Category Archives: FCC

FCC introduces a ruling that would jeopardize funding for Wi-Fi on school buses

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Telecompetitor reports…

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr yesterday introduced a declarative ruling that would reverse the decisions that enabled use of E-Rate funding to provide Wi-Fi on school buses. He also circulated an order for FCC reconsideration, which would end funding for Wi-Fi hotspots for children or library patrons for use outside of schools and libraries.

The press release announcing the moves says that the extension of the COVID-19 era rules exceeded the FCC’s authority. Carr also claimed the programs had a record of “poor stewardship of scarce funds, and invited waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Expansion of the Universal Service Fund (USF) Schools and Libraries program — also known as the E-Rate program — was approved by the FCC in July 2024.

Carr said expanding the E-Rate program after the pandemic was “in plain violation of the limits Congress imposed on the FCC’s authority. Indeed, the prior FCC eliminated many of the safeguards that Congress placed on those programs. The FCC also failed to demonstrate that these funding decisions would advance legitimate classroom or library purposes.”

Proponents of the added flexibility considered it part of the evolution of libraries. Larra Clark — the Deputy Director of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Policy and Advocacy Office and Deputy Director of the Public Library Association — told Telecompetitor in August 2024 that libraries can be enablers that help bring the benefits of the internet to more people.

Testing of school bus Wi-Fi by Google in 2018 yielded positive results.

The news of the FCC ruling elicited immediate reaction.

The FCC is looking for comments about Cottage Grove’s rights of way contract with one provider

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I’m offering two chapters of an ongoing story of Cottage Grove working for better broadband. The FCC is looking for comments on Cottage Grove, Minnesota’s contact that allows exclusive access to rights of way for broadband deployment for a period of time…

Comments Due: September 12, 2025

Reply Comments Due: October 14, 2025

The Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment on a petition for preemption and declaratory ruling filed pursuant to section 253(d) of the Communications Act (Act).1 The petition was filed on August 6, 2025 by BIF IV Intrepid OpCo LLC (Intrepid)2 and asks the Commission to preempt a contract that the city of Cottage Grove, Minnesota (the City) has entered with another provider to deploy fiber optic infrastructure in the City.3 The petition states that the City entered the contract after issuing a Request for Proposal4 stating that “the City will not issue future right of way permits for broadband projects for at least five years” after reaching an agreement, thereby providing “the chosen broadband partner(s) exclusive rights to access the assigned rights of way for broadband services to serve the City of Cottage Grove until at least 2030.”5 Intrepid states that, due to the award of an exclusive contract to another provider, permit applications that it submitted to expand its fiber optic telecommunications network to the City are now being denied.6

Interested parties may file comments or oppositions to the Intrepid Petition on or before September 12, 2025 and reply comments on or before October 14, 2025. All filings addressing the Intrepid Petition must reference WC Docket No. 25-248.

  • Electronic Filers: Comments and oppositions may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS): www.fcc.gov/ecfs.
  • Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing.

o Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial courier, or by the U.S. Postal Service. All filings must be addressed to the Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.

o Hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary are accepted between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. by the FCC’s mailing contractor at 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of before entering the building.

o Commercial courier deliveries (any deliveries not by the U.S. Postal Service) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701.

o Filings sent by U.S. Postal Service First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express must be sent to 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554.

People with Disabilities. To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530.

Ex Parte Rules. The proceeding this Notice initiates shall be treated as “permit-but-disclose” proceeding in accordance with the Commission’s ex parte rules.8 Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within two business days after the presentation (unless a different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentation must (1) list all persons attending or otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was made and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the presenter’s written comments, memoranda or other filings in the proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings (specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must be filed consistent with rule 1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by rule 1.49(f) or for which the Commission has made available a method of electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto, must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g., .doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants in these proceedings should familiarize themselves with the Commission’s ex parte rules.

