BEAD
FBA, Benton Pleased By New BEAD Round, Electric Co-ops Want ‘Course Correction’
Based on tentative location counts, as much as $2.4 billion could be available for additional projects
FCC
In FCC’s High-Cost Modernization Docket, SpaceX Stands Alone
SpaceX wants the FCC to sunset ‘high-cost’ rural broadband subsidies – almost no one else agrees.
BEAD
NTIA Defends BEAD Pole Rules
Providers anticipate understaffed cities, utilities being a deployment challenge.
Digital Inclusion
Trade Groups Push FCC to Keep Lifeline Verification With USAC
NTCA, NRECA say new identity-check and Social Security number collection duties should not be shifted to individual carriers.
Funding
House Committee Advances USDA Funding Bill
The bill includes $40 million for the ReConnect program.
BEAD
Electric Co-ops Finding BEAD Rules Onerous, Especially on Poles
Two said they were turning down tentative BEAD awards.
FCC
USAC Audits Are ‘Kafkaesque,’ Industry Tells FCC
Providers say the audit process costs more to defend than it recovers - and want the FCC to fix it.
Funding
Treasury Extends Capital Projects Fund Deadline for Broadband Builds
Recipients can request a six-month extension after citing permitting delays, material shortages, and weather disruptions.
Broadband Mapping and Data
FCC Proposal to Scale Back Broadband Standards Draws Fire
Rural co-ops press FCC for symmetrical 100 * 100 Mbps broadband standard
Commerce
Rural Co-ops Back NTIA’s Overhaul of Environmental Review Rules
NRECA praises alignment with new law and Supreme Court ruling.
Rural
NRECA Discusses Policies, Funding Needed For Rural Broadband
With the Trump Administration planning to cut ReConnect, rural broadband cooperatives are scrambling
BEAD
Broadband Trade Group Join Push for BEAD Progress
Federal lawmakers, local ISPs that participated in the program, and other have been trying to keep political pressure on Commerce.
Broadband Mapping and Data
FCC’s New Broadband Fabric Now Governs High-Cost Program Oversight
States, ISPs still struggling to challenge its accuracy
Arkansas
Cooperatives Playing Major Role In Arkansas’ ARPA-Fueled Fiber Expansion
The Arkansas State Broadband Office continues to leverage American Rescue Plan Act funds to drive affordable fiber in the Natural State.
Telehealth
Some D.C. Trade Groups Respond to Trump Victory
NRECA, WISPA, and others reveal priorities for Trump’s second term.
Section 706
ISP Trade Group Wants to Retain Status Quo on Broadband Definition
Raising the benchmark could have unintended consequences for the BEAD program
