Daily Digest 9/20/2022 (Lester Lowry Mays)

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Table of Contents

Broadband Funding

NTIA Launches Updated Federal Broadband Funding Guide  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Podcast | USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small on expanding access to rural broadband  |  Brookings

State/Local Initiatives

Calling All Coalitions: This Is Your Chance to Contribute to State Digital Equity Plans  |  Read below  |  Aaron Schill  |  National Digital Inclusion Alliance
New York City Announces Free Municipal Broadband Program for New York City Housing Authority Residents  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  City of New York

Spectrum/Wireless

Remarks of FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel at the 2022 NTIA Spectrum Policy Symposium  |  Read below  |  FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel  |  Speech  |  Federal Communications Commission
Toward a National Spectrum Strategy  |  Read below  |  Analysis  |  Aspen Institute
T‑Mobile to Accelerate 5G Strategy After 2.5 GHz Spectrum Auction  |  T-Mobile
Lynk acquires FCC license for commercial satellite-to-phone service  |  Fierce

Community Anchor Institutions

FCC Extends Delivery Deadline for Certain 2020/21 E-Rate Services  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission
Measuring Library Broadband Networks to Address Knowledge Gaps and Data Caps  |  Read below  |  Chris Ritzo, Colin Rhinesmith, Jie Jiang  |  Research  |  Information Technology and Libraries
Coding school pushes envelope on tech access inside prisons  |  Read below  |  Ina Fried  |  Axios

Health

Podcast | Here’s How You Boost Broadband Adoption with Telehealth, Part Two  |  Blog Talk Radio

Podcast | Here’s How You Boost Broadband Adoption with Telehealth, Part One  |  Blog Talk Radio

Platforms/Social Media

Report | Spreading The Big Lie: How Social Media Sites Have Amplified False Claims of US Election Fraud  |  New York University

Report | Bringing Dark Patterns to Light  |  Federal Trade Commission 

Trump’s ‘big lie’ fueled a new generation of social media influencers  |  Washington Post

Propaganda of the digital age: How memes are weaponized to spread disinformation  |  USA Today

Research

Benton Foundation

2022 TPRC Charles Benton Early Career Scholar Awards  |  Read below  |  Adrianne Furniss  |  Speech  |  Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Government & Communications

Pentagon opens sweeping review of clandestine psychological operations and social media use  |  Washington Post

Policymakers

New Street Research: Time is 'running out' for Gigi Sohn's FCC confirmation  |  Read below  |  Diana Goovaerts  |  Fierce

Company News

Fastwyre expands into Alabama with Moundville acquisition  |  Fierce

Today's Top Stories

Broadband Funding

NTIA Launches Updated Federal Broadband Funding Guide

Press Release  |  National Telecommunications and Information Administration

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released an update to the Federal Funding site, which serves as a comprehensive, “one-stop shop” of resources for potential applicants seeking federal broadband funding. The site includes broadband funding opportunities and information on more than 80 federal programs across 14 federal agencies. Programs include funding opportunities for high-speed internet-related activities such as planning, infrastructure deployment, and digital inclusion. Program types include direct grants, loans, indirect support, and discounts for industry, state, local, and Tribal governments, schools, libraries, and other community institutions that are interested in expanding and improving broadband access. Notably, the site features many new programs, including those that were funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act including the Department of Commerce’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD), Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure, and Digital Equity Act programs. More information can be found here

Summary on Benton.org

State/Local

Calling All Coalitions: This Is Your Chance to Contribute to State Digital Equity Plans

Aaron Schill  |  National Digital Inclusion Alliance

In Fall 2022, states, territories, and the District of Columbia (DC) will receive Digital Equity Act (DEA) Planning Grant awards – and, with approximately a year to develop their state digital equity plan, they’ll start the process quickly. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requires states, territories and DC (or the administering entities) to engage with a variety of stakeholders in creating the plan, including community anchor institutions, county and municipal governments, local educational agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The DEA Notice of Funding Opportunity further encourages states, territories, and DC to collaborate with digital inclusion coalitions, people with lived experiences encountering digital equity barriers, local foundations, and other stakeholders. The bottom line: Administering entities need local input to develop the plans, and this is an opportunity for coalitions to partner with government leaders to support the development of an impactful digital equity plan. NDIA breaks down where coalitions can add value to DEA plans and how they can get started.

