The biggest Internet service providers will dominate a $42.45 billion broadband grant program unless the Biden administration changes a rule requiring grant recipients to obtain a letter of credit from a bank, according to a joint statement from consumer advocacy groups, local government officials, and advocates for small ISPs.

The letter sent today to US government officials argues that “by establishing capital barriers too steep for all but the best-funded ISPs, the LOC [letter-of-credit requirement] shuts out the vast majority of entities the program claims to prioritize: small and community-centered ISPs, minority and women-owned ISPs, nonprofits, and municipalities.”

The rule is part of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program that’s being administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

  • bobman@unilem.org
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    1 year ago

    You could cut the cable altogether and just go full mobile. That’s what I do, and I’m happy to see an extra $600 in my bank account at the end of the year.

    I use Visible for only $25/month. Unlimited data, great coverage, and they even sent me a free 5G phone when I refused to upgrade.

    Couldn’t be happier.