Agenda

U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-VT), JD Vance (R-OH), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and U.S. Representatives Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) led their colleagues in the bicameral, bipartisan introduction of the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act. This legislation would provide $7 billion for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides affordable high-speed internet options to qualifying households across the U.S.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has been a transformative force, connecting over 22 million households, but it's in trouble. This proposal would allow this national commitment to continue uninterrupted, bring greater accountability to Big Tech, and create a stable, permanent source of funding that would safeguard the program from the uncertainties of the annual appropriations process. 

• Step One: Maintain Connectivity- Congress needs to immediately provide stop-gap funding to keep the program operational while a permanent fix is put in place.

“The Affordable Connectivity Program has helped close the digital divide by connecting over 25,000 Vermont households to lower-cost internet—an essential for working, learning, and staying connected to our communities. Access to high-speed internet isn’t a luxury anymore, it’s a necessity.

Jessica Rosenworcel is the boss—chair of the Federal Communications Commission, the 1,600-employee agency that has oversight of how the country communicates, from FM radio to broadcast television to the wires that make up the U.S.’s internet infrastructure.

Now that we have moved beyond the initial planning (1.0) and network buildout (2.0) phases of FirstNet, we are laser focused on extending and evolving the network (3.0). Here are three keys to success in FirstNet 3.0:

Happy new year! In the spirit of wishing everyone a safe and healthy new year, we are kicking off 2024 with a monthly open meeting that features a pair of items from our Public Safety Bureau. Here’s everything we have lined up for our January agenda.

T-Mobile’s planned satellite-to-cellphone service came a step closer now that SpaceX Starlink has begun launching satellites that will support the service. Field testing is expected to begin soon. When available, the service will enable T-Mobile customers to have cellphone connectivity in areas where traditional service is not available, and may never be, because of land use restrictions or difficult terrain. T-Mobile and SpaceX announced plans for the satellite-to-cellphone service in August of 2022.

I’m working with several small cities that were recently notified that the existing cable company plans to upgrade its network. In these cities, the cable company still operates a DOCSIS 3.0 network. The networks have download speeds a little faster than 100 Megabits per second (Mbps), and upload speeds are under 10 Mbps. These cities are currently considered to be underserved and are eligible for BEAD grants. I talked to the State Broadband Offices in several states about the issue of announced upgrades coming just in front of the final BEAD map challenges.

Although the Federal Communications Commission did not have its auction authority for most of 2023, some important events came to pass. The wireless industry lobbied much of the year for reallocation of spectrum in the 3.1-3.45 GHz band, which didn’t happen. The Biden Administration delivered a plan for a National Spectrum Strategy, which includes further study of the 3.1-3.45 GHz band.