Nicole Ferraro - Light Reading

Broadband labels back on FCC's to-do list Public Knowledge warns the FCC that changing broadband label rules may 'create a permission structure for ISPs to continue to act without accountability.'

The FCC will vote next week on a notice of proposed rulemaking to roll back some requirements for consumer broadband labels. But as @publicknowledge.bsky.social warns "the Commission could create a permission structure for ISPs to continue to act without accountability." | @lightreading.bsky.social

Dems seek investigation into Brendan Carr House Democrats call for investigation into FCC Chair Brendan Carr following ABC's suspension of Jimmy Kimmel.

House Dems, along w/@agomezfcc.bsky.social, continue to raise alarm over Carr's use of the FCC to serve Trump, w/Dems saying in a new letter Carr's "misuse of regulatory processes represent an unprecedented weaponization of the agency." www.lightreading.com/video-broadc... |@lightreading.bsky.social

Amazon is seeking to roll back the FCC's five-year deorbit rule, and I had something to say about that. 😁 #spacedebris #satellites

People need to understand that Carr is at best only a step or two removed from your average internet shitposter and he has always wanted to regulate speech that he hates. He is living his best life right now as the industry knuckles under.

I've been saying this for years, but welcome to the party.

This FCC does not have the authority, the ability, or the constitutional right to police content or punish broadcasters for speech the government dislikes.

Free speech is the foundation of our democracy, and we must push back against any attempt to erode it.

Fiber still dominates most BEAD locations Several states' final proposals released in recent days show fiber still leads in BEAD location wins.

New for @lightreading.bsky.social: preliminary BEAD results from several states in the past week show fiber is still winning the majority of broadband serviceable locations and funding, but LEO satellite is picking up a bit of steam.

West Virginia sticks with fiber for BEAD The third state to release its final proposal for BEAD, West Virginia's revised program will still award 99% of its broadband deployment funding for fiber networks.

"This set of regional outcomes is within potential awardee capacity ... supplies universal coverage of eligible locations, and demonstrates a technology-neutral approach prioritizing low-cost projects," said WV of its final BEAD proposal. || @lightreading.bsky.social

The Divide: Digging into the biggest broadband barriers in the Bronx This week: Eli Dvorkin and Rachel Neches, from the Center for an Urban Future, join the podcast to discuss their report exploring the extent and causes of the ongoing digital divide in the Bronx, New ...

This week's episode of #TheDivide pod for @lightreading.bsky.social explores @nycfuture.bsky.social's illuminating report on the digital divide in the Bronx, which includes some great policy recommendations for targeting issues around device access and skills training. Listen here:

What's going on with fixed wireless and BEAD? Advocates for fixed wireless access (FWA) were among the first to cheer the Trump administration's rewrite of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, but early results show a low le...

New for @lightreading.bsky.social: Advocates for fixed wireless access were among the first to cheer the Trump administration's rewrite of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, but early results show a low level of FWA activity and wins.

New 'Liberty Link' fiber network to connect low-income New Yorkers New York City will conduct a network design and procurement process this summer for Liberty Link, a pilot program to connect affordable housing buildings in the Bronx and Manhattan to free fiber broad...

NYC will host a network design and procurement process this summer to roll out Liberty Link: a city-owned fiber network, operated by the NYPL, offering free Internet service for at least three years to 35 affordable housing buildings. @lightreading.bsky.social

California digital equity advocates move to oppose broadband affordability bill California is advancing a broadband bill that was intended to follow in New York's footsteps with a low-cost service mandate. But consumer advocates now oppose the bill over amendments that weaken enf...

California is advancing a broadband bill that was intended to follow in New York's footsteps with a low-cost service mandate. But consumer advocates now oppose the bill over amendments that weaken enforcement and lower speeds.

Read more on Light Reading:

The Divide: Trump terminates Digital Equity Act – now what? This week: Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), on the impact of President Trump 'ending' the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act and how advocates can fig...

This week on The Divide for @lightreading.bsky.social we hear from NDIA's Angela Siefer on the immediate and long-term impact of Trump (unlawfully) terminating grants from the Digital Equity Act and how advocates and states can fight back. www.lightreading.com/broadband/th...

The Divide: How DigitalC is closing Cleveland's connectivity gaps This week: Joshua Edmonds, CEO of DigitalC, on the nonprofit ISP's history providing connectivity and digital skills training in Cleveland, and how DigitalC is working to meet its subscriber goals and...

4500 Cleveland households are now getting <$20 wireless home broadband from growing nonprofit ISP DigitalC... another excellent "Divide" interview by @nicfer.bsky.social at @lightreading.bsky.social. (Listen close, my name is dropped.)

How delays and tariffs could affect BEAD's US manufacturing goals Over 40 fiber suppliers increased domestic manufacturing to comply with the BEAD program's 'Buy America' rules. However, prolonged program delays and a shift away from BEAD's fiber focus could put suc...

New for @lightreading.bsky.social: Over 40 fiber suppliers increased domestic manufacturing in 28 states to comply with BEAD's "Buy America" rules, as set by the Biden admin. But program delays, new tariffs & the Trump admin's push to strip BEAD of its fiber focus may threaten those US investments.

