Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Finalizes Agenda for August Meeting, USDA Announces Funding for Maryland Broadband
The FCC announced the final agenda for its August 6, 2020 Open Meeting. It includes the following items:
The USDA announced is investing more than $13 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Maryland. Specifically, in rural Maryland, Easton Utilities Commission will use a $13.1 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to connect 8,607 people, 144 farms, 183 businesses, eight educational facilities and one nursing home to high-speed broadband internet in Talbot County.
“The need for rural broadband has never been more apparent than it is now – as our nation manages the coronavirus national emergency. Access to telehealth services, remote learning for school children, and remote business operations all require access to broadband,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “I am so proud of our rural communities who have been working day in and day out, just like they always do, producing the food and fiber America depends on. We need them more than ever during these trying times, and expanding access to this critical infrastructure will help ensure rural America prospers for years to come.”
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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.