Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Experts: Withholding BEAD Funds Because of State Affordability Laws On Shaky Legal Ground
Legal analysts are questioning the recent assertion by National Telecommunications and Information Administration head Arielle Roth that the NTIA can legally withhold federal broadband deployment funds from states that have laws enforcing net neutrality or that have enacted affordable broadband legislation similar to New York’s Affordable Broadband Act.
Podcast | The Ripple Effects of Canceling the Digital Equity Act
Jade Piros de Carvalho discusses the cascading impact of President Trump’s decision to cancel the Digital Equity Act. This sudden move threatens not just digital inclusion programs, but the very foundation of state broadband offices—and by extension, the success of the $42.5 billion BEAD infrastructure program. With broadband office funding models built on a delicate web of interconnected federal grants, Piros de Carvalho explains why pulling one thread puts everything at risk.
Digital Inclusion Leaders Brace for Impact
Digital inclusion organizations are reeling after the Trump administration announced the Digital Equity Act grant programs, embedded in the bipartisan infrastructure law, was being cancelled months after federal grants had already been reviewed and awarded. The Wiscasset, Maine-based National Digital Equity Center was one of 65 organizations and public entities
Paul Bunyan Communications Payout To Members Is Not A Tall Tale
The reasons why municipalities and cooperatives build community-owned broadband networks are numerous, often fueled by years of frustration with the spotty, expensive service offered by the big monopoly incumbents.
Shot Clock Winding Down on ARPA Funds For Broadband Projects
Communities looking to leverage American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for broadband or other local infrastructure need to act soon or risk losing access to a once-in-a-generation funding resource. Most ARPA recipients seem well aware of the deadline, but data suggests more than a few communities could drop the ball. The Treasury Department tracks allotted ARPA awards and projected budget plans via a massive database.
Oakland Secures $15 Million Grant To Bring Broadband Into Underserved Neighborhoods
After two years enmeshed in the work of coalition-building, speed test data collection, and pushing state leaders to invest in better telecommunication infrastructure across Oakland’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods, digital equity advocates in the East Bay city are finally seeing the fruits of their labor pay off.
Blueprints for BEAD: Stakeholders May Use Rebuttal Power to Prevent New Errors in BEAD Maps
By mid June, we will have blown past the halfway mark in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment challenge process—with more than thirty states having completed their “challenge windows” and another handful set to close imminently. But the “challenge window” is only part of the overall challenge process, and there are reasons for communities to stay engaged with the process even after that window closes.
Congress Could Soon Decide Fate And Future of the Affordable Connectivity Program
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance estimates that the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) will run out of money in 2024.
Initial BEAD Proposals and Five Year Action Plans Come Into Focus
The key for states to unlock their portion of the $42.5 billion in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds is the submission and approval of their Five Year Action Plans and Final Proposal.