Jul 19, 2021 | By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy
Credit: Jones Day The State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (“SLFRF”) is a $350 billion emergency fund to be used by eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to support the populations that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Included in the...
Jun 29, 2021 | Blog Entry, Broadband Mapping, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy
In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of bipartisan consensus that broadband is a necessity that households cannot afford to go without. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have come together to agree that access is a required for meaningful...
Jun 10, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, FCC, Federal Policy
Since enrollment for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (“EBBP”) began in May 2021, 2.3 million people have signed up to receive assistance with their broadband bill. However, eligible participants have faced significant challenges to enrollment such as the...
May 25, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Maryland, State Policy
States play a critical role in bolstering local efforts to expand affordable and reliable broadband. All 50 states have taken steps to respond to increased demand and have prioritized expanding access. As of 2018, 25 states had already explored the utility of...
May 25, 2021 | Blog Entry, Broadband Mapping, By Ryan Johnston, Digital Divide, State Policy
It’s no mystery that the quality of the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) mapping data leaves something to be desired. The FCC’s 14th Broadband Deployment Report estimated that 96% of Americans have access to broadband. However, organizations such as...
May 25, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, By Ryan Johnston, COVID-19, Digital Divide, Emergency Broadband Benefit, Federal Policy, Treasury Department
The State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (“SLFRF”) is a $350 billion emergency fund to be used by eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to support the populations hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 10, 2021, the U.S. Department of the...
May 21, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, Spectrum
Wireless internet access, cell phones, and thousands of other technologies rely on the availability of spectrum. The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) released an NPRM in January 2021 seeking comment on how to most effectively open up the 12 GHz spectrum band...
Apr 30, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Local Policy, News, Pole Attachments, Spotlight City, State Policy
When people think of New Hampshire, they often think of the first state in the presidential primary cycle. What they don’t think about is how the state is the 23rd most connected state in the country. For some communities, this means that access to a robust broadband...
Apr 30, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, Local Policy, News, Spotlight City, State Policy
The lack of broadband Internet access caused residents across the nation to struggle with telework, distance learning, and community development long before the COVID-19 pandemic forced our lives online. The residents in Leverett, Massachusetts, are all too familiar...
Apr 22, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, News
Broadband impacts every facet of our lives. We use it to telework, distance learn, stay connected to friends and family, and receive critical information from across the globe. It also plays an important role in how we combat climate change. Local officials are using...
Apr 20, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, Lifeline, News
In 2016, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) directed the Wireline Competition Bureau to submit a State of the Lifeline Marketplace Report by June 30, 2021. This report is intended to provide meaningful insight on how the FCC should continue to administer...
Apr 15, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, News
President Biden’s recent comment that “broadband is infrastructure” highlights a new federal commitment to treating broadband Internet service in the same way as water or electricity – as a necessity. In many disconnected communities across the nation, broadband...
