*The following story by Broadband Breakfast Reporter Jake Neenan was originally published here.

States are moving ahead with their Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program processes after the Commerce Department extended for 90 days the deadlines for final spending plans.

“In Michigan, we are in the thick of reviewing, scoring, and deconflicting 392 applications that we received in our first grant round,” said Eric Frederick, head of the state’s High-Speed Internet Office. “It’s a very busy time for us.”

He spoke Wednesday on  a Fiber Broadband Association webinar.

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The state received 32 applications to serve more than 78 percent of its 248,000 eligible locations in its first round, which ended April 9 and was restricted to fiber projects. Frederick said the state is planning to start discussing grant agreements with successful round one applicants “within the next month or so.”

Michigan is also planning to release a draft of its BEAD grant agreement, the contract grant winners will ultimately sign with the state, this week for public comment, Frederick said. The state was allocated more than $1.5 billion from the $42.45 billion program.

The Trump administration on Tuesday gave all states a 90-day extension on their deadlines to submit their lists of selected projects for approval, documents that were originally due one year after a state’s initial BEAD implementation proposal was given the federal green light. The National Telecommunications Administration, the Commerce agency handling BEAD, said states could require additional time to submit those proposals in light of forthcoming rule changes.

*In partnership with Broadband Breakfast, we occasionally republish each other's content. The following story by Broadband Breakfast Reporter Gabriel Dorner was originally published here.

The Affordable Connectivity Program ran out of money last May, creating an enduring hardship for economically challenged Americans who need the program to get or stay online, the National Lifeline Association’s Annual Consumer Survey found.

Americans who relied on the ACP have struggled to find work, balance their budgets, and access healthcare, according to the NaLA survey.

“Lifeline and the ACP bring affordable internet and phone service to the communities who need it most… Lawmakers must refund the ACP and fix the Universal Service Fund’s Lifeline program to ensure all American households have affordable access to essential communications,” NaLA said in a statement.

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The ACP provided benefits to 23 million low-income households at the time the program closed.

“I have read thousands of heartbreaking testimonies from consumers since ACP funding ran out,” NaLA Board Chairman David B. Dorwart said.

According to the report, 80 percent of survey respondents reported having an annual income below $20,000, 73 percent identified as unemployed, and only half reported having a checking or savings account.

*In partnership with Broadband Breakfast, we occasionally republish each other's content.

The following story by Broadband Breakfast Reporter Jake Neenan was originally published here.

Consumer advocacy groups that frequently appear before the Federal Communications Commission are not happy with President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the agency. 

Brendan Carr, the agency’s senior Republican who’s now set to take the reins in January, wrote the Project 2025 chapter on the FCC.

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In addition to telecom issues more traditionally in the FCC’s wheelhouse, he outlined plans to reinterpret Section 230, the law that protects internet platforms from liability for their users’ posts, and otherwise target big tech companies, who he has said unfairly target conservative views.

“While there has been much discussion about whether or not the breadth of Section 230 is appropriate, what everyone agrees on is that the authority lies with Congress, not the FCC, to change its scope,” Public Knowledge CEO Chris Lewis, said in a statement.

“It’s concerning that the incoming chair believes that the FCC has the authority to change the scope of the plain language of a statute, but not regulate broadband in the interest of consumers.”

*In partnership with Broadband Breakfast, we occasionally republish each other's content. The following story by Broadband Breakfast Reporter Jericho Casper was originally published here.

The broadband market is often described as robustly competitive. But some have their doubts.

With the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) preparing a biennial report to Congress assessing competition in communications, some industry stakeholders have voiced concern over the growing dominance of a few major players.

Last Thursday, representatives from INCOMPAS, the trade association for competitive communications companies, met with FCC officials to discuss the forthcoming 2024 Communications Marketplace Report. This report is intended to guide FCC policies that foster competition, innovation, and consumer choice in the industry.

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During the meeting, INCOMPAS President Angie Kronenberg and Attorney Lindsay Stern emphasized the ongoing issue of high market concentration in the fixed broadband internet access service sector, urging the FCC to more closely examine the barriers that stifle competition.

In an August 12 filing at the FCC, INCOMPAS pointed out that the top four broadband providers—Comcast, Charter, AT&T, and Verizon—dominate nearly 80% of the fixed BIAS market, leaving most consumers with only one or two options for broadband service, especially at higher speed tiers.

