News Update – Broadband & Telecom & FCC – August 2026
FCC Announces Agriculture And Rural Community-Focused Wireless Technology Innovation Zone At Iowa State
August 28, 2026 – The FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) has announced the creation of a new Innovation Zone for Program Experimental Licenses in a designated area in and near the Iowa State University campus. The new “Iowa State Innovation Zone” is expected “to provide a platform to develop and refine wireless technologies intended to connect rural communities and to study new use cases for precision agriculture for both crop and livestock farms.”
OET also has announced it will renew and expand the identified spectrum bands for use at the Northeastern University Innovation Zone in Boston, and will renew and expand the geographical boundaries of existing Innovation Zones at North Carolina State University in Raleigh and at the Salt Lake City Innovation Zone. And, OET will renew the terms of both the Salt Lake City and New York City Innovation Zones for a period of five years. OET describes Innovation Zones as follows:
Innovation Zones are locations with carefully crafted usage conditions that are available to foster robust wireless research and development by multiple authorized experimental licensees. We (re-) authorize and expand these Innovation Zones as part of our ongoing efforts to provide opportunities for qualified licensees to test new advanced technologies, applications and prototype networks – such as those that can support existing and emerging technologies such as 5G and 6G as well as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – outside of a traditional small campus or laboratory setting.
Oklahoma Considering New Assessment Methodology For Oklahoma Universal Service Fund
August 28, 2026 – The Oklahoma Corporation Commission will consider moving to a new assessment methodology for the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund at a September 1, 2026 special meeting. The proceeding is “Case No. OSF2019-000316, Application of Brandy L. Wreath, Administrator of the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund, Seeking to Establish an Assessment Factor for the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund and Determine a New Assessment Methodology, for possible discussion and possible vote(s) on a proposed Final Order Closing Case, and/or any alterations, revisions, or amendments thereto proposed at the meeting.”
Mergers & Acquisitions: Lakeland Communications Purchasing Siren Telephone Company (Wisconsin)
August 24, 2026 – The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau is seeking public comment on a Section 214 application filed by Siren Telephone Company, Inc. (Siren) and Lakeland Communications, Inc. (Lakeland), requesting consent for the transfer of control of Siren to Lakeland. Comments are due on or before September 8, 2026. Reply comments are due September 15, 2026.
Siren is a Wisconsin corporation and incumbent local exchange carrier (LEC) that provides facilities-based local voice and exchange access services, long distance services through resale arrangements with other carriers, and high-speed Internet services primarily in Burnett County, Wisconsin. Siren receives high-cost Universal Service Fund (USF) support through the FCC’s Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (E-ACAM) program.
Lakeland is a Wisconsin holding corporation that does not provide any communications services. Lakeland’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Lakeland Communications Group, LLC d/b/a Lakeland Communications (LCG), a Wisconsin corporation and incumbent LEC, provides local voice, long distance voice, and high-speed Internet services to approximately 75% of Polk County, Wisconsin and a small portion of southwestern Burnett County, Wisconsin that does not overlap with Siren’s service area. LCG receives high-cost USF support through the E-ACAM and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund programs.
Pursuant to a stock purchase agreement, Lakeland will acquire 100% of Siren’s stock, making Siren a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Lakeland. Because the proposed transaction is more complex than those accepted for streamlined treatment, in order to analyze whether the proposed transaction would serve the public interest, Wireline Competition Bureau has accepted the application for non-streamlined processing.
FCC Space Bureau Accepts Amazon LEO’s Application For NGSO D2D System
August 18, 2026 – The FCC’s Space Bureau has accepted for filing the application of Kuiper Systems LLC (Amazon Leo) for a new system of 5,105 non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites to deliver direct-to-device (D2D) services, known as the Amazon Leo D2D System. Comments/Petitions are due September 17, 2026. Responses to Comments/Oppositions to Petition are due September 28, 2026. Replies to Responses/Oppositions are due October 5, 2026.