For further information, please contact Elizabeth Drogula, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-1591 or via e-mail at Elizabeth.Drogula@fcc.gov

For background, Cottage Grove is working with Gateway Fiber to deploy in their community. (I shared that announcement in July.) They posted an RFP. In March 2025, they answered clarifying questions concerning the RFP, including questions on the rights of way…

Question: With respect to 47 U.S. Code § 253 – Removal of barriers to entry – No State or local statute or regulation, or other State or local legal requirement, may prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting the ability of any entity to provide any interstate or intrastate telecommunications service – and Minnesota State Statute 237.163 – USE AND REGULATION OF PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY, Subdivisions 1-4 – this RFP seems to be in conflict with both. Can you clarify the guidance you are following that deems this RFP in compliance with both regulations?

Answer: 47 U.S. Code § 253, or Chapter 5 of Title 47: Telecommunications, is not applicable here as it applies to wire or radio communications. Broadband is governed under Chapter 12 of Title 47 (47 U.S. Code § 1301-1308). The federal regulations governing broadband to do not prohibit the City from regulating their public rights-of-way.

Municipalities have several legal rights when it comes to managing or restricting access to public rights-of-way (ROW) for broadband companies. These rights are typically established under federal, state, and local laws.

The City of Cottage Grove is not attempting to restrict or prohibit access to public rights-of-way for broadband companies. The City has simply implemented a fair and efficient manner in which to regulate and manage the installation and maintenance of broadband services through their Request for Proposals. The City’s primary goal is to provide sufficient broadband to each area of the City in an efficient and orderly manner – taking into account the limited space within the public rights-of-ways and the access needs of the community during construction.

Under Minn. Stat. 237.163, a local government is specifically authorized to manage and regulate the use of public rights of way. The legislature found it necessary to give local governments this authority because of the potential for installation by broadband companies of multiple and competing facilities within the public rights-of-way. Therefore, a local government may exercise the option to regulate the use of public rights-of-way so long as the regulation is carried out in a fair, efficient, competitively neutral, and substantially uniform manner. The City of Cottage Grove has chosen to exercise this option and manage the public rights-of-way pursuant to Cottage Grove City Code § 7-6-2.

The City’s authority to regulate the use of public rights-of-way is further iterated in Minn. Stat. § 116J.399, Subd. 8 which states “the placement of broadband infrastructure to provide broadband service . . . is subject to local government permitting the right-of-way management authority under section 237.163, and must be coordinated with the relevant local government unit . . .”

In summary, Minnesota municipalities have well-defined rights and responsibilities authorizing them to manage public rights-of-way concerning broadband companies. This authority is balanced with obligations to ensure non-discriminatory practices and to facilitate the deployment of broadband services for the public benefit.

Broadband advocates urge the FCC to continue assessing broadband affordability and adoption

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Broadband Breakfast reports…

The Federal Communications Commission should still assess broadband affordability and adoption as part of its annual report on deployment, consumer advocates told the agency.

The FCC is set to vote Thursday on a notice of inquiry that would kick off its annual report on whether broadband “is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion.” The agency last year under Democratic chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel assessed affordability and adoption as part of the report, which the public draft of the notice would propose to scrap.

The public draft of the inquiry said that section 706 of the Communications Act, which mandates the report, only calls for assessing incremental infrastructure deployment and that the other inquiries, which FCC Chairman Brendan Carr criticized at the time, were unnecessary. Representatives from Public Knowledge, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, and X-Lab met last week with staff from the offices of commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez to urge against the move.

OPPORTUNITY: Universal Service Fund (USF) Working Group – Request for Comment

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Senator Fischer reports on an opportunity for folks to comment on the USF (Universal Service Fund)…

The USF Working Group reorganized in June – led by Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Chair and Ranking Member of the Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee, and joined by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Jackie Rosen (D-NV). Representatives Richard Hudson (R-NC9) and Doris Matsui (D-CA7), Chair and Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, lead the Group’s efforts in the House. Together, the bipartisan, bicameral USF Working Group invites public input about the future of the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund.

Today, the USF comprises the High-Cost Program, Low-Income (Lifeline) Program, Schools and Libraries (E-Rate) Program, and the Rural Health Care Program. The Working Group aims to provide a bipartisan forum to guide reforms to the USF, ensuring that connectivity reaches Americans in every community across the nation.

