Digital Divide

In comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission, broadband service provider associations urged the FCC not to complicate the consumer labels that will be required at the point of sale for broadband services.

A publicly owned, open-access fiber network could be on the way for 31 Vermont communities. Northwest FiberworX and Lamoille FiberNet are two communications union districts that have agreed to build and own an open-access fiber network. The network would host multiple service providers with the intention of serving everyone in its communities on the grid, both homes and businesses. Sean Kio, the executive director of Northwest FiberworX, says 50 to 60 percent of the estimated $109 million in costs will come from state and federal grants.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau announced that it is implementing additional measures to strengthen program integrity surrounding the enrollment of households in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) who also qualify for the Lifeline benefit. Consumer choice and consent are fundamental principles for both the Affordable Connectivity Program and the Lifeline program. No provider should undermine those principles or take advantage of consumers.

Broadband internet will reach nearly all parts of Tippecanoe County (IN) after work finishes on a multi-million-dollar project. It's one of several county projects paid for by President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan. "Tippecanoe County will be one of the first to be able to say that we have that type of service to every single parcel," County Commissioner Tom Murtaugh says. "These are remote areas.

As the CEO of NTCA, Shirley Bloomfield represents an organization that supports 850 independent telecom providers driving broadband service opportunities in the rural and small-town US. With more than 30 years of experience representing the nation’s most rural operators, Bloomfield is an expert on how federal communications policies can sustain the vitality of rural and remote communities and the benefits rural broadband networks offer to millions of US families, businesses and the national economy.

The new Broadband America report from The NPD Group reveals that only 50 percent of homes in the continental US have true broadband speed of 25 Mbps download or higher. In fact, 34 percent of homes receive internet access at speeds of less than 5Mbps, including 15 percent that do not have any internet access. Vermont, West Virginia, New Mexico, and Mississippi are among the least connected states, while New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maryland, and California are among the most connected. In Vermont only 24 percent of homes receive broadband speeds, while in New Jersey 65 percent of homes do.

The Federal Communications Commission's Office of Inspector General alerted Lifeline, Emergency Broadband Benefit, and Affordable Connectivity Program consumers and providers to improper and abusive enrollment practices that are part of some providers’ online enrollment processes. These providers impermissibly coerce and deceive applicants for Lifeline service into enrolling in unwanted EBB/ACP service or into transferring their EBB/ACP service away from their preferred provider, contrary to the FCC Enforcement Bureau’s earlier Enforcement Advisory and FCC rules.

The Illinois General Assembly is currently considering legislation that will constrain the state's use of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act broadband funding and likely impair efforts to close the digital divide in Illinois.

New America's Open Technology Institute (OTI) sent recommendations to the FCC on the “broadband nutrition label,” a standardized form that clearly discloses the price and terms of internet service plans. OTI submitted the following comments and recommendations:

For state technology leaders, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act marks a unique opportunity to move the needle on broadband availability and accessibility. State CIOs and others in state government tasked with promoting connectivity are looking to the $65 billion earmarked for broadband as a key means to help bring affordable Internet to all Americans. Every state will get $100 million to spend on broadband once the money starts flowing, and while the final formulas haven’t been worked out, many states expect to receive significantly more over time.