Analysis

Expanding broadband would benefit red America more than blue

The national map of broadband need published by the White House offers an extra layer of information beyond its detailed look at internet access in the United States.

Don’t replace the digital divide with the “not good enough divide”

COVID-19 demonstrated the need for speed in digital broadband connections. As more and more members of a household were online simultaneously doing schoolwork or working from home, the need for bandwidth increased.

Why the US Needs a National Advanced Industry and Technology Agency

With the rise of China, the US economic and technology environment has fundamentally and inexorably changed.

Ethiopia, human rights, and the internet

No African issue has absorbed as much time in the early months of the Biden administration as has the ongoing tragedy in Ethiopia’s Tigray province. President Biden was forceful and correct in calling for an end to the “large-scale human rights abuses” occurring in Tigray. Now, the administration is stuck in the tough position of considering sanctions that would cut off funding to the country, most prominently a $500 million investment by the US D

Smith Bagley Requests Lifeline Waiver Extension

Smith Bagley, commercial mobile wireless operator, has asked the Federal Communications Commission for a six-month extension of the Lifeline rule waivers (currently scheduled to expire June 30, 2021) through December 31, 2021. Smith Bagley provides Lifeline service in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah to over 60,000 people, more than 50,000 of whom live in low-income households on the Navajo, Hopi, White Mountain Apache, Zuni, and Ramah Navajo Tribal lands. Smith Bagley argues that: 1) The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Will Continue for Many More Months and 2) COVID-19 Has Continued to Severe

Addressing Gaps in Broadband Infrastructure Availability and Service Adoption: A Cost Estimation & Prioritization Framework

Although gigabit availability has increased by 50 percent over the last three years, households that lack 100/20 Mbps service have declined by only 3 percentage points over the same period. In addition to households known to be unserved to the Federal Communications Commission, there are an additional estimated 8.2 million households in census blocks reported as “served” that do not have broadband service available. Approximately 12 million households in total, inclusive of these 8.2 million households, do not have access to a baseline level of service.

Does Data Privacy Need its Own Agency?

If Congress passes comprehensive privacy legislation, it will need to delegate a federal agency to enforce the law and conduct rulemaking. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has used its general consumer protection authority to bring enforcement actions against companies violating user privacy, and has therefore been considered the de facto privacy agency. However, three bills have challenged this assumption and would create a new agency to enforce privacy law rather than relying on the FTC. This report compares the new agencies in three legislative proposals to one another and to the FTC.

Ohio Lawsuit to Declare Google a Common Carrier Not Obviously Stupid – But No Sure Deal Either.

The Ohio Attorney General asked an Ohio state court to declare Google a common carrier and/or public utility under the laws of Ohio and Ohio common law. The complaint is novel -- and not obviously stupid. But it has some real obstacles to overcome.  As Feld has written at length before, the history of common carrier regulation goes back 500 years in the common law.

Landmark Federal Guidance Affirms State Leadership Role in Bridging Digital Divide

On May 10, the Treasury Department released the interim final rule for the American Rescue Plan Act's (ARPA) Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, clarifying how state and local governments can use the funds for broadband deployment. The interim designation allows Treasury to get the rule in place quickly while seeking final comments. Much of the news coverage about ARPA has focused on the amount of spending, but the language in the rule denotes a shift in the federal stance on broadband expansion.

If Not Overturned, a Bad Copyright Decision Will Lead Many Americans to Lose Internet Access

In going after internet service providers (ISPs) for the actions of just a few of their users, Sony Music, other major record labels, and music publishing companies have found a way to cut people off of the internet based on mere accusations of copyright infringement. When these music companies sued Cox Communications, an ISP, the court got the law wrong. It effectively decided that the only way for an ISP to avoid being liable for infringement by its users is to terminate a household or business’s account after a small number of accusations—perhaps only two.

Pew's Home Broadband 2021 Survey

Pew Research Center released their latest “Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021” survey, which is one of the authoritative reports on broadband adoption. What will probably get some attention is the breakdowns of the non-adopters of broadband. The largest group is the 27% who haven’t adopted broadband because the cost of the service or devices is too high.

Illinois Connected Communities Round 1: Leveraging the Power of Local Communities

The first round of the Illinois Connected Communities program is beginning to wind down. The program is an education and capacity-building project that pairs critical philanthropic resources with state funding — with a goal of serving 30 under-resourced Illinois communities over three years. Selected communities complete a community-driven, broadband strategic plan that articulates the community’s vision and identifies an action plan for progress toward improved broadband access, adoption, and/or utilization.

