The following article was published by Cable Fax:
While there’s still hope that the Affordable Connectivity Program could be refunded this Congress through various legislation, it’s quickly dissipating.
Longtime public interest advocate and American Association for Public Broadband Executive Director Gigi Sohn believes USF reform could be the way forward, pointing to ongoing work by a bipartisan Universal Service working group in the Senate that she thinks could mandate the FCC step in with contribution reform that would have broadband providers contribute and possibly some “big data users,” she said.
Though USF reform was touched on during the 45-minute session, the overall lament was that ACP has been allowed to expire. Sohn noted that she supported the broadband provision of the Infrastructure Act because it gave authority to the states—including for how BEAD winners would meet the broadband affordability requirement. “If I have a complaint at all—and you know I love my friends at NTIA—but I think they’re being a little too heavy handed. The states have to know what’s going on on the ground much better than the federal government.”
The full article is available here.