NTIA awarded the Ione Band of Miwok Indians $459,000 through the tribal broadband connectivity program, said a news release Friday (see 2206240068). The funding will be used to develop a "comprehensive high-speed internet infrastructure deployment plan" for tribal lands in rural Amador County, California. “The Ione Band of Miwok Indians’ plan to connect their critical wellness, housing, and community centers is a testament to how high-speed internet service can uplift entire communities," said NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. The agency has granted 44 awards totaling more than $91 million to date. Awards will continue to be announced on a rolling basis, NTIA said.

California Assemblymember Jim Wood (D) wondered if environmental review hurdles to building the state’s middle-mile network might warrant legislative attention. At a California Middle-Mile Advisory Committee virtual meeting Friday, Wood said he doesn’t understand why placing conduit along a highway would require California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and other reviews. “Highway projects already are massively invasive on the environment and there have to have been cultural studies in these highway projects at some point in the past as well,” he said. “Why do we have to repeat things? How much more of an environmental impact could the trenching or the placement of conduit have than building the original highways?” A presentation by California Department of Transportation Division Chief-Design Janice Benton estimated 30 months for permitting, including a 17-month CEQA review. Wood worries about the state finishing projects before it must return federal funding, he said. “If there’s something we need to do more as a legislature to give you more tools to move this thing along, please tell us.” Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D) agreed with the need for urgency. “The frustration … or fear is that we’re going to run out of time.” Earlier at the meeting, Quirk-Silva praised progress made and a California budget signed June 30 that included another $550 million for the middle-mile project over the next two fiscal years. It brings total funding to $3.8 billion, “which will be vital in helping the state address the cost increases for the project,” said Mark Monroe, California Technology Department Broadband Middle-Mile Initiative deputy director. The California Public Utilities Commission will start taking applications Aug. 1 for the state’s new $50 million local and tribal technical assistance fund, CPUC program manager Jonathan Lakritz told the committee. On July 1, the CPUC received 99 project applications seeking about $28.6 million total for broadband adoption and digital equity grants, plus 19 applications seeking about $1.4 million in grants for public housing and low-income community projects, he said.

All companies should receive Oregon USF support “at similar levels based not on the size of the company, but on the characteristics of the areas they serve,” Lumen commented Tuesday in the Oregon Public Utility Commission’s OUSF update docket (AR 649). “Absent a rational basis for any differentiation, there is a risk the rules would be discriminatory under state and federal law.” At least maintain current funding levels if telecom companies “are to continue to offer service to all customers in their territories as carriers of last resort,” Lumen said. The Oregon Telecommunications Association “still has serious reservations” about using a CostQuest model to determine OUSF size, said OTA. Tribal provider Warm Springs Telecommunications (WST) said it tentatively supports the proposed rule but warned a "significant reduction in OUSF would put into jeopardy the efforts the [Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs], through WST, has undertaken to provide quality and affordable services to its Native American population.” The PUC is scheduled to adopt rules at a July 26 meeting.

SAN DIEGO -- The FCC could open its challenge process for new broadband maps in October, said Consumer and Governmental Affairs Chief Alejandro Roark on a Tuesday panel at NARUC’s summer meeting. Utility commissioners must weigh in on state broadband talks even if they’re led by other agencies, said former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn on a Monday panel about NTIA’s broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program.

Industry disagreed whether the FCC should consider an Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM) Broadband Coalition proposal to extend the program through increased deployment obligations in exchange for additional funding (see 2205190023). Some sought to expand eligibility to carriers receiving other high-cost USF support, in comments posted Tuesday in docket 10-90. Others said the FCC should defer new high-cost support until programs funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act are completed.

FCC staff scheduled a workshop at the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma Aug. 9-10 for tribal governments, employees, and members to "identify and evaluate opportunities to develop more robust broadband infrastructure and services in tribal communities," said a public notice Monday. Attendees will also get information about various FCC programs and data collection efforts. The commission invited representatives from NTIA to speak about its programs and the Universal Service Administrative Co. to provide training on the E-rate program's application process.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, like 911, needs geolocation capabilities, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Friday in Philadelphia at an event marking Saturday's launch of 988 dialing for Lifeline. Saturday's launch "is not the end of things," she said, emphasizing the need for triangulation among cell towers "to know where you are" when dialing the Lifeline. The FCC is studying Lifeline geolocation issues (see (Ref:2206080058]). Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said the success of 988 dialing hinges on governors and tribal governments "owning 988" since it's not a federal program but a state and local one being run with some federal support. That support includes $430 million invested under the Biden administration to boost crisis call center capacity, he said.

As it looks to open up the 17 GHz band to geostationary orbit fixed satellite service downlinks, the FCC is also eyeing allowing using the band for non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite service downlinks, according to a draft order and NPRM on the agency's Aug. 5 meeting agenda. The draft items released Friday also include a draft order establishing an outreach grant for the affordable connectivity program and a draft order creating a one-year pilot program aimed at boosting enrollment among households receiving federal housing assistance.

FCC commissioners approved 4-0 a new enhanced competition incentive program, with only minor changes, as expected. Some industry observers questioned how much good ECIP will do, but commissioners expressed hope the program will help promote wireless deployment (see 2207110036). The monthly meeting Thursday was the first to be opened to the public since February 2020.

Every state and territory applied for NTIA’s digital equity planning grant program, the agency announced Wednesday (see 2206160072). NTIA received letters of intent from "hundreds of tribal nations" to participate in the digital equity program. All states and territories also submitted a letter of intent for the $42.45 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment program by the July 18 deadline, NTIA said. Iowa and Florida were the last two states to sign on, per a tweet from NTIA Tuesday.