INCOMPAS News -- July 26, 2021

Vol. 17, No. 29

July 26, 2021

Learn How to Build Your Personal Brand at The 2021 INCOMPAS Show

As your career progresses, the hurdles and victories you experience become a part of your story. Your story is the first step in the development of a personal brand - the definition of who you are, the values you embrace and the way you express those values.

Developing a clear understanding of how your personal brand can positively affect your roles internally within your own companies and externally with your professional network. A well-defined personal brand can also contribute to overall job satisfaction and help you accomplish career goals.

Get insights into building your personal brand during a special Women in Tech session at The 2021 INCOMPAS Show.

Laura Johns, CEO of The Business Growers, and Amy Kohl, CEO of AK Operations, will host an open forum to explore practical ways you can build a personal brand, establish a unique professional identity and communicate it effectively to your employers or clients.

The Women in Tech workshop sponsored by:

Stay and Save

Save $100 off INCOMPAS Show registration when you book at our host hotel, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, by Monday, September 6.

Hotel confirmation number required at time of registration. For more details, click here.

INCOMPAS/BroadLand Issue Report on Global Internet Speeds Initiatives

INCOMPAS today released a new report - Global Gigabit Goals - The Race to Faster Broadband Speeds - which highlights the gigabit speed initiatives set by other nations, including China, the E.U. and the U.K.

The report illustrates just how ridiculous the current 25/3 Mbps standard is, and how far behind the United States will fall without significant investment into deploying gigabit speed networks as fast as possible.

“Policy makers in Washington, D.C. must prioritize building the networks of the future in the U.S. with its bipartisan infrastructure plan. This is important because the rest of the world is racing past us with gigabit speed initiatives designed to deliver faster symmetrical services that empower creators and attract the jobs of the future," said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering.

“For years we listened to U.S. policy makers from both parties make bold declarations about winning the race to 5G. Meeting this goal requires future proof fiber to support small cells, so America’s 5G networks will surge, not stumble, out of the blocks. We simply cannot afford to let China, the E.U. and the U.K. charge ahead with better broadband. We need to build faster networks, fast," he added. “Our city, state and local leaders from urban and rural communities have all told Congress they need future proof infrastructure. It’s time to let go of the slow speeds of the past, and invest infrastructure tax dollars into networks of the future that bring faster speeds, more competition and lower prices for all Americans.”

FCC Announces $311 Million for Broadband, Acts to Clean Up RDOF

The FCC today took its first steps to move forward with funding new broadband deployments across the country through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). The FCC announced that it is ready to authorize over $311 million in broadband funding across 36 states through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.

“This is a significant down payment on broadband deployment,” said FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.“Today’s announcement means that help is on the way for hundreds of thousands of Americans without access to broadband.”

This is the first funding to be approved through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. As a result of today’s announcement, 48 broadband providers will bring 1 Gbps broadband speeds to nearly 200,000 homes and businesses over the next 10 years. At the same time, the FCC also took steps to clean up the RDOF program. In light of complaints that the program was poised to fund broadband to parking lots and well-served urban areas, the FCC sent letters to 197 winning bidders. The letters offer providers an opportunity to withdraw their funding requests from those places already with service or where significant questions of waste have been raised. Next, the FCC made clear that it will not tolerate any provider participating in the program that is not serious about providing broadband service or has not made appropriate efforts to secure state approvals.

Bill to Explore Collecting USF Contributions from Big Tech

Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), introduced the Funding Affordable Internet with Reliable (FAIR) Contributions Act. The legislation would direct the FCC to conduct a study into the feasibility of collecting Universal Service Fund (USF) contributions from internet edge providers, such as YouTube, Netflix and Google.

The FAIR Contributions Act would direct the FCC to issue a Notice of Inquiry seeking public comment on the feasibility of collecting USF contributions from internet edge providers, and issue a final report on the matter within 180 days. Additionally, it would require the FCC to consider:

Possible sources of big tech revenue, such as digital advertising and user fees
The fairness of the current system and a system under which contributions could be assessed on big tech firms
The feasibility of assessing contributions on such a broad category of firms that do not currently register with the FCC
The effects such a change would have on Tribal, low-income, and elderly consumers
The changes to current law necessary to implement this system

NARUC Approves Broadband, Emergency Benefit Resolutions

Last week at its Summer Policy Summit, NARUC approved three resolutions:

Recommendations from its Broadband Expansion Task Force on broadband mapping, enhancing broadband program coordination and broadband adoption, among other things
A call for improvement to the EBB program, and requested the FCC and USAC work quickly and collaboratively with service providers and other stakeholders to fix the National Verifier process for EBB enrollments.
Support for a petition filed by the state of California seeking reconsideration of an order relating to rules on disaster reporting.

NTIA Provides Updates to Broadband Infrastructure Programs

NTIA staff will host two additional Broadband Infrastructure Program webinars, which build upon the previous month’s presentations to help prospective applicants further understand the grant programs and assist applicants to prepare high-quality grant applications:

Session 5a – Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. ET
Session 5b – Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. ET

The NTIA also has recently published its third set of FAQs regarding the Broadband Infrastructure Program. This document offers some of the most commonly asked questions from prospective applicants regarding eligibility, other broadband funding programs and eligible service areas, application requirements/process, and post-award requirements. Subsequent FAQ sets will be published periodically throughout the application window.

Additional reminders:

Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. EDT on August 17, 2021
All applicants must have current registrations in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and Grants.gov, keeping in mind the SAM.gov registration process typically takes 3-5 business days, but could take more than 3 weeks.
All applications must be submitted electronically via www.Grants.gov. Complete applications or portions of applications submitted by mail, email, or FAX will not be accepted.

Reps. Lead Majority of House Democratic Caucus Urging

President Biden to Permanently Close the Digital Divide

Reps. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), G. K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) led a majority of the House Democratic Caucus in sending a letter that urges President Biden to permanently close the digital divide for all Americans. 120 members of the House Democratic Caucus signed the letter thanking President Biden for pursuing a bipartisan infrastructure package and expressing their support for targeting federal funds to the hardest to reach areas and providing a permanent, federally funded broadband benefit program for financially vulnerable families.

Bicameral Bill on Emergency Connectivity Fund Introduced

Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y), along with 15 additional senators and 25 house members, introduced the Securing Universal Communications Connectivity to Ensure Students Succeed Act to build on the Emergency Connectivity Fund. The bill would provide schools and libraries with $40 billion over five years to continue to provide Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers and internet-enabled devices to students, staff and library patrons, and will continue efforts to close the homework gap and support distance learning after the pandemic.