NTIA plans to release a notice of funding opportunity for its digital equity program when it releases notices for the broadband, equity, access and deployment program and middle-mile broadband infrastructure program, said Administrator Alan Davidson Thursday during a Brookings Institution webinar on achieving universal broadband. “That’s the starting gun,” Davidson said, and the notices will “lay out how the programs will be built and how people can participate.”
California regulators scaled back price and speed requirements proposed for a $2 billion last-mile federal funding account (FFA) required by the state’s $6 billion broadband law. The California Public Utilities Commission voted 5-0 at a livestreamed Thursday meeting to adopt CPUC President Alice Reynolds’ revised proposed decision released Wednesday.
The FCC approved 4-0 a notice of inquiry asking questions about standards for receivers. As expected (see 2204190053), the main change from what Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated were questions on encouraging innovation for both receivers and transmitters, added at Commissioner Geoffrey Starks' request. Commissioner Nathan Simington has made the issue one of his top focuses since he joined the FCC.
FCC commissioners indicated support for potentially imposing reporting requirements on carriers, as they approved a Further NPRM seeking comment on improving wireless emergency alerts 4-0 Thursday. CTIA has already expressed concerns over mandates in what has been a voluntary program (see 2204140046). The FCC also released a public notice on partnerships with local emergency agencies to gather data on how WEA is performing at the local level.
YouTube’s announcement last week that it renewed its partnership with Major League Baseball to stream 15 games live and for free this season is part of a race to claim exclusive sports streaming rights that led some sports leagues to become “increasingly fractured across services,” blogged eMarketer Monday. Under the deal, viewers in 182 countries will have access to the games.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is eyeing a markup for the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (S-673) during the upcoming work period, industry officials told us Wednesday (see 2202280066). New bipartisan language under consideration for S-673 would ensure print and broadcast journalism outlets aren’t discriminated against based on viewpoints expressed in content.
As states look at closing their individual digital divides, satellite broadband is often being forgotten or kept out of the mix by policy decisions, Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Association President Steven Hill told us. Many states are prioritizing fiber.
The Treasury Department is now accepting states’ grant and program plans for its $10 billion Capital Projects Fund, said Joseph Wender, the program’s director, during an Incompas webinar Wednesday (see 2203310037). “We are officially open for business,” Wender said, adding his office is in the process of approving funding applications and expects initial awards to be announced “in months.”
5G deployment is accelerating worldwide, but COVID-19 pandemic challenges still loom, experts said Wednesday during an RCR Wireless webinar. 5G has hit the “scaling to volume phase,” with 2 billion connections expected by 2025, said Sebastien Prieur, group manager-5G transport and RF at Exfo, a testing and analytics company
Nontraditional providers are key to expanding broadband and making it affordable, said Commissioner Darcie Houck at a California Public Utilities Commission event Tuesday. At the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) virtual workshop, a municipal broadband panel urged the commission to dismiss industry naysayers.