Why the SHLB Coalition's defense of the USF impacts us all

Today we begin our in-depth coverage of the Broadband Communities Summit taking place in Houston, Texas. 

On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk with Joseph Wender, Executive Director of the SHLB Coalition about what's happening this week to critical funding that's used to connect our nation's schools and libraries. 

Recommended Links:

• Broadband Communities Summit
• Schools, Health, & Libraries Broadband Coalition
• Supreme Court hears arguments on USF Constitutionality: Decision expected this summer
• Conservatives target $8 billion internet and phone subsidy. Supreme Court weighs in
• Joesph Wender Linkedin

Chapters

• 1:44 What Joseph is doing to lead the Shelby Coalition
• 2:47 what USF (Universal Service Fund) is
• 4:29 The dangers if the challenge goes forward
• 5:12 The importance of rural connectivity
• 9:03 Joseph's library tour
• 10:52 Joseph's background

Transcript

Jessica Denson, Connected Nation (00:07):
This is Connected Nation, an award-winning podcast focused on all things broadband from closing the digital divide to improving your internet speeds. We talk technology topics that impact all of us, our families, and our neighborhoods. Today we begin our in-depth coverage of the Broadband Community Summit taking place in Houston, Texas. 

On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk with Joseph Wender, executive director of the SHLB Coalition about what's happening this week to critical funding that's used to connect our nation's schools and libraries. I'm Jessica Denson, and this is Connected Nation. I'm at the Broadband Community Summit taking place in Houston, and I have wandered across <laugh>, Joseph Winder, who is, everybody wants to stop you and talk to you, and 

Joseph Wender, SHLB (00:59):

That's very kind, but not 

Jessica Denson, Connected Nation (01:00):
True. It's true. And, and you're very, um, affable. Easy to talk to, I think. And, um, you lead the Shelby com coalition. 

Joseph Wender, SHLB (01:07):
I do. 

Jessica Denson, Connected Nation (01:08):
And, um, it's been just about a year, a little less than a year right now. Since 

Joseph Wender, SHLB (01:12):
You, about a half a year. Yeah, 

Jessica Denson (01:12):
About a half a year. Yeah. Tell us how it's been going <laugh>. 

Joseph Wender (01:16):
It's going great. Uhhuh. I mean, it's so exciting to work with advocate for and lift up the voices of schools, libraries, and health providers around the country. 

Jessica Denson (01:27):
Yeah. It's hard to argue against doing good in those areas, right? You'd think Yeah. <laugh> people find a way, right? Yeah. So talk a little bit about, um, what you're doing right now as leading, uh, the Shelby Coalition, um, why it's important, um, the voice it really has for those, those 

Joseph Wender (01:44):
Organizations. Sure. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Great question. Well, first, you know, I like to say that anchor institutions are the heartbeat of communities around the country. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Right? It's places where we learn, it's where we gather, it's where we seek care. 

Joseph Wender (01:57):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Joseph Wender (01:57):
Ensuring that those places have access to high speed broadband is just so essential in the 21st century. And so I'm so excited to be working to ensure that schools, libraries, health clinics, have that connectivity for everybody in their community. 

Jessica Denson (02:16):
Um, right now there's a lot of talk about BEAD and USF, um, bring our audience up to speed from your point of view on where those stand you could tackle. How about we tackle USF first? 

Joseph Wender (02:29):
Sure. 

Jessica Denson (02:30):
Um, where that stands right now, why it's important. I know there's a lot of court stuff that's happening within that right now, and even we can have a decision this week. So talk a little bit about why, what USF is, why it's important to Shelby Commission, our coalition, why we all should care about it and what's happening. 

