For 40 years, INCOMPAS has been at the nexus of competition, working with a diverse group of members, all who share the goals of promoting competition, innovation and economic development. In our monthly Member Spotlight series, we'll showcase the entrepreneurial broadband builders, service providers, technology innovators and affiliate partners that are catalysts for economic growth and improving the quality of life of all Americans through technological innovation, new services and greater choice for consumers and businesses.

Join us on Thursday, April 15, at 1 p.m. EDT, and hear from INCOMPAS affiliate member Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA), a global, not-for-profit peer organization dedicated to fostering the growth and value of hosted cloud communications and collaboration services for our members, our customers and the industry.  

CCA provides its members and the industry with vital information about the cloud industry, helps amplify its members’ messages through marketing programs and represents its members before governmental bodies in the U.S. and Europe.

CCA Chairman Clark Peterson will share: 

Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and 14 other Senators sent a letter to President Biden asking he provide at least $1.5 billion each for both the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation and Multilateral Telecommunications Security funds. They said these funds provide critical foundations for secure and efficient 5G networks, and will be integral to the ability of the United States and its allies to adopt open radio access network equipment at a scale necessary to compete with the equipment vendors of strategic rivals, including China.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit issued an order on April 8, 2021, granting the FCC’s motion to hold in abeyance the proceeding addressing the California PUC’s petition for review of the Restoring Internet Freedom order on remand. The court directed the FCC to file a status report by July 7, 2021, and at 90-day intervals thereafter.

The report and order and order on reconsideration implementing the second round of the COVID-19 Telehealth program was published in the Federal Register on April 9, 2021. The $249.95 million initiative builds on the $200 million program established as part of the CARES Act.

Round 2 will distribute funding to each state, territory and the District of Columbia and will have an application filing window so all applicants are on equal footing during the review, as well as allow submission of additional information to supplement their applications, if necessary.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for its Distance Learning and Telemedicine program, which provides grants to rural communities with populations of 20,000 or less to acquire the technology and training necessary to connect educational and medical professionals with the teachers and medical providers who serve rural residents at the local level.

Eligible applicants include state and local governmental entities, federally recognized tribes and non-profits. The application deadline is June 4, 2021.