Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez and Stephen Baldwin, Senior Advisor to the President, spoke about the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program at an event hosted by the Information Technology Institute in Washington DC. “We want to make sure that every user is connected to the internet, it is so important for participation in society, in our economy,” Commissioner Gomez said. “It’s important for finding a job, applying for college or doing homework…It’s so central to our lives now that those who can’t be connected are going to fall farther and farther behind.” Benjamin said that the importance of the ACP could not be overstated, and noted that the ACP is used more than the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Enrollment for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has frozen, as of 11:59 pm on February 7, according to the website for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but advocates like Gigi Sohn believe that momentum is on their side to keep the program alive. Sohn, the American Association for Public Broadband’s executive director, has been a leading voice to keep the program, which provides subsidies for nearly 23 million Americans to help pay for broadband services. She said her organization has recorded more than 400,000 “touches,” also known as individual outreaches, to US legislators on behalf of efforts to save the ACP. Sohn said some key Republicans on Capitol Hill want to reform the ACP before giving the program more money, but added that she doesn’t think there is enough time to reform the program before funding expires in April of this year. She said those conversations should have happened a year ago.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which helps low-income families pay for home internet services, will end without Congressional action. The program, known as the ACP, stopped enrolling new applicants on February 7, and funding for all participants will run out by May. This has huge implications for school connectivity and the digital divide as the program aids nearly 23 million households to obtain internet access. Despite the dire state of the ACP, John Harrington, chief executive officer of Funds for Learning, says there’s a possibility for better funding for schools going forward. The FCC has proposed a rule change to the E-Rate program that would allow wifi hotspots to be eligible for funding. If enacted, it could be a better means for schools to ensure internet access for students than the existing ACP programs, which require individual households to apply, something that isn’t always feasible for all students' families. 

Average broadband data consumption easily eclipsed a new milestone in 2023, ending the year above 600 GB per month and setting the stage for average monthly usage to reach or exceed 700 GB by the end of 2024, according to the 4Q23 edition of the OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) report. Key findings from the report include:

• Usage: The monthly average data consumed by subscribers in 4Q23 was 641 GB, up 9.3% from 4Q22’s average of 586.7 GB.
• Power Users The super power user category consuming 2 TB or more per month increased by 37% since 4Q22.
• Speed Tiers The percentage of subscribers on gigabit speed tiers grew 29% year over year, with one-third of subscribers now provisioned for gigabit speeds.
• Extreme Power Users The new category of extreme power users consuming 5 TB or more per month increased by 71% since 4Q22.
• Key Bandwidth Usage Insight Commercial subscribers use 74% more upstream data than residential subscribers.

T-Mobile is making steady progress with its initiative to offer fiber internet service. It’s now selling fiber service in 13 markets, according to the “availability” tab on its T-Fiber website. The wireless carrier seems to prefer working with providers who build open-access networks. These networks are deployed by one company and then leased to multiple internet service providers, which can then offer broadband service to end customers. In its 13 markets, the company is working with:

• Tillman FiberCo — In Pinellas County and Polk County, Florida;
• Intrepid Fiber Networks — In Pueblo and Northglenn, Colorado; and in Bloomington, St. Cloud/Sauk Rapids, and Eden Prairie, Minnesota; 
• SiFi Networks — In Kenosha, Wisconsin; Rockford, Illinois; Farmington Area, Michigan; and in Oceanside and Palmdale, California;
• Pilot Fiber — In New York City.

The Federal Communications Commission announced the unanimous adoption of a Declaratory Ruling that recognizes calls made with AI-generated voices are “artificial” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The ruling, which takes effect immediately, makes voice cloning technology used in common robocall scams targeting consumers illegal. This would give State Attorneys General across the country new tools to go after bad actors behind these nefarious robocalls. The rise of these types of calls has escalated during the last few years as this technology now has the potential to confuse consumers with misinformation by imitating the voices of celebrities, political candidates, and close family members. While currently State Attorneys General can target the outcome of an unwanted AI-voice generated robocall—such as the scam or fraud they are seeking to perpetrate—this action now makes the act of using AI to generate the voice in these robocalls itself illegal, expanding the legal avenues through which state law enforcement agencies can hold these perpetrators accountable under the law.