Momentous May
The old adage is that April showers bring May flowers, and as I look back at the month of May, the INCOMPAS garden was in full bloom — it was a Momentous May.
I started the month in Texas at the Broadband Communities’ Policy Summit where the public and private sectors met to discuss the new opportunities to connect the nation to high-speed broadband through the significant investments being made by the federal government and the private sector. I moderated the Federal Funding panel, which included Laurel Leverrier, Assistant Administrator, Telecommunications Programs, Rural Utilities Service at USDA; Courtney Dozier, Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program Deputy Director at NTIA; Joseph Wender, Director, Capital Projects Fund at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and Trent Harkrader, Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau at the FCC. They each provided updates to the broadband funding programs they manage — which collectively are investing tens of billions of dollars in broadband network deployment and affordability programs. You can view their presentations here.
INCOMPAS and our members also made significant progress in our goal to deploy broadband networks fast. Whether it’s fair and affordable access to pole attachments or removing unjust and onerous costs charged by railroads, our members are facing numerous hurdles that are straining their ability to create stable, affordable, robust connectivity across the country. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has now marked up numerous deployment permitting bills as part of a package to help close the digital divide quickly by ensuring timely broadband builds. Included in the package is an amendment from Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH) that addresses rail crossings. There has never been a nationwide policy framework to address the high costs and long delays our members experience when deploying their networks at railroad crossings. Railroads can treat any provider who tries to cross their tracks however they may choose. While there are a handful of state laws on the books to address this issue, Mr. Balderson’s amendment is a commonsense solution that will tackle this issue head on and is a vital step to help remedy a significant roadblock to broadband deployment. INCOMPAS is very pleased that the House Energy and Commerce Committee adopted the amendment, which will help us cross the tracks, end the railroad holdup, and close the digital divide more quickly and affordably. We applaud the Committee’s work on these important deployment issues and look forward to continuing our work with the Committee to remove broadband deployment barriers and move us closer to Internet for All.
Get Angie Kronenberg’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
I also had the honor and privilege to testify at the Senate Commerce Media, Technology, and Broadband Subcommittee’s hearing on “The State of Universal Service,” which was my first time testifying before Congress. I discussed the importance of the USF in connecting millions of households, and the need for creating a sustainable contribution base in order to save the Fund. The USForward Coalition, which consists of over 340 diverse, organizations from across the nation including civil society, trade associations, and broadband providers agree that broadband internet access service revenues must be included in the Fund’s contribution base to sustain it and address the unreasonable and burdensome high contribution factor. I also covered why assessing tech providers is rife with problems that will only delay USF reform and potentially jeopardize the future of the Fund.
During the hearing, I emphasized that the Congress should provide additional funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which helps ensure that low-income consumers can connect to broadband and that the congressional investment in broadband infrastructure can best meet its objectives of connecting everyone, including lowering deployment costs in rural America. And I discussed how encouraging more competition in broadband programs helps drive down costs and creates more choice for consumers and businesses, leading to more investment and affordable prices in communities.
Following the hearing, Broadband Breakfast published my expert opinion piece that discusses the importance of the FCC taking action now to save the Universal Service Fund to ensure that it can meet its mission for the long term. You can view that piece here. To read my full testimony, click here, and to see the highlights from the hearing, click here. You can watch the full hearing here, and for more information on the new USF bipartisan working group announced by Chairman Lujan and Ranking Member Thune, click here.
The month of May also was momentous on a personal level. My son graduated from high school, and my daughter returned home from her study abroad program in Europe. We’re looking forward to fun times at Bethany Beach this summer and a family reunion in Yellowstone and Glacier in June. May you and yours have a wonderful and momentous summer.
