Diana Goovaerts

Telco consultant says monolithic cable networks are a thing of the past

DOCSIS 4.0 is set to deliver faster speeds for cable network operators, but the next generation technology will also spur an operational sea change, said telecom consultant Sean McDevitt.“Historically, the cable industry had a ubiquitous mentality. DOCSIS 1.0 became 2.0 with 100% coverage and ubiquity to it,” McDevitt said, noting ubiquity refers to the idea that all subscribers in all nodes across the network have access to the same technology.

Altice USA and Greenlight Networks say NY fiber tax repeal will speed rollouts

Frontier Communications, Altice USA and Greenlight Networks praised New York officials for scrapping fees commonly referred to as the state’s “fiber optic tax,” claiming the move will allow them to reallocate thousands of dollars toward deployments and speed broadband rollouts. The “fiber optic tax” refers to fees that in recent years were levied on fiber companies looking to use state-owned rights of way.

National Digital Inclusion Alliance targets rural and Tribal connectivity with $10 million Google grant

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) wants to make it easier for rural and Tribal communities to get and stay connected, planning to use a four-year grant from Google’s charitable arm to create a corps of experts who will provide digital literacy training and help local residents access low-cost broadband service and devices. These so-called “digital navigators” will be deployed via programs in 18 communities across the country.

Cable companies battle for subscribers with fiber-to-the-home providers

Cable companies could soon find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place as battles with fiber-to-the-home providers for subscribers intensify. Analysts at Cowen Equity Research noted cable’s standard response to competition from these players has been to lock in subscribers with promotional rates.

Private equity aims to supplement, not supplant federal broadband funding

Over the past few years, the US government has allocated billions of dollars for broadband, most recently setting aside $65 billion in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in late 2021. While that’s a lot of cash, it might not stretch as far as one would think when it comes to covering rural and underserved areas. That’s where private equity comes in, according to GTCR managing director Stephen Jeschke. The way Jeschke sees it, delivering broadband to every American is an all-hands-on-deck kind of task.

Google Fiber to expand network into Des Moines, Iowa

Google Fiber announced plans to move into its second city in Iowa, revealing construction is set to begin in the capital city of Des Moines (IA) later in 2022. The company said it is currently in the planning stages for the build, kicking off the permitting process ahead of actual its actual construction work.

NTCA worries cuts to USF support could chill rural broadband investment

NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association urged the Federal Communications Commission to waive scheduled cuts to Universal Service Fund (USF) support for rural operators, arguing a reduction in financial assistance could force them to raise rates for consumers or halt planned network investments. The organization’s concern relates to the Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support and High-Cost Loop Support programs. Both are targeted at smaller operators and are designed to make the economics of deploying and providing broadband service in rural areas more sustainable.

Analysts think copper is likely to linger in US despite fiber frenzy

AT&T and Verizon have talked up their copper retirement plans, but analysts say the technology is likely to stick around in the US at least until the end of the decade. That’s in part because copper is deeply entrenched in the country. There’s no question operators are eager to move away from copper and for good reason.

Brightspeed network plans

Brightspeed is looking to blanket more than three million locations with fiber over the coming years once parent Apollo’s acquisition of assets in 20 states from Lumen Technologies closes. But the company is not planning to use your father’s network architecture. The company has enlisted the help of several major vendors, including fiber supplier Corning, cloud platform provider Calix, and construction company Dycom.

3Red8 wants ISPs to use its dark fiber interstate to close the digital divide

Infrastructure company 3Red8 has a plan to build a new open access dark fiber network by 2027 that, like the interstate highway system, will crisscross the U.S. and allow a free flow of traffic from coast to coast and border to border.

Nextlink CEO targets 'radical' growth with Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, fiber tailwinds at its back

Texas-based Nextlink Internet is hitting its stride as it turns ten, with founder and CEO Bill Baker stating it expects to ride a fiber frenzy and government funding opportunities to exponential growth over the next three years.

Trust needed just as much as technology to close Tribal broadband gap

Broadband offers an economic lifeline for residents on Tribal lands, but face time with local officials is required just as much as funding and technological flexibility to make it a reality, according to Muralnet CEO Mariel Triggs. Muralnet was founded in 2017 to help bring internet service to Tribal lands by working with indigenous communities to design, build and develop sustainable plans to operate local fixed and wireless networks. It’s no secret that delivering broadband on Tribal lands presents a number of unique challenges.

Charter offers free internet for Affordable Connectivity Program participants

Charter Communications rolled out a new fixed internet plan which will effectively offer free service to customers who qualify for the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The move follows similar efforts from Verizon, Comcast and Mediacom to make fixed service available at no cost to ACP customers. But the catch is that most ACP subscribers are using the subsidy money for mobile broadband. The operator’s new Spectrum Internet 100 plan includes access to download speeds of up to 100 Mbps with no data caps as well as a modem, router and in-home Wi-Fi.