State lawmakers urge Lutnick not to delay BEAD with forced changes Over 100 bipartisan state legislators signed a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warning that 'mandatory changes' to the BEAD program may delay implementation 'by a year or more' and urging ...

"We've built smart broadband plans tailored to our communities, and federal changes at this stage risk undermining years of progress and deliberation. The best thing Washington can do is let states finish the job," said Missouri State Rep. Louis Riggs, a Republican. #BEAD

USF framework 'more likely than not' to be upheld – analyst The framework of the Universal Service Fund is 'more likely than not' to be upheld, said Blair Levin after a Supreme Court hearing. But the USF's future could still be muddled by Trump administration ...

The framework of the Universal Service Fund (USF) is "more likely than not" to be upheld, said analyst Blair Levin after yesterday's SCOTUS hearing. But if Trump/Musk rewrite broadband rules to favor satellites, that could still blow up the program's future. More on @lightreading.bsky.social:

The Divide: Joey Wender on US Treasury's $10B downpayment on closing the digital divide This week: Joey Wender, director of the capital projects fund at the US Treasury Department, on the status of $10 billion in federal broadband deployment funds.

4. And here: www.lightreading.com/broadband/th...

Biden video chats with Wisconsin family over ARPA-funded fiber line In a video call, President Biden spoke to a Wisconsin family over their new fiber line, built and operated by VernonCom, with funds from the American Rescue Plan.

3. More on this here: www.lightreading.com/fttx/biden-v...

2. There may have been delays within the NTIA worth critiquing, but by and large BEAD was designed to take years to roll out, and moreover the Biden admin did connect many rural households w/billions in ARPA funds, through an effort spearheaded by the US Treasury Dept.

To clarify: 1. The Biden admin spent billions on building rural broadband; a chunk of that was in the American Rescue Plan. The larger BEAD program in the infrastructure law was designed by Congress to take years to implement, partly bc it mandated use of an FCC broadband map that didn't yet exist.

"For those in the tech industry who supported this administration thinking it would mean less regulation or more 'business friendly' policies: you've catastrophically misread the situation."

Ontario to kill Starlink contract over Trump tariffs Ontario Premier Doug Ford used Elon Musk's social media site X to report that he would be ripping up a contract with SpaceX's Starlink, signed in November, over Trump's tariffs on Canada.

"We'll be ripping up the province's contract with Starlink. Ontario won't do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy," Doug Ford said on X.

Federal funding freeze creates 'considerable uncertainty' for BEAD – analyst The Trump administration's pause on federal grants and loans is expected to halt the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program and other funds relevant to telecom, but the ov...

www.lightreading.com/broadband/fe... Among the programs expected to be halted by OMB's sudden directive to "pause" all federal grants and loans in the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, part of the bipartisan infrastructure law, designed to close the digital divide.

Louisiana expects BEAD shovels in ground in 'next 100 days' Louisiana became the first state to secure final approval of its BEAD plan from the NTIA this week. The state's broadband director expects construction to begin in a matter of months.

Louisiana became the first state to secure final approval of its BEAD plan from the NTIA this week. The state's broadband director expects construction to begin in a matter of months.

Read more on Light Reading:

Cox, Amazon, AT&T to get BEAD grants in Nevada Nevada has released its provisional BEAD winners, with grants going to AT&amp;T, Cox, Amazon's Project Kuiper and more. The largest sums, totaling $323 million, will go to local firms Sky Fiber Intern...

Nevada is the third state to announce its provisional grant winners for the BEAD (Broadband Equity Access and Deployment) program, following Louisiana and Delaware. Read more at @lightreading.bsky.social: www.lightreading.com/broadband/co...

2024 in review: RIP ACP and WTF USF This year saw the death of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and the near-death of the Universal Service Fund (USF) whose fate now rests with the Supreme Court and Congress. Here's a recap, a...

2024 in review: This year saw the death of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and the near-death of the Universal Service Fund (USF) whose fate now rests with the Supreme Court and Congress. Here's a recap, and what to expect next.

Read more on Light Reading:

The Divide: Gigi Sohn on growing, funding and defending public broadband networks This week: Gigi Sohn, executive director, American Association for Public Broadband, joins the podcast to discuss the rise of public broadband networks, ongoing hurdles to the model, recent public bro...

For your weekend listening pleasure, here's my recent conversation with Gigi Sohn for @lightreading.bsky.social about what's happening with public broadband networks across the US:

www.lightreading.com/broadband/th...

Sen. Ted Cruz seeks to stop digital equity funding Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is demanding the NTIA halt its $1.25 billion digital capacity grant program, claiming the rules violate the constitution. But broadband consumer advocates note the NTIA's rules fo...

News: Sen. Ted Cruz is trying to halt a $1.25 billion program that funds state digital equity initiatives.

This is part of a broader push by Cruz and some Republicans to stop the rollout of the Biden administration's broadband infrastructure programs: www.lightreading.com/digital-divi...

Biden video chats with Wisconsin family over ARPA-funded fiber line In a video call, President Biden spoke to a Wisconsin family over their new fiber line, built and operated by VernonCom, with funds from the American Rescue Plan.

"The Smith family, who run a small business, told Biden that access to high-speed Internet in their rural region has provided new opportunities for their business (including potentially even convincing their 26-year-old son to work there) as well as enabling access to telemedicine."