The Working Group seeks comments from stakeholders across the country to explore the current state of the Fund, and assess proposals for the Fund’s modernization and reliable support of voice and broadband services into the future – particularly following the Supreme Court’s decision in Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers’ Research (consolidated with Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition v. Consumers’ Research).

The FCC announces former RDOF areas that are now eligible for other funding including Lumen locations in Minnesota

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The FCC reports…

By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB or Bureau) announces that certain Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) census block groups (CBGs) are now eligible for other funding programs.  Specifically, CenturyTel of Montana, Inc.; CenturyTel of Washington, Inc.; Embarq Florida, Inc.; and Qwest Corporation (collectively, Lumen) have notified the Commission of their decision to withdraw from the RDOF program in Colorado (study area code (SAC) 465102), Florida (SAC 210341), Idaho (SAC 475162), Minnesota (SAC 365142), Montana (SAC 482249), Nebraska (SAC 375143), Oregon (SAC 535163), and Washington (SAC 522408).[1]  Additionally, Commnet Four Corners, LLC (Commnet) has notified the Commission of its decision to withdraw from the RDOF program in Colorado (SAC 469011).[1]  Both carriers will be subject to non-compliance measures, as described below.  We also refer Commnet’s default to the Enforcement Bureau for further consideration.

By announcing in this Public Notice that Lumen and Commnet will not meet their RDOF obligations in the identified states, we take the necessary step to formally announce that the eligible census blocks within the relevant CBGs are eligible for funding from other federal and state funding programs subject to the rules of the other programs,[2] furthering our responsibility to coordinate with other agencies to maximize the deployment of high-quality broadband service across the United States.[3]  To promote the efficient use of broadband funding, a number of funding programs make areas ineligible for broadband deployment funding where a service provider is already subject to an enforceable commitment to serve.[4]  This announcement avoids leaving these areas unserved for the duration of the RDOF deployment terms,[1] because providers may now have access to alternative funding to serve these areas.

[1] RDOF recipients authorized in 2021 and 2022 must offer the required service to 100% of their original location total by December 31, 2027 and December 31, 2028, respectively.  RDOF Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 709, para. 45.  If more locations than the original estimated are identified during the support term, recipients will have an additional two years to serve the additional locations subject to limited exceptions.  Id. at 710, para. 49.

The FCC still looking at 100/20 speed benchmark and abolishing the long-term goal of 1,000/500

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The FCC shares…

FCC FACT SHEET*
Inquiry Concerning Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications Capability
to All Americans in a Reasonable and Timely Fashion
Nineteenth Section 706 Report Notice of Inquiry (2025), GN Docket No. 25-223
Background: Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires the FCC to annually conduct
an inquiry concerning the availability of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans, and to
determine whether such capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion.
The Notice, if adopted, would initiate this inquiry and propose returning the Commission’s analysis
to the plain language of section 706, and doing so in a technologically neutral manner. The
Commission’s section 706 report must be issued within 180 days after release of the Notice.
What the Notice would do:
• Propose to singularly focus on the availability of advanced telecommunications capability as
measured through deployment.
• Propose to refocus the Commission’s inquiry on whether advanced telecommunications
capability “is being deployed,” (that is, incremental progress made in deployment) rather than
whether it already has been deployed, as was the focus of the 2024 Report.
• Solicit comment about whether the Commission should again use 100/20 Mbps as the benchmark
for defining advanced telecommunications capability for fixed broadband.
• Propose to abolish the long-term goal of 1,000/500 Mbps established in the 2024 Report as no
long-term goal is mentioned in the statute.
• Seek comment on whether to continue assessing mobile broadband services using multiple-speed
metrics and, if so, whether to continue focusing the main analysis on 5G-NR outdoor stationary
coverage at 35/3 Mbps speeds, or instead on 5G-NR in-vehicle mobile coverage at speeds of at
least 35/3 Mbps.
• Propose to continue using the previously established short-term goal of 1 Gbps per 1,000 students
and staff but to not establish a long-term goal, and seek comment on both proposals.
• Propose to again use the Broadband Data Collection as the primary data source for analyzing
fixed availability and seek comment on the proposal to do so.