Summary on Benton.org

New York City Announces Free Municipal Broadband Program for New York City Housing Authority Residents

Press Release  |  City of New York

New York City (NY) will begin the citywide launch of ‘Big Apple Connect’ — a landmark digital equity program that will make free high-speed internet and basic cable TV available to approximately 300,000 New Yorkers living in more than 200 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments by the end of 2023. The program was initially piloted at eight public housing developments across the five boroughs and has been expanded to more than 100 developments — at NYCHA’s Langston Hughes Houses in Brownsville, Brooklyn (NY). The program will provide residents of NYCHA developments a free bundle that consists of an in-home, high-speed internet connection, including a modem and router; basic cable TV service, including a cable box and remote control; and common area Wi-Fi hotspots, selected in consultation with NYCHA. NYCHA residents will not be billed anything for these services. 

Summary on Benton.org

Spectrum/Wireless

Remarks of FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel at the 2022 NTIA Spectrum Policy Symposium

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel  |  Speech  |  Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel spoke at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) 2022 Spectrum Policy Symposium on September 19. Rosenworcel made it a point to discuss how far the FCC has come in the last 5 years in its dealings with spectrum policy and auctions. Her speech focused on the future of the FCC's relationship with the spectrum and spectrum-related policies, initiatives, rule-making, and innovation. "We will see fresh competition in the delivery of household broadband, increasing the number of ways families get online," said Rosenworcel. "Plus, using next-generation wireless technology in the power, transportation, and manufacturing sectors could lead to emissions savings that could help put us on course to reach future climate targets." The chairwoman stated that the FCC will continue to "reset spectrum policy in the United States so we continue to lead the world in wireless," through the following efforts: 

  • Extending the FCC's Auction Authority: it has been through auctioning that spectrum and wireless technologies have been a powerful engine for wireless innovation and economic growth.

  • Creating More Mid-Band Spectrum: mid-band airways are essential for 5G services to reach everyone, everywhere

  • Consider Receiver Performance in the Realm of Spectrum Security and Future-Proofing : deployment of older receiver technology denies the introduction of new services but also can degrade the spectrum environment, lessening innovative and economic potential. 

You can find Chairwoman Rosenworcel's remarks here

Summary on Benton.org

Toward a National Spectrum Strategy

Analysis  |  Aspen Institute

The report recognizes spectrum as a national, public asset. Planning for effective spectrum policy – the way we allocate and use the airwaves for wireless applications – is foundational to meeting our national goals of economic growth and leadership in the information economy, and a “Made in America” industrial agenda. The report from the Aspen Institute stakes out key principles to inform spectrum policies, sets forth broad recommendations for US spectrum policy for the years ahead, and details potential actions to implement those recommendations. The report also catalogs a list of frequency bands that should be examined to assure that spectrum-dependent public and private enterprises are able to fulfill their missions. Readers can read the full report here

Summary on Benton.org

Community Anchor Institutions

FCC Extends Delivery Deadline for Certain 2020/21 E-Rate Services

Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission

To provide relief to E-Rate program participants affected by this unprecedented national pandemic, the FCC will extend the service implementation deadline to September 30, 2023 for certain funding year 2020 and 2021 applicants with non-recurring service deadlines that expire on September 30, 2022. In providing this relief, the FCC seeks to prevent schools and libraries from losing their funding due to circumstances out of their control, alleviate administrative burdens, and assist schools and libraries by giving them additional time to receive the equipment and services they need to serve their students and patrons. Generally, the FCC's rules may be waived for good cause shown. Thus, the FCC has exercised its discretion to waive the rule where the particular facts made strict compliance inconsistent with the public interest. Program participants remain otherwise subject to audits and investigations to determine compliance with E-Rate program rules and requirements.

