Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Agenda

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel

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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

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Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare

Emergency Communications

Federal Agency

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Legislation

Communications Act of 1934

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Federal

FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel Proposes to Restore Net Neutrality Rules to Re-Establish the FCC's Authority Over Broadband Providers Under Title II

benton — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 19:28:29 +0000

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed that the FCC take the first procedural steps toward reaffirming rules that would treat broadband internet service as an essential service for American life. As work, healthcare, education, commerce, and so much more have moved online, no American household or business should need to function without reliable internet service. This was especially true during the pandemic. Such rules would affirm—under Title II of the Communications Act—that broadband service is on par with water, power, and phone service; that is: essential. The proposed rules would return fixed and mobile broadband service to its status as an essential “telecommunications” service. The proposal will be made public and will allow for public input. The proposal seeks to largely return to the successful rules the FCC adopted in 2015. The Chairwoman shared with her colleagues a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. If adopted by a vote of the full FCC at its monthly meeting on October 19, 2023, the agency will begin a new rulemaking to take public comment and reply comments on the proposal. Any person or organization can file comments and see others’ comments at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs. After a review of that public record, the Chairwoman can decide whether and how to proceed, including adopting final rules which would also require a majority vote of the bipartisan FCC.

Benton Content:

https://www.fcc.gov/document/chairwoman-rosenworcel-proposes-restore-net-neutral…

Teaser:

"We have a window to update our policies to make sure that the internet is not only open, but fast and fair, safe and secure."

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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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Federal Agency

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Internet/Broadband

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Federal

Network Neutrality

States are Relying on the Federal Affordable Connectivity Program to Close the Digital Divide

benton — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 11:25:47 +0000

With the common aim of ensuring that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy, each of the 50 states is currently drafting a digital equity plan through what one official called “the largest demonstration of participatory democracy that our country has ever seen." The states are tasked with developing long-term objectives for closing the digital divide by addressing the needs of eight "covered populations"—including low-income households. Several states have released their draft digital equity plans and one tool they all rely heavily on for connecting—and keeping connected—low-income households is the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). However, estimates from the Federal Communications Commission project that funding for the ACP could run out within the next year. Also see:

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/states-are-relying-federal-affordable-connectivity-p…

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The impact of Affordable Connectivity Program funding on state digital equity plans

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https://www.benton.org/blog/understanding-and-driving-enrollment-affordable-conn…

Grace Tepper

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Tue, 09/12/2023

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Daily Digest 9/11/2023

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Tue, 09/12/2023

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Analysis

Understanding and Driving Enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program

dclay@benton.org — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 16:59:03 +0000

Fitting the monthly cost of a broadband subscription into a low-income household budget is difficult, to say the least, because of the costs of competing necessities like lodging, food, and healthcare. These financial pressures—and unexpected expenses—keep too many people in the U.S. from subscribing to home broadband service—or cause them to drop service at times to make ends meet. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress recognized these obstacles for low-income people and created a program—first called the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program—to reduce the monthly costs of connectivity. With passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021, Congress turned the temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit Program into a longer-term subsidy. Launched in January 2022 with $14.2 billion in funding, the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a critical component of the ongoing federal investment in broadband adoption. Eligible households receive $30/month (and up to $75/month on Tribal lands) to defray the cost of internet service, as well as up to $100 towards the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. On January 18, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society hosted a panel discussion on ACP enrollment. Drew Garner, the State Broadband Policy Advisor at Common Sense Media, moderated the panel. He began the discussion by noting the three steps low-income households must complete before they begin enjoying ACP benefits: first, they must confirm that their household is eligible to participate in the program; then they must complete an application to be enrolled in ACP; and, finally, they must choose an internet service provider and pick a plan to subscribe to.

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Benton Original Content

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Despite its success, ACP observers estimate that the program will run out of current funding by mid-2024, thus digital equity advocates must convince Congress to fund the program for low-income households.

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

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Fri, 01/20/2023

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Daily Digest 1/19/2023

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Thu, 01/19/2023

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Analysis

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.

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Benton Original Content

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

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https://www.benton.org/blog/broadband-five-years

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Mon, 10/03/2022

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Daily Digest 9/30/2022

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Fri, 09/30/2022

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Benton Foundation

Broadband in Five Years

benton — Tue, 03 May 2022 11:24:08 +0000

House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) joined Glen Echo Group CEO Maura Corbett for a conversation at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s 40^th Anniversary celebration. In the wake of the unprecedented investment in broadband included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Corbett asked Clyburn where he thinks we’ll be in five years. “Oh, in five years,” Clyburn answered, “I think this is going to be a successful venture.” Representative Clyburn said attention now turns to states, like his home, South Carolina. Clyburn got a call from Governor Henry McMaster (R-SC) who said, “I'm getting ready to do the State of the State address and I'm going to be asking for a significant amount of dollars for your broadband program." “That's the way he said it. And he did. And he had already done a lot. And when we passed the infrastructure bill, he says, ‘Every residence, every business in this state, we are going to have connected in 3 to 4 years.’” Governor McMaster was the very first governor in the country to endorse Donald Trump. And Representative Clyburn is known for his influential endorsement of President Biden during the 2020 primaries. But the two see eye-to-eye on broadband.

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Benton Original Content

Teaser:

“Oh, in five years, I think this is going to be a successful venture.”

