Vol 4 | Issue 4 | May 2019

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Digital Economy Accounted for 6.9 Percent of GDP in 2017

Highlights of blog by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and cross-posted by NTIA.

The digital economy accounted for 6.9 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, or $1.35 trillion, in 2017, according to a new batch of statistics released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. How does that compare with traditional U.S. industries? The digital economy ranked just below professional, scientific, and technical services, which accounted for 7.4 percent of GDP, and just above wholesale trade, with a 6.0 percent share. New BEA data also show that:

• The digital economy supported 5.1 million jobs in 2017, which accounted for 3.3 percent of total U.S. employment of 152.1 million jobs. The digital economy’s share of total employment is about same as the transportation and warehousing industry’s share.

• Employees working in the digital economy earned $132,223 in average annual compensation in 2017, compared to $68,506 per worker for the total U.S. economy.

See the complete blog here.

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Broadband News and Updates

Federal News

• Unplugged: NTIA Survey Finds Some Americans Still Avoid Home Internet Use

• Commerce Secretary appoints new spectrum committee members; new FirstNet board member sought

• The State of FirstNet, America’s Public Safety Broadband Network

• Digital Economy Accounted for 6.9 Percent of GDP in 2017

• FCC Creates $20 Billion Rural Broadband Fund

• FCC Rural Broadband Fund Would Move Funds From Existing Program

• With billions to spend, feds unsure who lacks broadband

• Senate Tries to Get a Read on Broadband Mapping

• Bipartisan ACCESS BROADBAND Act introduced

• Dems introduce bill to tackle 'digital divide'

• 26 U.S. states ban or restrict local broadband initiatives

• USDA Forest Service Federal Register Notice: Information Collection: Application for Transportation, Utility Systems, Telecommunications and Facilities on Federal Lands and Property (SF-299)

State News

• Arkansas: Arkansas Opens Up Options For Municipal Broadband

• Georgia: Small-Cell Broadband Bill Gains Final Passage In General Assembly

• Idaho: Idaho, Mountain West States Have Slowest Internet In U.S.

• Kansas: Gov. Announces Statewide Broadband Availability Map, Requests Public Input

• Mississippi: Speaker Touts Rural Broadband Law, But Questions Remain

• Missouri: Blunt Expresses Concern About Rural Broadband Expansion In Missouri

• North Carolina: Trio Of North Carolina Counties Close To Broadband Agreement

• Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Regional Leaders Weigh In On Push For Broadband

• South Carolina: SC House Passes Bill To Expand High-Speed Internet Access In Rural Areas That Need It

• Vermont: Vermont Legislators Approve Broadband Expansion Bill

• Virginia: Floyd County To Become The Most Connected Rural Community In Virginia, State Leaders Say

• West Virginia: NCWV Officials Hopeful After Governor Signs Broadband Access Act

• Wisconsin: Broadband Gets Attention At The Federal Level

Public Safety/FirstNet

• FirstNet Highlights Progress and Future Expansion Plans for Greater Coverage

• Arizona Leaders Gather to Discuss Public Safety Broadband

• Celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

• Virginia Roadmap Engagement Addresses Critical Voice, Data Needs

• FirstNet Boosting Communications for Tribal First Responders

• PERF Forum Provides Roadmap Engagement with Law Enforcement

Federal Funding

• USDA Opens Application Portal for New ReConnect Rural Broadband Infrastructure Program

• USDA Announces Technical Assistance Webinars for the ReConnect Program

• U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $1 Million to Expand Broadband Services in South Bend, Indiana

• JPMorgan Chase Announces $15 million for Advancing Cities Challenge Winners

General News

• Microsoft Says Its Data Shows FCC Reports Massively Overstate Broadband Adoption

• Report: Municipal Broadband Environment Has Gotten 'Significantly Worse'

• Are State Legislatures Wising Up About Broadband Co-Ops?

• The Digital Divide Is Worse Than We Thought

• Trio Of North Carolina Counties Close To Broadband Agreement

• CMS Finalizes Telehealth Expansion For Medicare Advantage Plans

• Sprint To Provide Free Unlimited 4G LTE Data For Veterans Affairs Telehealth Patients

• How Emporia, Kansas, Fights Rural Brain Drain: 'Broadband Is The New Railroad'

Resources

• FCC collects data on the study area boundaries of all incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) to use in the implementation of certain universal service reforms adopted in the USF/ICC Transformation Order.

