Telecommunication

How the infrastructure package could fix rural America's internet problems

Many rural areas across the US lack access to high-speed, affordable internet largely because installing the infrastructure isn't worth the investment for internet service providers to take on. The unprecedented amount of federal funding for broadband included in the recently signed infrastructure law aims to fix the digital divide in a different way than the government has tried before. It will put money into the hands of communities that may know how to best address the issue.

John Malone sizes up the threat to cable posed by fiber

US cable operators are increasingly threatened by the vast sums of money being plowed into fiber overbuilders, but cable industry legend John Malone believes that multiple-system operators (MSOs) such as Charter Communications are well-prepared to handle the hazards of more capable competition. Malone, whose Liberty Broadband unit holds 26 percent of Charter and owns Alaska's GCI, remains upbeat about Charter's prospects in the face of new and emerging competition from fiber overbuilders. "I believe they can defend their territory quite effectively," Malone said.

Broadband providers have failed to reach all Maine homes. Now they’re fighting towns trying to do it themselves.

Towns in Maine are considering municipal-run networks that would reach residents who lack broadband access. At a recent Leeds (ME) town meeting, residents debated the creation of a town-run broadband network paid for through a $2.2 million bond. The Leeds broadband proposal sought a slice of the federal funds that have been flowing into the state since last year by leveraging a commitment from voters to borrow money to extend high-speed fiber to households who can’t get it, or that were unwilling to pay the thousands of dollars Spectrum, the only local provider, would charge them.

Cable giants and Mississippi electric co-ops battle over federal broadband dollars

As millions more federal dollars flow to Mississippi for expanding broadband internet access, large cable and telecom companies and rural electric cooperatives are already sparring over the money. During two days of state Senate Energy Committee hearings, officials from both sides laid out their cases for how they could best provide more rural high-speed internet access.

Cable One Plots Course for 10 Gbps Broadband to Compete with Fiber

Diversified broadband provider Cable One is on a path to launch 10 Gbps service. The company said it has already made gigabit service available to 99 percent of its footprint across 24 states, first offering it back in 2016. Cable One is actively upgrading its network to facilitate DOCSIS 4.0, which is the cable industry’s answer to the proliferation of fiber broadband from primarily telco competitors.

Life without reliable internet remains a daily struggle for millions of Americans

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill recently signed by President Biden aims to help alleviate the problem by setting aside $65 billion for investment in broadband. According to Kathryn de Wit, project director for the Broadband Access Initiative at the Pew Charitable Trusts, the package is a "significant down payment" in getting underserved households connected — in part because it also leant on the Federal Communications Commission to better determine exactly who lacked high-speed internet access.

Tribal Lands Lag on Internet Deployment. Local Efforts Provide a Path Forward

The digital divide facing tribal communities is stark and has remained pronounced despite the best efforts of advocacy groups and tribes themselves to help Indigenous people get online.

Broadband adds slow as cable industry settles into transformative period

A new report from Kagan, the media research unit of S&P Global, shows that broadband subscriber growth has "cooled significantly in the third quarter" of 2021, stalling in growth for the first time in three years. The decline can be attributed to "a difficult comparison with the booming gains of 2020," the report says. Cable providers Comcast and Charter Communications both had fewer internet net adds in the third quarter of 2021 compared to 2020. For the third quarter, Comcast reported 300,000 net adds in broadband customers.

Louisiana aims to bridge digital divide by 2029

Louisiana’s goal is to have broadband service in all unserved areas of the state by 2029. To help bridge the digital divide, applications for Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities (GUMBO) grants are being accepted until December 31. That program, run by the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity (ConnectLA), is designed to help private providers bring more accessible and affordable broadband service to areas that have download speeds of less than 25 Mbps and upload speeds lower than 3 Mbps.

Arizona Department of Transportation to bring broadband internet to rural communities

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has been laying fiber optic conduit along a 46-mile stretch of I-17 between Flagstaff and Sedona (AZ) as part of a project to bring broadband internet access to rural communities in the state. The broadband initiative is made possible by a partnership between ADOT and the Arizona Commerce Authority. The project will create more affordable opportunities to provide rural communities in Arizona with high-speed internet service.

Pennsylvania Turnpike Poised to Profit from Excess Broadband

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is ready to make money — potentially tens of millions — by selling space on a new broadband system along the toll road in Eastern Pennsylvania. The agency has nearly completed two projects totaling $95 million to install fiber-optic cable under the berm of about 220 miles of the highway, split almost evenly between the main line from Harrisburg to the New Jersey border and the Northeast Extension.

Broadband 'Speed Clipping' Spikes 400 Percent

The number of US broadband users who regularly push the upper limits of their provisioned internet speed at the 9 pm hour increased 400 percent from May 2020 - September 2021, according to new data provided by analytics and software provider OpenVault. The phenomenon is known as "speed clipping." OpenVault says it occurs most often with multiple members of a subscribing household simultaneously taxing the network with high-bandwidth applications such as video streaming, video gaming and video conferencing.

