Starks Expects to Vote on ACP Rules 'Later This Week'

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will vote “later this week” on draft affordable connectivity program rules, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, he said during an Information Technology Industry Council webinar Tuesday. “I expect a lot from this program going forward” (see 2201070060). ACP rules must be finalized within 60 days of the law's enactment, which is Friday.

Bridging the digital divide “has been truly my No. 1 priority” and requires a focus on affordability, Starks said. Getting more households enrolled in broadband affordability programs is “going to be part of the ongoing liftoff we’re going to have as we transition” from the emergency broadband benefit program to ACP, Starks said. He noted nearly 47 million Americans lack broadband due to affordability, and the new program lets the FCC spend money on outreach efforts.

The infrastructure package directed the FCC to improve broadband price transparency, and “we’ll soon be collecting and publishing price information from the broadband providers participating in ACP,” Starks said. He noted commissioners will vote on broadband labels during their January meeting (see 2201060057).

Universal service is “absolutely mission critical,” Starks said. Congress directed the FCC to produce a report on the future of USF (see 2112220051). “We want to make sure that all of these pieces are fitting together … and serving Americans where they are needed,” Starks said, saying USF’s funding mechanism has “reached a critical point.”

Accurate broadband maps and “buy American” provisions in the infrastructure law are two policy questions that need to be considered to “ensure the digital divide can be addressed,” said ITI CEO Jason Oxman. "Where we stand with mapping is critically important," Starks said: “We need to move as expeditiously as possible” to ensure the new broadband funding “get to the right places.”

It’s “in everyone’s interest to have mapping data and service data that everyone else believes in,” said Alissa Cooper, Cisco chief technology officer-technology policy. The industry has a “critical role” to play in being “forthcoming about the realities on the ground,” Cooper said. She noted broadband usage has continued to grow since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the new law “has the potential to close that gap.” The investments should be “holistic in nature,” said Jon Lin, Equinix's Data Center Services general manager. Data centers, servers and other infrastructure need continued investments in addition to access, Lin said, and “vendor neutrality is key.”

The funding is “an incredible boon for the industry over the next five to 10 years,” said Jason Zelley, Corning market development manager-carrier networks and emerging accounts. It’s “going to take significant collaboration” between industry, states, and local governments, Zelley said. “What we want to see is fiber get as far into the network with this funding as possible."

Fixed wireless access “has the ability to truly bridge the digital divide that exists today between rural and urban areas,” said Durga Malladi, Qualcomm senior vice president-5G, mobile broadband and infrastructure. Wireless has a role in achieving “state-of-the-art” infrastructure, Malladi said: “We must maximize the chances of success” with the new broadband funding.