Joseph Wender (02:47):
Sure. Well, the Universal Service Fund, USF is a eight to $10 billion program a year. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Which is really the first stab by Congress to close the digital around the country. It consists of four programs, two of which are most important to me and Shelby, and that's the E-Rate and the Rural Healthcare Program. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. It's about ensuring that schools and libraries can connect to the internet no matter what community they're in, and to ensure that rural residents have access to the best healthcare possible in rural clinics. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And so it's about ensuring that they have internet connectivity. Yet there was a challenge to the Universal Service Fund, despite 30 years of 

Joseph Wender (03:32):
Success. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And 

Joseph Wender (03:33):
That case went to the Supreme Court. Oral arguments were heard just a few months ago, and we're expecting a decision any day now. Now I'm cautiously optimistic, we will prevail and it'll be found to be constitutional, but stay tuned. 

Jessica Denson (03:47):
And what, how would you define that challenge? 

Joseph Wender (03:50):
Sure. The challenge was that Congress wasn't specific enough and the delegation of authority mm-hmm <affirmative>. From Congress to the FCC, to administer the fund. 

Joseph Wender (03:59):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Joseph Wender (04:00):
We argue the opposite. We think that Section 2 54, the telecom Act for all you telecom geeks out there, <laugh> was very prescriptive. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. It said, who's gonna benefit from the fund? Who's gonna pay in how that, how that money is gonna be collected. Very specific, very prescriptive. And so that's why we think we will survive this challenge. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Jessica Denson (04:21):
What is the danger if this challenge, uh, is a, is, you know, approved and goes forward rather than surviving the challenge as you said? Sure. 

Joseph Wender (04:29):
Well, let's take E-Rate as one example, which is over $3 billion a year. There's 115,000 K 12 schools in this country. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And I'm including public, private, charter, parochial, religious. A hundred thousand of them receive E-Rate supports. Okay. That affects over 50 million students. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. So you're talking about 50 million children that could be impacted if we lose the court case. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Jessica Denson (04:59):
Does it also, you know, in rural areas, in rural areas, I'm struck with the idea that there's fewer hospitals, there's fewer specialists. Will that take away some of that need, that connection that people need to get that care 

Joseph Wender (05:12):
As well? Of course. Right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Rural healthcare and the connectivity between rural health clinics and urban hospitals is literally life saving. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Right? Imagine Jessica, you got into a car accident in a rural area and you were rushed to a rural hospital, a rural health clinic with broadband connectivity with robust speeds. A radiologist, a specialist in an urban hospital, could read that x-ray almost instantaneously, and you could seek the right, you could get the right care for your leg, for your arm, or worse, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Think about a world in which that does not exist, in which a specialist doesn't see that x-ray 

Jessica Denson (05:51):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And, um, I don't want, I don't wanna leave libraries out from life saving to life changing libraries really fill that gap that, you know, for older adults and others that really need access as well, don't they? 

Joseph Wender (06:05):
Absolutely. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. You know, people talk so much about providing access for homes and businesses in the United States mm-hmm <affirmative>. And that is an extremely important goal. And we could talk more about that in, in the context of bead. Mm-hmm. But access is not enough. Right. Seniors, veterans, low income people, immigrants, they need somewhere to go to go online to, to, to learn digital navigation skills, to be able to access those services online. So you have veterans that go to libraries to, for help, to connect to the internet and apply for a job. Right. Or to take a class. Libraries continue to be the epicenters of communities, and having those connect that connectivity to libraries could not be more essential in 2025. Mm-hmm <affirmative>.

Jessica Denson (06:49):
So right now, I, I wouldn't be overstating to say that she, Shelby Coalition, this is the most important thing right now. Is this 

Joseph Wender (06:54):
US a Yeah. And we are a named party in the court case. We're proud to have been an intervener in the case. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And fingers crossed we win. 

Jessica Denson (07:03):
Fingers crossed for you. Yeah. <laugh>. So let's, let's shift a little bit and talk about what's going on with bead. 

Joseph Wender (07:08):
Yes. 

Jessica Denson (07:08):
Um, and the fact that the new rules and regulations just came out just about three weeks ago, two and a half, three weeks ago. Um, how does Shelby Coalition fit into that, that matrix, I guess, or the ideas of things, or, or what is your point of view on what's happening with that? 

