New York will distribute $15.5 million in mobile service and broadband infrastructure awards and open new grant application windows on broadband solutions, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced in a release Monday. “Reliable mobile service is vital to New York’s economy and critical to driving innovation, jobs and opportunity statewide,” Hochul said in the release. The awards are for $5.2 million to expand mobile service in New York’s Nassau, Otsego, Schenectady and Warren counties, over $10 million in awards for municipal infrastructure in Alleghany County, and $320,000 for affordable housing connectivity in Broome County, the release said. The new requests for applications announced in the release are for a $5 million grant for innovative methods to lower the costs of fiber installation, $5 million to support business models that prioritize low income and rural connectivity, and $5 million to assist local government broadband and digital equity projects.
Alaska released the revised draft of its final BEAD plan for public comment Thursday night. Comments are due 5 p.m. local time Wednesday. The state plans to spend 78.3% of its allocated funding, noting in its draft that about $215 million would be available for non-deployment funding. About 53% will go to fiber providers, 33% to low earth orbit satellites and 14% to wireless providers.
A draft proposed decision by the California Public Utilities Commission would partially deny AT&T's request to relinquish its eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designation in the state. The commission will also conduct an investigation into AT&T's wire center regions currently served by Cox California Telecom and Time Warner Cable in several counties, as well as regions served by ConnectTo and Consolidated Communications. Commissioners will consider the item during the agency's Oct. 30 meeting.
Verizon completed a nearly $2 million fiber deployment project to Smith Island, Maryland's "last inhabited island that is not accessible by car," Gov. Wes Moore (D) said Wednesday. The funding came from the state's network infrastructure grant program, which supports broadband network buildouts in unserved or underserved areas.
New York allocated $85 million in grant funding to support the state's efforts to transition public safety answering points (PSAPs) and backup centers to implement next-generation 911 technology in all of its 57 counties, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced Thursday. All eligible counties received a "base amount" of $1 million, with the remaining funds allocated based on population.
Illinois released its revised draft Tuesday for its final BEAD plan under NTIA's "Benefit of the Bargain" round. The state received 66% more applications than previous rounds, with an average cost of about $6,100 per location, wrote Office of Broadband Director Devon Braunstein. That's 21% less per location than the state's previous round, she noted.
South Carolina released the revised draft of its final BEAD plan for public comment Friday. Comments are due Sept. 26 to the state's broadband office so it can meet its Sept. 30 deadline to submit its plan to NTIA (see 2509080012). The office said it doesn't expect NTIA approval until Q1 of 2026.
New York released its revised draft BEAD proposal Wednesday for public comment after receiving an extension from NTIA to complete the new subgrantee selection process (see 2509080012). Comments are due to the state's ConnectALL office by Sept. 24 at 3:59 p.m. ET. New York plans to spend about $391 million of its allocated $650 million on deployment projects. More than half of New York's funding will be awarded to fiber providers. SpaceX will receive about $20.4 million to deploy low earth orbit satellites, while CBN and IBT Group will get funding to deploy wireless services.
The Arizona Corporation Commission unanimously approved a July settlement between Attorney General Kris Mayes' (D) office and Verizon and Frontier regarding investments in Navajo and Apache counties, Mayes said Thursday. She said the commission approved the settlement Wednesday night (see 2507300040).
A bill that headed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) desk Tuesday would prohibit the California Public Utilities Commission from sharing the immigration status of FCC Lifeline applicants or subscribers with other government entities without a valid subpoena or warrant. AB-1303, which passed the state Senate last week, requires a "court-ordered subpoena or valid judicial warrant" for an individual's personal information to be released. It also clarified that Lifeline is a state law "that may provide assistance and services for individuals not lawfully present in the United States" under federal statutes.