*In partnership with Broadband Breakfast, we occasionally republish each other's content. The following story by Broadband Breakfast Reporter Jake Neenan was originally published here.

The Senate voted Thursday evening to pass its Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization package without an amendment that would have funded the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

A bipartisan group of lawmakers had hoped to use the must-pass FAA bill as a vehicle for infusing an extra $6 billion for the imperiled broadband subsidy program, but Senate leadership was successful in keeping non-aviation amendments off the bill.

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Lawmakers had mounted a last-minute effort to negotiate a vote on the amendment, with lead sponsor Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-New Mexico, marshaling 16 bipartisan cosponsors and highlighting the support of advocates and industry groups alike on Thursday afternoon.

“There is growing bipartisan support to strengthen the Affordable Connectivity Program and keep this critical lifeline alive for more than 55 million Americans. There are now 16 Senators from both sides of the aisle, representing millions of people and diverse states, backing this amendment,” he said in a statement.

The Senate also managed to prevent a lapse in the agency’s authorization by passing a separate short-term extension. The House extended the agency’s remit until May 17 on Wednesday before leaving D.C. for the week, and will still need to vote on Thursday's five-year reauthorization package.

*In partnership with Broadband Breakfast, we occasionally republish each other's content. The following story by Broadband Breakfast Reporter Jericho Casper was originally published here.

In a setback to efforts aimed at enhancing broadband access across Wisconsin, the state Senate dealt a blow to three key bills aimed at improving various aspects of broadband provision Monday.

The first bill in question, AB 1180, aimed to give local governments more autonomy by allowing them to apply for broadband grants directly, rather than requiring them to partner with a telecommunications utility or a for-profit organization, as is required under current (state) law.

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The bill also proposed expanding the permissible uses of grants beyond infrastructure construction and would have eliminated a requirement for a city, village, or town to prepare a feasibility report before constructing or operating facilities for public telecommunications, cable TV or broadband services.

Presently, Wisconsin law necessitates a public hearing before a local government can pass an ordinance or resolution to provision such facilities. Additionally, at least 30 days before this hearing, these entities must furnish a comprehensive report to the public, detailing the facility's costs, revenues, and a cost-benefit analysis spanning three years. AB 1180 would have waived the need for this report preparation.

Manding Internet Service Providers Deliver Advertised Speeds

*In partnership with Broadband Breakfast, we occasionally republish each other's content. The following Broadband Breakfast report was originally published here.

The American Association for Public Broadband is calling for industry help in creating a handbook that helps communities examine their option to create and maintain public broadband networks.

The handbook will be a “hands-on, high-level resource for moving through the entire process including getting started, building community support, technology and business case analysis, role of partners and finance,” said Gigi Sohn, executive director at AAPB.

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Sohn asked for leaders for public broadband networks, including both government-owned and cooperatives to complete a public broadband inventory. AAPB will sort through the submissions and select folks to interview for more details.

The inventory asks for network elements, public benefits of the network, what financing has been used to build and operate the network, among other questions. Respondents can indicate whether the data in the survey is available to be publicly released or not.

The AAPB will consider how it can fully capture value from this inventory and may decide to include all or much of it online in a database.

Responses are required by Friday, September 8, 2023.

Vendors, consultants, and other leaders in public broadband are invited to share the survey with those that are eligible to respond.

*In partnership with Broadband Breakfast, we occasionally republish each other's content. The following story by Broadband Breakfast Reporter Teralyn Whipple was originally published here.

South Carolina’s innovative state broadband map can accurately identify areas of over-reporting by Internet service providers (ISPs), the director of the state’s broadband office said in a recent Ask Me Anything! session in the broadband community.

South Carolina processes the same data as does the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as it creates its broadband map.

However, it also performs audits on the ISPs to ensure they are submitting accurate data. Hence, the state can determine errors in reporting data based on where the ISP’s networks had been deployed previously and where state investments have gone, said Jim Stritzinger, director of the state’s broadband office.

Providers are required to file amended returns with the FCC in the event that South Carolina’s state broadband office flags errors in their reporting information. Errors include misreporting of technology types.

If the reporting errors are not corrected, the state will report the defaulting ISP to the FCC, said Stritzinger, a software engineer with a passion for mapping broadband in the Palmetto state.

A big flaw of the FCC’s maps is that ISPs were able to report advertised speeds, which Stritzinger said were useless.