- 30 Years of the Telecom Act
- Federal Funding Cuts Impact Access
- House Passes Broadband Bill
- Massachusetts Invests in Access
- San Francisco Delivers Free Wi-Fi
30 YEARS OF THE TELECOM ACT
Digital inclusion practitioners have been commemorating 30 years of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 over the past month; it became law Feb. 8, 1996.
The Benton Institute for Broadband and Society reflected on the legislation’s impact in an article, stating that while significant gains have been made, the promise of universal service has not yet been achieved due to factors including deployment gaps and affordability challenges.
“The 30th anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 presents an ideal opportunity to review the universal service objective, its underlying principles, and the progress made toward its achievement,” the article said, as the organization calls on policymakers and other stakeholders to recommit to the promise of achieving universal access to essential telecommunications services.
The nonprofit organization Public Knowledge held an event Feb. 24, during which policy advocates and others discussed the legacy of this legislation and remaining challenges to bridging telecommunications service access and adoption gaps.
During the gathering, U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan underlined a need to update the law, noting that her colleagues have been focused on other areas of technology, like AI.
“Nobody understands how technology has changed so rapidly that the Telecom Act no longer applies,” said McClellan, who is urging action on its modernization.
FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS IMPACT ACCESS
Additional funding is needed to help sustain local digital device access initiatives in one community.
The Grand Rapids Public Library (GRPL) in Michigan has announced that it has disabled holds on mobile hot spots as of Tuesday; on June 22, the Hotspot Lending Service will be discontinued.
Public libraries play an essential role in bridging digital inequities. In recent years, their role has evolved to include lending technology tools like Wi-Fi hot spots.
GRPL launched its lending program to allow cardholders to check out hot spots in 2021 and later expanded it. The program came at an average cost of $183 per user each year, and there was significant demand to increase the collection size. The cost, paired with the 2025 end to federal funding that covered Wi-Fi hot spot lending, made the program “unsustainable,” Library Director John McNaughton said in a statement. GRPL will instead invest in internal technology infrastructure to serve community needs.
One way these cost challenges could be addressed is through non-deployment funds from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance affiliates and partners have attended two recent listening sessions hosted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, calling on the agency to implement the law as designed, allowing states to use these funds to support broadband adoption work.
HOUSE PASSES BROADBAND BILL
The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed a bill that would help expand Internet access in rural and tribal communities by identifying and addressing regulatory barriers.
“By addressing key regulatory barriers, prioritizing staffing to process permits, and improving interagency coordination, we can take real steps forward in ensuring affordable, reliable connectivity for our communities,” U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. said in a statement.
House Resolution 5419, the Enhancing Administrative Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act, directs the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture to review and report on administrative barriers that can delay permit reviews to make the process of deploying communications infrastructure on federal land more efficient.
MASSACHUSETTS INVESTS IN ACCESS
Massachusetts is investing in digital equity, both in access to Internet service and the skills with which to use it.
Officials awarded nearly $7.6 million to support 37 housing organizations with access to services including digital skills training and device access. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) provided the funds through the Retrofit Ancillary Grantee (RANGE) program.
“The RANGE program helps residents take on these key priorities with cutting-edge devices and professional hands-on training,” state Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley said in a statement.
In related news, MBI celebrated the delivery of high-speed Internet across seven public housing properties, supported by both the RANGE program and the Residential Retrofit program.
SAN FRANCISCO DELIVERS FREE WI-FI
In local news, officials in San Francisco celebrated a milestone in the Chinatown Wi-Fi project, as the first phase is complete. That portion entails free, high-speed Internet access along Grant Avenue from Bush Street to Broadway. It also provides free service to the 234 families living at the Ping Yuen affordable housing buildings.
“This work is especially meaningful for the Cantonese, Mandarin, and Taishanese speakers on our team, all with family roots in the neighborhood, because they know firsthand how this connectivity benefits the community,” Mike Makstman, San Francisco CIO and executive director of the Department of Technology, said in a statement.
This marks an expansion to the #SFWiFi network, which already provides free public Internet in more than 20 community hubs, including parks and recreation centers, across San Francisco.
