Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

If the character Edward Cullen of the ubiquitous Twilight saga taught us anything (aside from the fact that Robert Pattinson’s hair can do no wrong), it is that being a heretic can be cool. In the series, the Volturi—the Vampiric Council—operates as an authoritative government dictating the terms of vampire life: encouraging slaughter of humans, forbidding certain romance, and eventually seeking the destruction of Edward and Bella’s baby. Cullen went against these vampire norms to protect his loved ones, doing so in a way that made many hearts flutter.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration opened the third—and, given the dollars remaining, likely final—competition for funding under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.

Five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) received federal broadband funding. Each faced different terrain: different communities, different levels of trust, different local economies. So each built something different. This is what they built, and what happened. Across all five sites, we found the same underlying logic model at work: local context shaping decisions about infrastructure delivery, adoption strategy, and economic pathway, and those decisions galvanizing regional impacts.

In March 2016, the Federal Communications Commission adopted the Lifeline Reform and Modernization Order (2016 Lifeline Order), which included changes to eligibility verification for enrollment and recertification. The FCC directed the Universal Service Administrative Company to establish a system for independent, third-party eligibility determinations. To accomplish this, USAC built the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier) to automate, where possible, and standardize eligibility verification across all states and territories.

Standing atop Ferry Butte, Frances Goli scanned the more than half a million acres of Shoshone-Bannock tribal land below as she dug her hands into the pockets of a pink pullover. “Our goal is to bring fiber out here,” Goli said, sweeping one hand across the horizon. The landscape below is scattered with homes, bordered in the east by snowcapped mountain peaks and to the west by “The Bottoms,” where tribal bison graze along the Snake River. In between, on any given day, a cancer patient drives to the reservation’s casino to call doctors.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced that it is working on reforms across its Tribal broadband programs to reduce red tape for Tribal governments, promote flexibility, and align NTIA’s grant opportunities to better serve Tribal connectivity.

This study examines the political economy, discursive legitimations, and effectiveness of the primary U.S. policy response to narrowing the digital divide: public subsidies for internet service. Using Philadelphia as our case study, we analyze municipal efforts to enroll low-income communities in low-cost commercial broadband plans supported by the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Like many other U.S.

The Department of Commerce immediately suspended regular agency operations. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will continue to perform critical activities during a lapse in appropriations: 1) managing the federal use of spectrum; and 2) promoting the stability and security of the Internet’s domain name system. During a lapse in appropriations, NTIA requires continuous and frequent engagement with defense and emergency management agencies to execute its role as the manager of federal spectrum.

The Federal Communications Commission demanded a total of $1.18 million be repaid to American taxpayers by Boomerang Wireless and Assist Wireless for overpayment of reimbursement claims they made and received for connected devices provided to consumers as part of COVID-era connectivity programs. The companies had sought reimbursement of as much as $100 per tablet for devices that were widely available for half that price. The companies have 30 days to pay the full amount to the U.S. Treasury.