Joseph Wender (07:23):
Right. So bead is extremely important to anchors around the country. The way the funding is prioritized for, for your, for your listeners, unserved homes and businesses, then underserved homes and businesses 

Joseph Wender (07:36):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Joseph Wender (07:37):
And then anchor institutions 

Joseph Wender (07:38):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Joseph Wender (07:38):
And providing gigabit service to anchors around the country. Tens of thousands stand to benefit from bead funding flowing to states mm-hmm <affirmative>. And, you know, we, we were, were concerned, but we remain optimistic that the bead funding will be connecting anchors. And the reason why we're a little concerned is the IIJA, the statute was quite prescriptive about what anchors, uh, qualified, uh, the previous NTIA went a step further and said, states can determine on their own what is an anchor, and that could be a house of worship. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. That could be a convenience store. Right. That could be, uh, a bus station. 

Joseph Wender (08:20):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Joseph Wender (08:21):
Right. Every community is different and has different needs and different gathering places. What this latest public notice said was, we're going back to a more strict reading of the statute, which still includes schools, libraries, health clinics, and otherwise mm-hmm <affirmative>. But it might limit the amount of anchor institutions that are connected as a result of bead.

Jessica Denson (08:40):
Yeah. I lived in small town Oklahoma, <laugh> called Cash, and, and really the the Anchor Institute was the school, but also the convenience store. Exactly. So when said, when you said that, I was like, oh, I could see how that could impact a small town or small area. 

Joseph Wender (08:53):
Exactly. Uhhuh <affirmative>. Exactly. 

Jessica Denson (08:54):
Yeah. So, um, you're, today we're in Houston, as I mentioned earlier, and you're touring some the libraries today, right? Have you done that yet? Are you about to go? 

Joseph Wender (09:03):
Sure. Harris County Public Library. We're gonna go on a tour and really just see it in action, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. How connectivity is and a how connectivity and add libraries is helping people learn. 

Jessica Denson (09:14):
UHHUH 

Joseph Wender (09:14):
Is helping people find jobs, is helping people access telemedicine. I mean, libraries are still so essential in our communities and in the 21st century, you need HighSpeed internet at those places. 

Jessica Denson (09:27):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And, and we're hearing people milling about their, coming out of a keynote that was happening with the broadband, some of the broadband directors for Oklahoma, I believe, and Texas. 

Joseph Wender (09:35):
Yes. 

Jessica Denson (09:36):
Um, what are you, what is your feeling? Are you, are you talking to some of the state broadband directors or some of the offices? What are you hearing from them about what's happening next? 

Joseph Wender (09:45):
Sure. And in fact, we've got, uh, a couple dozen states that are members of, of Shelby mm-hmm <affirmative>. So I talked to 

Jessica Denson (09:51):
Correct.

Joseph Wender (09:51):
Uh, state broadband directors all the time. Look, state broadband directors are focused on connecting their constituents. 

Jessica Denson (09:59):
<laugh>, 

Joseph Wender (09:59):
You're right, right. That's their focus. 

Jessica Denson (10:00):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Joseph Wender (10:01):
And we've seen, you know, this, the bead has gone through different versions Yeah. And they've gotten different guidance, Uhhuh, 

Jessica Denson (10:09):
<affirmative>. 

Joseph Wender (10:09):
But I can tell you their commitment to connecting every dot on the map and connecting anchor, every anchor institution in their state still remains mm-hmm <affirmative>. And they're gonna do the job until they're finished. 

Jessica Denson (10:21):
So, um, I like to do this with everybody that I interview on our podcast is talk a little bit about who you are, and I know you have a deep history. 

Joseph Wender (10:30):
Joey Wender, <laugh>, 

Jessica Denson (10:32):
Joey, can I start calling you Joey? 

Joseph Wender (10:33):
Sure. Can. <laugh> 

Jessica Denson (10:35):
People are gonna be like, what? Um, talk a little bit about your background. You have, you, you have a deep understanding of how politics works because you've been in it for a while. So talk a little bit about that so people understand. I think that probably can help the Shelby Co Coalition. Don't you think that you have this, I hope. Yeah, <laugh> 

Joseph Wender (10:52):
Right. I worked on Capitol Hill for 13 years, most of it for Senator Ed Markey, who is one of the primary authors of the 1996 Telecom Act amongst other tech and telecom legislation. 

