December 2, 2022

Senators Ask NTIA to be Technology Neutral in Broadband Approach

On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, a group of senators including Sens. Jon Barrasso (R-WY), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) sent a letter to National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator Alan Davidson encouraging the agency to “continue working to advance broadband deployment in rural states and unserved areas by remaining technology neutral and creating rules and funding opportunities that allow all forms of broadband technology to compete. NATE supports this effort and similarly encourages broadband funds to be deployed in a technology-neutral manner. You can read the senators’ letter here.

FCC Adopts Rules Restricting Import of Telecom Equipment from China

On Friday, November 25, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted new final rules under which the U.S. government will not provide import and sale authorizations for telecom and video-surveillance equipment produced by Chinese entities ZTE, Huawei, Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, and Dahua Technology. The FCC cited threats to national security as the rationale behind the move. You can read more about the final rules here.

FCC Unveils New Rules Requiring “Broadband Nutrition” Labels

On Thursday, November 17, the FCC released new rules requiring broadband providers to display “easy-to-understand labels to allow consumers to comparison shop for broadband services.” The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) directed the FCC to require providers to display such labels. You can read more about the new rules here.

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Rural Broadband Bill

On Tuesday, November 29, Senate Agriculture Committee members Sens. John Thune (R-SD), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Deb Fischer (R-NE) introduced the Rural Internet Improvement Act, which would "streamline and bolster...USDA Rural Development broadband programs and ensure that their funding is being targeted to areas that need it the most." You can read more about the bill here.