US Senate passes Klobuchar’s broadband bill – asking FCC to use vetting process for providers getting funding

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KIMT3 reports…

The U.S. Senate has passed the bipartisan Rural Broadband Protection Act, a significant step toward enhancing broadband access in underserved rural areas.
The bill, co-led by Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, mandates the Federal Communications Commission to implement a thorough vetting process for providers seeking federal funding to ensure they can deliver reliable broadband services.
“We should be able to bring high-speed internet to every family in Minnesota—regardless of their zip code,” Klobuchar said. “This bipartisan legislation will help Americans connect to work, school, health care, and business opportunities by ensuring the companies that apply for federal funding to build out broadband infrastructure can get the job done.”
Capito emphasized the importance of the legislation for West Virginians, noting that it expands on her previous efforts to improve broadband connectivity. “The Senate passage of this legislation is another positive step in connecting every last home, school, and business in West Virginia,” Capito said.
Klobuchar has been a longtime advocate for bridging the digital divide and supports efforts to strengthen the Universal Service Fund, which aids broadband access in rural communities. Her past initiatives include the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act and efforts to ensure proper implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s broadband provisions.

FCC extends (again) pause of Lifeline Mobile data increase and voice phase-out

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The FCC reports…

  1. In this Order, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) extends, for a year, the waiver pausing both the phase-out of Lifeline support for voice-only services and the increase in the Lifeline minimum service standard for mobile broadband data capacity. Without this decision, support for services that meet only the voice minimum service standard, which currently stands at $5.25 per month, would be eliminated in most areas on December 1, 2025.[1]  Additionally, absent a pause, the minimum service standard for mobile broadband data capacity would rise from 4.5 GB to 29 GB per month beginning December 1, 2025.
  2. As discussed below, we find good cause to pause these changes for an additional year. Absent this action, the minimum service standard for mobile broadband data capacity would have experienced its largest increase since Lifeline minimum service standards were established.  This action will avoid changes that could potentially result in the disruption of communications for Lifeline subscribers as the Commission establishes and evaluates the record in the Delete, Delete, Delete proceeding, a wide-ranging deregulatory review.[2]  Maintaining Lifeline program stability through this action will limit burdens on providers and low-income households while the Commission considers future activity regarding Lifeline voice-only service and setting minimum service standards.

[1] See Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization et al., WC Docket No. 11-42, Third Report and Order, Further Report and Order, and Order on Reconsideration, 31 FCC Rcd 3962, 3989-97, paras. 73-98 (2016) (2016 Lifeline Order); 47 CFR §§ 54.403(a)(2)(iv)-(v).

[2] See In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete, GN Docket No. 25-133, Public Notice, DA 25-219 (rel. Mar, 12, 2025) (Delete, Delete, Delete Public Notice) (seeking public input on identifying FCC rules for the purpose of alleviating unnecessary regulatory burdens).

Hear is some of their reasoning…

  1. Our decision to extend this waiver stems from careful consideration of how to continue to support a stable and robust affordable communications market through the Lifeline program. This waiver also allows the Commission time to consider the recommendations found in the Future of USF Report and options for deregulatory initiatives in the Delete, Delete, Delete[1]  These factors, in addition to ongoing subscribership to voice-only plans despite their lower support rate, lead us to find good cause to pause, until December 1, 2026, both the elimination of voice-only support and the increase in minimum service standards for mobile broadband data capacity.
  2. Voice Support Phase-Out. In each of the last two years, the Bureau paused the scheduled phase-out in Lifeline support for voice-only services due in large part to a continued reliance on voice service.[2]  Extending the waiver of the voice-only services phase-out ensures that voice-only subscribers are not required to subscribe to broadband bundled plans to maintain their access to a Lifeline-supported service.  It further permits these households to maintain access to voice service that bridges a gap in the pursuit of universal service.[3]
  3. We further find that it is in the public interest to continue to pause the complete phase-out of voice-only support to allow the Commission to fully consider the Lifeline program’s objectives and processes, consistent with the Delete, Delete, Delete Public Notice’s stated purpose of identifying FCC rules for the purpose of alleviating unnecessary regulatory burdens.[4] Pausing the phase-out of voice-only support allows the Commission additional time to consider how voice service fits into a modern Lifeline program.  For all of these reasons, we find good cause to pause the phase-out in Lifeline support for voice-only services.
  4. Mobile Broadband Data Capacity Minimum Service Standard. In each of the last two years, the Bureau paused the increase to the minimum service standard for mobile broadband data capacity, primarily due to potential cost barriers that an increase would bring and data showing that Lifeline subscribers may not benefit from an increase in the usage allowance.[5]  In addition, the pause was needed to allow time for the Commission to consider recommendations to revise Lifeline minimum service standards in the Future of USF Report.[6]  The dual needs to consider future changes to this mechanism and to prevent increased capacity requirements that make service potentially more robust than needed, but prohibitively expensive, continues to support maintaining a minimum mobile broadband data capacity of 4.5 GB.

[1] See Future of USF Report, 37 FCC Rcd 10041; Delete, Delete, Delete Public Notice.

[2] 2023 Waiver Order, 38 FCC Rcd at 6100, para. 12; 2024 Waiver Order, 39 FCC Rcd at 7004, para. 12.

[3] See also 2021 Waiver Order, 36 FCC Rcd at 15546, para. 16 (finding that “retail rates for bundled broadband plans that would meet the Lifeline program’s current minimum service standards for broadband data capacity far exceed the cost of plans that would qualify as Lifeline voice-only plans,” which could require some Lifeline subscribers “to either move to a more expensive bundled broadband plan, or forego voice service altogether.”).

[4] See Delete, Delete, Delete Public Notice, at 1.

[5] See 2023 Waiver Order, 38 FCC Rcd at 6101-02, paras. 14-17; 2024 Waiver Order, 39 FCC Rcd at 7005-06, paras. 15-16.

[6] See id.

The FCC denies LTD Broadband’s appeal earlier RDOF decision

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The FCC releases judgement on LTD Broadband’s appeal of  earlier RDOF decision…

We heard this appeal on the record from the Federal Communications Commission and the parties’ briefs and arguments. We fully considered the issues and determined that a published opinion is unnecessary. See D.C. Cir. R. 36(d). It is ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that the petition be DENIED.

The Federal Communications Commission allocates subsidies to private companies that promise to build out rural broadband networks. At a reverse auction, petitioner LTD Broadband won nearly $1.3 billion of these subsidies. But before LTD could collect, it had to complete a “long-form application” showing it was “legally, technically, and financially qualified” to provide service. In re Rural Digital Opportunity Fund; Connect America Fund, Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd. 686, 717 (2020) (“Rural Digital Opportunity Fund”). LTD failed to do so, and the FCC denied its application. Because the FCC acted reasonably, we deny LTD’s petition.

The document continues outlining the history and decisions.

Big changes expected as another FCC Commissioner resigns

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Radio Link Daily Headlines reports…

FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington has formally announced that he will step down from his role at the end of this week, concluding a tenure that began with his appointment by President Donald Trump during Trump’s first term.

His departure marks the latest leadership transition at the FCC under Chairman Brendan Carr and creates a setback in the timeline for a GOP majority at the agency.

Simington’s exit statement outlines his reflections on the role and priorities that shaped his time on the Commission, including a focus on free speech, national security, and investment in communications infrastructure.

This marks the second recent departure…

As Simington concludes his tenure, Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks prepares to do the same, after formally announcing his resignation during the FCC’s May open meeting.

Before today’s development, Commissioner Geoffrey Starks’ departure was expected to hand Republicans a 2–1 majority on the FCC, with Chairman Brendan Carr leading the agency and Democrat Commissioner Anna Gomez as the lone non-Republican. Instead, with Simington also stepping down, the Commission is now split 1–1, leaving three vacant seats for President Trump and the Senate to fill.

