Federal Agency
Rep Gosar Reintroduces the Stop the Censorship Act
Rep Paul Gosar (R-AZ) reintroduced H.R. 908, the Stop the Censorship Act, legislation reforming Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 to end Big Tech’s broad ability to censor Americans. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1934 deputizes Big Tech companies to censor competition and lawful political speech, even affording immunity from legal challenges against anticompetitive conduct.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Announces Additional Staff Appointments
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr announced the appointment of additional FCC leadership positions:
- Adam Candeub, General Counsel of the FCC
- Jay Schwarz, Chief, Space Bureau
- Adam Jackman, Director of Strategic Communications, Office of Media Relations
- Dana Howell, Executive Assistant, Office of Chairman Brendan Carr
Snapshot: Affordable Connectivity Program
Broadband access for all has long been a critical issue for The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund. With the launch of the Center for Civil Rights and Technology in September 2023, these legacy civil rights organizations renewed their commitment and dedication to closing the digital divide—the persistent gap between people who have access to digital technology and those who do not. The startling connections among demographics, regions, and lack of access to broadband highlight the critical need to close this gap.
How the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program is hurting low-income Americans
This episode of The Divide features a conversation with Danielle Perry, chief compliance officer at TruConnect, and a board member at the National Lifeline Association (NaLA), where she also chairs NaLA's regulatory and government affairs committee.

A New Source of Broadband Funding
The Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act, was signed into law in early January as part of the ‘larger Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (S. 4367). This bill authorizes the Economic Development Administration (EDA), which is part of the Department of Commerce, to award economic development grants to public-private partnerships or related consortiums to implement broadband infrastructure projects.

FCC Proposes Increased Broadband Availability in the 900 MHz Band
On January 16, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) closed out Jessica Rosenworcel’s term as Chairwoman by releasing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking to expand the use of the 896-901/935-940 MHz band for broadband use. The NPRM builds on the FCC's 2019 rulemaking, which created a 3/3 MHz broadband allocation at 897.5-900.5/936.5-939.5 MHz and established a process for clearing narrowband incumbents from the band. Of note, the FCC asks whether to lift or modify the ongoing narrowband licensing freeze for the 900 MHz band.
Senate Receives Nomination of Arielle Roth to Lead NTIA
On February 3, 2025, the nomination of Arielle Roth, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information (vice Alan Davidson, resigned) was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Commerce.

Linking Alabama to Broadband With a Digital Equity Capacity Grant
The Be Linked Alabama initiative is the state’s united effort to expand access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet to all Alabamians. Coordinated by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), Be Linked Alabama led to the development of the Alabama Statewide Digital Opportunity Plan.

BEAD’s Groundhog Day Moment
According to Albert Einstein, insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Congress is taking this to a whole new level with its latest discussions about how to “fix” broadband internet deployment across the United States. The most vociferous criticisms of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program have centered on how long it has taken to deploy. On its face, that is a fair criticism. Contextualized, however, the criticism does not hold water. No one is asking why it took so long. The simple answer: Maps.

National Verifier Annual Report and Data
This annual report provides a summary of the National Verifier and its functionality, and it outlines how the National Verifier meets the Federal Communications Commission's key objectives: to protect against waste, fraud, and abuse; to lower costs to the Universal Service Fund (Fund) and service providers through administrative efficiencies; and to better serve eligible beneficiaries by facilitating choice and improving the enrollment experience. This report also provides an update on the use and performance of the National Verifier, including a discussion of system enhancements.