Altice USA says fiber is the ‘logical end state’ of coaxial cable

Altice USA isn’t afraid to march to the beat of its own drum and actually thinks it’s going about network upgrades the smart way by jumping straight to fiber rather than following other cable incumbents in pursuing DOCSIS 4.0. The operator recently laid out a plan to overbuild its hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network to blanket 6.5 million locations with fiber by 2025.

Here’s what new census data says about broadband in the US

The US Census Bureau released new data showing how the population changed on a county-by-county basis between July 2020 and July 2021,  and information analysts say it offers interesting insights for cable companies, fiber players and policymakers alike. The Bureau's report shows Los Angeles (CA) and New York (NY) counties lost the greatest number of residents to migration, while Maricopa County (AZ), Riverside County (CA) and Collin County (TX) gained the most.

Cable One joint venture Clearwave wants to hit 500 thousand rural homes with fiber by 2027

Clearwave Fiber, a joint venture formed by operator Cable One and a handful of partners in January 2022, is looking to make a big impact in small towns, targeting fiber rollouts to half a million rural locations by 2027. It is mostly aiming for organic growth but also has its eye out for strategic acquisitions and in fact already struck a deal to buy a small Kansas-based fiber provider, CEO Byron Cantrall said.

New Broadband Forum specs allow internet service providers to begin tapping 5G capabilities

The Broadband Forum wrapped Phase II of its wireless-wireline convergence (WWC) effort, unveiling new specifications which will allow legacy residential wireline gateways to take advantage of certain 5G capabilities. Its latest work builds on Phase I specifications completed in 2020 and includes two key updates: multi-access support and multi-session enablement for fixed network residential gateways (FN-RGs).

Analysts, advocates aren’t sold on AT&T’s copper retirement plan

Consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge took issue with the idea that AT&T’s copper retirement plan could leave customers without a wireline replacement, arguing wireless options may be insufficient to meet modern speed needs. Analyst firm New Street Research separately warned states seeking to close the digital divide might not look kindly on such a move. “The problem is not retiring copper in and of itself. The problem is retiring copper without a suitable replacement that is as good or better than the copper,” said Jenna Leventoff, Public Knowledge’s senior policy counsel.

Are US broadband prices rising or falling?

There’s no question US consumers are relying more heavily on broadband services in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. But are the costs for those services rising or falling? Well, the answer depends on who you ask and what metric you’re using to measure “cost.” In February 2022, independent research firm BroadbandNow published a report which found broadband prices in the country fell significantly between the first quarter of 2016 and the fourth quarter of 2021.

Windstream exec says 10 percent of its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund builds are already underway

It’s taken more than a year for the Federal Communications Commission to authorize all of the nearly $523 million Windstream won in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction, but it hasn’t been resting on its laurels in the interim. During the auction, Windstream won a total of $522.9 million to cover 192,567 locations across 18 states with fiber. Jeff Small, president of Windstream’s Kinetic business, said construction on about 10 percent of its build is already underway.

AT&T, Verizon, Ziply plot copper retirement work across a dozen states

AT&T has filed to undertake copper retirement projects in at least eight states in 2022 as it ramps a plan to reduce its legacy DSL footprint by 50 percent over the coming years. Verizon, which has been working to retire its copper network for a while now, and Ziply Fiber are seeking to sunset copper assets in four additional states.

Comcast, Verizon and Mediacom snag $44.9 million to help deliver universal broadband in Delaware

Comcast won a grant of more than $30 million to help expand high-speed internet service to underserved homes and businesses in Delaware, as part of a state initiative to deliver universal broadband access. Verizon and Mediacom each also scored hefty awards. All told, the state awarded $56 million in Broadband Infrastructure Grants.

Resound trades fiber for fixed wireless for a chunk of its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund builds

After a year of trialing gigabit-class fixed wireless access technology from Tarana Wireless, Resound Networks has decided to deploy that service to around 12,000 locations it was originally planning to cover with fiber as part of its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF)-fueled expansion. Resound Networks was one of the top 10 winners in the RDOF auction, walking away with $310.7 million in government funding to cover around 219,000 unserved locations with broadband.

Here’s who is leading AT&T’s quest for broadband grants

AT&T CEO John Stankey revealed the operator has set up a dedicated internal team to focus on chasing its fair share of the billions in government funding being allocated for broadband deployments. This effort is being led by President of Broadband Access and Adoption Jeff Luong. Luong has been with AT&T for more than 15 years, assuming his current role in June 2021. Before that, he spent five years as the operator’s VP of access construction and engineering.