1. Monthly archive
  2. April 2020

April 2020

Verizon embraces change, innovation in time of coronavirus crisis

While there's been plenty of reports in regards to how service providers' networks have withstood the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, there hasn't been a lot of focus on how carriers pivoted internally to keep their employees safe and their customers connected to the services they rely on. Verizon's core crisis response team started preparing for the coronavirus' impact during the first week of March. On March 11, Verizon's leaders were briefed that most of the company's employees, which total 135,000, would need to start working from home.

Comcast and Verizon see network usage settle-in

The spike in network traffic is starting to flatten with subscribers settling into their work from home (WFH) routines. Comcast's residential broadband traffic increases were starting to plateau in most of its markets, including in cities such as San Francisco and Seattle that were among the first to implement stay-at-home measures.

Rural Utilities Service COVID-19 Response

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will use the $100 million provided for the ReConnect Program in the CARES Act to invest in qualified 100 percent grant projects that did not receive funding in the program’s first round of ReConnect Program investments. Round one applicants who did not receive funding because there was broadband access in the proposed service area may submit an application during the second round to receive this priority as long as their proposed service area meets the requirements of the ReConnect Round 2 Funding Opportunity Announcement.

Keeping K‐12 Students Online and Learning - There's a Plan for That

As of April 13, 2020, school closures in the U. S. have impacted at least 124,000 public and private schools and affected at least 55.1 million students. Yet, millions of U.S. households either do not have access to broadband networks or can't afford service. Students in these homes are cut off from educational opportunities that schools are now offering online only. The question is: How can we continue to educate these students in the coming weeks and months? In an April 10 presentation to the Federal Communications Commission, an organization called Funds For Learning offered a plan.

Weekly Digest

Keeping K‐12 Students Online and Learning - There's a Plan for That

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Friday, April 17, 2020

Sponsor 

Next Century Cities

Date 
Thu, 04/30/2020 - 18:00

Local officials are invited to participate in a discussion with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Office of Chairman Ajit Pai and Next Century Cities on the status of broadband connectivity in your community. 

Sample Agenda Items


Employees say Marc Rotenberg put their health at risk and undercut EPIC's message

A chief critic of the tech industry's attempts to track coronavirus patients went to work and held meetings with employees after his doctor directed him to take a test for COVID-19 that subsequently came back positive. Marc Rotenberg, the president and executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, acknowledged in a memo to his staff and his board that he should have quarantined and alerted his staff that he was taking a coronavirus test on March 9, instead of continuing to work alongside them for two days.

T-Mobile Sprint Gets OK from California

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)  approved the merger of Sprint Communications Company and T-Mobile, with extensive conditions to mitigate the potential adverse impacts on competition and to ensure that T-Mobile delivers on its promises to consumers, including requirements for faster speeds, broader coverage, job creation, and offerings for low-income customers. The Decision orders the merged company to implement the following to benefit consumers:

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