Trump nominee Olivia Trusty has advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee and awaits a full floor vote, but progress has stalled. Several Senate Democrats have threatened to withhold support unless a Democratic nominee is advanced alongside her to maintain ideological balance. And with Congressional focus shifting toward budget reconciliation and appropriations deadlines, there is no timeline for her confirmation.

The FCC releases Internet Access Services Report

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The FCC report summarizes information about Internet access in the United States as of June 30, 2024, as collected by FCC Form 477 and the Broadband Data Collection (BDC). Here are their key takeaways…

Typical Speeds
• The median downstream speed of all reported fixed connections was 300 Mbps and the median upstream speed was 20 Mbps. For residential fixed connections, the median downstream speed was 500 Mbps and the median upstream speed was 20 Mbps. See Figures 35 and 36.
• The median downstream speed of all reported mobile connections was 34 Mbps and the median upstream speed was 3 Mbps. For residential mobile connections, the median downstream speed was 34 Mbps and the median upstream speed was 3 Mbps. See Figures 37 and 38.
Residential Connections
• Residential fixed connections increased by about 2.4% between June 2023 and June 2024, to about 123 million. See Figure 12.
• Residential (non-business) mobile connections on mobile devices with data plans for full Internet access increased by about 1.6%, to 340 million, between June 2023 and June 2024. See Figure 12.
• Approximately 97% of residential fixed connections had a speed of at least 10 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream in June 2024, while 94% had a speed of at least 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream. About 66% of all residential fixed connections had a speed of at least 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream. See Figure 15.
• As a national average in June 2024, there were about 93 residential fixed connections with speeds of at least 10 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream per 100 households; 90 residential fixed connections with speeds of at least 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream per 100 households; and 63 residential fixed connections with speeds of at least 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream per 100 households. See Figure 43.
Census tract and county shares of households with residential fixed connections
• We estimate the share of households with residential fixed connections in individual census tracts and counties as of June 30, 2024, and continue to observe substantial variation among these estimates. See Figures 48 and 51.

And some of the charts I found most useful…

What are potential impacts of DOGE in the FCC?

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Light Reading reports…

According to a new report from The Verge, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has set up shop in the FCC.

What might happen next is anyone’s guess. But it’s possible that DOGE will fire some FCC staffers – and then attempt to hire them back again. That’s what DOGE has done at some other federal agencies in recent weeks, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

There is an issue…

The FCC regulates everything from radio to television to satellite communications. It’s meant to be an independent government agency overseen by Congress, but one of President Trump’s recent executive orders asserted more direct White House control over regulatory agencies like the FCC. In doing so, he further stripped the veneer of independence from an agency that has moved forward mostly along partisan lines for decades.

And a potential conflict of interest…

DOGE, meanwhile, is an idea spearheaded by Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and the chief executive of companies including SpaceX, Tesla and xAI. It is intended to trim excess expenses in US government organizations.

Importantly, the FCC has a direct impact on several sectors critical to one or more of Musk’s companies. For example, Carr’s FCC will consider both terrestrial and satellite-based operations in upper C-band spectrum. That may set up a battle between Musk’s SpaceX and 5G operators like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

Questions about what’s happening with the 5G Fund and how it might impact rural areas

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Light Reading reports…

Criticism is mounting against the 5G Fund, a long-gestating US government program that would distribute billions of dollars to wireless network operators, with the goal of funding the construction of 5G networks in rural areas.

Indeed, the issues are so lengthy and complex that T-Mobile has suggested just ending the program altogether.

“Given the unprecedented infusion of billions of dollars of federal and state funding as well as ongoing private investment in 5G Fund infrastructure, it is premature for the commission to proceed with the 5G Fund auction,” T-Mobile told the FCC in a recent filing. “Indeed, the auction may not be necessary at all.”

5G Fund money would likely be allocated through a reverse auction, where the lowest bid to cover a particular location with 5G wins.

T-Mobile isn’t alone…

T-Mobile isn’t the only company criticizing the FCC’s 5G Fund. However, most other companies argue for a delay in the program, not an end to it. And many are urging the FCC to ultimately expand the size of the 5G Fund from around $9 billion to about $36 billion.

