Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Infrastructure

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel

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Send date:

Wed, 09/27/2023

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Daily Digest 9/26/2023

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Tue, 09/26/2023

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Speech

Agenda

Upcoming policy issue

Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare

Emergency Communications

Regulatory classification

Legislation

Communications Act of 1934

https://www.benton.org/blog/affordable-connectivity-program-and-rural-america

The Affordable Connectivity Program and Rural America

benton — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 17:38:37 +0000

Households in rural America are overcoming significant headwinds as they sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) benefit at a higher rate than urban counterparts. Through April 2023, ACP enrollment data shows that: 15% of all rural households have enrolled in ACP and 14% of households in metro or urban areas have enrolled in the benefit. Even this modest difference is striking given the tensions that buffet rural residents as they consider enrolling in ACP. On the one hand, rural areas have characteristics that improve ACP enrollment according to the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s Affordable Connectivity Program Enrollment Performance Tool . Nearly half (49%) of rural households qualify for ACP compared with 40% of non-rural ones. This gap is largely because there are more lower income households in rural parts of the country. Some 36% of rural households have annual incomes at or below 200% of the Federal poverty level (FPL) in contrast to the 28% figure for households in non-rural areas. There is a positive correlation between areas with a large share of eligible households and ACP enrollment.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

Some 230,000 more rural households have signed up for ACP than predicted

Source:

https://internetforall.gov/news-media/biden-harris-administration-announces-stat…

Author:

John Horrigan

Send date:

Wed, 06/28/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 6/27/2023

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Tue, 06/27/2023

Coverage Type:

Analysis

NTIA Announces State Allocations for $42.45 Billion BEAD Program

benton — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 15:47:05 +0000

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has allocated funding to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories to deploy affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service to everyone in America. States, Washington (DC), and territories will use funding from the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to administer grant programs within their borders. The BEAD funding will be used to deploy or upgrade broadband networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service. Once deployment goals are met, any remaining funding can be used to pursue eligible access-, adoption-, and equity-related uses. States, DC, and territories (“Eligible Entities”) will receive their formal notice of allocation on June 30, 2023. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Eligible Entities have 180 days from the date of that formal notice to submit their Initial Proposals describing how they propose to run their grant programs. Eligible Entities can begin submitting their Initial Proposals starting July 1, 2023. Once NTIA approves an Initial Proposal, which will occur on a rolling basis, Eligible Entities will be permitted to request access to at least 20 percent of their allocated funds.

State	Allocation Amount
Alabama	$1,401,221,901.77
Alaska	$1,017,139,672.42
Arizona	$993,112,231.37
Arkansas	$1,024,303,993.86
California	$1,864,136,508.93
Colorado	$826,522,650.41
Connecticut	$144,180,792.71
Delaware	$107,748,384.66
District of Columbia	$100,694,786.93
Florida	$1,169,947,392.70
Georgia	$1,307,214,371.30
Hawaii	$149,484,493.57
Idaho	$583,256,249.88
Illinois	$1,040,420,751.50
Indiana	$868,109,929.79
Iowa	$415,331,313.00
Kansas	$451,725,998.15
Kentucky	$1,086,172,536.86
Louisiana	$1,355,554,552.94
Maine	$271,977,723.07
Maryland	$267,738,400.71
Massachusetts	$147,422,464.39
Michigan	$1,559,362,479.29
Minnesota	$651,839,368.20
Mississippi	$1,203,561,563.05
Missouri	$1,736,302,708.39
Montana	$628,973,798.59
Nebraska	$405,281,070.41
Nevada	$416,666,229.74
New Hampshire	$196,560,278.97
New Jersey	$263,689,548.65
New Mexico	$675,372,311.86
New York	$664,618,251.49
North Carolina	$1,532,999,481.15
North Dakota	$130,162,815.12
Ohio	$793,688,107.63
Oklahoma	$797,435,691.25
Oregon	$688,914,932.17
Pennsylvania	$1,161,778,272.41
Rhode Island	$108,718,820.75
South Carolina	$551,535,983.05
South Dakota	$207,227,523.92
Tennessee	$813,319,680.22
Texas	$3,312,616,455.45
Utah	$317,399,741.54
Vermont	$228,913,019.08
Virginia	$1,481,489,572.87
Washington	$1,227,742,066.30
West Virginia	$1,210,800,969.85
Wisconsin	$1,055,823,573.71
Wyoming	$347,877,921.27
American Samoa	$37,564,827.53
Guam	$156,831,733.59
Northern Mariana Islands	$80,796,709.02
Puerto Rico	$334,614,151.70
U.S. Virgin Islands	$27,103,240.86

