NTIA gave New York approval to collect more than $664 million in broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) funds Tuesday. The federal agency approved volume 2 of the state’s initial proposal. NTIA has approved BEAD initial plans for 35 eligible entities. Twenty-one states and territories have volume 2 initial proposals pending approval and the NTIA expects to review most by September (see 2408010053).
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) urged school districts to restrict smartphones in classrooms this academic year. “Excessive smartphone use among youth is linked to increased anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues,” Newsom said Tuesday in a letter to California schools. “The evidence is clear: reducing phone use in class leads to improved concentration, better academic outcomes, and enhanced social interactions.” Newsom highlighted a 2019 law he signed that authorizes districts to regulate smartphone use during school hours. Also, the governor is working with the state legislature to “further limit student smartphone use on campus,” he said. Multiple states are examining ways of directing their public schools to limit students' mobile phone use (see 2407190012).
North Carolina published a notice and guidelines for $86 million of available funds for high-speed internet infrastructure, the state's Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity announced Monday. The funding comes from the Stop-Gap Solutions program, which will provide federal American Rescue Plan Act funds as grants for counties to use as matching funds for new Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program projects. In addition, ISPs can fund broadband line-extension projects with the money. The program will “help NCDIT leverage the remaining $283 million CAB program funds,” Nate Denny, NCDIT deputy secretary for broadband and digital equity, said. NCDIT will hold a webinar Aug. 26 at 10 a.m. for counties interested in applying for Stop-Gap Solutions program funds to assist with the CAB program county match requirement.
The Utah Public Service Commission delayed a hearing on AT&T’s $2.26 million overpayment to the state USF that was scheduled for Tuesday. The PSC granted AT&T’s request to postpone until Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. The carrier said last month that it was nearing a settlement with the Utah Division of Public Utilities and Utah Rural Telecom Association (see 2407110030).
Illinois will allow counties to lease or license fiber and other broadband infrastructure for delivery of high-speed internet. Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed SB-3173 on Friday. Counties may do so under the new law only “on a nondiscriminatory, nonexclusive, and competitively neutral basis” and must comply with all other state and federal laws and regulations, says SB-3173. No state legislators voted against the bill earlier this year (see 2404120059).
Montana will be the first state to take applications for NTIA’s broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) said Monday. The applications portal will open Tuesday at 10 a.m. MST and close on Oct. 15. “This generational investment for Montana’s communities can’t wait any longer,” Gianforte said. NTIA allocated $629 million to Montana through BEAD.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked New York to respond by Sept. 16 to ISP groups' application that would stay the state’s broadband affordability law, a text entry in docket 24A138 said Monday. Last week, New York agreed not to enforce the law while the high court considers a petition from ISP groups for a writ of certiorari (see 2408080022). The ISP groups were expected to file that petition Monday, but it didn’t appear on the court’s website before our deadline. If the court grants cert, additionally granting the stay application would stop New York from enforcing the law while justices weigh the case.
California will award almost $91 million more in its fifth round of broadband grants, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced Thursday. The commission recommended approval for projects in Marin, Mendocino, San Benito, Santa Cruz and Sutter counties, benefiting an estimated 32,000 Californians. This brings the total amount in grants CPUC has recommended to $435 million for projects in 22 counties, out of an available $2 billion from the Last Mile Federal Funding Account Grant Program (see 2407110057).
New York state will halt enforcing its affordable broadband law while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a petition from ISP groups for a writ of certiorari, the industry groups wrote to the court Thursday. CTIA, NTCA, USTelecom, ACA Connects, the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association and the New York State Telecommunications Association said they plan to file that petition Monday in case 24A138. Last week, the ISP groups filed an application for emergency stay of the state law at SCOTUS. In Thursday’s letter, the groups said they no longer need a ruling on that application by Aug. 15, but they can’t withdraw the request entirely because New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) hasn’t agreed to stay enforcement if the court grants cert, “absent a ruling from the Court compelling it not to enforce that law.” ISPs waited for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stay the FCC’s order reclassifying broadband as Title II before appealing the 2nd Circuit’s ruling that upheld New York’s law based on a Title I regime (see 2408010065 and 2406170042). The 2nd Circuit ruled in April that federal law doesn’t preempt the 2021 New York law requiring $15 monthly plans with 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds for qualifying low-income households (see 2404260051). In the Aug. 2 application for stay, the ISP groups said their forthcoming cert petition “will seek review of a divided panel decision that presents fundamental questions about whether the Communications Act of 1934 preempts States from regulating rates for broadband internet access service and other interstate information services.”
NTIA gave Wyoming approval to collect more than $347 million in broadband equity, access and deployment funds Thursday. The agency approved volume 2 of the state’s initial proposal, granting it access to Federal Internet for All funds. NTIA has approved BEAD initial plans for 30 states plus three territories and the District of Columbia. Twenty states and two territories have volume 2 initial proposals pending approval. NTIA expects it will review most of these by September (see 2408010053).