Analysis

How NTIA Can Use Historic Investments to Ensure Universal Broadband

On January 7, 2022, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) requested public comment on policy and program considerations associated with new broadband grant programs authorized and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program, and the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program.

Public Knowledge and TURN Submit Comments on the BEAD Program to NTIA

Public Knowledge and TURN submitted comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) regarding the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. "To successfully implement the [BEAD Program], NTIA must prioritize building future-proof, open access, and municipal networks, and ensure those networks are built with high-quality jobs and adherence to net neutrality principles," said the comments.

AARP Submits Comments to NTIA Regarding Broadband Programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

AARP submitted comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) urging the agency to encourage states to integrate digital literacy programs and data-driven planning into their funding strategies for programs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. "AARP looks forward to partnering with NTIA during the upcoming years to support NTIA’s effective disbursement and oversight of the significant increase in public monies to advance broadband deployment and digital equity," stated AARP in its comments.

INCOMPAS to NTIA: Broadband Infrastructure Money Must Build Competition, Not Monopolies

INCOMPAS, the internet and competitive networks association, filed comments with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) urging the Department of Commerce to enshrine competition laws into the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act implementation to ensure all Americans have access to faster speeds and future proof networks at more affordable prices. The INCOMPAS filing details a road map to help NTIA deliver on the promise of connecting all Americans to better internet services while creating jobs, attracting investment and unleashing innovation.

Next Century Cities Responds to the NTIA’s Request for Comment on Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Programs

The Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) tasks the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) with developing rules for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Next Century Cities (NCC) submitted comments to the NTIA encouraging the agency to work closely with local governments and community-based organizations that support new collaborations and build public awareness.

OTI Issues Recommendations on NTIA’s Broadband Infrastructure Funding

On February 4, New America's Open Technology Institute (OTI) filed comments to guide the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in successfully disbursing funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). In the comments, OTI urged NTIA to ensure its administration of the program results in the equitable deployment of broadband and improved access to affordable, quality broadband service.

Federal Infrastructure Funding Creates Huge Broadband Responsibilities for States

States will receive billions to improve broadband access from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), but have limited experience administering broadband grant programs. Here are important priorities to consider to effectively use the money:

Jitter – A Measure of Broadband Quality

Most people have heard of latency, which is a measure of the average delay of data packets on a network. There is another important measure of network quality that is rarely talked about. Jitter is the variance in the delays of signals being delivered through a broadband network connection. Jitter occurs when the latency increases or decreases over time. We have a tendency in the industry to oversimplify technical issues; we take a speed test and assume the answer that pops out is our speed.

Preparing Your Community for Broadband Success

The need for broadband connectivity has never been greater and closing the final segments of the broadband gap will require true public-private partnerships. States and communities have the ability to help their residents, not just through funding programs, but also by preparing their communities to receive broadband service. USTelecom has compiled a list of things that states should be considering as they prepare for an influx of federal broadband funding.

The New Speed Battle

I’ve been thinking about the implications of having a new definition of broadband at 100/20 Mbps. That’s the threshold that has been set in several giant federal grants that allow grant funding to areas that have broadband slower than 100/20 Mbps. This is also the number that has been bandied about the industry as the likely new definition of broadband when the Federal Communications Commission seats a fifth Commissioner. The best thing about a higher definition of broadband is that it finally puts the DSL controversy to bed.

The Challenge of State Broadband Plans

One of the most interesting aspects of the upcoming Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program grants is that the money is going to flow through the states. In many of the states I’ve been following, it looks like the money will be distributed by passing the money through existing state broadband grant programs. Yet since the federal legislation that created the BEAD grants rules is so specific, there will be numerous ways that the BEAD grant will differ from a state grant program. The obvious solution is for states to adopt the federal rules.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook for State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Governments

A guidebook to help state, local, Tribal and territorial governments unlock the benefits from the historic investments in US infrastructure. The guidebook is a roadmap to the funding available under the law, as well as an explanatory document that shows direct federal spending at the program level. The White House has also published an accompanying data file that allows users to quickly sort programs funded under the law by fields like agency, amount, recipient, or program name. The guidebook contains 12 chapters grouping Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act programs by issue area.

Ookla Data Hints C-Band Could Change Who’s Going to be Fastest in the US

Data from Ookla's Speedtest Intelligence shows exactly how much C-band has already affected 5G performance in the week following its launch on January 19, and how that might impact Speedtest Global Index Market Analysis rankings. Ookla saw a week-over-week increase in median 5G download speed of 13 percent when looking at all operators combined.