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BroadbandUSA Spotlight

Unplugged: NTIA Survey Finds Some Americans Still Avoid Home Internet Use

Highlights of blog by Rafi Goldberg, Policy Analyst, Office of Policy Analysis and Development

NTIA’s most recent Internet Use Survey depicts a rapidly evolving nation eager to take advantage of technological innovation. Mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and wearables are increasingly dominating the computing landscape, as more Americans than ever use the Internet. Yet a portion of the population still does not use the Internet at home, consistent with findings in previous NTIA and U.S. Census Bureau surveys on Internet use. According to the most recent data collected in 2017, 22 percent of U.S. households—approximately 28 million households in total—did not use the Internet from home, with most citing either lack of interest or concern about price. See complete blog here.

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Events

NTIA Events

May 15, 2019

BroadbandUSA Practical Broadband Conversations Webinar Series: Infrastructure Week: Leveraging Public Assets to Accelerate Broadband Deployment (See details in column on right.)

May 15, 2019

Topic: Smart Campus/Smart Community HBCU Webinar
Time: 1:00 PM
Learn about successful uses of broadband technology for creating “smart communities” with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and (HBCU.) The School of Law at North Carolina Central University has developed a “Virtual Legal Education” that provides vital education and services to underserved communities throughout the State. The County of San Mateo, California, has used public Wi-Fi to assist local school students with their homework, promote economic development, and provide technical solutions for complex regional problems. Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN), a consortium of 10 counties in North-Central Indiana in partnership with Purdue University and Ivy Community Colleges, will report on its use of Internet-enabled sensors to enhance agriculture applications and next-generation manufacturing. The webinar is hosted by the White House Initiative on HBCUs and NTIA.
Speakers:

• Gregory W. Clinton, Sr., Director of Information Technology & Facilities, North Carolina Central University, School of Law

• Ulysses Vinton, Chief, Smart Communities Officer for the County of San Mateo, California

• Johnny Park, CEO of Wabash Heartland Innovation Network, Indiana

• Moderator: Jean Rice, Senior Program Specialist for NTIA’s BroadbandUSA program

Click here to register.

Events of Interest

May 16, 2019
NYC Digital Inclusion Conference, New York, NY

May 13 - 20, 2019
Infrastructure Week, Nationwide

May 14 - 15, 2019
2nd Annual National Summit on Digital Equity and Economic Inclusion, Washington, DC

May 14 - 15, 2019
Broadband and Bagels: Using Broadband to Close the Urban-Rural Divide, Washington, DC

May 19 - 22, 2019
Government Finance Officers Association (GFAO) Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA

May 20 - 23, 2019
Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) Connectivity Expo, Orlando, FL

May 22 - 24, 2019
Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide (PPDD) 2019 International Digital Divide Conference, Washington, DC

June 4, 2019
Digital Southeast: A Regional Broadband Convening Hosted by Next Century Cities (NCC), Roanoke, VA

June 5-6, 2019
National Association of Towns and Townships (NATaT) Annual Legislative Fly-in, Washington, DC

June 9-12, 2019
National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) 53nd Annual Conference & Exhibition, Omaha, NE

June 10, 2019
Missouri Broadband Summit, Camdenton, MO

June 21 - 25, 2019
Georgia Municipal Association 2019 Annual Convention, Savanna, GA

June 28-July 1, 2019
United States Conference of Mayors’ 87th Annual Meeting, Honolulu, HI

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Policy Corner

Supporting the President’s Call to Action Against Opioid Abuse

Highlights of blog by David J. Redl Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information

Fighting opioid abuse is a major priority of the Trump Administration. Nearly $6 billion in new funding over the past two years has gone into multiple programs to stop the flow of these dangerous drugs, and help those struggling with addiction. The President’s call to action resulted in the Justice Department’s shutting down the largest “darknet” for the online distribution of drugs in 2017. We’re proud to announce a new step in the online battle against illegal opioid distribution. The Food and Drug Administration and NTIA have joined in a novel approach to work with domain name industry players to curb online availability and sales of illegal opioids. See the complete blog here.