Fierce

Data centers catering to AI bring more fiber to rural America

Rural broadband is getting a big boost from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, but rural broadband could also get a boost from the AI-fueled data center boom — even if we don't usually think of AI and rural at the same time. Public cloud providers need fiber to connect a growing number of data centers in places like Council Bluffs, Iowa, Virginia’s Prince William County, and Midlothian, Texas. “Anywhere you build a new data center will drive incremental network construction by at least three providers,” said Frank Louthan, equity analyst and managing director at Ray

WISPA underwrites tool for state broadband offices to calculate high-cost thresholds

The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) has been telling everyone for a couple of years that some unserved locations in the US will be too expensive to reach with fiber broadband, and trying to cover these locations with fiber will waste BEAD money. And now, WISPA has underwritten an analysis tool to help state broadband offices set their extremely-high-cost thresholds. WISPA has underwritten the new Broadband Funding Optimization Tool, which was created by the Vernonburg Group.

Sanborn is helping states simplify the BEAD challenge process

The Sanborn Map Company is one of a number of companies offering tools for states to help them prepare for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Launched in 2023, Sanborn’s Broadband Navigator is a tool that aims to simplify the BEAD challenge process.

How much ACP exposure do big internet providers have?

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is in grave danger. According to estimates from the Federal Communications Commission, the program will run out of money in April. A wave of sudden disconnects associated with the program’s end could hit ISPs hard. But just how much exposure do they have? And do they have any plans in place to keep vulnerable customers connected? We took the subscriber question straight to the big guns and asked what plans they have for keeping subscribers connected in a post-ACP world. Here’s what they told us (and what we could dig up).

New Street Research: Charter has at least 4 million ACP subscribers

As the federal government plans to freeze new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) enrollments next month, the broadband industry has started to think about how that will impact internet service providers and subscribers on the subsidy. New Street Research released a report evaluating the ACP’s impact on Charter. The firm estimated Charter has at least 4.1 million fixed broadband ACP subscribers. That figure is a “conservative” estimate, taken from Charter’s share of broadband passings.

Big 3 carriers file similar comments about national spectrum strategy

In November 2023, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) published its draft national Spectrum Strategy (NSS) and asked for comments to be filed by January 2, 2024. Seventy three organizations submitted written comments by the deadline. All three major national wireless carriers filed comments, which were remarkably similar to each other in their talking points. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile stressed their desire to put a rush on more mid-band spectrum.

Four prominent wireless leaders testify about open RAN at Congressional hearing

Some of the top proponents of open RAN in the US warned lawmakers that the technology remains in danger of sliding into irrelevance if trends toward fragmentation and proprietary solutions continue. John Baker, senior vice president of Ecosystem Business Development at Mavenir warned that there can be different flavors of open RAN.

Massachusetts broadband chief: Infrastructure and equity go hand in hand

Massachusetts’ is looking at the bigger picture, not just network rollouts. Although Massachusetts already has around 99 percent broadband coverage (based on statistics from the Federal Communications Commission’s national broadband map), there’s still an adoption gap. So, Massachusetts is trying to look at broadband “holistically,” infrastructure as well as “all the other elements that are needed” to make sure people “can really take advantage of the access to the service.” In November 2023, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute launched the Gap Networks Grant Program, a new $145 million g

Dish cuts more jobs amid spectrum reshuffle

Dish Network already is spinning more heads than some companies do in an entire year. Among the revelations: More layoffs at Dish Network, affecting employees at its Colorado headquarters. Dish is transferring certain spectrum licenses to an EchoStar holding company.

It's challenging to determine BEAD-eligible locations, says Wireless 20/20

It will be super complicated for states to define the bidding areas for Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) grants. Some states may define bid areas by census blocks, school districts, or some other defined geography or cluster, while other states may go with a “free-for-all” approach, allowing bidders to say where they want to bid.

Windstream claims 1 Tbps milestone using Cisco, Ciena tech

In a new trial Windstream and Cisco claimed the industry’s first successful 1 Terabit per second transmission over 1,100 kilometers, done across multiple routes on Windstream's Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON). The trial showcased the compatibility of multi-vendor technologies on Windstream's disaggregated architecture, using components from Cisco, Acacia Communications (a Cisco subsidiary) and a third-party line system vendor, Ciena. It also marked progress in Windstream's development of ZR+ modules for high-speed wave services.

Is the Affordable Connectivity Program doomed?

The fate of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) hangs in the balance. Amid warnings that the internet subsidy program will shut down this spring without additional funds, Congress proposed legislation that would allocate another $7 billion to the ACP pool. But chances of the bill becoming law is “significantly below 50%,” said New Street Research’s Blair Levin. The $7 billion allotment is slightly higher than the $6 billion figure the Federal Communications Commission requested, saying it would extend ACP benefits through the end of the year.

T-Mobile chronicles 5G achievements since Sprint merger

There’s not much new in T-Mobile’s latest report to the Federal Communications Commission on the progress it’s made since its merger with Sprint. The report, submitted on January 2, centers on the network milestones that T-Mobile has accomplished with respect to its 3-year commitments for nationwide 5G deployment, which includes low-band and mid-band 5G coverage, 5G sites, download speeds and more.

Vexus Fiber expansion marches on in Huntsville, TX

Vexus Fiber kicked off the new year by launching service to its first customers in Huntsville (TX) after beginning construction in late 2023. Nearly 500 Huntsville homes and businesses are now connected to Vexus Fiber, with first active service areas located south and southwest of Interstate 45.

Archtop closes WVT acquisition, expands to New Jersey

Archtop Fiber closed its acquisition of New York-based Warwick Valley Telephone (WVT), marking the provider’s third acquisition in five months as it continues expanding in the northeast US. With WVT under its belt, Archtop will serve customers in New York’s Orange County, the Mid-Hudson Valley and northwestern New Jersey with an XGS-PON network. Archtop will overlash fiber onto WVT’s existing lines and rebrand the company to WVT Fiber. The acquisition came via a stock purchase agreement with Momentum Telecom, WVT’s previous owner and a provider of managed cloud communications services.

Lack of auction authority stymied FCC in 2023

Although the Federal Communications Commission did not have its auction authority for most of 2023, some important events came to pass. The wireless industry lobbied much of the year for reallocation of spectrum in the 3.1-3.45 GHz band, which didn’t happen. The Biden Administration delivered a plan for a National Spectrum Strategy, which includes further study of the 3.1-3.45 GHz band.

2023's fiber achievements: AT&T, Google Fiber and more

As the curtain begins to rise on the prospect of $42.5 billion in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) deployments, many are looking ahead to see what the historic investment will mean for broadband expansion. But before we turn our gaze toward the future, let's pause and reflect on the fiber milestones achieved thus far. A November 2023 analysis from New Street Research revealed that the telecommunications industry collectively increased fiber locations by 1.8 million in the third quarter of this year, with “most of the increase driven by AT&T.”

Comcast, CommScope turned cable's wheels in 2023

Although fiber was the talk of the town in 2023 – with state and federal governments doling out funding to support fiber projects – the cable industry also underwent some changes. Comcast began DOCSIS 4.0 rollouts. In October, it unveiled a new line of symmetrical multi-gig service with speeds of up to 2 Gbps. Another interesting development this year was the “relatively speedy evolution” of extended DOCSIS 3.1. Cable operators can extend DOCSIS 3.1 to buy more time before they need to upgrade to an end-to-end DOCSIS 4.0 system.

Here's what happened with BEAD in 2023

Broadband funding really got rolling in 2023, as the federal government began the process of its $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. To help states and territories with their challenge process, in April, National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) released draft guidance that expands upon the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) issued in May 2022. States got their BEAD allocations, with the highest funding amounts going to Texas ($3.31 billion), California ($1.86 billion), Missouri ($1.74 billion), Michigan ($1.56 billion) and North

Dish cites T-Mobile’s low-band spectrum stash in bid for new FCC policies

Dish Network is re-upping its calls for the Federal Communications Commission to update spectrum holding policies, saying the agency’s current spectrum procedures have enabled incumbents like T-Mobile to amass too much low-band spectrum to the detriment of new competitors and regional carriers. Dish EVP of External & Legislative Affairs Jeff Blum and other Dish lawyers met with FCC representatives to discuss the current competitive landscape and importance of spectrum availability in giving new entrants a chance to compete. Dish pointed to comments from AT&T, Public Knowledge, and O

Clemson University unit teams up with CRO Precia to reach out to underserved rural communities

Clemson Rural Health—a unit of Clemson University’s College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences—is linking up with Seattle-based CRO Precia Group to bring more clinical trials to underserved rural populations. Precia, which was formed in 2020, usually focuses on addressing gender bias in clinical trials, particularly to increase the number of women participating in research studies. Ron Gimbel, the director of Clemson Rural Health, said the ultimate goal is to improve health outcomes through inclusive and decentralized clinical research.