Don’t Forget About the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund for Broadband Infrastructure

States, local governments, service providers and potential partners should be aware of the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF), another significant broadband infrastructure funding opportunity that seems to have been overshadowed by recent programs like those included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. While States await rules and eligibility determinations for the Infrastructure Act funds, CPF funding may be available in the meantime. Moreover, CPF funding might be suitable for projects that may not otherwise be eligible for funding under the Infrastructure Act.

How State Broadband Offices Use Scoring Metrics to Evaluate Grant Applications

In a November 4, 2021, memo sent to state broadband offices that are participating in The Pew Charitable Trusts’ technical assistance program, the “Broadband Education and Training Initiative,” Pew experts explored how states use scoring metrics to evaluate broadband grant applications. The choice and weight of metrics should reflect each state’s priorities in order to ensure funded projects will advance state goals and deliver meaningful benefits to residents.

How Can the FCC Make it Easier to Shop for Broadband?

This week, the Federal Communications Commission launched a proceeding seeking public comment on creating a mechanism to ensure access to accurate, simple-to-understand information about broadband Internet access services. The aim is to enable consumers to comparison shop when choosing broadband services and providers that best meet their needs and match their budgets.

Add Affordability to the Definition of Broadband

When we ask people why they don’t have home broadband, the primary response in every survey is the cost of broadband. So prices be part of the definition of broadband? There is a huge difference between a 100/20 Mbps connection that costs $55 and one that costs $85. As far as the public is concerned, these are not the same product—but we pretend that they are. Of course, there is nothing that scares the big cable companies more than talking about regulating broadband prices.

Steps the Commerce Department should take to achieve the infrastructure bill’s broadband goals

The recently signed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act makes the largest federal investment into universal broadband access in history. In doing so, Congress gave broadband responsibility to the states, with the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) providing oversight.  This piece lays out eight steps NTIA should take to improve the odds of success in achieving universal connectivity:

A Review of Digital Equity Provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

This is our 6th entry in Keller & Heckman's blog series on the major provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Previous blog entries examined the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, the $1 billion Middle Mile grant program, the Act’s support for broadband partnerships, the Affordable Connectivity Program, and the Act’s key cybersecurity provisions. This post reviews the Act’s provisions aimed at promoting digital equity by increasing broadband adoption and accessibility.

Steps the states should take to achieve the infrastructure bill’s broadband goals

To accomplish the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's broadband goals, Congress made states the key decision-makers, with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration providing oversight. This piece lays out nine actions every state should take in the development and implementation of its broadband plan:

The Keys To Unlocking Universal Broadband Are in the Hands of Our Communities

For so many people living in rural or low-income city neighborhoods, access to high-speed fiber-fed broadband would be a game-changer. Jobs are going remote, school is taught at a distance, and broadband is opening the door to telemedicine, reducing the need for trips to the doctor, but many people across the country still have no access to these options.

Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft Weave a Fiber-Optic Web of Power

Fiber-optic cable, which carries 95 percent of the world’s international internet traffic, links up pretty much all of the world’s data centers, those vast server warehouses where the computing happens that transforms all those 1s and 0s into our experience of the internet. Where those fiber-optic connections link up countries across the oceans, they consist almost entirely of cables running underwater—some 1.3 million kilometers (or more than 800,000 miles) of bundled glass threads that make up the actual, physical international internet.

Treasury Improves Rules for Rescue Plan Aid for Broadband Networks

Communities across the United States have gotten an unexpected gift from the Biden Administration in the form of additional flexibility to use American Rescue Plan funds for needed broadband investments, particularly those focused on low-income neighborhoods in urban areas. When Congress developed and passed the American Rescue Plan Act, it tasked the Treasury Department with writing the rules for some key programs, including the State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF).

Pushing Back Against Municipal Broadband

As a cautionary tale to any city that provides broadband, incumbent internet service providers (ISPs) are always going to push back on city initiatives. In 2021, the city of Tucson (AZ) launched a free wireless network to bring broadband to students in homes without broadband. Tucson recognized the need for the network when it got requests for over 7,000 wireless access points from students during the pandemic. The city then decided that the best long-term solution to the large numbers of unserved students was to create a private network using CBRS spectrum.