FCC Releases Section 706 Broadband Deployment Report
August 14, 2026 – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released the 2026 Section 706 Report (previously referred to as broadband progress report). Section 706(b) directs the FCC to annually inquire whether advanced telecommunications capability (broadband) is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion. Ultimately, in the 2026 Report, the FCC finds that advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion. Key findings in the 2026 Report include the following:
Broadband Availability: From June 2024 to June 2025, the number of Americans lacking access to 100/20 Mbps fixed terrestrial broadband service decreased by approximately 23%. Over a two-year period, this reduction was approximately 43%. Today, 96.9% of Americans have access to a fixed terrestrial broadband service at 100/20 Mbps.
Shrinking Digital Divide: Over a two-year period, the percentage of rural Americans lacking access to 100/20 Mbps fixed terrestrial broadband service decreased by over 44%. Further, with the inclusion of satellite, 100/20 Mbps rural broadband deployment is nearly universally available in rural areas.
5G Wireless Availability: The number of Americans lacking access to mobile 5G with a minimum speed of 35/3 Mbps declined by over 30% over a two-year period. Today, almost 95% of American homes and businesses are covered by 5G at 35/3 Mbps speeds.
Competition: As of June 2025, 77% of Americans have access to three or more fixed services at 100/20 Mbps, and 43.4% of Americans have access to three of more fixed terrestrial services at 100/20 Mbps.
FinCEN Permanently Ends Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements For U.S. Companies & Persons
August 11, 2026 – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued a final rule that permanently removes the requirement for U.S. companies and U.S. persons to report beneficial ownership information to FinCEN under the Corporate Transparency Act. Beneficial ownership information refers to identifying information about the individuals who directly or indirectly own or control a company. FinCEN also has announced that under the final rule, it will delete previously reported information by U.S. persons from the beneficial ownership information database. Specifically, FinCEN is implementing a process to delete information about any individuals – company applicants, beneficial owners, or recipients of a FinCEN ID – that FinCEN reasonably believes was provided by a U.S. person (e.g., U.S. passport, U.S. driver’s license).
FCC Releases NPRM To Strengthen Oversight Of The Universal Service Administrative Company
August 7, 2026 – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released a Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that proposes to strengthen the FCC’s oversight of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) and management of the Universal Service Fund (USF). Comments in response to the NPRM are due on or before 30 days after the NPRM is published in the Federal Register. Reply comments are due 60 days after publication. The NPRM represents the only comprehensive review and proposal to reform USAC since it became the permanent administrator of the USF in 1998. In the NPRM, the FCC is seeking comment on four areas related to USF administration: (1) current USF administration processes, i.e., the processes used today by USAC to administer the USF and the Commission’s oversight of those processes; (2) the structure of USF administration, that is, USAC’s role and responsibilities related to USF administration; (3) operating costs associated with USF administration; and (4) the impact of USAC’s Board of Directors on USF administration.
President Trump Nominates Danielle Thumann To Serve As FCC Commissioner
August 7, 2026 – President Trump has nominated Danielle Thumann to serve as a Federal Communications Commission Commissioner. If confirmed, Thumann would fill the seat previously held by Republican Nathan Simington, and serve for a term that will run through June 30, 2029. Danielle Thumann is currently a senior attorney in FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s office. Her confirmation would give Republicans a 3-1 majority at the FCC. Under the Communications Act, three members of the FCC constitute a quorum, and there can be no more than three members from the same political party.
Comment Dates Announced For FCC NPRM On Broadband Permitting & Access To Public Rights-Of-Way
August 7, 2026 – Comment deadlines have been announced for the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) concerning broadband permitting, access and use of public rights-of-way, and Section 253 of the Communications Act. Comments are due on or before September 21, 2026. Reply comments are due no later than November 5, 2026.