Keeping Students Connected and Learning

In Spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to hybrid and remote learning for most schools turned what was once a “homework gap” into a “learning opportunity gap” as devices and internet access became necessary in order to keep students connected and learning. The purpose of this brief is to present strategies for deploying off-campus wireless networks as a sustainable solution to provide home connectivity to all students and educators. This brief shows how school districts have taken diverse approaches to build off-campus wireless networks.

The American Rescue Plan is the broadband down payment the country needs

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act offer billions of broadband-related dollars to reduce consumer prices, build out network infrastructure, and fund digital skills programming. How should state and local leaders balance it all? We recommend a two-phase strategy.

2021 Broadband Pricing Index Report

Using Federal Communications Commission and other public data sources to assess recent trends in residential fixed broadband pricing in the United States. The analysis reveals continued substantial price reductions for both the most popular and highest-speed broadband internet services. The data show consumers are also benefiting from marked increases in the speeds they receive for their broadband dollar.

Tackling the Digital Divide with Ready-to-Use Content + Policy

Where will public broadband funding make the greatest impact? As any GIS professional will tell you, the most effective way to distribute resources is to use the power of location. Recognizing where there is need by mapping the important aspects can often be the first step to success. In order to find the areas of need first requires spatial data to be accessible.

Race and Broadband Adoption: A Decomposition Analysis

As governments push for universal adoption of broadband Internet service, policies must address the fact that many households with access to the service do not to subscribe to it. Lower adoption rates in some minority communities are one cause for concern. A confounding factor with respect to race is that it is often correlated with income, education, and other factors that drive Internet adoption in the home.

Why Low-Cost Devices Matter for Broadband Policy

On May 12, the Federal Communications Commission launched its Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. The program was included as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in December 2020 to provide relief during the pandemic.

US telecoms decide focusing on pipes isn’t so dumb after all

AT&T unveiled plans to spin out and merge WarnerMedia with Discovery. The company's failed media deals destroyed more than $50 billion in shareholder value. The telecoms sector has long been fascinated with Hollywood as it has railed against the notion that the industry is little more than a collection of “dumb pipes” that act as conduits for value created by other companies. Yet telecoms-media convergence often comes at great cost and companies including AT&T and Verizon have embraced the notion that focusing on the pipes may not be so dumb after all.

Changing lives by connecting all Americans to broadband internet

Jackson County Kentucky has one stop light in its 347 square miles—but also high-speed fiber optic internet service to rival any big city. In the coal country of eastern Kentucky, the 800-person town of McKee is the hub of a one-thousand-mile fiber-to-the-home network covering two of the nation’s poorest and most remote counties. The fiber link was built almost entirely with dollars from the federal government. It is a powerful example of the infrastructure of the 21st century and the importance of extending those connections to all Americans.

AT&T Gets a Do-Over. But It Doesn’t Have Much Time.

Once it sheds its media business, AT&T will be a smaller, less-indebted company devoted to selling cellphone plans and broadband internet access. In other words, customers and investors will see an AT&T much like the one that existed before its foray into streaming video and satellite TV. But its rivals haven’t been sitting still. “AT&T has a lot of catching up to do,” said Craig Moffett, a longtime telecom analyst at industry research firm MoffettNathanson LLC. “They’re almost certain to be a third player in a three-horse race.” AT&T is still the country’s No.

Broadband Proved a Top Priority for State Policymakers in 2020

In 2020, states committed to significant funding to expand access to broadband services, even amid an economic recession. The COVID-19 pandemic—and the necessity to move routine activities such as schooling and doctors’ visits online to maintain social distancing—sharpened the focus of governors and lawmakers in 2020 on the need to close the digital divide. States continued to establish programs to oversee broadband development and expand the types of entities that could engage in broadband deployment projects.

The federal government is rolling out record amounts of broadband funding. It could be just the beginning

The new broadband affordability programs [the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and the Emergency Connectivity Fund] are just temporary — and advocates say lawmakers need to develop a long-term program that will ensure low-income Americans can afford the Internet. “We’re not going back to 2019,” said Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate Gigi Sohn. “The digital divide doesn’t end when the pandemic ends.

Amazon and Apple Built Vast Wireless Networks Using Your Devices. Here’s How They Work.

What to do if you’re a globe-spanning tech titan that wants to connect millions or even billions of devices, but you don’t want the hassle or cost of dealing with telecommunication companies, satellite operators, or cable companies for connectivity? You use the devices your customers have already purchased—and brought into homes, businesses and public spaces—to make an end-run around traditional wireless networks.