Level of Government

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has indicated he’ll make fundamental changes to the $42 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. These changes, such as giving a stronger preference for satellite internet, could force states to restart their broadband grant programs. On April 3, a group of 115 state legislators from 28 states sent Secretary Lutnick a letter requesting that any BEAD changes be optional rather than mandatory.

President Donald Trump has told his inner circle, including members of his Cabinet, that Elon Musk will be stepping back in the coming weeks from his current role as governing partner, ubiquitous cheerleader, and Washington hatchet man. The president remains pleased with Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency initiative but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role, according to three Trump insiders who were granted anonymity to describe the evolving relationship. Musk’s looming exit comes as s

A recently unveiled cybersecurity labeling program for smart products might be expanded in the near future to include other equipment beyond household internet appliances, Republican Federal Communications Commissioner Nathan Simington said at an Information Technology Industry Council event. The label, known as the Cyber Trust Mark, was designed initially for consumer internet of things devices to inform shoppers that applicable products meet certain government-vetted cybersecurity standards.

More than a billion dollars worth of government incentives to boost rural Hoosier broadband access could get tangled in the utility pole attachment fight between Indiana’s electricity providers and telecommunications companies—prompting a major potential amendment and several hostile exchanges at a committee hearing. “For three years of my life, I have been trying to get the utilities and the telecoms to agree,” the committee’s frustrated leader, Rep Ed Soliday (R-4), began. “… And so, we now are here.” “The loser in all of this is the rural person who needs broadband,” he said.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D-AZ) expressed deep concern and disappointment following the abrupt placement of staff on administrative leave at the Institute of Museum and Library Services, leaving federal grants to local libraries in jeopardy. “Federal grants are basically tax dollars being put to work in a smart way to help the people who paid them in. The reckless layoff of IMLS staff is a devastating act of sabotage,” said Secretary Fontes.

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance, in partnership with AMERIND Critical Infrastructure, is proud to present the very first ever awardees of the Seven Star Communities program. 

Spectrum for the Future was among 29 wireless innovators, leading businesses, and other spectrum users to urge U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to maintain and protect the Citizens Broadband Radio Service from changes that would undermine U.S. global wireless leadership. Protecting shared spectrum access in the CBRS band will ensure that American companies can continue to innovate and invest in critical shared spectrum technology that will provide an offramp from zero sum game spectrum fights and enable win-win spectrum solutions for both U.S. economic and national security.

A new lawsuit from fiber operator Metronet accuses officials from the City of Colorado Springs of blocking the company's fiber network construction efforts in the city. The reason? The city's utility is building its own, rival fiber network.

The first of four new digital learning labs helping Saint Louisans to learn computer skills opened on March 31. Now, the Tandy Recreation Center is equipped to provide residents with computer access, internet connectivity, digital literacy training, and one-on-one help from digital navigators.

“One more thing” is the line that Detective Columbo typically uttered in the eponymous 1970s detective series; it signaled that Columbo was on the brink of solving the episode’s puzzle. If Columbo were around today, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) may have vexed him had he pondered its impact. Did it move the broadband adoption dial? If so, by how much?