“There are several significant objectives that should be completed before conducting the 5G Fund auction, to avoid wasting or improperly targeting 5G Fund support in rural America,” wrote the Coalition of Rural Wireless Carriers, which represents some small wireless network operators in the US.

The article talks about the option to delay…

The coalition argued that the FCC should wait to allocate 5G Fund cash until the BEAD program is well underway. That way, wireless network operators will know exactly where they can expect to obtain suitable backhaul connections for their rural cell towers.

Also, there’s satellite…

Finally, it’s worth noting that satellites may now play a huge role in the future of any discussion about 5G in rural areas.

Today, satellites are connecting to millions of regular smartphones all over the country, including in the rural areas targeted by the 5G Fund. Specifically, several generations of new Apple iPhones can connect to Globalstar satellites, while T-Mobile’s agreement with SpaceX could expand that kind of capability to millions more.

Benton finds connection between ACP and broadband adoption

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A new report from the Benton Institue for Broadband and Society finds…

ACP and BROADBAND ADOPTION
· As ACP enrollment rose from 15 million households to nearly 23 million at the end of 2023, there was a positive link between ACP enrollment (as a share of eligible
households) and the level of broadband adoption (either wireless or wireline) in 2023 data.
· Statistical analysis shows that ACP had a role in “net additions” to broadband subscription levels on the order of 2.9 percentage points nationally, or approximately 3.8 million households.
· There was also a positive correlation between the growth in broadband adoption from 2021 to 2023 and ACP enrollment. This growth was in the context of very small growth in overall broadband adoption from 2021 to 2023. Analysis indicates that, absent ACP, growth in broadband adoption of any type would have been 0.8 of a percentage point lower than it was.
· These two types of positive correlations—between ACP enrollment and levels of broadband adoption in 2023 and growth in between 2021 and 2023—are evidence that areas where significant numbers of eligible households enrolled in ACP had more broadband subscribers than they otherwise would have.
ACP HELPED GET PEOPLE ONLINE in RURAL AREAS
· The “net addition” effect described above was more likely to be a rural phenomenon, meaning rural areas were associated with higher levels of broadband adoption
compared with urban areas—with ACP enrollment having a significant role in supporting subscriptions. The “net addition” effect was 6.9 percent in rural areas, compared with 1.7 percent in urban areas.

ACP HELPED KEEP PEOPLE ONLINE in URBAN AREAS
· In urban and metro areas, ACP had a somewhat stronger influence on retaining existing subscribers. These are the “subscription vulnerable,” whose home internet connections
are sometimes at risk due to household budgetary pressure. Urban and metro areas have higher costs for foundational parts of the household budget, like food and housing. Including those factors in the analysis shows that ACP’s cost relief helps them stay online.
· ACP’s impact on the “subscription vulnerable” affects approximately 11.5 million households in this category; i.e., the ACP keeps about 8.8 percent of households online
with wireline service who otherwise might not be able to sustain service.

Daily Yonder says changes to BEAD could strand rural communities

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The Daily Yonder reports…

In early March, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick proposed changes to a federal broadband connectivity program that would favor Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity, like Starlink, over fiber optic, a faster and more reliable form of internet access.

Critics say Lutnick’s proposal to prioritize LEO will worsen the digital divide by abandoning rural communities without the long term economic benefits of fiber optic infrastructure.

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, or BEAD, is a $42 billion grant program created by the Biden administration under the Infrastructure, Investments, and Jobs Act of 2021. BEAD aims to connect 25 million Americans with high speed internet in all 56 states and territories.

In a meeting with BEAD staff earlier this month, Lutnick said he wants to make the program “technology-neutral” by shifting the focus to LEO satellite connectivity. Wall Street Journal reporter Patience Haggin said that Lutnick’s proposal would make it easier for Elon Musk’s LEO satellite technology, Starlink, to claim funds allocated for rural broadband development.

Lutnick’s proposed changes would exacerbate the digital divide between rural and urban residents, according to the Benton Institute’s Broadband & Society Director of Policy Engagement Drew Garner.  The Benton Institute is a nonprofit that focuses on broadband access.