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces State Allocations for $42.45 Billion High-Speed Internet Grant Program as Part of Investing in America Agenda

Source:

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Send date:

Tue, 06/27/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 6/26/2023

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Mon, 06/26/2023

Coverage Type:

Press Release

Digital Divide

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Federal Broadband Programs

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

https://www.benton.org/visions-digital-equity/community-contributor-essays/what-…

State

What Digital Equity Means for Rural Alaska

benton — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 11:29:05 +0000

Dleł Taaneets is the traditional name of my hometown of Rampart; it means “the hanging moose hide,” which the bluffs near our village mimic in color. My ancestors survived on these lands by following the lifeways of the season: spruce tips and birds in spring, salmon and plants in the summer, berries and moose in winter, trapping in the winter. Living off the lands of Alaska is unforgiving due to extreme weather, but my lineage endured and thrived by maintaining respect for one another, having gratitude to the animals and plants, and honoring the gorgeous lands that sustained them. Time moves differently in Alaska as we slowly assimilate into modern times. I don’t know when Rampart was first connected to the internet, but access wasn’t available for individual families like mine until I was an upperclassman in high school. To access the internet, my cousins and I would go to sit outside the Tribal office after hours during the midnight sun season, surrounded by mosquitos—a practice still done to this day. At the beginning of 2021, I left the oppressive service industry and promised myself to apply only to jobs that would begin my career in serving community. After months of pursuing jobs with no success, my eena (mother) forwarded me an email with an application to be the Broadband Specialist for the Native Movement and Alaska Public Interest Research Group (AKPIRG).

[ Brittany Woods-Orrison is a Koyukon Dené woman from Dleł Taaneets, an Alaskan village along the Yukon River. She grew up on her ancestral homelands learning how to harvest traditional foods and being taught her culture. Brittany traveled around the Western United States learning about the lands, the waters, and the Indigenous stewards for a couple of years before returning home to Alaska to be the broadband specialist for Alaska Public Interest Research Group and Native Movement. Brittany now works on digital equity, cultural revitalization, food sovereignty, reconnecting to the land, and deep community building.]

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

"The internet is a tool I never had when my family needed it, and I work for every Alaskan, young and old, to have safe, affordable, equitable access to the internet so that they can use it in ways that will allow them to thrive."

Source:

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Author:

Brittany Woods-Orrison

Send date:

Mon, 06/05/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 6/2/2023

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Mon, 06/05/2023

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Op-Ed

Marginalized Populations

Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

"A Very Rude Culture Shock"

benton — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 11:31:54 +0000

Barbara Drӧher Kline thought she knew what she was getting into when she moved halfway across the country and bought a 1890s farmhouse in rural Le Sueur county, Minnesota. Contractors advised her to tear the house down, but she loved a fixer-upper, especially after she had refined her remodeling skills on her previous home in California, a redwood log cabin near San Francisco. Drӧher Kline wasn’t scared by a rural lifestyle either. Both she and her husband, John Kline, had roots in the state, and he had grown up nearby. The plot twist was something even HGTV had not prepared her for: slow internet. The internet service provider for her new home, Frontier Communications, offered outdated technology with frequent outages and notoriously poor customer service. Over the next two years, from 2016 to 2018, she would jump between various internet companies, trying to secure the high-speed connections she needed to work remotely. The experience even inspired her to run for state office.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/digital-divide-diaries/culture-shock

Teaser:

How one homebuyer found herself working remotely, without internet.

Source:

Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

Author:

Adam Echelman

Send date:

Mon, 04/24/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/21/2023

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Publish Date:

Mon, 04/24/2023

Coverage Type:

Marginalized Populations

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Utah to Receive Nearly $1 Billion in American Rescue Plan Funds to Increase Access to Affordable, High-Speed Internet

benton — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 15:36:49 +0000

The Department of Treasury approved broadband projects in an additional six states under the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Utah. Together, these states will use their funding to connect more than 180,000 homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet. A key priority of the Capital Projects Fund program is to make funding available for reliable, affordable broadband infrastructure.

