Legislation

The Five Nine takes an in-depth look at an interesting question: “What is broadband without affordability?” The United States government is poised to spend more than $42 billion on broadband expansions across the country in a quest to bring internet connectivity to every citizen. But the recent collapse of the government’s Affordable Connectivity Program—which provided monthly subsidies to help eligible citizens pay for their broadband service—has raised a critical question.

The buildout of broadband is well underway in Vermont, with eight out of the state’s ten Communications Union Districts (CUDs) currently connecting customers. But for Vermonters who live more than 400 feet from the fiber line along the road, that connection can come at a cost that’s unaffordable.

In Montana, over 63,400 Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs) remain unserved and nearly 24,000 remain underserved. The Montana Broadband Office’s vision is to close the digital divide in support of Montana’s economic, workforce, health, and educational goals by ensuring reliable, affordable internet access for everyone in the state.

On September 9^th I testified to the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology at a hearing entitled “From Introduction to Implementation: A BEAD Program Progress Report.

NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association and ACA Connects–America’s Communications Association submitted comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) regarding the agency’s proposed guidance on the use of alternative broadband technologies in deployment projects funded by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.  NTCA and ACA Connects urged NTIA, in enabling the use of alternative technologies, to:

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.

Consolidated Communications has won over $200 million in broadband funding, said the company’s vice president of market development, Sarah Davis. Most of the broadband funding that Consolidated has received was for New England, where the company is a major provider, Davis said. The company is currently gearing up to bid for funding in the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program in several states that it serves, she added. Consolidated’s latest win was $11.8 million through New Hampshire’s Broadband Matching Grant Initiative (BMGI) Program.

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.

Mayor Muriel Bowser (D-DC) announced the U.S. Treasury Department has awarded $61.3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund to support the construction of community facilities across the District of Columbia.

Efforts to expand high-speed internet access in Wisconsin have hit a political roadblock, stalled by partisan infighting, according to Democratic Assembly members. A budget proposal made by Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI)) seeking $750 million in state funding to supplement federal broadband dollars was removed during the final stages from the state’s 2023-25 budget by Republican lawmakers on the Joint Finance Committee. Rep.