Analysis

A constellation of socioeconomic factors influences a household's ability to pay for broadband service. Often, broadband affordability is the final barrier to adoption, and the amount of affordable broadband options can vary greatly from community to community. New research by Ambika Nair, Community Development Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, introduces a novel measure—Relative Broadband Affordability—that can be used to compare a community’s broadband affordability relative to other communities in the same city.

With key Medicare telehealth flexibilities set to expire on September 30, 2025, Republicans and Democrats have floated competing Continuing Resolutions to extend virtual care rules and Hospital-at-Home flexibilities. Notably, the GOP considered their proposal a clean extension of current spending, which would continue through November 21, 2025.

When Tarana released the new G2 generation of radios, one of the claims the company made was that the radios are powerful enough for internet service providers to bring point-to-multipoint broadband to metropolitan areas. The new specifications support the premise. If a wireless ISP were to install a Tarana radio on an existing tall urban tower, it should easily be able to see a lot more than 2,000 homes and businesses. It’s an interesting option that brings a real wireless option for many urban homes.

A US Ignite Community recently reached two momentous milestones. Cleveland (OH) became the first major US city to deploy a full next-gen fixed wireless network through a local nonprofit, DigitalC. In just 18 months, DigitalC created and deployed the Cleveland Model—a customized network explicitly designed for Cleveland. Although tailored for Cleveland’s unique landscape, the engineers designed the model so that it could be a blueprint for other cities working to expand Internet connectivity.

Most States have now sent final Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration with a list of the proposed internet service providers to win BEAD funding for every eligible location. The next step is for NTIA to review grant applications, which is now underway. NTIA has already been contacting States and establishing a cost cap for each State based on the CostQuest cost models.

Tech companies are also planning to use new broadband infrastructure to power data centers with enormous processing capabilities for a variety of applications, including artificial intelligence. However, the data center buildout comes with economic and environmental risks for many communities, especially those in the southern parts of the U.S.

North Carolina recently announced its preliminary awards for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. The State has allocated $408.5 million for preliminary BEAD awards out of an allocation of $1.5 billion. That leaves an astounding $1.1 billion on the table and likely unspent. There is some hope that the unspent money, referred to as non-deployment funds, will be at least partially available to the State for broadband-related activities. But that possibility seems to be dwindling every day.

More states and territories are releasing their final Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program final proposals for public comment before seeking  National Telecommunications and Information Administration approval. These states received extensions past the NTIA’s early September deadline to submit final plans. 

• The Idaho Office of Broadband released its Draft Final Proposal for public comment on September 16. In its proposal, Idaho plans to spend almost $136 million of its $583 million in BEAD funding towards broadband deployment.

Starting on September 27, 2024, Western North Carolina (WNC) was battered by wind and flooding from Hurricane Helene, the costliest natural disaster in North Carolina history.