Today's Regulatory Mix: US Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Bill, FCC Lifeline Awareness

US Congress Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Bill

House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI) announced the introduction of HR7022, the “Rural Broadband Acceleration Act.” This bipartisan legislation would direct the FCC to fund shovel-ready, high-speed internet projects immediately, so consumers can access broadband within a year. Specifically, the Act directs the FCC to accelerate the deployment of funds to bidders in the upcoming Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) that commit to: 1) build a gigabit tier broadband network; 2) begin construction within 6 months of receiving funding; and 3) provide internet service within a year.

“The Covid-19 crisis has exposed the severity and magnitude of the rural-urban digital divide. Telework, telemedicine, and distance learning are impossible in areas without broadband access. Our bipartisan legislation will fund hundreds of rural broadband construction projects immediately,” House Majority Whip Clyburn said. “I have made it my mission to ensure high-speed internet is accessible and affordable to all, and seeing the Rural Broadband Acceleration Act signed into law as we continue the federal response to the Covid crisis is my top priority.”

Roughly one in four rural households cannot connect to the internet, and it is often too slow and too expensive for the households who do have access.

FCC Lifeline Awareness

The FCC announced that it and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) are partnering to raise awareness of the federal Lifeline program, which helps eligible low-income consumers access affordable broadband and phone services. Due to the COVID 19 national emergency, the FCC and NARUC recognize that many Americans that are newly unemployed or face other circumstances that make them eligible for Lifeline for the first time may be unaware either of their eligibility for Lifeline or how to apply for the program. Accordingly, all NARUC members are being asked to help raise awareness of li of Lifeline benefits by distributing program information to consumers in their states. The FCC notes that downloadable materials about the program are available at Lifeline Support.org’s Community Outreach page, including “How to Apply” Fact Sheets in English and Spanish as well as for Tribal consumers. The FCC hopes that the state commissions will circulate this information as widely as possible to consumers and other Lifeline stakeholders, including to your state agency partners that administer Medicaid, SNAP, and unemployment benefits. It also noted that it recently temporarily eased the documentation requirements for those who seek to qualify for the Lifeline program based on their income.

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.