Carl Weinschenk

Frontier Communications was the big winner in the second round of funding in the ConneCTed Communities Grant Program, a Connecticut broadband initiative. The awards, which total $9.9 million, will support build-out of broadband to approximately 3,802 residences and businesses in 44 towns and cities. The focus is on multi-dwelling units. The announcement was made by Governor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The Massachusetts Broadband Institute has announced that the reduction of underserved or unserved broadband serviceable locations that will result from the strong response to Gap Networks Grant Program and Round 1 of their Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program solicitations has led to the cancellation of the Round 2 solicitation.

Oklahoma’s application window for its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program Pool 1 funding, which is exclusively for fiber, opened April 21 and extends until May 26. In a funding alert, the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative shared information about the state’s plans beyond Pool 1. Pool 2 applications, which are for non-fiber technologies, can be submitted from April 28 to May 26.

The ConnectALL Deployment Program in New York has released their Request for Applications for priority, reliable, and alternative technology solutions for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. The RFA seeks proposals for about $644 million in funding.

The Indiana Connectivity Program has awarded almost $1.7 million in new funding to bring connectivity to 371 addresses in the thirteenth round of funding. The total investments in the projects reached almost $7.8 million for the funding round. In all, the precise investment totals for the round and its 371 locations are $1,660,949 in state funds and $7,768,342 in total investment, according to the program.

A study conducted on behalf of Amdocs finds that consumers value reliability, affordability, and uninterrupted access—and suggests that providers may benefit by offering all three via mixed-technology networks. Highlights of the study include: 

• Cable has the highest level of internet access (39 percent), followed by fiber (31 percent) and FWA (9 percent). The study found that 3 percent of consumers do not have a dedicated internet connection at home.

• 60 percent of respondents say their home internet is very reliable, and cite cost as the biggest issue.

At least two states—Maine and Minnesota—have contacted the U.S. Department of Commerce concerning the changes that may be made to the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. Minnesota’s suggestions about BEAD came via a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick from Bree Maki, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development.

T-Mobile has won a BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division Fast-Track SWIFT challenge brought by Verizon, related to T-Mobile’s claim to be the “first and only” U.S. wireless provider to work with Starlink to provide satellite-powered text messaging. Fast-Track SWIFT challenges enable NAD to review single-issue advertising issues.  In this case, a statement, made at T-Mobile’s website and in a LinkedIn post, said that  “T-Mobile is the first and only U.S.

T-Mobile demonstrations using a commercial Samsung Galaxy S25 and a non-commercial mobile test device achieved a 6.3 Gbps “record-breaking” downlink speed in a recent trial. The Galaxy S25 test featured Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System running text software on T-Mobile’s 5G network. It reached a download speed of 4.3 Gbps in real-world conditions. The second test featured Qualcomm’s X85 5G Modem-RF on a mobile test device.

To date, telecommunications networks using light to transmit data relied on fiber to carry and direct that light. X—a division of Google, not the social media platform—says that the next iteration of its Taara chip harnesses the light without the need for fiber. The post says that Taara transmits at speeds of 20 Gbps up to a distance of 20 kilometers. The connection is made when beams of light from two units create a link. To date, the system—and the current chip, called Lightbridge—relies upon a system of mirrors, sensors, precision optics, and smart software to create the links.