The Nebraska Public Service Commission has approved an order awarding 22 grants totaling nearly $20 million from the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program (NBBP). Created by the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Act the NBBP provides up to $20 million dollars annually for the development of broadband networks capable of at least 100/100 Megabits per second (up/down) in unserved and underserved areas of the state. During the 2023 grant cycle, the Nebraska PSC received 51 applications for funding through the NBBP. Upon review of the applications and the challenges received the Nebraska PSC determined 22 submissions would be funded. The grants awarded were submitted by 10 providers for a total of $19,713,379.26. The 10 awardees are:

1. Glenwood Telecommunications
2. CenturyLink
3. Pinpoint Communications
4. Allo Communications
5. Cambridge Telephone Company
6. Cox Nebraska Telecom
7. Diller Telephone Company
8. Stealth Broadband
9. Hartington Telecommunications Co
10. Charter Communications

Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) invites proposals from eligible internet service providers to take part in the new Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Subrecipient Support Program, which provides funds to promote the ability of various entities to participate in the BEAD Program. The program provides needs-based grants to assist in preparing a BEAD application. Awards range from $10,000-$200,000 to be used for planning, analysis, stakeholder engagement, collaboration, and short-term capacity necessary to plan and draft an application to the BEAD program. Municipalities, municipal organizations, co-ops, utilities, for-profit entities, nonprofit entities, or other consortiums are all eligible for support from this program. Priority will be given to entities facing financial, in-house expertise, or other barriers that complicate or make it more challenging to apply for funding via BEAD.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote to auto manufacturers as well as wireless service providers to seek their help in protecting domestic abuse survivors from the misuse of connected car tools by abusers. As modern vehicles make it increasingly easy for passengers and drivers to access hands-free communication tools, find-your-car services, and more, these smart car services can and have been used to stalk, harass, and intimidate survivors of intimate partner violence. The Chairwoman sent letters to nine of the largest automakers serving the American marketplace. These letters ask the companies for details about the connected car systems they offer, any existing plans to support survivors in their efforts to disconnect from abusers, and how these companies handle consumers’ geolocation data. [Also see  Automaker Letters and Wireless Provider Letters]

All of the big cable companies, and many of the smaller ones, routinely use hidden fees to disguise the true cost of buying cable TV. The Federal Communications Commission has been moving to tackle hidden fees, and at its December 2023 meeting it released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes to eliminate a service fee and early termination fees on customer who want to break the contracts that are required to get promotional pricing. Not surprisingly, the cable industry is fighting vehemently against the elimination of such fees. In December, NCTA – the Internet and Television Association, which is the trade association for the major cable TV companies, sent a letter to the FCC telling the agency that it doesn’t have the authority to tackle junk fees since that would amount to rate regulation. NCTA says that the FCC will be depriving consumers of getting low-cost specials if the providers have to tell the public the truth about the real cost of the specials. 

After closing on his re-merger of Dish Network and EchoStar, Chairman Charlie Ergen outlined a series of strategic asset shifts that shield certain spectrum assets, as well as the cash generated by about three million Dish pay-TV subscribers, from existing creditors. The moves “further unlock incremental strategic, financial and operating flexibility for its business following completion of its merger” with Dish Network. In an investor note headlined, “Making Sense of the Inscrutable,” equity analyst Craig Moffett labeled the announcement “bewilderingly complicated,” while noting the conspicuous absence of a follow-up conference call by Ergen and his team to explain the “why” behind the moves. Moffett also referenced the collapse of the Dish Network bond market, with investors worried about the company's more than $20 billion of debt.