Congress has reached a bipartisan compromise on an economic relief package to help families and small businesses that continue to struggle and suffer under the weight of COVID-19. The stimulus package includes the INCOMPAS-supported extension of the CARES Act which has been instrumental in helping local communities stay connected to the internet during the pandemic.
“We want to thank Members of Congress from both political parties for stepping up to support extending broadband funding in the CARES Act, which has proven critical to families, students and small businesses who need to stay connected to the internet during the pandemic," said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering.
“Broadband funding in the stimulus package is an important band-aid that is helping keep Americans connected. But the pandemic makes clear that our networks require surgery. Millions of families lack coverage, while the majority of Americans are forced to live with older networks that are too slow, over-congested and expensive where there is a lack of competition," he added. “Other nations have taken massive steps forward to deploy faster speed networks with gigabit goals designed to win the race to 5G and beyond. The next Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration must make universal, high-speed, affordability a top priority in the first 100 days or our economy could get stuck in the slow lane for decades to come.”
FirstLight Fiber's Van Wagenen Selected to Serve Third Term as INCOMPAS Board Chairman
Last week the INCOMPAS Board of Directors met and selected its executive leadership for the coming year. Kurt Van Wagenen, President and CEO of FirstLight Fiber, was re-elected to serve his third term as Board Chair. The Board also re-elected Michael B. Galvin, General Counsel of Granite Telecommunications LLC as Vice Chair, and elected Brian Worthen, CEO of Mammoth Networks to serve as Treasurer.
Rounding out the Executive Committee are three at-large members: Jon Clopton, Vice President, Network Cost, Planning and Carrier Relations of Inteliquent; Ronald Mudry, Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of Uniti Group Inc.; and Gary Watts, Founder and CEO of Fuse.Cloud.
“I am honored that my peers on the INCOMPAS Board have entrusted me with a third term in this leadership role. I am proud to serve the association and its members, who have been at the forefront of keeping Americans connected through the pandemic and helping families who have been working and learning remotely over the past nine months,” Van Wagenen said in a press release. “I believe 2021 will be one of the most transformational years for broadband policy, as we seek universal connectivity goals for all Americans who want more competition, faster speeds and more affordable options. I look forward to working with INCOMPAS and its members as we continue to advocate for competition policy and innovation that help grow their businesses.”
Last month, the association held elections for companies services two-year terms for 2020-2022. Visit the INCOMPAS website to see full Board list.
Paper Shows Impact of Broadband on U.S. Farm Productivity
The Office of Economics and Analytics issued a paper that analyzes the impact of increased broadband availability in rural areas on the productivity of U.S. farms. The FCC said the paper finds broadband availability has significant positive impacts on crop yields and other farm production metrics.
Graham Proposes Eliminating CDA Section 230 Protections
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham introduced a bill (S. 5020) that he said in a press release would end liability protections related to content moderation by Big Tech companies in three years, although the protections to be eliminated apply to many smaller companies and Internet users, as well. The bill, which has been referred to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, would repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in its entirety and would make conforming amendments to U.S. law to eliminate references to CDA Section 230. The changes would take effect January 1, 2023.
FCC Extends COVID-19 E-Rate, RHC Waivers
The Wireline Competition Bureau issued an order on December 14 further extending waivers of certain rural health care and E-rate program gift rules through June 30, 2021. The bureau said the waivers were set to expire on December 31, 2020, but in light of the ongoing disruptions caused by COVID-19, good cause exists to extend the waivers.
FCC Sets July 31 Deadline for COVID-19 Telehealth Program
The FCC issued a public notice that establishes a July 31, 2021, invoicing deadline for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program.The initial deadline was September 30, 2020 for the 539 awardees of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program to purchase eligible connected devices and implement eligible services, but extended that deadline to December 31, 2020, after receiving multiple requests from awardees that needed more time to purchase connected devices and/or implement services or that were experiencing delays. The FCC also noted that awardees should provide a report to the Commission on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program funding no later than six months after its conclusion.