Florida is approved for $248 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 48,400 households and businesses – representing approximately 10% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Florida’s award will fund Florida’s Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP), a competitive grant program designed to expand last mile broadband access to homes and businesses in rural areas of the state. Funding from CPF will help Florida continue to prioritize fiber-optic networks and projects proposing affordable service. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 68% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program. Florida submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these applications are currently under review by Treasury.
Georgia is approved to receive $250 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 70,000 households and businesses – representing 15% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Georgia’s award will fund the Georgia Capital Projects Fund grant program, a competitive grant program that is designed to fund broadband infrastructure projects that provide service to areas identified by the state to currently lack access to reliable broadband that can meet or exceed 25/3 Mbps, and that adopt practices that support both efficient broadband expansion and community engagement. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 96% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program. Georgia submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these applications are currently under review by Treasury.
Iowa is approved for $152.2 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 18,972 households and businesses – representing approximately 16% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Iowa’s award will fund the Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Program, a competitive grant program designed to address inequities in access to broadband throughout the state of Iowa. Using a three-step process, the program combines mapping data, input from communities, and applications from service providers. Funding from CPF will help Iowa bring broadband service to areas identified having a critical need for broadband. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 100% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program.
Minnesota is approved for $44 million for broadband infrastructure. Minnesota’s award will fund two additional broadband infrastructure programs: Minnesota’s Line Extension Program, a competitive grant program designed to address the needs of individuals who are located near infrastructure for high-quality broadband service but where the cost of the last mile connection is a barrier; and the Low-Density Pilot Program, a competitive grant program that provides financial resources for new and existing providers to invest in building broadband infrastructure in low-density areas of the state that currently lack high-speed internet. Funding from CPF will help Minnesota continue its efforts to provide reliable internet access to predominately rural locations previously facing cost barriers. In total, Minnesota is using $127 million –70% of their CPF funding –for broadband infrastructure to reach an estimated ~32,000 locations, or ~12% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access in the state. Minnesota submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these applications are currently under review by Treasury.
Missouri is approved for $196.7 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 37,979 households and businesses – representing approximately 8% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Missouri’s award will fund the Missouri Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, a competitive grant program designed to fund broadband infrastructure projects in areas that currently lack access to high-speed, reliable broadband. Funding from CPF will help Missouri bring service to areas where broadband infrastructure projects would not be feasible without assistance. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 100% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program.
Utah is approved for $10 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 3,080 households and businesses – representing approximately 5% of locations still lacking high-speed internet access. Utah’s award will fund the Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Grant Program (Gap Networks Grant Program), a competitive grant program designed to address gaps in broadband infrastructure where reliable broadband service is currently unavailable. Funding from CPF will help Utah continue its efforts to bridge the state’s remaining digital divide. The plan submitted to Treasury and being approved today represents 7% of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program. Utah submitted plans for the remainder of their CPF funds and these plans are currently under review by Treasury.

Benton Content:

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1132

Teaser:

Together, these states will use their funding to connect more than 180,000 homes and businesses

Source:

Department of the Treasury

Send date:

Fri, 12/02/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 12/1/2022

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Publish Date:

Thu, 12/01/2022

Coverage Type:

Press Release

Federal Broadband Programs

Department of Treasury

Capital Projects Fund

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-releases-new-national-broadband-maps

State

FCC Releases New National Broadband Maps

benton — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 15:10:06 +0000

The Federal Communications Commission released a pre-production draft of its new National Broadband Map. The map will display specific location-level information about broadband services available throughout the country – a significant step forward from the census block level data previously collected. This release of the draft map kicks off the public challenge processes that will play a critical role in improving the accuracy of the map. An accurate map is an important resource for targeting funding and other efforts to bring broadband to unserved and underserved communities. The public will be able to view the maps at broadbandmap.fcc.gov and search for their address to see information about the fixed and mobile services that internet providers report are available there. If the fixed internet services shown are not available at the user’s location, they may file a challenge with the FCC directly through the map interface to correct the information. Map users will also be able correct information about their location and add their location to the map if it is missing. The draft map will also allow users to view the mobile wireless coverage reported by cellular service providers.

