Gabriella Novello

Implementing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s broadband programs will “require a lot of partnership” with states and industry to ensure participation, said NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson Wednesday during a Broadband Breakfast event. “This is a generational moment,” Davidson said, and “our chance to ... address these long-standing inequities in our society.”

Digital equity advocates and lawmakers want bigger efforts to bridge the digital divide, they said Tuesday. Some at the Hispanic Technology & Telecommunications Partnership’s virtual digital inclusion summit said digital discrimination is a top priority. Others encouraged local leaders to promote the FCC’s affordable connectivity program.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel tested positive for COVID-19, she announced in a Monday tweet. Rosenworcel, who's vaccinated, is the latest high-ranking official to test positive following a Gridiron Club dinner she reportedly attended earlier this month, and will work from home “for now,” she said.

The FCC’s new consumer broadband labels "must be simple, accurate, and user friendly," said Commissioner Geoffrey Starks during the agency’s second virtual public hearing on the subject (see 2203110064). The FCC is "working to resolve questions" about whether the way consumers use broadband has "significantly changed since 2016 in ways that call for revisions to the format or content of the proposed labels," where the labels should be displayed, how to ensure accuracy of the labels, and the "appropriate time frame" for providers to meet the labeling requirements, Starks said.

As providers prepare for the June 30 opening of the FCC’s reporting portal for its forthcoming broadband maps, some industry representatives and experts said questions remain about what the broadband serviceable location fabric will look like and the kind of information that will be sought once the portal opens. Most agreed the new maps should be ready to be published by the fall, reflecting what FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told House Communications Subcommittee members last week (see 2203310060).

Industry groups and ISPs participating in the FCC’s affordable connectivity program sought more time to comply with the program’s non-usage tracking rule. Comment posted Friday in docket 21-450 backed a USTelecom petition for an additional 60 days after the April 15 deadline (see 2203230041).

The Treasury Department is reviewing state and territory plans for the Capital Projects Fund on a “rolling basis,” said the fund's director, Joseph Wender, during a Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition webinar Thursday (see 2105100060). “We’re hoping to make awards in the pretty near future,” Wender said, noting tribal applications are due by June 1 and all grant and program plans by Sept. 24.

Policymakers and community leaders should focus on digital inclusion and equity as part of their efforts to boost broadband adoption and access to devices, panelists said Tuesday during Next Century Cities’ virtual bipartisan tech conference. Some panelists highlighted the interconnection between civic engagement and broadband access.

ISPs sought minor modifications of the FCC’s 2016 broadband consumer labels as the agency works to create new labels required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. In reply comments posted Friday in docket 22-2 (see 2203100059), disagreement continued on what details should be included in the labels. Others raised issues with calls to require privacy disclosures in the eventual labels, suggesting links that include more detailed information instead.

Demand for the FCC’s next round of Emergency Connectivity Fund support will likely exceed the funding that will be available, E-rate stakeholders and public interest organizations told us. The third round will make at least $1 billion available and is expected to be the program’s final round for applications.