D.C. Memo: Throw it Back? California Gov. Newsom Urged to Reject $1.4 Billion in BEAD Money over Net Neutrality

Ahead of the Nov. 1 BEAD funding deadline, Stanford Law professor Barbara van Schewick urged California’s governor not to accept the broadband money because taking it would hamstring state regulators

Today’s Headlines

■ Comcast Cutting Hundreds of Jobs in Philadelphia Amid Restructuring

■ Cable One Adds Paul Keglevic to Board of Directors as S&P Downgrades Credit Rating

■ House Democrats Pushing for Renomination of FCC Democrat Gomez

■ Breezeline Loses 11,000 Broadband Subs, Doubling Prior Quarter’s Loss

■ Nevada ISP Operator Pleads Guilty to Stealing $7.8 Million from USDA’s ReConnect Program

■ TDS Exec Backs Collins on Maine Broadband Issues Ahead of Tuesday Vote

■ Free State Leader Encourages FCC to Preempt California’s COLR Regs

■ Ookla Introduces ‘Speedtest Verified AI Readiness,’ to Assist with Network Optimization

■ Ergen Affiliate Seeks Approval to Build 235 LPTV Stations

■ France’s Lower House Wants to Tax Internet Content Providers by the Gigabyte

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BEAD: Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) faced a Nov. 1 deadline on whether California will accept $1.4 billion in federal broadband funding amid concerns that doing so could weaken the state’s ability to enforce broadband consumer protections and Net Neutrality rules. The funding, part of the $42.45 billion federal BEAD program run by NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth, would help expand broadband service to about 270,000 homes and businesses in California. But critics argue an NTIA requirement, known as Condition 50 added by Roth’s team, would require states to refrain from enforcing laws that directly or indirectly regulate broadband service, including Net Neutrality provisions passed in 2018 under Gov. Jerry Brown (D). (More after paywall)

Stanford Law professor Barbara van Schewick