{"id":100535,"date":"2025-08-21T23:52:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T23:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/100535\/"},"modified":"2025-08-21T23:52:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T23:52:07","slug":"whats-new-in-digital-equity-federal-broadband-policy-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/100535\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s New in Digital Equity: Federal Broadband Policy Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week in \u201cWhat\u2019s New in Digital Equity\u201d \u2014 our weekly look at government digital equity and broadband news \u2014 we have a number of interesting items, which you can jump to with the links below:
FEDERAL BROADBAND POLICY CHANGE
President Donald Trump signed an Aug. 13 executive order<\/a> (EO) revoking a 2021 EO, Promoting Competition in the American Economy<\/a>. The now-revoked executive order did several things to ensure a competitive economy and protect consumers, both in relation to broadband and other sectors.<\/p>\n

The 2021 EO on competition acknowledged that U.S. residents pay too much for broadband services, in part due to lacking competition.<\/p>\n

To address competition, that EO established rules to avoid excessive concentration of spectrum license holdings in the U.S. It also started the process to ensure providers regularly report broadband prices to the FCC to improve transparency.<\/p>\n

The earlier EO did several things to protect consumers, too. First, it initiated the rulemaking process that led providers to display broadband consumer labels<\/a> to give consumers clear and accurate information on broadband pricing and performance. It also called for the adoption of net neutrality<\/a> rules, meaning that providers treat Internet traffic equally. The EO prohibited unjust termination fees for users and aimed to prevent landlords and providers from limiting tenants\u2019 provider choices.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s Aug. 13 EO revoked the previous order without issuing new rules to sustain the work it started, such as consumer labels and prohibition of unjust service termination fees.<\/p>\n

Reactions to the revocation are mixed.<\/p>\n

A statement<\/a> from Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the U.S. Justice Department\u2019s Antitrust Division celebrated the elimination of certain regulatory barriers, arguing that competition is enabled by \u201cfree markets,\u201d and critiquing \u201cbarriers to innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, on the other hand, criticized the move to revoke the 2021 EO. Klobuchar serves as the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s decision is a step backward for consumers, entrepreneurs, workers, and family farmers,\u201d Klobuchar said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cIt will lead to higher prices, fewer choices, and less innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

A statement<\/a> from the U.S. Hispanic Business Council\u2019s President and CEO Javier Palomarez called the Biden-era EO \u201cunnecessarily burdensome.\u201d<\/p>\n

And a statement<\/a> from the American Economic Liberties Project noted that prices are increasing, citing as factors both the administration\u2019s \u201cscaling back\u201d of the government\u2019s promotion of competition and \u201cpretending weaker enforcement will lower costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

A free market does enable innovation<\/a> without barriers, but simultaneously leaves broadband market monopolies<\/a> unchecked, potentially negatively impacting consumers and infrastructure<\/a>. Experts have previously argued that net neutrality is essential<\/a> to federal broadband expansion, an area in which more than 40 billion federal dollars<\/a> are currently being invested.<\/p>\n

TRIBAL NATIONS STILL FACE SIGNIFICANT CONNECTIVITY GAPS
A new report<\/a> from Ookla Research, a private company creating connectivity-focused data insights, illuminates the digital inequities tribal nations are still experiencing in the U.S.<\/p>\n

The report reveals significant differences in connectivity experiences across nations. The report analyzes 110 tribal nations. Some nations, especially those in rural areas, are still experiencing slower download speeds; other nations have speeds higher than the FCC-defined minimum. There is a notable difference between some tribal nations and the states with which they share geographies.<\/p>\n

For example, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which inhabits the same region as Connecticut, has median download speeds 98.2 percent lower than that of users in Connecticut.<\/p>\n

While federal government programs like the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program<\/a> can help fill the gaps, the report argues that many tribes lack the capacity to navigate program eligibility requirements, application processes and reporting requirements.<\/p>\n

In related news, the Hoopa Valley Tribe has partnered with the state of California, a first in the state<\/a>. Partnerships can play a significant role<\/a> in bridging connectivity gaps in rural areas. Specifically, the Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District has entered into a tribal-state agreement aimed at delivering last-mile service to approximately 3,000 residents, and supporting the state\u2019s open-access middle-mile broadband network.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first-of-its-kind agreement with the Hoopa Valley Tribe proved the concept, opened the door for 10 more tribal partnerships, and shows that statewide connectivity and tribal self-determination go hand in hand,\u201d California state CIO Liana Bailey-Crimmins said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

ELIGIBLE DURHAM, N.C., RESIDENTS TO GET HOT SPOTS
In local news, the city of Durham, N.C., has teamed up with Durham County to distribute 600 MiFi hot spots, to provide free Internet service to eligible residents for a limited time.<\/p>\n

The MiFi Distribution Program<\/a> is funded by $211,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act. Through it, the city will build on its broader digital inclusion work to support residents\u2019 equitable access to Internet for things like schoolwork, job searches and health care.<\/p>\n

The application survey<\/a>, available in English and Spanish, will be open through November or until funding runs out. Device distribution will begin in September.<\/p>\n

To be eligible, applicants must be at least 18 years of age and either living in a low-income household or participating in certain income-based assistance programs. They must also be able to provide proof of eligibility, including a photo ID.<\/p>\n

NEBRASKA LIBRARIES TO EXPAND SKILLS TRAINING
Lincoln City Libraries, a public library system in Nebraska, has announced<\/a> funding to expand its Technology Basics Workshops digital literacy training program. Libraries play an essential role<\/a> in addressing barriers to Internet access and use.<\/p>\n

The expansion is made possible through a $5,838 AARP Community Challenge grant. Workshops funded by the program teach participants things like basic computer skills, cybersecurity, video conferencing, and mobile device use.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than 160 people participated in our previous Technology Basics Workshop series, highlighting the strong demand for digital literacy education,\u201d Wyatt Packard, Walt Branch Library manager, said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The new grant will enable the library system to offer six weekly workshops and 24 one-on-one appointments. It will also allow the Walt Branch Library to upgrade technology used in the classes.<\/p>\n

FIBER IS COMING TO THE MIDWEST
Governments are trying to bring fiber, which has been deemed<\/a> the \u201cgold standard\u201d of broadband technology infrastructure and remains so<\/a> today, to their communities.<\/p>\n

Last week, a fiber provider named Lumos announced<\/a> its fifth expansion in Ohio, building nearly 3,000 miles of fiber infrastructure to bring reliable connectivity to Lorain and Cuyahoga counties.<\/p>\n

In Fowlerville, Mich., construction will soon begin on a new fiber-optic Internet project<\/a> made possible by a $1.2 million investment from Surf Internet as part of a broader project in the state aiming to connect about 4,500 unserved homes.<\/p>\n

In Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, Omni Fiber is expanding<\/a> its network by investing more than $465 million. Construction is already underway.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Virginia\u2019s plans to bring fiber Internet to residents are being challenged by Starlink operator SpaceX, which has urged the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to reject the state\u2019s proposal, as reported<\/a> by Ars Technica.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This week in \u201cWhat\u2019s New in Digital Equity\u201d \u2014 our weekly look at government digital equity and broadband…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":100536,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[174,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-100535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-internet","8":"tag-internet","9":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}