In the NPRM, the FCC seeks public comment on codifying rules that would: (1) establish a rebuttable presumption that state and local governments have effectively prohibited the provision of wireline telecommunications services if they fail to process all authorizations for use of public rights-of-way to provide wireline telecommunications services or to deploy wireline telecommunications infrastructure within 120 days; (2) limit the fees that state and local governments may charge for a wireline telecommunications authorization to a reasonable approximation of the government’s actual, direct costs of managing the rights-of-way with respect to that authorization and establish safe harbor fee levels that presumptively comport with that standard; (3) require that the value of in-kind compensation demanded by state and local governments count toward any safe harbor fee levels adopted by the Commission; and (4) prohibit state and local governments from imposing additional requirements on wireline telecommunications infrastructure deployments on the grounds that the infrastructure may be used to provide other services.
FCC To Conduct Auction For Upper C-Band Spectrum In 2027
August 1, 2026 – The FCC has announced it will hold a spectrum auction in 2027 for a 160-megahertz portion of the 3.98 – 4.2 GHz band (Upper C-Band) for next-generation wireless services. The auction will consist of 3,248 new flexible-use spectrum licenses throughout the contiguous United States. Winning bidders will be able to commence wireless services in the Upper C-Band starting in December 2030 for the top-75 markets in the U.S., and in any remaining markets starting July 2031. The 2027 auction and upper C-Band transition will ultimately result in a 440 megahertz contiguous block of spectrum for the provision of wireless services by combining the Lower C-Band (3.7-3.98 GHz) and now the Upper C-Band (3.98-4.14 GHz).
USAC Files Fourth Quarter 2026 Fund Size Projections For Universal Service Fund Support Mechanisms
August 1, 2026 – The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) has filed the Federal Universal Service Support Mechanisms Fund Size Projections for the fourth quarter of 2026. The filing details the universal service fund’s (USF) total projected funding requirements for 4Q 2026, which includes costs that can be directly attributed to the High Cost, Low Income, Rural Health Care, and Schools and Libraries Support Mechanisms, as well as Connected Care Pilot Program costs, and projected administrative expenditures of each mechanism. USAC’s data shows the following total projected 4Q 2026 funding requirements for each USF support mechanism:
High Cost Support Mechanism – $1.07877 billion (The total base demand of $1,099.40 million was adjusted as follows: decreased by prior period adjustments of $39.85 million and increased by administrative costs of $19.22 million; resulting in a total projected 4Q 2026 funding requirement for the High Cost Support Mechanism of $1.07877 billion.)
Low Income Support Mechanism – $186.79 million (The total fund requirement of $263.06 million was adjusted as follows: decreased by prior period adjustments of $96.83 million and increased for administrative costs of $20.56 million; resulting in a total projected 4Q 2026 funding requirement for the Low Income Support Mechanism of $186.79 million.)
Rural Health Care Support Mechanism – $188.78 million (The 4Q2026 Rural Health Care Support Mechanism collection requirement of $186.04 million was adjusted as follows: increased by a prior period adjustment of $2.74 million resulting in a total projected 4Q 2026 funding requirement for the Rural Health Care Support Mechanism of $188.78 million.)
Connected Care Pilot Program – USAC collected $100 million to fund the Connected Care Pilot Program. No additional collections are required.
E-Rate Schools and Libraries Support Mechanism – $696.85 million (The net fund requirement of $666.25 million was adjusted as follows: increased by the prior period adjustments of $9.64 million and increased by $20.96 million for administrative expenses; resulting in a total projected 4Q 2026 funding requirement for the Schools and Libraries Support Mechanism of $696.85 million.)
USAC projects a consolidated budget of $68.06 million for 4Q 2026. This breaks out to $30.53 million in direct costs for all four support mechanisms, and $37.53 million in joint and common costs which include costs associated with billing, collection, and disbursement of universal service funds. The FCC will use the of the quarterly funding requirements for the four USF Support Mechanisms, the projected administrative expenses, and the USF contribution base amount to calculate the quarterly USF contribution factor. All of USAC’s data filings that have been submitted to the FCC are available on USAC’s website.
