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Posted February 4, 2021

Last week, the National Urban League released a report on “Connecting and Uplifting America.” The report focuses on a singular and essential question: “How can the tools of the information economy be employed to create a more equitable and inclusive society.” I am reminded of poet Amanda Gorman’s verse on Inauguration Day, where she observed that…

Posted February 2, 2021

Our recent blogs have focused on modernizing the FCC’s Lifeline program and fixing the broken funding mechanism that supports the federal Universal Service Fund (USF).  The FCC’s E-rate program, however, deserves equal attention as students across the country require broadband connectivity to learn from home during the pandemic. The E-rate program was designed to help…

Posted January 28, 2021

The following may be attributed to an AT&T spokesperson: “We commend the National Urban League’s leadership with the civil rights community and policy experts in developing the Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion.  We share the plan’s goal of ending the digital divide by leveraging and improving existing tools to create a more…

Posted January 21, 2021

The following may be attributed to Joan Marsh, AT&T Executive Vice President of Federal Regulatory Relations: “We look forward to working with Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel as she assumes responsibility for the agency and the important tasks before her, including the management of new programs that will make broadband more accessible and affordable to…

Posted January 14, 2021

On January 1, 2021, the Universal Service Fund contribution factor officially hit 31.8% — a new and alarming all-time high.  Policymakers have wrestled with concerns over the rising factor for years but crossing the 30% threshold is a serious wake-up call.  A USF contribution factor of around 5% was the norm until 2005 when it…

Posted January 13, 2021

One thing we all learned last year was the power of connection – the critical need to stay digitally connected to our work, school, family and friends. It was a year that accelerated the move to digital, changing permanently how we communicate, learn and work. Sadly, nearly 17 million children across America are disconnected from…

Posted January 7, 2021

Attribute the following to John Stankey, AT&T CEO: “We applaud all those who stood strong to thwart an appalling insurrection bent on blocking the peaceful transfer of power following a free and fair election. Freedom, democracy and rule of law are America’s bedrock and must never be usurped. We congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect…

Posted December 15, 2020

The preliminary results of the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction are now public and while it is a long road from auction results to authorization of funding to actual deployment, the results have significant implications for U.S. broadband policy.  The locations covered in the Phase I auction represent the rural locations that are…

Posted December 14, 2020

By Ken McNeely, President – AT&T Western Region and Leader of AT&T’s Social Justice Issues Working Group Although we all have endured a year like no other, I know many of us still find ourselves, as we do this time every year, taking stock of what we’ve done over the past several months and what…

Posted December 8, 2020

The following may be attributed to Joan Marsh, AT&T Executive Vice President of Federal Regulatory Relations: “We congratulate Nathan Simington as he takes a seat at the Federal Communications Commission. We look forward to working with him and his staff on the many important issues and policy discussions before the agency that play a critical…