Federal Agency

Executives at Calix confirmed receipt of the company's first Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment order but stopped short of projecting how much business the long-delayed federal broadband program is expected to bring in the coming year.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) has drafted a bill—the Recovering Excess Communications Appropriations while Protecting Telecommunications Upgrades, Reinvestment, and Expansion Act or the ‘RECAPTURE Act—that would amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to require remaining funds under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program to be used for deficit reduction. The RECAPTURE Act would change a section of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that redirects unused state BEAD funds to other states.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration Assistant Secretary Arielle Roth recently made a speech at the Hudson Institute that outlined her policy positions related to reshaping the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. The changes to BEAD were initiated by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and are now being finalized and implemented by Assistant Secretary Roth.

Participants in the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program won’t have to forego their existing federal subsidies in non-BEAD areas, the Commerce Department clarified. Rural broadband providers have expressed concerns over the newly announced plan to prevent BEAD winners from taking operational subsidies to support their deployment projects in

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Arielle Roth delivered remarks at the Americas Spectrum Management Conference on October 30. She spoke about the three core principles of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's spectrum policy. "First, spectrum policy shouldn’t be zero-sum: Just as the One Big Beautiful Bill pipeline advances win-wins for federal and commercial users, we must ensure that our work on one service doesn’t take away from our attention to others. In the 6G era of convergence, we need more spectrum access for everyone.

Home internet service is one of the least transparent consumer products in America. You can find typical airfare prices and know if you’re getting a bad deal. But basic information about internet service — What’s the typical price? What extra costs are in my bill?

My best guess is the public switched telephone network will ether be dead or dying by the end of 2030. This doesn’t mean the death of telephone voice service, but the end of the regulated service that has been offered by telephone companies. Any voice products that remain will be delivered using Voice over Internet Protocol. The death of the PSTN is being fostered by the Federal Communications Commission, which has made it much easier for telephone companies to tear down or decommission copper telephone networks.

Legal analysts are questioning the recent assertion by National Telecommunications and Information Administration head Arielle Roth that the NTIA can legally withhold federal broadband deployment funds from states that have laws enforcing net neutrality or that have enacted affordable broadband legislation similar to New York’s Affordable Broadband Act.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Adam Cassady spoke at NVIDIA GTC on October 29. He spoke about National Telecommunications and Information Administration priorities, including 6G and artificial intelligence. "In AI, NTIA’s vision is just that of the Administration’s: we want the United States-led AI to power the future. Of work, of recreation, of life. And second, and more specifically at NTIA: We want to ensure that the United States leads, together with secure and trusted global partners, in the next generation of connectivity, 6G.

Sen Roger Marshall (R-KS) reintroduced the bipartisan ReConnecting Rural America Act alongside Senator Peter Welch (D-VT). This legislation will strengthen the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program.