The full potential of #UniversalServiceFund (#USF) to close the #DigitalDivide can’t be realized without major reforms, starting with the contribution base! So says OTI's new report by @jessicadine.bsky.social & @tabularaza.net @techanddemocracy.newamerica.org www.newamerica.org/oti/reports/...

Bridging the Gap: Funding Universal Service in the Broadband Era

The key tool meant to help everyone in the United States access communications services is stuck in the past. Here are the paths forward.

newamerica.org

NEW Open Tech Institute report: The connectivity landscape has changed, and the Universal Service Fund should evolve alongside it. Read our recommended reforms here:

Bridging the Gap: Funding Universal Service in the Broadband Era

The key tool meant to help everyone in the United States access communications services is stuck in the past. Here are the paths forward.

newamerica.org

Great new piece highlighting the Light Reading op-ed I wrote with Nat Purser: Right now Congress and NTIA are pushing spectrum policies that fundamentally contradict each other. For our broadband policy to succeed, something has to give.

The Spectrum Policy Mess

There was a recent article in LightReading that asked a great question – BEAD bet big on CBRS and 6 GHz bands, so why is Congress gutting them? Answering that question needs some context. NTIA lean…

potsandpansbyccg.com

I just took a quiz on how much of my personal data DOGE can access. The results aren’t pretty. Take it now to discover how much of your sensitive info is now exposed. #HandsOffMyData www.newamerica.org/oti/briefs/q...

Quiz: What Does DOGE Know About You?

The Department of Government Efficiency has unauthorized access to millions of Americans’ data. Take New America’s quiz to see how much of your data is at risk.

newamerica.org

According to a Newsweek op-ed penned by Open Technology Institute's @jessicadine.bsky.social, the new #BEAD guidelines NTIA has issued under @commercegov.bsky.social’s Howard Lutnick, “won’t bring us any closer to closing the #digitaldivide —in fact, they’ll undo years of progress toward that goal.”

We're Pouring Billions into a Broadband Program Doomed to Fail | Opinion

We're about to see a perfect storm of rushed decisions from states and providers who don't have all the information they need. The likely outcome? Worse quality internet at higher prices for consumers...

newsweek.com

Republicans have long called to make broadband deployment central to broadband deployment programs—that's why we just lost so many ancillary requirements and consumer protections in BEAD. Now we're tying our broadband $ to AI? What happened to avoiding the "everything bagel" in broadband policy?

Senate Parliamentarian Clears Revised State AI Enforcement Moratorium for Reconciliation Bill, But Passage Remains in Doubt

In a surprise move, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that a proposed moratorium on state and local AI laws satisfies the Byrd Rule, the

globalpolicywatch.com

[TOMORROW] Open Technology Institute's @jessicadine.bsky.social will be on a panel for the Speeding #BEAD Summit hosted by @broadbandbreakfast.bsky.social. The panel will address how Howard Lutnick's new guidance will impact BEAD! ➡️ broadbandbreakfast.com/speeding-bea...

Speeding BEAD Summit

How will the broadband infrastructure program be modified? How will deployment of BEAD be expedited?

broadbandbreakfast.com

NTIA claims it wants to streamline the BEAD program to more effectively close the #digitaldivide. But the new guidance released today creates a confusing, last-minute mess of changes that don’t align with that mission, says @jessicadine.bsky.social. www.newamerica.org/oti/press-re...

New Guidance Will Weaken BEAD’s Ability to Close the Digital Divide, Says OTI

OTI's responds to new guidance for states on the BEAD Program.

newamerica.org

Ending Digital Equity Act programs isn’t putting America first; it’s pulling out of a critical global race and wasting taxpayer dollars in the process, argues Jessica Dine, a policy analyst at New America’s Open Technology Institute and Wireless Future.

Trump's Cancellation of Digital Equity Act Programs Will Perpetuate the Digital Divide | TechPolicy.Press

Ending DEA programs isn’t putting America first; it’s pulling out of a critical global race and wasting taxpayer dollars in the process, writes Jessica Dine.

techpolicy.press

Why are we spending $42b+ building networks if there's nobody to use them? Adoption is the major hurdle to closing the digital divide. Most Americans are eligible for DEA funding, not a select few. And everybody's affected by networks that are less valuable bc not everyone's online.

Trump Says Digital Equity Funding Under Broadband Law Will Be Ended

Targeted funds include $619 million, from a pool of $910 million in funding from NTIA, made available under a competitive grant program

broadbandbreakfast.com

True tech neutrality means engaging on the merits of the #tech, not making judgments based on deployment costs alone. The latter is a path to short-changing the future of #connectivity for everyone—and for rural America most of all, writes @jessicadine.bsky.social. www.newamerica.org/oti/blog/so-...

So You Want BEAD to Be Tech Neutral?

True tech neutrality means engaging on the merits of the technologies, not making judgments on the basis of deployment costs alone.

newamerica.org

Texas pushing to remove BEAD's low-cost option requirement: a great way to ensure the people who actually need the networks being built can't afford to connect. No, the low-cost option requirement is not rate regulation.

No, NTIA’s Approach to BEAD’s Low-cost Option Requirement Is Not Rate Regulation

The rationale for BEAD's low-cost option requirement and NTIA's insistence on checking it upfront is clear: Billions of dollars spent on new networks for services that disproportionately offline popul...

itif.org

Lack of broadband adoption is a major obstacle to the U.S. becoming a fully digitally connected nation—one that's more advanced, resilient and efficient. NTIA's DEA Competitive Grant Program is set to close this gap. Learn about the winning proposals here:

How the Competitive Grant Program Awards Are Connecting U.S. Communities

The DEA grants are primed to empower states, organizations, and programs to address the digital divide from every angle.

newamerica.org

Happy 30th to NTIA's Internet Use Survey! Non-adoption is one of the most understudied causes of the digital divide, and NTIA's survey is one of the best tools for understanding it