July 22, 2022

White House Touts Affordable Connectivity Program

On Thursday, July 21, Vice President Harris announced that since May’s GetInternet.gov launch in May, the Biden administration has signed up 1 million new households to save hundreds of dollars a year on internet service. The Vice President’s call to action builds on the administration’s existing partnerships with state and local governments to enroll eligible households in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). You can read the White House’s fact sheet on the announcement and ACP developments here.

FCC’s Rosenworcel Probes Mobile Carriers on Data Privacy

On Tuesday, July 19, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote to the top 15 mobile providers requesting information about their data retention and data privacy policies and general practices. In the letters of inquiry, Rosenworcel pressed the carriers about their policies around geolocation data, including how long such information is retained and safeguards for protection of sensitive information. Mobile providers have until August 3, 2022 to respond. You can read more about the requests here.

Rosenworcel Proposes Raising Minimum Broadband Speeds

On Friday, July 15, FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel proposed raising minimum broadband speeds in the United States to 100 Mbps for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads in a notice of inquiry shared with her fellow commissioners as part of an annual internet service evaluation. If the FCC raises minimum broadband speeds, the broadband expansion programs aimed at delivering connectivity to unserved and underserved communities may be bolstered in their effectiveness. You can read more about the proposal here.

NTIA’s Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee Convenes

On Friday, July 15, the National Telecommunications Information Administration’s (NTIA) Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC) held a meeting featuring opening remarks from NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. During the meeting, Administrator Davidson discussed top priorities for spectrum, spectrum coordination with the FCC, and public-private sector work on spectrum, 6G, and wideband policies. You can read more about the CSMAC meeting here.