The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s $65 billion broadband investment presents an opportunity to bridge the digital divide for students and improve workforce development across the country, industry experts and officials said Monday during a Software & Information Industry Association webinar. Panelists said the FCC, NTIA and other agencies should ensure their programs are sustainable and promote digital equity.
Gabriella Novello
Gabriella Novello, Assistant Editor, is a journalist for Communications Daily covering telecommunications and the Federal Communications Commission. She joined the Warren Communications News staff in 2020, after covering election integrity and the 2020 presidential election at WhoWhatWhy. She received her bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in health promotion at American University. You can follow Novello on Twitter: @NOVELLOGAB.
Citing the need to modernize the FCC's high cost USF programs and align them with recent federal broadband investments through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, commissioners on Thursday unanimously adopted an NPRM seeking comment on an Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM) Broadband Coalition proposal extending the program. The proposal would increase deployment obligations in exchange for additional funding, and seeks comment on whether to extend participation to carriers that haven't already been participating in the program.
Healthcare organizations and state agencies backed the Health and Human Services Department's request for clarification that certain prerecorded calls and text messages are permissible under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (see 2205020059). Stakeholders said the planned calling and texting campaigns would help eligible individuals remain enrolled in Medicaid, the children's health insurance program (CHIP) and the basic health program (BHP), in comments posted Wednesday in docket 02-278.
Industry and consumer advocacy organizations disagreed on the severity of digital discrimination and on potential solutions, in comments posted Tuesday in docket 22-69. The FCC sought comments on how to combat digital discrimination as required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The law directed the FCC to adopt rules that prevent discrimination based on income, race, ethnicity, color, religion or national origin.
A draft FCC order that would impose certain requirements on gateway providers would help efforts to curb illegal robocalls originating abroad and is likely to be unanimously adopted during commissioners' Thursday meeting, industry executives told us (see 2204280059). Some providers sought clarifying language in the draft, saying it would streamline efforts and further disrupt bad actors. Several said a requirement for a Stir/Shaken C-level attestation would be too costly.
NTIA released notices of funding opportunity Friday for applicants interested in its broadband, equity, access and deployment, middle-mile grant, and state digital equity planning grant programs funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The agency cited “end-to-end fiber-optic architecture” as priority broadband projects and encouraged states to give the greatest consideration to subgrantees committed to providing 1 Gbps services at an affordable rate as part of the BEAD program.
A draft FCC NPRM extending the alternative connect America cost model (A-CAM) program would make needed updates to the program and deliver higher speeds to a wider range of consumers if it's adopted during the agency’s May 19 meeting, industry experts told us. The item is based on a proposal from the A-CAM Broadband Coalition and would give participating providers more financial support to deliver speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps (see 2010300055).
FCC commissioners and industry groups stressed the need for USF changes during Free State Foundation’s annual policy conference Friday. Panelists also urged close coordination among agencies throughout the implementation of broadband programs funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety members and industry representatives used a Tuesday hearing to promote apprenticeship programs to bolster the broadband workforce. Several panelists and members cited the need for a skilled workforce as states prepare to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The Health and Human Services Department asked the FCC to clarify whether certain automated, prerecorded calls and text messages are allowed under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. "We anticipate that no more than six to eight individual messages will be sent to any individual enrollee through some combination of text messages and automated, pre-recorded calls," said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, in a letter posted Friday in docket 02-278. The calls and texts would end "approximately 18 months after the end of the public health emergency."