Jessica Denson (11:03):
Yeah. 

Joseph Wender (11:04):
And I was his telecom and commerce committee person. And so, you know, being in the Energy and Commerce Committee in the house and the Senate Commerce Committee in the Senate 

Joseph Wender (11:11):
Mm-hmm. 

Joseph Wender (11:12):
Really see firsthand how this all works. And then over the last three and a half years, I spent at the Treasury Department running the Capital Projects Fund, 

Jessica Denson (11:20):
Uh, which Joseph Wender (11:21):

Was the $10 billion down payment for bringing affordable, reliable, high-speed internet to all Americans. 

Jessica Denson (11:29):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. So you definitely have a little bit of a pedigree in this area. Did, were you drawn to this or what brought you to Shelby Coalition? 

Joseph Wender (11:39):
I love Shelby. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. I've spoken at their conference for many years, and in fact, my former boss, ed Markey, spoke at their conference for many years 

Jessica Denson (11:46):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. 

Joseph Wender (11:46):
And, you know, one of Ed Markey's crowning achievements is creating the E-Rate Uhhuh 

Jessica Denson (11:51):
<affirmative>. 

Joseph Wender (11:52):
Right. He that in the legislation back in the nineties. And so when my predecessor, John Windau and I started talking about me potentially coming over to Shelby and working on all these issues, including E-Rate, I said, well, I've been working on E-Rate for 15 years, <laugh>, this is such a natural fit, uhhuh. 

Jessica Denson (12:10):
And 

Joseph Wender (12:10):
So to be in this role advocating on behalf of schools, health clinics, and libraries mm-hmm <affirmative>. Is what I've been doing for my whole career. 

Jessica Denson (12:17):
So it just feels like a natural fit for 

Joseph Wender (12:19):
You. Absolutely. 

Jessica Denson (12:19):
Yeah. So, um, beyond the court case with USF, what, what's, what's the next, uh, moonshot for Shelby Coalition? Or what's the next big thing that you guys are working toward or hoping for or kind of percolating? 

Joseph Wender (12:32):
Sure. 

Jessica Denson (12:33):
Yeah. 

Joseph Wender (12:33):
So besides bead, right. Uhhuh <affirmative> and working with NTI and states to ensure that money flows to anchor institutions and giving them gigabit service, 

Jessica Denson (12:41):
Uhhuh <affirmative>, 

Joseph Wender (12:42):
My long-term goal is to improve and modernize the universal service funds. Oh, right. The contribution base is shrinking uhhuh. That is a fact. And we all acknowledge it. It's a fee assessed on people's telephone bills, 

Jessica Denson (12:55):
Uhhuh. 

Joseph Wender (12:56):
It's time to expand that base, to put the fund on more sure footing so that it can remain in place and benefiting communities for not just years, but for decades to come. 

Jessica Denson (13:08):
Fantastic. Well, Joey <laugh>, I get to call you. Absolutely. Is there anything else you would want our audience to know, or if 

Joseph Wender (13:15):
They're interested? Just thank you, connected Nation. Yeah, thank you for all you're doing and for bringing all this, you know, this important information to your listeners around the country. There has probably been no more exciting time to be working in connectivity and broadband, so I really thank you for your time. 

Jessica Denson (13:28):
Well, I appreciate you. Thank you. Joey Winder with the Shelby Coalition. <laugh> still ahead in our coverage from the Broadband Community Summit, we talk with the Texas State Broadband Director. We talk with the head of CNC, which is a nonprofit that runs all the networks for schools and hospitals in North Carolina. Plus, we talk with two gentlemen that represent Cogent Communications, which is the ISP for ISPs. I'll explain on that episode. I'm Jessica Denson and this is Connected Nation. If you wanna know more about us, head to connected nation.org and you can also find our next episodes on your favorite podcast platform.