Democratic National Convention delegates were expected to vote Monday night on the Democratic National Committee’s 2024 platform, which includes a pledge that promises the party will “keep fighting to reinstate” the FCC’s lapsed affordable connectivity program. The draft program repeatedly references President Joe Biden and his now-ended reelection bid because the DNC Platform Committee adopted it July 16, before the incumbent stepped aside in favor of new nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, the committee said when it released the document Sunday night. “23 million households received free or monthly discounts” via ACP, “saving $30 to $75 per month on high-speed broadband through the largest internet affordability program in history,” the Democrats’ proposed platform said: The program lapsed “because Republicans refused to act.” ACP's supporters are tempering their expectations that Congress will act to restore the subsidy this year despite the Senate Commerce Committee successfully advancing a surprise amendment July 31 to the Proper Leadership to Align Networks for Broadband Act (S-2238) that would allocate $7 billion to the program for FY 2024 (see 2408090041). The DNC platform references the Biden administration’s implementation of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included $65 billion for connectivity. “We’re bringing affordable, reliable, high-speed internet to every American household,” the platform said. “But a full 45 million of us still live in areas where there is no high-speed internet. Democrats are closing that divide.” Democrats are also “determined to strengthen data privacy,” through passage of a revamped “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights” and an update of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act “to protect personal electronic information and safeguard location information.” The document notes Democrats' continued push to “fundamentally reform” Communications Decency Act Section 230 and “ensure that platforms take responsibility for the content they share.” It also mentions Democrats’ interest in “promoting interoperability between tech services and platforms, allowing users to control and transfer their data, and preventing large platforms from giving their own products and services an unfair advantage in the marketplace.”

Tropical Storm Ernesto left 7.1% of Puerto Rican and U.S. Virgin Island cellsites out of service, an improvement from Thursday’s 12.9%, the FCC said in Friday's disaster information reporting system report (see 2408130047). Cable and wireline companies reported 226,861 subscribers without service, down from 290,424 Thursday. No TV or radio stations were reported down. Ernesto has become a category 2 hurricane and is headed to Bermuda.

Comments are due to the FCC Sept. 5, replies Sept. 16, on satellite operations' possible expanded use of the 18 GHz band. According to a Space and Wireless bureaus, Office of International Affairs, and Office of Engineering and Technology public notice Friday (docket 24-248), the comments are meant to inform a report that the national spectrum strategy mandated and is due in May. The PN said expanded satellite use of the band would be consistent with the U.S.' position at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference, which backed added inter-satellite link allocations to the band. It said fixed satellite service downlinks are authorized now in the band, while nonfederal fixed service is authorized in the 18.1-18.3 GHz segment.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel visited Union Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles “to celebrate and promote the FCC’s recent vote and adoption of mobile hotspot connectivity for students across the country,” a Thursday news release said. Accompanying Rosenworcel were Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District; Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif.; Deputy Mayor Matt Hale; and other supporters of the order, approved 3-2 in July (see 2407180024). The visit came ahead of the Aug. 27 deadline for opposition to a petition for reconsideration of the order. Petitioners Maurine and Matthew Molak previously sued the FCC over its decision authorizing funding for Wi-Fi on school buses (see 2406260006). “Hotspot connectivity is the next step towards modernizing the E-Rate program to ensure students and library patrons have access to the connectivity needed for a 21st century quality education,” the FCC said.

Broadband service prices have largely escaped the ravages of inflation since 2015, hovering at around a nominal price of $90 a month, according to BroadbandNow. For example, since 2015, the average price of a cable connection has fallen 31% when adjusted for inflation, while the average cost of DSL has dropped 28% and the average cost of fiber-delivered service is down 39%. While nominal prices have remained largely steady, "there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to the ability to afford a robust broadband connection in America today," BroadbandNow said, noting the large percentage of low-income households without a home broadband subscription. The particularly rapid decline in fiber prices "is a promising sign of what might be to come, provided current broadband affordability initiatives are continued or expanded upon at the federal level." That includes new funding of or an alternate version of the affordable connectivity program, it said. The price of internet service rose 3.9% between July 2023 and last month, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics' consumer price index unadjusted data out Wednesday. Smartphone prices were down 8.2% year over year, while television set prices dropped 5.4%, it said. Computers, peripherals and smart home assistant prices fell 2.4%, while the cost of wireless phone service was down 0.8%, it said. The cost of residential phone service rose 4.4%, while cable, satellite and livestreaming TV service costs rose 1.6%. The cost of video purchase/subscription/rental increased 8.2%. Also rising were recorded music and music subscriptions, up 2.8%. BLS said July prices for all items rose 2.9% year over year before seasonal adjustment.

Seventy-eight Puerto Rican and three U.S. Virgin Islands’ municipalities remain in the disaster area of Tropical Storm Ernesto, the FCC said in Wednesday’s disaster information reporting system report (see 2408130047). No public safety answering points were reported down, though nearly 10% of cellsites in Puerto Rican affected counties were. The U.S. Virgin Islands reported 26.4% of cellsites down. Cable and wireline companies reported 287,294 subscribers without service in the disaster area. No TV or radio stations were said to be down.

The FCC initiated the disaster information reporting system (DIRS) for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as Tropical Storm Ernesto makes landfall, a public notice said Tuesday. Additionally, it activated the mandatory disaster response initiative (MDRI) for facilities-based mobile wireless providers in the affected area, which requires companies to allow reasonable roaming and cooperate in service restoration during disasters. The FCC also issued public notices on priority communications services and emergency communications procedures for licensees that need special temporary authority. The Public Safety Bureau issued a reminder for entities clearing debris and repairing utilities to avoid damaging communications infrastructure.

The FCC deactivated its disaster information reporting system (DIRS) and mandatory disaster response initiative for Tropical Storm Debby in Virginia and the Carolinas, the agency announced Friday and Saturday, respectively. Communications providers there no longer have to report on their cellular networks in DIRS. The FCC said it will continue monitoring their status.

The FCC "improperly heightened the standard of review that it had previously promised to apply to winning bidders in its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction and relied on vague and unwritten criteria to deny LTD Broadband hundreds of millions of dollars that it planned to use to deploy broadband to rural America," the company told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (docket 24-1017). In a reply brief Friday, LTD said the FCC applied a standard that was "more stringent than any it had ever applied" (see 2408060031). The commission "faulted LTD Broadband for not meeting granular criteria that nowhere appear on the face of its rules," LTD noted, adding the company "vigorously contests the FCC's conclusion" that it's "unqualified for RDOF support." LTD asked that the court to reinstate its long-form application, noting the FCC's "failure to even consider partial authorization for a smaller footprint is particularly remarkable."

Tropical Storm Debby knocked out cable and wireline service for 7,408 subscribers, an increase from 4,875 on Thursday, the FCC said in Friday’s disaster information reporting system report (see 2408060053). The FCC activated the mandatory disaster response initiative for 34 Virginia counties on Friday. The storm left .3% of North Carolina and .1% of South Carolina cellsites down, a slight improvement from Thursday. No public safety answering points or TV or radio stations were reported down.