1. Monthly archive
  2. May 2020

May 2020

Closing the Homework Gap During COVID-19: Rural Operators Turn to ‘MacGyver Boxes’ and Wi-Fi Broadband

With the shift to distance learning due to COVID-19, some rural telecommunication providers – including South Dakota’s Golden West Telecommunications and Golden Belt Telephone (GBT) of Kansas — have stepped up to add free Wi-Fi hotspots and even to bring broadband to homes with school-age children at no charge. In bringing broadband directly to some homes, Golden West technicians avoided direct contact with residents by using what CEO Denny Law called a MacGyver approach in a reference to the vintage and current television series about a government agent who uses an engineering approach to

FCC Makes It Easier for Companies to Rehire Laid Off Employees

The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau, in consultation with the Enforcement Bureau, waives the broad outreach requirements of the FCC's Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) recruitment rules in the limited circumstances relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

5.9 GHz Band Boosts Consumer Internet Access During Covid-19 Pandemic

The Federal Communications Commission announced that its decision to grant wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) temporary access to 5.9 GHz spectrum is helping them keep Americans connected during the coronavirus pandemic. In late March, the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau began granting temporary access, called Special Temporary Authority (STA), to 5.9 GHz spectrum for WISPs serving largely rural and suburban communities. The STAs allow WISPs to use the lower 45 megahertz of the band to help serve their customers.

Sen Peters, Rep Luján Push for Increased Investment in Broadband Infrastructure to Bolster COVID-19 Response Efforts in Historically Underserved Communities

Senate Homeland Security Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-MI) and Assistant Speaker of the Hosue Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) called for increased investments in rural broadband infrastructure to support Coronavirus response efforts in historically underserved communities. In a letter to Congressional leaders, the lawmakers called for the allocation of funding in the next Coronavirus relief package to ensure low-interest financing options are available to historically underserved communities and public-private partnerships to help deploy broadband.

E-Rate Demand Estimate for Funding Year 2020

The Universal Service Administrative Company’s estimate of demand for the Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism discounts (also known as the E-rate) for Funding Year (FY) 2020 is $2.91 billion, of which $1.74 billion is for Category 1 services (mainly broadband internet access service) and $1.17 billion is for Category 2 services (mainly internal connections).

Strong broadband matters more than ever: Let's build it right.

We need to prioritize our communications networks to bring high-quality fiber broadband from coast to coast. Meeting today’s connectivity demands requires investment in sustainable networks — and that means fiber broadband. Fiber broadband is a superior technology that provides much greater bandwidth and speeds for more robust video, internet, and voice services.

Bridging the digital divide for rural communities more critical than ever

Broadband access was a concerning issue in many rural North Missouri communities and elsewhere throughout the country before the pandemic, but now the problem is even more pressing. As Congress continues to respond to this pandemic, bridging this digital divide should be a key focal point. I serve as the Republican leader of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which oversees the development programs that build these types of economic bridges – in addition to programs that build actual bridges out of steel and concrete. One such program, under the U.S.

Frontier’s Bankruptcy Reveals Why Big ISPs Choose to Deny Fiber to So Much of America

Even before it announced that it would seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Frontier had a well-deserved reputation for mismanagement and abusive conduct.

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