Monday, August 8, 2022
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FCC Creates 'Your Home, Your Internet' Pilot Program
FCC Establishes Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program
News From the FCC
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Broadband Infrastructure
State/Local Initiatives
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News From the FCC
The Federal Communications Commission has created the “Your Home, Your Internet” pilot program designed to raise awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) among households receiving federal housing assistance. The one-year pilot program will test the best methods for helping consumers receiving federal housing assistance through the Department of Housing and Urban Development learn about the ACP and enroll in the program. The “Your Home, Your Internet” pilot program features enhancements that are designed to help ease the application and enrollment process for federal housing assistance recipients. State and local housing authorities, Tribal Designated Housing Entities, and other state, regional, or local government entities, as well as community partners are eligible to apply for the pilot. Pilot program applicants will be able to submit proposals for specialized ACP outreach efforts, including promotional materials that are directed to federal housing assistance recipients and organizations. Pilot participants also are encouraged to propose application assistance tools which the FCC will evaluate. In addition, the FCC has set aside up to $10 million to support pilot-related activities. The Wireline Competition Bureau will provide more guidance on how to participate in the pilot program.
The Federal Communications Commission established the Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program to raise awareness about the nation’s largest ever broadband affordability effort, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). This Second Report and Order approved by the FCC directs the agency's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau to develop, administer, and manage the program. To raise awareness of ACP benefits, Congress included a provision in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for the FCC to conduct and fund ACP outreach, including providing grants to outreach partners to ensure that eligible households can learn about the program and receive assistance with the application process. Funding for the Outreach Grant Program will come from the $100 million the FCC designated for ACP outreach efforts in its order establishing rules for the ACP. Grants will support governmental and non-governmental partners in conducting a wide range of outreach activities to raise awareness of ACP and increase enrollment among eligible households. Additional details on specific grant program requirements and the application process will be provided at a later date.
In an effort to promote United States leadership in the emerging space economy, the Federal Communications Commission voted to open a proceeding on the economic potential and policy questions related to servicing, assembly, and manufacturing taking place beyond the earth’s atmosphere. This Notice of Inquiry will examine the opportunities and challenges of space missions like satellite refueling, inspecting and repairing in-orbit spacecraft, capturing and removing debris, and transforming materials through manufacturing while in space. The FCC also adopted new rules to lay the groundwork for giving satellite launch companies ready access to spectrum for transmissions from space launch vehicles during pre-launch testing and space launch operations. This Notice of Inquiry specifically seeks information on how the FCC might update, clarify, or modify its rules and licensing processes to responsibly facilitate progress and reduce barriers for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) missions. This proceeding will also review the spectrum needs of these missions, implications on the FCC’s orbital debris rules, and any unique regulatory issues presented by ISAM activities beyond Earth’s orbit.
The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB)—in conjunction with the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force (RBATF) and the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA)—authorized Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (Auction 904) support for 95 more winning bids. Six companies are authorized for support: Cebridge Telecom in Louisiana and Kentucky, Cogeco (Virginia), Megawatt Communications (Tennessee), Miles Communications (Iowa), North Texas Fiber (Texas), and TCA Communications (Arkansas). All six are smaller companies and the funding amounts authorized are comparatively small.
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said on August 5 that she is not worried about the impact on the ongoing 2.5 GHz auction if Congress fails to extend the FCC's auction authority by the end of September 2022, when it expires. There is bipartisan support in Congress to extend that authority, but the bill has not made it out of Congress yet and legislators are on their August break, after which they will be primarily focused on getting themselves re-elected, though there is certainly time to extend the authority before the September 30 deadline. The House has already voted to extend the FCC's spectrum auction authority. The legislation, H.R. 7624, the “Spectrum Innovation Act of 2022,” now must pass the Senate and be signed by the President or the FCC's spectrum auction authority will expire. Rosenworcel was asked what impact the sunset of FCC auction authority might have on an ongoing auction, given that some have suggested it could cause problems. Rosenworcel did not sound worried, stating, "I am not concerned at all."
On August 2, the White House released fact sheets highlighting how the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is impacting all 50 states, territories, the District of Columbia, and Tribal communities. The law invests $65 billion to provide affordable, high-speed internet to every American—including $14.2 billion in the Affordable Connectivity Program which cuts internet bills by up to $30 per month, or $75 for households on Tribal lands, and provides a one-time $100 discount for a connected device. Generally, households are eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program if their annual income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The White House fact sheets offer a snapshot of the challenges each area in the US faces in achieving universal broadband.
[Kevin Taglang is executive editor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.]
Frontier reported quarterly results and no surprise, all the focus is on fiber. The legacy telecom carrier is attempting a fiber-first transformation after emerging from bankruptcy in 2021. The company now touts a Building Gigabit America strategy and it’s seeing positive momentum in the turn around. The company added 50,000 residential fiber broadband subscribers in second quarter 2022, which is 4 times better than a year ago. Frontier added 281,000 new fiber locations and raised its total 2022 fiber location build guidance to 1.1 – 1.2 million locations by the end of 2022. That would take its total fiber passings to 5.2 million, on the way to a projected 10 million by 2025. On the subject of competing with cable, which has the attention of much of the industry these days, Frontier CEO Nick Jeffery doesn’t mince words. “I think it’s clear to see from recent results that as we’ve always said fiber is a superior product to cable,” he said. “In this quarter we gained share against every competitor in every geography we operate in.”