Summary on Benton.org

Measuring Library Broadband Networks to Address Knowledge Gaps and Data Caps

Chris Ritzo, Colin Rhinesmith, Jie Jiang  |  Research  |  Information Technology and Libraries

This paper presents findings from a three-year research project funded by the US Institute of Museum and Library Services that examined how advanced broadband measurement capabilities can support the infrastructure and services needed to respond to the digital demands of public library users across the US. This research sought to address the following research question: How can public libraries utilize broadband measurement tools to develop a better understanding of the broadband speeds and quality of service that public libraries receive? Findings from quantitative data revealed that Ookla speed test measurements over time can confirm when the library’s internet connection matches expected service levels and when they do not. When measurements are not consistent with expected service levels, libraries can observe the differences and correlate this with additional local information about the causes. Also, speed tests are useful for examining these trends but are only a small part of assessing an internet connection and how well it can be used for specific purposes. The implications for state library agencies and federal policymakers interested in having access to data on observed versus advertised speeds and quality of service of public library broadband connections nationwide.

Summary on Benton.org

Coding school pushes envelope on tech access inside prisons

Ina Fried  |  Axios

Incarcerated people often have limited access to technology and pay exorbitant rates for even basic communication tools, like phones. The Last Mile, a nonprofit organization established more than a decade ago to teach entrepreneurial skills to those in correctional facilities, pivoted to web development classes in 2014 because it found those skills were most effective in helping people find jobs after their release. The program says the laptops allow participants to spend more time learning and ensure their studies won't be disrupted by quarantines or lockdowns. The Last Mile is one of a growing number of projects using technology as a means of reducing recidivism and improving economic outcomes for those who are incarcerated. Despite challenges due to staff shortages, students could still access the curriculum thanks to their laptops. The Last Mile aims to broaden its work to cover a wider range of people by offering more than just coding skills. 

Summary on Benton.org

Research

2022 TPRC Charles Benton Early Career Scholar Awards

Adrianne Furniss  |  Speech  |  Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

The winner of the 2022 Charles Benton Early Career Scholars award is Dr. Erezi Ruth Ogbo, a postdoctoral associate researcher at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. In Broadband Voucher Programs: Evaluating the Alabama Broadband Connectivity Program, Erezi examined the only digital inclusion program using direct-to-consumer vouchers that have been implemented in the US. Known as ABC for Students, the program provided continuity of broadband service for about 200,000 Alabama students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Erezi’s research found that ABC for Students’ participation rates rose with lower median income, more Black and more Hispanic populations, suggesting that the program reached households that were most in need of assistance with broadband adoption. The runner-up for this year’s award is Richard Cole Campbell, a PhD candidate in economics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research found that access to fixed, high-speed broadband appeared to improve student achievement—specifically math and reading test scores—in North Carolina public schools. The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society thanks the TPRC community for continuing to recognize digital inclusion and broadband adoption scholarship.

[Adrianne B. Furniss is the Executive Director of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.]

Summary on Benton.org

Policymakers

New Street Research: Time is 'running out' for Gigi Sohn's FCC confirmation

Diana Goovaerts  |  Fierce

It’s been nearly a year since President Joe Biden named Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] as his pick to become the fifth member of the Federal Communications Commission, but the nominee’s prospects of actually being installed are as unclear as ever. A fresh report from The Deal tipped Sohn to squeak through the Senate confirmation process during a lame duck session in the coming months. But New Street Research analyst Blair Levin warned it’s extremely difficult to predict what will happen. There are two primary reasons the Biden administration might feel pressure to get Sohn appointed before then, the first related to politics and the second related to policy. On the political front, Levin noted the upcoming November 2022 election could flip control of the Senate to Republicans. "The practical reality I think is if the Republicans win the Senate, it is unlikely they will confirm any Democrat who will give the Democrats a working majority at the Commission,” he said. On the policy front, Levin noted time is of the essence if Democrats want to tackle priority issues like net neutrality and digital discrimination. “Any proceeding at the FCC takes really a minimum of six to nine months, and it’s better to do things earlier where political capital is higher,” he explained. While Sohn’s vote would give the FCC the votes needed to address those issues, “if you understand the administrative procedure and the length of time it takes to get certain things done, time is running out.”

Summary on Benton.org

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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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