INCOMPAS News -- March 14, 2022

Vol. 18, No. 11

March 14, 2022

Broadband Labels Should Tell Consumers That Competition is

Faster, Better and More Affordable

INCOMPAS last week filed comments in the FCC proceeding on broadband labels.

“I think the broadband labels should tell consumers the truth. Service from competitive broadband providers is faster, better and costs less than the older, slower large ISPs. From Sonic in California to IdeaTek in rural Kansas, competition delivers the fastest speeds and ranks highest in customer satisfaction surveys," said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering.

“Broadband competition is the law, and consumers deserve to know they have alternatives. The FCC’s recent action to bring broadband choice to families living in apartment buildings, low-income housing and condo communities will impact 30% of Americans. The FCC broadband labels provide a great opportunity to educate these consumers on new cost saving opportunities.

He added: “We would also like to commend Josh Stager and the Open Technology Institute (OTI) for their advocacy in the area of broadband labeling and their commitment to consumer transparency and competition.”

FCC Publishes More Specs on Broadband Data Collection

The Broadband Data Task Force and Office of Economics and Analytics published specifications providing guidance to filers on how to prepare and format mobile speed test data and infrastructure data for submission into the Broadband Data Collection system.

These specifications, together with the data specifications related to the biannual submission of subscription, availability and supporting data for the BDC published on March 4, are available on the FCC website.

House, Senate Passes

FY 2022 Spending Bill with

$550 Million for Broadband

The House passed an omnibus spending bill on March 9, providing $1.5 trillion in discretionary resources across 12 fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills. The Senate passed the omnibus spending bill the next day.

Among other things, the bill invests over $550 million in the expansion of broadband service, including an additional $450 million for the ReConnect Program. This is in addition to the $2 billion provided in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Additionally, the bill includes $382 million for the FCC, an increase of $8 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, to support efforts to expand broadband access, improve the security of U.S. telecommunications networks and administer COVID-19 relief programs. Click here for a division-by-division summary.

House to Hold FCC Oversight Hearing on March 31

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce announced that the Communications and Technology Subcommittee will hold an FCC oversight hearing on March 31. Additional details for this hearing will be announced the week before the hearing.

NTIA to Host Pre-NOFO Technical Assistance Webinars

NTIA will host a pre-Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) technical assistance webinar series through May in connection with the five new broadband grant programs authorized and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA): The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program; the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program; and the Digital Equity Act Programs, which include the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, and Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program.

These pre-NOFO technical assistance webinars are designed to help prospective applicants understand NTIA’s IIJA broadband grant programs and to assist applicants to prepare high quality grant applications.

NTIA Webinar Schedule

Webinar #2: Wednesday, March 23, 2022, from 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. ET
Webinar #3: Wednesday, April 6, 2022, from 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. ET
Webinar #4: Wednesday, April 27, 2022, from 2:30 4:00 p.m. ET
Webinar #5: Wednesday, May 11, 2022, from 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. ET.

These webinars will be hosted via NTIA’s virtual platform and conducted as live webinars. NTIA will post the registration information on its BroadbandUSA website as soon as the virtual platform is finalized.