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Maine Announces Federal Grant for 911 Enhancements

The Maine PUC announced it has received a $680,741 Federal Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Commerce to improve 911 location information in Maine.  Maine is one of 34 states to receive federal funding to advance the development of next generation 911 systems.

Department of Commerce 911 Grants

The U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced more than $109 million in grants to 34 states and two tribal nations as part of the 911 Grant Program, which will help 911 call centers upgrade to Next Generation 911 (NG911) capabilities. 

Indiana Governor Announces Over $22 Million in Broadband Funding

The Governor of Indiana announced  $22.1 million in funding for 11 broadband expansion infrastructure projects across the state as a part of the initial round of the Next Level Broadband program.  This funding will provide broadband infrastructure to more than 4,800 homes and commercial locations in 12 counties.

The $100 million Next Level Broadband program is the largest single state investment in broadband. For the initial round of funding, service providers could apply for up to $5 million per project to expand service to unserved areas if they provided at least a 20 percent match.

ITIF Report Says GDPR-Style Data Privacy Law Would Cost U.S. Economy $122 Billion Per Year

In a recent Report the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) found that federal legislation mirroring key provisions of either the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) could cost the U.S. economy approximately $122 billion per year.

Arkansas Governor Announces $25 Million in Broadband Grant Funding

The Governor of Arkansas has announced “Arkansas Rural Connect,” a new $25 million grant program within the Arkansas State Broadband Office. Governor Hutchinson made the announcement while speaking to the Arkansas Sheriff’s Association in Rogers.  The goal is to provide high-speed broadband to rural communities throughout Arkansas by 2022, as outlined in the State Broadband Plan released in May.

FCC’s Rosenworcel Releases New Podcast

FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel announced the release of a special episode of her podcast, Broadband Conversations.  The episode was recorded in front of a live audience and features Congresswoman Sharice Davids and Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer. Both women serve on the Small Business Committee and both have also made history; Davids is the first openly LGBTQ Kansan elected to Congress and one of the first female Native Americans elected to Congress in our nation’s history.

Florida PSC Releases Report on Status of Competition

The Florida PSC released a report showing that more Florida consumers are choosing cutting edge communications technologies while landline phones continue to disappear. 

“Many Florida consumers now live in wireless only homes and use wireless and broadband services,” said PSC Chairman Art Graham. “As the pace for technological innovation quickens, companies are investing in advanced technologies that best serve the diverse needs of today’s consumers, while also boosting Florida’s economic growth.”

FCC Grants Forbearance from UNE Loop and Resale Requirements

At the statutory deadline on Friday, the FCC announced it had granted US Telecom’s petition asking it to forbear from requiring price cap ILECs to continue offering: (1) analog voice-grade copper loops on an unbundled basis at regulated rates and (2) legacy services for resale at regulated rates. The FCC found that the communications marketplace has transformed over the past  twenty years, with consumers migrating away from plain old telephone service provided over copper wires by their local telephone company toward newer, any-distance voice services provided over next-generation networks by cable, mobile and fixed wireless, and over-the-top VoIP providers. 

FCC Establishes New Digital Opportunity Data Collection

At its Open Meeting yesterday, the FCC voted to initiate a new process for collecting fixed broadband data to better pinpoint where broadband service is lacking.  The FCC concluded that there is a compelling and immediate need to develop more granular broadband deployment data to meet this goal, and accordingly, created the new Digital Opportunity Data Collection. This new data collection that will collect geospatial broadband coverage maps from fixed broadband Internet service providers of areas where they make fixed service available. 

Senate Bill Would Give the FTC Jurisdiction Over Telecom Companies

Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Protection from Robocalling Act to combat the dramatic increase in illegal robocalls. The bill amends the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act by removing in its entirety (i.e., not merely for purposes of regulating robocalling activity) the provision that exempts common carriers regulated by the FCC from the FTC’s jurisdiction.