September 2021

Can we measure the benefits of broadband?

The Missouri House of Representatives’ Special Interim Committee on Broadband Development is working to develop a better understanding of broadband’s role across multiple aspects of everyday living, including education, entrepreneurship and economic development, government services, precision agriculture and telemedicine. The committee asked, can we measure the extent to which affordable broadband improves educational outcomes, labor market participation, or population growth? Fortunately, researchers constantly are adding to our collective knowledge. The following data measures:

WISPA argues fiber overbuilds of fixed-wireless access are wasting broadband funds

Billions in federal funding have been made available to expand broadband access since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) CEO Claude Aiken argued some of that money is being wasted on wireline rollouts in areas already covered by fixed wireless access service.

Frontier looks forward to fiber inflection point in 2022

Frontier CFO Scott Beasely said there’s no denying the company’s copper business is “in a state of long-term decline” but it believes rapid growth in its fiber business will more than make up for that slide soon enough. The operator recently announced it is aiming to hit a total of 4 million locations served by end-2021 and build to an additional 1 million locations in 2022.

Request for Notice of Inquiry into History of Systemic Racism in FCC Policy and Licensing

Since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, a racial reckoning has taken place in our country that has forced public and private institutions — including the media — to acknowledge their histories of racism. Reps.