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Coronavirus and Connectivity

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Adrianne Furniss

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Wed, 05/04/2022

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Daily Digest 5/2/2022

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Tue, 05/03/2022

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Pew

E Pluribus Unum and Universal Broadband

benton — Mon, 02 May 2022 11:31:27 +0000

On April 6, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) joined a packed house at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in downtown Washington, DC to help the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society celebrate its 40^th anniversary. Congressman Clyburn (D-SC) is the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, and also serves, importantly, as chair of the House Rural Broadband Task Force. Not only was his presidential endorsement credited with nearly single-handedly changing the trajectory of the presidential race in 2020, but his development of the Accessible Affordable Internet for All Act changed the trajectory of the infrastructure bill itself. His legislation incorporated a bold broadband vision and laid out a critical set of challenges, principles, and goals. Things that every state, local policymaker, every community leader, and every broadband provider could embrace and evangelize. And he helped build the critical momentum necessary to ensure broadband became a foundational pillar of the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Representative Clyburn was joined by Maura Corbett, CEO and Founder of the Glen Echo Group, for a conversation on a range of issues. Corbett asked Congressman Clyburn about the divisions in our country and he immediately thought of the U.S Postal Service. He noted how it is in the U.S. Constitution of the United States to provide a service to connect communities. “That's what it's all about,” said Representative Clyburn. “Bring all the communities together—rural, and urban, and everything—so that we can fulfill our nation's motto: e pluribus unum. Out of many one.”

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/e-pluribus-unum-and-universal-broadband

Teaser:

“That's what it's all about: Bring all the communities together—rural, and urban, and everything—so that we can fulfill our nation's motto: e pluribus unum. Out of many one.”

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https://www.benton.org/blog/happy-belated-birthday-andrew-jay-schwartzman

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Adrianne Furniss

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Mon, 05/02/2022

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Daily Digest 4/29/2022

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Mon, 05/02/2022

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Happy Belated Birthday, Andrew Jay Schwartzman

benton — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:36:03 +0000

At our 40th Anniversary celebration on April 6, we were delighted to honor Andrew Jay Schwartzman and celebrate his 75th birthday. If you are not familiar with Andy's work, he is known to his friends, colleagues, and mentees as the “dean” of the public interest communications bar—someone who has devoted his professional life to making the communications landscape better for us all. Andy is the recent winner of the James Wilson Award, the highest honor the University of Pennsylvania Law Alumni Society bestows on its graduates—which, by coincidence, was timed perfectly to his 50^th law school reunion. The James Wilson Award is presented each year to a member of the alumni community in honor of a lifetime of service in the profession. Andy's career has been long and impactful. Happy birthday, Andy. We are so thankful for all you have done to advance public interest communications policy—and so excited that we can continue to work together to achieve broadband’s full promise and potential.

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Benton Original Content

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At our 40th Anniversary celebration on April 6, we were delighted to honor Andrew Jay Schwartzman and celebrate his 75th birthday.

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https://www.benton.org/blog/whats-next-affordable-connectivity-program

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Adrianne Furniss

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Thu, 04/28/2022

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Daily Digest 4/26/2022

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Wed, 04/27/2022

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What's Next for the Affordable Connectivity Program?

Grace Tepper — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 23:29:40 +0000

As Congress found in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband is essential to full participation in modern life in the United States. The aim of the Affordable Connectivity Program is to ensure broadband is affordable for any household no matter its income. Although the Federal Communications Commission has met an incredibly tight timeline to adopt rules and launch the new Affordable Connectivity Program, there is still a great deal of work to be done. Here's a quick look at what remains on the FCC's agenda.

[Kevin Taglang is Executive Editor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.]

Benton Content:

Benton Original Content

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Although the Federal Communications Commission has met an incredibly tight timeline to adopt rules and launch the new Affordable Connectivity Program, there is still a great deal of work to be done.

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Lifeline/Low-Income Consumers

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Sat, 01/22/2022

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Daily Digest 1/21/2022

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Fri, 01/21/2022

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Affordability/Cost/Price

Universal Broadband

Universal Service Fund

Rosenworcel & Davidson: With Leadership in Place, NTIA and FCC Must Now Work Together to Close the Digital Divide

benton — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 12:36:40 +0000

On January 11, the U.S. Senate voted 60-31 to confirm the nomination of Alan Davidson to be the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. Once sworn in, Davidson will lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is President Joe Biden's principal adviser on telecommunications and information policy. Just last month, the Senate confirmed Jessica Rosenworcel for a new term as a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and President Biden has tapped her to lead the agency. So begins what will likely be the most consequential broadband relationship in Washington over the next few years. Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress is investing $65 billion to help ensure that every American has access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet. The investment is meant to make sure that broadband infrastructure reaches more than 30 million Americans who live in areas where high-speed internet access service is unavailable or inadequate—and to make service more accessible to millions more who can't afford monthly broadband bills. To successfully implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and close the digital divide, the NTIA and the FCC have been called on to not just lead, but to collaborate as well. As the law states: "It is the sense of Congress that Federal agencies responsible for supporting broadband deployment, including the [FCC and NTIA] ... should align the goals, application and reporting processes, and project requirements with respect to broadband deployment supported by those agencies." Here are some examples of NTIA-FCC collaboration required in the Investment Investment and Jobs Act.

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Benton Original Content

https://www.benton.org/blog/rosenworcel-davidson

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FCC and NTIA must work together to close the digital divide

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