U.S. House Votes to Make D.C. the 51st State . . .

Ohio to Allow Gender Changes on Birth Certificates . . .

Broadband Industry Groups Sue State of New York . . .

Ohio to Lose one Congressional Seat . . .

Frontier Emerges from Chapter 11 . . .

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FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program

Has Over 2.3 Million Enrolled

Sign-up for the FCC's EBB program began three weeks ago on May 12, 2021 and over 2.3 million households have enrolled in the program. More than 1,000 telecom providers are participating in the program which provides eligible households with up to a $50 per month ($75 on Tribal lands) service as well as a one-time device discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet.

To date, 58 Ohio companies have signed up as participants, including 9 Ohio Rural Broadband Association member companies.

Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC Acting Chairwoman, announced the availability of a newly developed dashboard to track the progress of the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

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Juneteenth Declared a Federal Holiday

President Biden has signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday. June 19th has been established as Juneteenth National Independence Day. The measure, which passed the U.S. House and Senate with bipartisan support, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

The name stems from June 19,1865, which Union Major General Gordon Granger issued an order in Galveston, Texas, in accordance with the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, "All Slaves Are Free".

Months later, the 13th Amendment was ratified, which abolished slavery in the final four border states that had not been subjected to President Abraham Lincoln's order.

The term "Juneteenth" is a blend of the words June and nineteenth. June 19th is the first national holiday established since Martin Luther King's Birthday in 1983.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine was quick to announce that all state agencies throughout the State would observe the National Holiday and

declared that it would be observed on June 18, 2021, since the actual holiday fell on a Saturday.