Infrastructure
Exclusive Drew Clark Column: Three Other Broadband Funding Programs (Besides the Infrastructure Bill)
It’s worth focusing on other broadband programs run by NTIA, including Tribal Connectivity, and Connecting Minority Communities.
Tribal
Tribal leaders say the federal government has failed to uphold its trust responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of Native American tribes.
FCC
Federal Communications Commission Grants First Licenses for Tribal Radio Frequencies During Priority Window
October 24, 2020 – The Federal Communications Commission on Friday granted its first licenses in the 2.5 GigaHertz (GHz) spectrum to 154 tribal applicants during the agency’s first Rural Tribal Priority Window. The licenses provide exclusive use of up to 117.5 megahertz of 2.5GHz spectrum and will p
Infrastructure
Members of Democratic Caucuses Call to Modernize Broadband for Rural and Tribal Lands
August 19, 2020 — Members of the Rural Caucus and the Native American Caucus of the Democratic Party made calls for modernizing broadband and energy infrastructure during caucus meetings on Tuesday. As part of the Democratic National Convention, members of the Rural Caucus opened their meeting by ob
FCC
Application Deadline of July 15 Announced for $16 Billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction
May 21, 2020 — The Federal Communications Commission announced Monday that it would accept the so-called “short-form” applications for its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund reverse auction beginning on July 1 and continue until July 15. The agency also announced that the auction of the monies for this
Education Department
Tribes Have Many Government Programs Available for Supporting Broadband Amid the Coronavirus, Say Officials
May 12, 2020 — Education officials catalogued the many government broadband programs devoted to bridging the digital divide affecting tribal communities hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. For example, during the Tuesday teleconference of the Universal Service Administrative Company, speakers from
COVID
Most Panelists at FCC Working Group on Digital Inclusion Say Libraries Are Crucial in Closing the Homework Gap
April 29, 2020— Members of the Federal Communication Commission’s working group on digital empowerment and inclusion highlighted the role that libraries can play in closing the so-called “homework gap” on a webinar hosted by the agency on Tuesday. The homework gap, a term often used by fiery FCC Com
Lifeline
Rural Assembly Paints Dire Picture About Lack of Broadband, Impact of Coronavirus in Indian Country
The webinar painted a grim picture of the state of broadband in rural and Tribal life
FCC
Broadband Roundup: Global Internet Censorship, Tribal Divide, Klobuchar on the Broadband Stump
A report published by tech.co on Wednesday ranks and categorizes the countries with the highest internet censorship. Among the reports most salient findings: Turkmenistan, North Korea, and China earned the top three spots, in decreasing order of censorship. Many popular vacation destinations like Vi
FCC
Indian Tribes Will Have Six-Month Window of Opportunity to Apply for Former EBS Spectrum at 2.5 GigaHertz
WASHINGTON, January 14, 2020 – Federally-recognized Indian tribes will have a six-month priority window, beginning February 3, in which to apply for access to the radio frequency spectrum available at 2.5 GigaHertz (GHz). At a workshop at the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, Chairman Aj
DISH
Broadband Roundup: Bill Aims to Make Social Media Interoperable, Colorado Drops T-Mobile Lawsuit, Indian Country Very Unconnected
Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Tuesday introduced the Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching Act, Public Knowledge reports. The bill would provide interoperability for social media users, promoting competition and ena
Wireless Broadband Likely to be a Key Component in Getting Broadband to Tribal Country
WASHINGTON, September 24, 2019 – Better broadband and 5G development is essential to the livelihood of tribal communities, according to representatives from government and telecom at the National Tribal Broadband Summit on Tuesday. Many tribal members have no clear idea of who owns the available spe
Infrastructure
FCC Authorizes $121 Million in Rural Broadband Funding from Connect America Fund
WASHINGTON, August 12, 2019 — The Federal Communications Commission on Monday authorized over $121 million in rural broadband funding, marking the fourth wave of support from last year’s Connect America Fund Phase II Auction. The funding is expected to bring broadband access to more than 36,000 unse
FTC
$5 Billion Facebook Fine, Tribal Broadband Suffering, and 5G Data Session
On Friday afternoon, the Federal Trade Commission has issued a fine of $5 billion to Facebook for privacy violations. Adam Satariano of the New York Times reported that regulators and lawmakers in the U.S. and abroad have begun conducting investigations and proposing new sanctions against the Silico
Education Department
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Aims to Further Deploy 2.5 GHz Band of Spectrum for 5G Wireless Networks
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2019 — The Federal Communications Commission will vote in July on whether or not to auction off unused portions of the 2.5 GigaHertz (GHz) spectrum band to advance the deployment of 5G wireless networks. Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement that the order would “modernize an ou
Tribal
USDA Announces Loans to Improve Rural Electric Infrastructure and Upgrade Energy Efficiency
WASHINGTON, May 30, 2019 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing $858 million in loans to upgrade rural electric systems across 17 states, benefiting around 450,000 consumers. Approximately 7.5% of this funding will be used to finance smart grid technologies, allowing for more efficient el
Tribal
FCC Press Release: Wireline Competition Bureau Releases Illustrative Model Results to Aid Preparation of Comments in Response to 2018 Rate-of-Return Reform
SOURCE: The Federal Communications Commission WC Docket No. 10-90 The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announces the availability of illustrative model results intended to aid parties that are preparing comments in response to the 2018 Rate-of-Return Reform NPRM.1 In that NPRM, the Commission so
