A new wave of private capital and joint ventures is beginning to transform the way open access networks are financed and developed. What was once largely a public-sector initiative is now attracting billions in private investment from firms like the Canadian Northleaf Capital Partners and BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, betting heavily on shared network models. Open access networks allow multiple Internet Service Providers to utilize the same broadband infrastructure, which can foster competition and reduce costs. SiFi Networks, Tillman FiberCo, and Gigapower – a joint venture of AT&T and BlackRock – are among the key players leading this shift. For example, SiFi secured $2 billion for its FiberCity initiative, while Tillman raised $500 million to expand its fiber deployments. 

Broadband providers want to avoid net neutrality because it comes with more expansive federal oversight. But one trade group for Internet Service Providers and state officials told judges that it comes with at least one big benefit: backup from the government in negotiations with utility pole owners. The Federal Communications Commission is currently trying to keep alive its net neutrality rules, which would reclassify broadband as a telecom service subject to common carrier regulations. Broadband trade associations challenging the move in court convinced a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to put the rules on ice last month while the case played out. In the 26 states without their own laws on the issue, the FCC oversees terms of pole attachment deals between telecom providers and utility companies. The agency can mandate reasonable access conditions and set ground rules around the hot-button issue of which party pays for replacement poles. Commissioners even set up a dedicated team this summer to resolve pole-related disputes and keep projects moving.

In December 2020, the Federal Trade Commission issued 6 Orders to nine of the largest social media and video streaming services—Amazon, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snap, ByteDance, Discord, Reddit, and WhatsApp. At the time, a bipartisan group of Commissioners issued a joint statement warning that far too much about how these platforms operate is “dangerously opaque,” with critical questions around data collection and algorithms “shrouded in secrecy.” On September 20, the FTC released a groundbreaking report that sheds light on how these powerful companies have operated. It shows how the tech industry’s monetization of personal data has created a market for commercial surveillance, especially via social media and video streaming services, with inadequate guardrails to protect consumers. The report finds that these companies engaged in mass data collection of their users and – in some cases – non-users. It reveals that many companies failed to implement adequate safeguards against privacy risks. It sheds light on how companies used our personal data, from serving hyper-granular targeted advertisements to powering algorithms that shape the content we see, often with the goal of keeping us hooked on using the service. And it finds that these practices pose unique risks to children and teens, with the companies
having done little to respond effectively to the documented concerns that policymakers, psychologists, and parents have expressed over young people’s physical and mental wellbeing.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel continued her 2024 Connectivity Tour, focused on closing the Homework Gap, with a visit to Winters’ Well Elementary School in Tonopah (AZ). She was joined by Saddle Mountain Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Mike Winters to meet with parents, teachers, and school staff to discuss access to broadband for students in rural communities through the federal E-rate program and how updates to this foundational program can improve internet access to students regardless of where they live. “Visiting rural Arizona made it made clear that if we want our children to succeed in this digital age then we need to ensure they can access the internet. It’s a simple concept, but an all too important one, especially for kids in rural communities,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel. “Every child deserves internet access at home to thrive, regardless of their background or zip code. By modernizing the E-Rate program to provide hotspots to students, the FCC is committed to making this a reality for both rural and urban communities nationwide.”

Charter Communications awarded $1.3 million in grants to 66 nonprofit organizations through its 2024 Spectrum Digital Education program. Since launching in 2017, the program has committed more than $10 million to nonprofits focused on improving digital literacy, workforce development and educational access in unserved and undeserved communities across Charter’s 41-state service area. Through direct support of nonprofit partners across Charter's service area, Spectrum Digital Education has helped distribute over 18,500 laptops and sponsor more than 40,000 digital education classes, benefiting over 163,000 community members since 2017. This year, the program will recognize 66 organizations that help build stronger communities by connecting residents with skills training and access to technology.