Charter CEO Says Cable Mobile Service Pricing Could Drop Further

Just weeks after Charter Communications slashed prices for its Spectrum Mobile offering to $29.99 per month, chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge said charges for wireless cable offerings could drop further as the cost to provide service continues to decline. “I think the mobile opportunity is very similar to the wireline opportunity that existed 15 years ago,” Rutledge said. “[Mobile]'s got its own complexities, but the opportunity is there to create value for consumers. Consumers actually save money and we make money. That’s a pretty attractive business model that is available to us.

Comcast’s Internet Essentials Program and Goodwill Expand Workforce Development Efforts

Comcast’s Internet Essentials program announced a significant new partnership with Goodwill Industries International to provide digital skills and workforce development training for thousands of adults with low incomes at Goodwill nonprofit organizations across the United States. In addition, Comcast will install free WiFi access in Goodwill locations to enable people to get online to search for and apply for jobs as well as take digital skills training and certification programs to prepare for entry and mid-level occupations.

CPUC Approves Verizon’s Acquisition of TracFone With Consumer Protection Conditions

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in ongoing efforts to ensure reliable and affordable telecommunication services, approved Verizon Communications’ acquisition of TracFone Wireless with consumer protection conditions to ensure the acquisition will be in the public interest. The CPUC's Decision finds that in order for Verizon and TracFone to meet the burden of proving their acquisition is in the public interest, they must adopt a number of specific measures to protect consumers-including California Lifeline customers-from price increases and service disruptions.

Broadband is the Achilles' heel of telehealth

As wonderful as telehealth is, it has a serious Achilles' heel. The fate of telehealth adoption is tied to the fate of broadband adoption. And broadband in millions of additional homes isn't strong enough to drive telehealth. Redlining, politics, and adverse economics leaves low-income communities stuck with outdated, broken infrastructure. Annually, billions in government spending to replace obsolete networks passes over big cities and are squandered by large telecom and cable companies before broadband reaches rural homes.

FCC Proposes Enhanced Competition Incentive Program

The Federal Communications Commission proposed an enhanced competition incentive program to encourage licensees to offer opportunities for small carriers and Tribal Nations to obtain spectrum via lease, partition, or

NDIA, SHLB & 68 Organizations Share Support for FCC & NTIA Nominees

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition wrote a joint letter of support urging the Senate Commerce Committee to quickly conduct hearings and speedily confirm President Biden’s nominees to the Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Verizon CFO says Fios expansion offers cost, environmental benefits

Verizon may not be pursuing a massive expansion of its fiber footprint like some competitors, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t see value in the smaller scale work it’s doing with Fios. Verizon CFO Matt Ellis said the company is working to add around 400,000 open-for-sale locations within its incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) footprint in 2021 and for “at least the next two to three years.” Some of these additions are related to new build activity, with Verizon swooping in to “wire Fios in upfront” in houses and apartment buildings as they’re constructed by developers.

FCC Seeks Comment on the New Affordable Connectivity Program

The Federal Communications Commission seeks comment on the requirements for the Affordable Connectivity Program and a timeline for its rapid implementation. On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Infrastructure Act or Act), which modifies and extends the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB Program) to a longer-term broadband affordability program to be called the Affordable Connectivity Program. The Infrastructure Act directs the FCC to undertake a proceeding to adopt final rules for this modified program.

NTIA’s Role in Implementing the Broadband Provisions of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Congress has taken a significant step forward in achieving the Biden Administration’s goal of providing broadband access to the entire country.

The surprise group of conservatives who support President Biden’s FCC nominee Gigi Sohn

President Joe Biden's nominee for Federal Communications Commissioner, Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society], is a prominent liberal activist and a former Democratic staffer at the FCC who favors net neutrality, stronger government regulation of the broadband industry, and the breakup of Big Tech companies. Senate Republicans strongly oppose her confirmation, criticizing her not only as a left-wing ideologue who would favor heavy-handed regulation but also, unusually, as a threat to censor or block conservative speech.

Major Pay-TV Providers Lost About 650,000 Subscribers in 3Q 2021

Leichtman Research Group found that the largest pay-TV providers in the US – representing about 93 percent of the market – lost about 650,000 net video subscribers in 3Q 2021, compared to a pro forma net loss of about 90,000 in 3Q 2020. The top pay-TV providers now account for about 77 million subscribers, with the top seven cable companies having 41.9 million video subscribers, other traditional pay-TV services having over 27.5 million subscribers, and the top publicly reporting Internet-delivered (vMVPD) pay-TV services having 7.5 million subscribers.

House Commerce Committee Passes Telecommunications Bills

The House Commerce Committee passed 12 bipartisan bills on November 17, 2021. The Committee passed the following telecommunications bills: