Internet/Broadband

How State Broadband Offices Are Using Initial Dollars from Capital Projects Fund

States are implementing a variety of strategies as they allocate the initial rounds of federal Capital Projects Fund (CPF) dollars to help expand access to broadband services. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has officially released more than half of the CPF dollars, with $6 billion awarded to 40 states as of May 2023.

FCC Eases Budget Restrictions for Rural Rate-of-Return Carriers

The Federal Communications Commission temporarily waives, on its own motion, the application of the budget control mechanism for rate-of-return carriers that receive high-cost universal service support

Communications and Technology Subcommittee Hearing Examines the National Telecommunications and Information Administration

The House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology convened to conduct oversight of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The subcommittee is considering reauthorizing NTIA for the first time since 1993. Key questions leading into the hearing included:

BEAD Initial Proposal

In collaboration with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, ConnectLA has developed a first volume of Louisiana's proposal for how the state plans to use Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds to address Louisiana’s digital divide. This volume outlines current efforts to deploy broadband, a breakdown of unserved and underserved locations, and an overview of the process to challenge a provider’s service availability and performance.

Etheric Communications Defaults on Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Bids in California

The Federal Communications Commission announced that Etheric Communications defaulted on its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (Auction 904) bid. Auction 904 support will not be authorized for the winning bids in California. The FCC considers winning bidders and assignees to be in default for these bids and subject to forfeiture.

Louisiana Draft Digital Equity Plan

This plan outlines Louisiana’s first coordinated effort to assess the state’s digital divide and move Louisiana toward digital equity.

Grain says not all private equity broadband investors are created equal

Private equity (PE) money has been flooding into the broadband market over the past two years. Everywhere you look, someone has a PE partner of some kind.

How the FCC National Broadband Map Impacts the BEAD Program, Part 3 of 3: Meeting the Urgent Need

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is preparing to enter a crucial phase for the Internet for All initiative. Soon, it will notify states and territories of their BEAD program allocation amounts. Once those notifications are made, states and territories will have 180 days to submit their initial proposals. NTIA is confident it will have the data it needs to take that step when it makes the allocation announcement by June 30.

AT&T’s rate of fiber penetration is twice as good as expected

AT&T CEO John Stankey specified the main factors that AT&T considers for a fiber build. For about three years, AT&T has been clearly communicating its two main focuses—5G and fiber. In terms of fiber, it set a goal to pass 30 million locations with fiber by 2025. It closed 2022 with a total of 24 million passings. Stankey said the fiber build and the consumer response to it have been going well.

Private equity can move faster on fiber deployments than government

The prospect of billions of dollars flowing to states from the Broadband Equity Access & Deployment (BEAD) program is causing private equity companies to also flood the market with investment funds for fiber. On a panel at the recent Connect(X) conference in New Orleans (LA), panelists were asked if private equity companies will compete for BEAD funds or if they will add to the overall investment in fiber.

Viasat acquisition ready for launch as SpaceX challenge fizzles

Viasat will likely be able to move forward with its acquisition of Inmarsat after the Federal Communications Commission signed off on the deal. The transaction was first agreed upon by California-based Viasat and London-based Inmarsat more than 18 months ago, but has been deferred by review processes in both the U.S. and U.K.

Readers' Choice 2023: The Top ISPs in North America

Our broadband internet connection at home must be as rock-solid and dependable as any other utility.

US Treasury Releases Final Version of SLFRF/CPF Supplemental Broadband Guidance

The US Treasury Department has released the final version of important compliance guidance applicable to broadband projects funded through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) or Capital Project Fund (CPF) awards.

The State with the Best Gigabit Broadband Availability is . . .

North Dakota ranks as the best-connected state with gigabit broadband availability, according to a new report from Smarthomestarter.com. North Dakota broadband providers offer gigabit service to 60.58% of residential locations in the state — the highest percentage in the nation, according to the research.

Rural Tennessee co-op a year ahead of schedule on fiber buildout

The state of Tennessee is expected by some estimates to receive as much as $896 million through the federal government's $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.

Vermont Congressional Delegation Announces First USDA ReConnect Grant to Vermont

Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Peter Welch (D-VT) and Representative Becca Balint (D-VT) announced that NEK Community Broadband (NEKCB) will receive Vermont’s first-ever United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network in Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties in Vermont.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission Awards $16.6 Million in Broadband Expansion Grants for 24 Projects

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) awarded funding from the state’s Broadband Expansion Grant Program. The PSC awarded $16,601,085 for 24 projects that will expand broadband internet to 6,042 residential and 276 business locations that are underserved. The projects receiving awards will impact 19 counties. The grant awards will leverage $25,360,858 of matching funds from recipients. The broadband expansion grants invest in infrastructure projects for internet service in areas of the state where people need improved service.

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Defaults Estimate: Over $2.8 Billion -- What Happens to That Money?

Nearly every winning bid in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) rural broadband funding program has now either been authorized or deemed to be in default.

Full-fiber networks in Europe: state of play and future evolution

In Europe,  fibre networks have been expanding, driven by a combination of private investment and competition, and by ambitious policy targets to connect every European to a gigabit network by 2030. Full-fibre networks are now available to a majority of Europeans. Nearly everyone in Spain, Portugal and France has the option to buy full-fibre-based connections; in Germany, where DSL and cable perform relatively well and deployment costs are reportedly high, fibre investment and roll-out has been slower to materialise.

Will Congress Fund the ACP?

The clock is ticking on the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Current estimates show the program may run out of funding as soon as the end of the first quarter in 2024. The only solution for keeping ACP operating is for Congress to refill the ACP funding bucket somehow. Angela Siefer of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance said that reauthorizing ACP was one of the biggest broadband issues on the plate for Congress. She talked about the many gains that have been made in getting broadband to low-income homes.

The FCC's new "Funding Map" comes up short

The Federal Communications Commission’s “Funding Map” was just published and, at first glance, it needs work. The FCC’s own Rural Digital Opportunity Fund originally had winning bids for 5.2 million locations. As of the latest release of authorized winners, 3.5 million locations were moving forward.

Europe Issues $1.3 billion fine on Meta for data privacy violations

The Data Protection Commission (“the DPC”) concluded its inquiry into Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (“Meta Ireland”), examining the basis upon which Meta Ireland transfers personal data from the European Union/ European Economic Area to the US in connection with the delivery of its Facebook service.

Supreme Court Won’t Hold Tech Companies Liable for User Posts

The Supreme Court handed twin victories to technology platforms on May 18 by declining in two cases to hold them liable for content posted by their users. In a case involving Google, the court for now rejected efforts to limit the sweep of the law that frees the platforms from liability for user content, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

An industry short on enthusiasm: Where are all the fiber technicians?

The federal government has been trumpeting its efforts to expand access to high-speed internet service for underserved areas across the US, namely through $42.5 billion in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding. But in BEAD’s shadow stands another obstacle to closing the digital divide: a massive shortage of fiber technicians. Flume Internet CEO Prashanth Vijay put a salient reason for that shortage simply enough. “There's just not much enthusiasm to go and like… dig a trench,” he told Fierce Telecom.