The FCC also announced the launch of an updated version of the FCC Speed Test App that will enable users to quickly compare the performance and coverage of their mobile networks to that reported by their provider. The app allows users to submit their mobile speed test data in support of a challenge to a wireless service provider’s claimed coverage. New users can download the FCC Speed Test App in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Existing app users should update the app to gain these new features.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

A pre-production draft of the FCC's new National Broadband Map

Source:

Send date:

Mon, 11/21/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 11/18/2022

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

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Publish Date:

Fri, 11/18/2022

Coverage Type:

Public Notice

Digital Divide

Federal Broadband Programs

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

https://www.benton.org/blog/broadband-mapping-and-communities

Broadband Mapping By and For Communities

benton — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:15:25 +0000

On Monday, September 26, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Director of Research and Fellowships Dr. Revati Prasad hosted an online panel discussion, From the Ground Up: Broadband Mapping By and for Communities, on how communities and states are collecting data on local broadband availability as the Federal Communications Commission rolls out the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) program. The panel was moderated by Dustin Loup, the Program Manager at the National Broadband Mapping Coalition, the event's co-sponsor. He framed the discussion by highlighting that inaccurate broadband deployment data has not only overestimated the percentage of U.S. households with access to broadband, it has also prevented some communities from being eligible for federal and/or state programs that subsidize broadband network buildout. Read what the panel had to say at the link below.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

Recapping From the Ground Up: Broadband Mapping By and For Communities

Source:

https://www.benton.org/blog/future-universal-service-still-future

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Mon, 10/03/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 9/30/2022

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Fri, 09/30/2022

Coverage Type:

Reporting

Headlines Specific Topic:

Benton Foundation

The Future of Universal Service is Still in the Future

benton — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 11:20:32 +0000

When it comes to broadband, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is about more than money. For example, Congress also directed the Federal Communications Commission to consider the impact of the law's $65 billion broadband investment on the FCC's existing broadband support programs under the umbrella of the Universal Service Fund (known to wonks as the USF). Congress asked for a report on the future of the USF including the FCC's options for improving its effectiveness in achieving the universal service goals for broadband in light of this COVID-era legislation including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Congress explicitly said that the FCC could make recommendations on further actions the Commission and Congress could take to improve the ability of the FCC to achieve the universal service goals for broadband, but the FCC could not make recommendations that in any way reduce the congressional mandate to achieve the universal service goals for broadband. Recommendations could expand the universal service goals for broadband, if the FCC believes such an expansion is in the public interest. The FCC sent that report to Congress this week and below we look at what the FCC is recommending about its universal goals for broadband, the four main USF programs, and how the USF is paid for.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

Teaser:

The FCC releases the Report on the Future of the Universal Service Fund

Source:

Community Anchor Institutions

Author:

Kevin Taglang

Send date:

Fri, 08/19/2022

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 8/18/2022

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Fri, 08/19/2022

Coverage Type:

Analysis

Libraries

Healthcare Facilities

Affordability/Cost/Price

Adoption

Universal Broadband

Universal Service Fund

Rural Health Care

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

Lifeline/Low-Income Consumers

E-rate/Schools and Libraries Program

5G Fund for Rural America

Border-to-Border Broadband for Minnesota

benton — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 11:30:11 +0000

By statute, Minnesota's goal is that, no later than 2022, all Minnesota homes and businesses have access to high-speed broadband that provides minimum download speeds of at least 25 Mbps and minimum upload speeds of at least 3 Mbps. And, no later than 2026, all Minnesota homes and businesses will have access to at least one provider of broadband with download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 20 Mbps. Moreover, Minnesota has set state goals for how it will compare to other regions. By 2022, the state plans to be in:

The top five states in the nation for broadband speed universally accessible to residents and businesses
The top five states for broadband access
The top 15 when compared to countries globally for broadband penetration

On July 14, Minnesota received a $68.4 million boost from the U.S. Treasury towards achieving these goals.

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/border-border-broadband-minnesota

Teaser:

How Minnesota will employ Capital Projects Fund to close the digital divide

Source: