Level of Government

The Federal Communications Commission is proposing more than $10 million in fines against two providers who apparently defrauded the FCC’s Lifeline Program. The Federal Lifeline Program is funded by the Universal Service Fund to provide a discount on phone and internet services for qualifying low-income Americans. The Notice of Apparent Liability adopted by the FCC proposes $2,673,966 and $7,453,966 fines against AirVoice Wireless and TAG Mobility, respectively.

The Oklahoma Broadband Office is celebrating the completion of eight broadband infrastructure projects by Indian Electric Cooperative that will expand fiber-optic connectivity across several rural Oklahoma communities. The projects were funded through Oklahoma’s American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund broadband program. IEC received approximately $17.7 million for four last-mile and four middle-mile projects. 

The Federal Communications Commission's Space Bureau and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau grant-in-part and defer-in-part the application, as amended, of Space Exploration Holdings, LLC to deploy and operate a new constellation of 15,000 non-geostationary orbit satellites. The D2D System is authorized for the provision of direct-to-device services using Mobile Satellite Service and Supplemental Coverage from Space operations in the United States, MSS and MSS direct-to-cell outside of the United States, and related Fixed-Satellite Service operations. With this action, SpaceX’s planned depl

On June 4, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, seeking comment on “measures the Commission can take…to better protect children when using E-Rate funded networks, including to limit screen time.” In response, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration held a virtual listening session, FCC’s E-Rate and Screen Use NPRM, on September 16, 2026.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development invested nearly $25 billion in loans and grants in fiscal year 2026. These investments are helping rural communities grow and maintain critical services that families, farmers, and businesses rely on every day. Rural Development invested $267 million (yes, 1% of the USDA's investment in rural America) to expand internet access to rural households, farms, businesses, and community institutions.

Governments spend billions of dollars to bring broadband to places that lack it. This report asks how much of the new service in the places six programs came from the subsidies, and how much would have arrived anyway. We compare the areas each program funded with similar areas it did not fund, track both over time, and call the difference the program’s effect. The main measure is access, whether a location can buy at least 100/20 Mbps from a wired or licensed wireless provider.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the E-Rate program, asking if E-Rate is still necessary and how the program should change. This proceeding could drastically impact the work of the schools and libraries that rely on E-Rate funding. Every state has E-Rate coordinators that help schools and libraries navigate the federal program.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are removing regulations related to the 911 Grant Program because the program is no longer active and there have been no new appropriations to revive or extend it. This removal is intended to eliminate obsolete regulatory language, ensure that the Code of Federal Regulations is accurate and up-to-date, and minimize the risk of confusion regarding the availability of grant funds. The rule is effective October 6, 2026.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that, following an open and competitive selection process, Identity Digital has been selected as the new administrator of .us, the United States country code Top Level Domain (usTLD).

Nearly 75 percent of school districts in North Carolina report they don't have a sustainable funding source to maintain their fleet of computers, including student devices like Chromebooks. North Carolina public schools collectively spent more than $6.6 million last school year to repair broken computers. That's according to a new report, the first of its kind, by the Department of Public Instruction that was presented to the State Board of Education.