Universal Broadband

We write regarding the Affordable Connectivity Program, an important tool in our efforts to close the digital divide. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided significant funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which has already enabled 18 million Americans to access the high-speed broadband services they need. However, given the current rate of enrollment, projections indicate that the funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program could be exhausted as early as the first quarter of 2024.

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is leading some of the City’s investments in digital equity and is partnering with the Brooklyn Public Library, the New York Public Library, and the Queens Public Library to support low-income New Yorkers on using technology. A significant portion of the agency’s Section 8 households include an older or disabled adult and many are bilingual.

There are at least seven reasons why states should consider connecting anchor institutions early in the broadband deployment process rather than at the tail end:

Attempts to pass comprehensive transmission siting reform failed in the recent congressional debt ceiling negotiations. It may be time to explore a different approach to accelerating transmission build-out: encouraging voluntary efforts by developers and stakeholders to create stakeholder-driven transmission corridors.

Gov.

The Utah Broadband Center (UBC), part of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, asks for public feedback on the drafts of the Utah Digital Connectivity Plan and Digital Equity Plan. Comments can be submitted online through July 6, 2023. The Utah Digital Connectivity Plan and Digital Equity Plan highlight Utah’s vision, goals, objectives, and strategies to help get all Utahns connected to affordable high-speed broadband internet and access to the tools and resources needed to succeed in the digital world.

Powered by a contribution from AT&T, the Public Library Association (PLA) has selected more than 200 public libraries across 45 states to host digital literacy and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) workshops.

The Federal Communications Commission originally budgeted $20.4 billion dollars for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) subsidy program to be spent over ten years. The original RDOF reverse auction offered $16 billion in subsidies. But in a story that is now well known, some entities bid RDOF markets down to ridiculously low subsidy levels, and only $9.4 billion was claimed in the auction. $2.8 billion of this funding ended up in default, including some of the bidders who had driven the prices so low. That means that only $6.4 billion of the original $20.4 billion has been allocated.

At the time the Federal Communications Commission Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program winners were announced, $9.23 billion was committed over 10-years to cover over 5 million Unserved locations.

When it comes to wiring Mississippi, the state is betting on co-ops and small telecommunications companies.