State/Local
EDA Invests $1.7 Million in American Rescue Plan Act Funds to Increase Connectivity in Monticello, New York
The Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.7 million grant to the Sullivan County Division of Public Works in Monticello (NY) to increase local internet connectivity. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan. This project will enhance community high-speed internet throughout Sullivan County, promoting job creation and economic diversification in the region. This EDA grant will be matched with $415,063 in local funds and is expected to generate $4.5 million in private investment. This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Hudson Valley Regional Council (HVRC). EDA funds HVRC to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.
EDA Invests $511,855 in American Rescue Plan Act Funds to Increase Connectivity in Greenwich, New York
The Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $511,855 grant to Washington County Fair, Inc., in Greenwich (NY) to increase local internet connectivity. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan. This project will support the installation of high-speed internet service with live broadcasting capabilities at the Washington County Fairgrounds. The EDA investment will be matched with $127,964 in local funds and is expected to create 40 jobs, retain 500 jobs and generate $40,000 in private investment, according to grantee estimates. This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board (LCLGRPB). EDA funds LCLGRPB to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.
California should follow the lead of other well-managed states and streamline its broadband application process and focus on connecting unserved areas and promoting public-private partnerships. Streamlining California’s broadband application process will maximize the funding that needs to be allocated so unserved communities can get connected to broadband. That is the goal of AB 2749, authored by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk Silva (D-CA). The proposed bill will accelerate the deployment of critical infrastructure to California’s last remaining unserved communities. It provides strict guidelines for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to review broadband infrastructure grant applications in a timely manner so that unserved communities won’t have to wait even longer for broadband service. This is essential if the CPUC is to meet the deadlines for federal funding requirements.
[Jonathan Spalter is the president and CEO of USTelecom-The Broadband Association.]
In August 2020, the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Office of Connected Care recognized the growing demand for patients’ access to video-based virtual care, and that many patients lack a video-capable device, or the internet connection required to access this care. To bridge “the digital divide, which exists between individuals with access to a device and connectivity and those who [lack that] access,” VHA introduced the digital divide consult. This process enables patients to receive a video-capable device after obtaining a referral from their care team, licensed independent practitioner, or designee and the approval of a social worker who has conducted a socioeconomic assessment. The digital divide consult improved on the device-lending process by introducing the social worker assessment to help identify and resolve other needs and barriers to care. The review team found that VHA’s digital divide program was successful in distributing devices to patients but identified several gaps in oversight and guidance preventing the program from fully meeting its intended purpose for patients to receive virtual care via VA Video Connect (VVC). The review team concluded the low VVC appointment completion rates occurred for multiple reasons. VHA Connected Care did not establish clear oversight roles and responsibilities for Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and medical facility employees. Additionally, the standard operating procedure does not include requirements or mechanisms for staff to schedule a VVC appointment for patients with a loaned device, though it does require staff to initiate retrieval efforts of unused devices if no VVC appointment has occurred within 90 days of receipt. Further, digital divide consult and video device order processing lacked clear timeliness standards, presenting a risk of delay in sending a video-enabled device and scheduling and completing VVC appointments. Also, staff did not follow or were not aware of SOP updates as VHA did not effectively communicate them to facility staff. Overall, VHA loaned devices to an estimated 20,800 patients (51 percent) during the period who did not use the devices for a VVC appointment.
Verizon has followed rival T-Mobile in laying off staff. The wireless carrier would not disclose the exact number of employees it's cutting but did confirm the move had occurred. The layoffs come nearly two weeks after the nation's largest carrier announced that it lost 215,000 consumer phone accounts in the quarter that ended June 30. Even with the benefit of business customers, its overall net gain of 12,000 subscribers paled when compared to its rivals. T-Mobile, which brought on 723,000 postpaid mobile subscribers, recently confirmed its own layoffs. The cuts at both telecom providers, two of the largest employers in the nation, reflect the rocky economic environment and broader tightening of the belt in corporate America.
The fast-developing 6 GHz IMT ecosystem is poised to play an important role in supporting 5G rollouts worldwide, according to the GSMA 2022 6 GHz IMT Ecosystem report. The report discusses the development progress of 6 GHz IMT systems and the central role that 6 GHz will play in delivering successful 5G rollouts. It warns that allocating the full 6 GHz band to unlicensed use risks countries losing out on the full benefits of scarce spectrum resources and damaging their ability to maximize the societal impact of governments’ and operators’ investments in 5G networks. However, while 6 GHz ecosystem developers stand by to meet consumer demand, regulatory decisions at 2023’s World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23), and subsequently by national regulators, will play a major role in its future success. GSMA analysis indicates that regulators should aim to assign between 700 and 1200 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band to licensed 5G use in order to maximize the benefits to society of scarce spectrum resources, and support operators in delivering the full capabilities of 5G network rollouts.
The deadlock over the still-unfilled Democrat place on the five-person board of the Federal Communications Commission seems likely to continue until after November’s mid-term elections and on into 2023 – or even longer. The situation is unprecedented and has lasted for so long (over 600 days now and counting) that FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is, at long last, publicly contemplating using the powers she has to put an end to the impasse via her casting vote. The FCC is politically tied at 2-2 and the Senate has kicked the ratification of the nomination of Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] down the field time after time. Whilst she has been waiting, Sohn has endured relentless attacks from Republican senators, big technology companies and other vested interests. With the results of the mid-terms likely to redraw the political map, with the Republicans gaining a Senate majority, Sohn may never be confirmed in post and the whole process will have to begin all over again – or perhaps it won’t before another presidential election. It is even possible that the FCC could remain tied seemingly ad infinitum, and if that is the case, Rosenworcel will have to exercise her power to break the deadlock, something she has been curiously reluctant to do.
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) and Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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