1. Monthly archive
  2. July 2021

July 2021

Broadband Details Spill Out Ahead of Infrastructure Vote

A glimpse into how Senate negotiators may structure the $65 billion in broadband investments the infrastructure package would provide. The draft is likely to fuel renewed advocacy from consumer groups and anyone else hoping for ultra-fast fiber optic buildout, as it instead opts for lower minimum broadband speed thresholds (100 Megabits per second download over 20 Mbps upload would count as "underserved" for the $40 billion tentatively slated to go to the Commerce Department’s state grants, less than the fiber-focused minimums some Democrats wanted).

The Dish ‘fix’ for the T-Mobile-Sprint merger seems more shortsighted than ever

To sell regulators on their $26 billion mega merger, T-Mobile and Sprint executives told anyone who’d listen that the deal would provide near-miraculous benefits. But economists warned that US telecom merger promises are historically meaningless, and the reduction in overall competitors would — sooner or later — result in higher prices and job cuts.

FCC-NTIA Joint Coordination Procedure Notice on 3.45-3.55 GHz

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a joint Public Notice to provide information about the cooperative sharing framework for federal and non-federal coordination in certain defined areas where and when federal incumbents require continued access in the 3.45–3.55 GHz band. The notice provides information and guidance on the overall coordination process, as contemplated by the 3.45 GHz Band 2d R&O.

Sponsor 

Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Date 
Wed, 07/28/2021 - 15:00

Lack of access to broadband is a problem in both metropolitan and rural areas, but efforts to close the digital divide often overlook the “Black Rural South” — 152 rural counties with populations that are 35 percent Black or higher in the southern region of the United States. In the Black Rural South, 38 percent of African Americans do not have access to home internet. This is driven by a lack of availability and affordability of broadband services. 


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