The end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is nearly here. Created by the 2021 infrastructure bill, the ACP enabled 23 million low-income American households to get online by providing access to discounted broadband services and devices. The program runs out of funding next month or in early May.
Congress recently passed budget bills for the year, averting a government shutdown, but did not include funding to extend the ACP. There is still a slim possibility Congress could act on this issue. In addition, some internet service providers (ISPs) may subsidize discounts. A likely outcome is that many households will lose broadband connectivity in the coming months. Recent coverage of the ACP can be found from Business Insider, CNN, and Money.
Thank you for reading. More tech policy news can be found below.
This Week in Washington
- FedScoop: Yesterday, the White House released a new governance policy for the federal government’s use of AI. Building on last year’s AI executive order, the policy establishes certain guardrails for AI and requires federal agencies to designate a chief AI officer.
- Nextgov/FCW: The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) inaugural AI Safety Institute Director, Elizabeth Kelly, aims to make the institute a leader in domestic and international AI standardization conversations.
- The Hill and AP News: A recent White House statement commends the newly approved United Nations (UN) resolution on AI, a measure outlining a comprehensive vision for how nations use the emerging technology.
- Washington Post: Congress’s recently passed appropriations provided a new $15 million jolt of funding for a program directing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to research how technology impacts children’s development and mental health.
- CNN: The Federal Trade Commission is investigating an alleged violation by TikTok of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection rule and the FTC Act.
- Reuters: As part of the continued effort to limit the U.S.’s dependence on Chinese chip supply chains, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son are in discussions to expand cooperation in semiconductors.
- Fierce Telecom: The Federal Communications Commission’s long-awaited rules required by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law have gone into effect. The exhaustive rules aim to alleviate the digital divide and eliminate digital discrimination.
Article Summary
- Axios: Researchers discovered a new hacking campaign that impacted more than 6,000 Asus routers and smart devices, uncovering a new potential security threat against those pieces of hardware.
- StateScoop: The Environmental Protection Agency found that drinking water and wastewater systems are failing to meet the rising threat of cyberattacks, noting that finding the appropriate technical experts to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities remains a challenge.
- The Hill: Instagram recently began limiting political content ahead of the upcoming 2024 elections, a move that comes after the social media giant announced in February that it would no longer recommend political content to its users.
- Microsoft on the Issues: Microsoft announced efforts to protect user data of those who are leveraging emerging technologies like Azure OpenAI and Copilot, stating that its existing privacy commitments extend across all products and services, including AI.
Featured Podcast
New York Times
- The Daily
Last week, the Justice Department took aim at Apple, accusing the company of violating competition laws with practices intended to keep customers reliant on their iPhones. David McCabe, who covers technology policy for The Times, discusses the latest and most sweeping antitrust case against a titan of Silicon Valley. (The United States vs. the iPhone – March 26, 2024)