Following its December meeting, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it approved a proposal seeking comment on improving transparency and efficiency in the competitive bidding process for the E-Rate program. The FCC has now released the official Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, laying out the process and deadlines for submitting comment on the E-Rate bidding process.

Despite a proclamation over the weekend from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., that he was a “no” on the existing version of Build Back Better Act legislation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a Dear Colleague letter today that he plans to keep working on the reconciliation legislation until they “get something done.”

When the pandemic hit, affordable and dependable internet became vital to keep the United States going. This sudden change highlighted the glaring disparity in internet connectivity to underserved communities. Congress attempted to remedy this issue with the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), which offers low-income consumers a $50 discount on their internet bills.

State audit agencies reported unparalleled challenges faced by their workforces in providing pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits, according to a new report released Dec. 16 by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC).

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in New York announced that it has partnered with biotechnology company Moderna to launch the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Academy, an “innovative initiative that will bring to life an immersive learning experience for Moderna employees.”

The University of Rhode Island (URI) announced that it is the first academic institution not based in Massachusetts to join the Massachusetts Green High-Performance Computing (HPC) Center.

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted Dec. 15 to approve the White House’s nomination of Alan Davidson to head the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA).

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Dec. 14 meeting yielded a host of rulemaking actions when it comes to hot button topics for the commission, including E-Rate broadband bidding, emergency alerts, and robocalls.

With the new year practically upon us, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) is sharing its top 10 IT policy priorities and technologies for 2022.

New research found that in the 18 months since nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns began, the top priority for teachers across the United States and United Kingdom is bridging the gap between decreasing children’s engagement levels and using tech effectively in the classroom.