What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
September 2024 marks the one-year anniversary of completing award announcements for the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program. Come join NTIA leadership and the Middle Mile Program team to recognize the work of recipients and their program milestones.
The FCC’s Space Bureau, with the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET), announce the next Transparency Initiative event. The FCC will be convening a public event on October 9, 2024, titled, “This is only a Test: Understanding Experimental Licensing”.
At this meeting, Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) members are expected to present a report in response to its charge from the FCC. Presentation of the recommendations will be led by the Chairs of Working Group 1 – Technical and Working Group 2 – Outreach and Education.
At this meeting, the Task Force will hear updates from Working Group leadership discuss progress towards recommendations, and edit a draft Executive Summary. This agenda may be modified at the discretion of the Task Force Chair and the Designated Federal Officer.
My Closing Argument to the House BEAD Hearing
On September 9th I testified to the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology at a hearing entitled “From Introduction to Implementation: A BEAD Program Progress Report.
BEAD and the Political Calendar
We don’t need any more delays in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant process, but there are potential delays on the horizon due to the political calendar. What do I mean by political calendar? There is going to be a new president in the White House, and that means a change in many of the people who run various cabinets and agencies. It could mean a new head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is run by an Assistant Secretary of Commerce.
A BEAD Program Progress Report
On September 10, 2024, the House Commerce Committee's Communications and Technology Subcommittee held an oversight hearing focused on the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. BEAD was established with $42.5 billion by Congress in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Congress charged the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) with implementing BEAD which provides grants to states to deploy broadband in unserved and underserved areas.
Is Broadband Reaching All Americans?
On September 6, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission launched its latest (and 18th overall, if you're scoring at home) inquiry into the state of broadband in the United States.
Lumen Defaults on its RDOF Obligations in Four States
The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB or Bureau) announced that certain Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) census block groups (CBG) are now eligible for other funding programs.
Some hiccups emerge with school cell phone bans
It’s been a heated summer for school cell phone bans. Worried politicians and school districts in several states have been swarming to limit cell phone use during class time. In all, seven states have banned or restricted cellphone use in schools, and fourteen have introduced bills doing the same. Among the bills underway is California’s Phone-Free Schools Act, which cleared the state legislature in August and is expecting the governor’s signature.