Two utility cooperatives in South Carolina – one electric, the other a telephone co-op – have teamed up and are now cooperating to bring fiber-to-the-home Internet service to members living in Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg counties. The Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative (BREC) partnered with WCFIBER, a subsidiary of the West Carolina Telephone Cooperative. WCFIBER has a well-established reputation as a rural broadband provider in the area, while BREC has a long and proud history delivering electricity to residents and businesses who call this part rural/part suburban corner of South Carolina home. The partnership has given birth to Upcountry Fiber, a new subsidiary owned by BREC. The plan is to build out the network incrementally with construction expected to take five years to complete. BREC is not only focused on serving its 25,000 members when the network is fully built out, but all 64,890 households and businesses in Blue Ridge’s 1,800 square mile service area will also have access to gigabit-speed fiber connectivity.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a summary of conclusions from its two 5G industry listening sessions, conducted to identify incentives and policy options to ensure the US has adequate sources of secure, effective, and reliable 5th and future generation wireless communications systems and infrastructure. Top conclusions from major areas of discussion are:

• Public-private engagement: Participants expressed appreciation for the ability to engage directly with the government and raised the need for improved information sharing on security matters between the government and industry.
• Funding: The funding focus was primarily on the potential role of government testbeds, but participants also cited the need for the government to invest in infrastructural measures like fiber network build-out, workforce development, and international competitiveness.
• Network Development: Participants argued for continued government support for voluntary, industry-led standards development processes, stressing the importance of these standards for the global security and interoperability of 5G networks.
• Open RAN: Participants were generally enthusiastic about Open RAN’s potential to deliver a range of benefits, including greater vendor diversity and supply chain resilience, and supported an active role for the government in fostering the conditions for Open RAN’s continued development and adoption.