Daily Digest 10/4/2024 (IPCS)
Friday, October 4, 2024
Headlines Daily Digest
Don't Miss:
FCC Announces IPCS Annual Reporting and Certification Requirements
Address the 'Torpedoes in the Water' Against USF, Says Commissioner Carr
Digital Equity
Broadband Funding
State and Local
Telehealth
Platforms/Social Media
Policymakers
Company/Industry News
Digital Equity
FCC Announces Comment Dates on Incarcerated Peoples Communications Services Annual Reporting and Certification Requirements
The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau and the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau announce that comments in response to their September 2024 Public Notice are due no later than November 4, 2024, and reply comments are due no later than November 18, 2024. On September 11, 2024, the FCC released a Public Notice inviting supplemental comment to refresh and expand upon the record regarding the annual reporting and certification requirements for providers of incarcerated people’s communications services (IPCS). That Public Notice requires that comments and reply comments be filed no later than 30 and 45 days after publication in the Federal Register, respectively. On October 3, 2024, the Federal Register published a summary of the Public Notice, establishing November 4, 2024 as the deadline for comments and November 18, 2024 as the deadline for reply comments. The September 2024 Public Notice and the Federal Register Notice contain complete filing instructions.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the federal agency tasked with running the Biden Administration’s $42.45 billion effort to close the digital divide, reported that more than 2.4 million previously unserved homes and businesses have been connected since President Biden entered office in January, 2021. However, the press release did not name the programs that led to the increase or provide details about the locations of the newly connected.
The Federal Communications Commission’s top Republican has opposed expanding the agency’s broadband subsidy for schools and libraries. He said the July ruling that found the fund unconstitutional could be an additional reason to proceed with caution. “I don’t think we should be pushing the bounds of USF when there are some very significant torpedoes in the water that go to the fundamental foundations of the program,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr. Carr, the agency’s former general counsel, was referring to recent FCC actions expanding the possible uses for the E-Rate program, a subset of its $8 billion-per-year Universal Service Fund that provides broadband discounts to schools and libraries.
Minnesota is one step closer to being awarded federal funds for improving broadband infrastructure around the state. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) held a short press conference, on Sept. 26, to announce that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved Minnesota’s plan for broadband infrastructure deployment. In June 2023, the U.S. Commerce Department awarded $651,839,368 in federal funding to Minnesota. Klobuchar’s announcement was an update on the progress to deliver the funding to Minnesota for deploying broadband availability, which will bring the state closer to actually using the funds to build this infrastructure and advances Minnesota to the next step in their planned affordable broadband rollout across the state.
Heartland Forward is launching an initiative to expand telehealth access in Arkansas and Oklahoma by teaching librarians how to prepare community members for a telehealth visit. A training event at the Fayetteville Public Library was part of Heartland Forward’s multi-state, multi-pronged Connecting the Heartland initiative, which seeks to boost internet availability, affordability and adoption rates for participation in online services that considered to be keys to economic opportunity. The event was designed to educate librarians on the comprehensive, online Telehealth DigitalLearn module, which teaches users how to access and prepare for a telehealth appointment.
You've probably heard of Project 2025—the not-so-secret plan the Heritage Foundation cooked up for the next Republican administration. Project 2025’s contents are so noxious, unpopular and anti-democratic that even Donald Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from them—though at least 140 former Trump officials contributed to the plan. What you might not know is that just one of Project 2025’s authors currently works for the federal government: Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, the agency's senior Republican. Commissioner Carr has sided with big companies and against the public interest on nearly every important issue to come before the FCC. He’s also learned what it takes to get ahead in Trumpworld: telling lies, cozying up to the far right, insisting Trump can do no wrong, sucking up to billionaires and telling more lies. Angling to be FCC chairman in a possible Trump administration, this once mild-mannered government lawyer has gone full-on Fox News fire-breather in a despicable-if-calculated attempt to get a promotion.
[Craig Aaron is president and Co-CEO of Free Press Action.]
The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau announced the addition of Andy Hendrickson as its new Chief Technology Officer to provide strategic and technical advice on technological developments and issues with respect to the Enforcement Bureau’s work and as part of the ongoing effort to strengthen the Bureau’s technical expertise in support of its privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, and network outage enforcement work. The establishment of a Chief Technology Officer position in the Enforcement Bureau continues the FCC’s efforts to confront the challenges of modern communications systems, including its revived focus on privacy and data protection. Hendrickson will work with the FCC’s Privacy and Data Protection Task Force, which Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel established to combat issues such as data breaches of telecommunications, cable, and satellite providers; network outages caused by cyberattacks; and supply chain vulnerabilities involving third-party vendors that service regulated communications providers, including cloud providers.
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the appointment of Ira Keltz to serve as Acting Chief Engineer. Keltz, an electrical engineer, will lead the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) which maintains the U.S. table of frequency allocation, manages spectrum policy for unlicensed devices, oversees the FCC’s experimental licensing program and equipment authorization program, and conducts engineering and technical studies. Keltz began working on spectrum policy issues at the FCC in 1994 and most recently served as Deputy Chief of OET. He has also held management positions in OET’s Policy and Rules Division and Electromagnetic Compatibility Division and worked for the agency’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau – then the Private Radio Bureau.
Areas with poor or no broadband service often also suffer from a lack of competition among Internet providers, which can also lead to higher costs for consumers. “Only about 60 percent of all locations nationwide have competition,” remarked Joe Ross, senior partner and co-founder of Televate LLC, which provides Internet consulting services for government. “The vast majority of rural counties have very little competition, while the urban areas, and the suburban areas, have high levels of competition,” Ross added. A lack of competition for service generally comes hand-in-hand with higher costs for consumers and poor infrastructure.
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), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
© Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 2024. Redistribution of this email publication — both internally and externally — is encouraged if it includes this message. For subscribe/unsubscribe info email: headlines AT benton DOT org
Kevin Taglang
Executive Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Institute
for Broadband & Society
1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-220-4531
headlines AT benton DOT org
The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society All Rights Reserved © 2024