Friday, November 5, 2021
Headlines Daily Digest
FCC Releases Broadband Availability Data
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AT&T and Verizon Delay 5G Rollout Over FAA’s Airplane Safety Concerns
No Home Left Offline: Bridging the Broadband Affordability Gap
Heartland Forward and LULAC Partner to Increase Latinx Enrollment in Emergency Broadband Benefit
Digital Inclusion
Broadband Data
Wireless/Spectrum
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Anna Ciezadlo: The Facebook Papers Must Be Shared With Outlets Globally | Wired
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Digital Inclusion
Heartland Forward and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) announced a new partnership to lead on-the-ground advocacy and enrollment efforts to help connect Latino households to affordable internet through the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program. According to a 2021 Pew Research Study, only 67 percent of Hispanic adults reported owning a computer, compared to 80 percent of white adults, and only 65 percent said they have internet service at home, compared to 80 percent of white adults. Despite this demonstrated need for the EBB program, a study from the National Hispanic Media Coalition indicated that enrollment in Latino households lags the general population enrollment rate. The collaboration includes $50,000 in funding from Heartland Forward for LULAC to distribute on-the-ground outreach and enrollment activities to its local councils across the heartland states. Heartland Forward also will be distributing outreach materials and co-hosting a live, informational webinar for local councils nationwide with FCC staff to walk them through EBB eligibility requirements and enrollment processes.
EducationSuperHighway has released a new report on bridging the broadband affordability gap to mark the launch of their new mission and No Home Left Offline campaign. Key report highlights include:
- 18.1 million unconnected households (46.9 million people) have access to Internet service but cannot afford to connect to even low-cost broadband plans.
- In 43 states, the broadband affordability gap is the largest portion of the digital divide, making up 58% of the digital divide in states with rural populations that exceed the national average.
- Previous efforts to provide the resources households need to connect have fallen short. As few as 17% of Americans eligible for federal broadband affordability programs have enrolled due to awareness, trust, and enrollment barriers.
A national nonprofit backed by Silicon Valley luminaries is proposing to set up free WiFi in apartment buildings as one solution to an intractable problem — ensuring those who have access to the internet can actually afford it. While there are public and private programs meant to help lower the cost of internet service, such as the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Broadband Benefit program, barriers remain for millions of US households. Included in EducationSuperhighway's new report is a proposal to deploy free Wifi networks in low-income apartment buildings. In "America's most unconnected communities," 20% to 25% of those without broadband access live in apartment buildings, according to the new report. Deploying free WiFi networks in these buildings, using federal funding, could ensure families can afford service and avoid some of the bureaucratic hurdles of enrolling in government programs. Building free WiFi networks in apartment buildings will be no small feat; Potential barriers to the broader effort include working with old buildings that make WiFi networks challenging and ensuring that the monthly cost to landlords is low enough that they can afford the service. EducationSuperHighway intends to work with trusted community-based organizations, such as schools, to create broadband adoption centers that will reach out to eligible households and help them enroll.
Connect Americans Now (CAN) released the findings of a national voter survey conducted by Moore Information Group and David Binder Research. Major findings include:
- Access to broadband internet is essential to voters’ daily lives and a wide majority believes the pandemic has increased the urgency of having access to an affordable and reliable broadband internet connection.
- A solid majority of American voters believe it is important that Congress pass the infrastructure bill which includes $65 billion in funding for broadband internet programs.
- American voters recognize the need for equity in broadband internet access and that broadband access is essential in our ability to compete in the 21st Century global economy.
- There is solid support for the three major components of the broadband infrastructure proposal, including digital workforce training, investment in infrastructure to provide access to those who don’t have it and financial assistance for Americans who can’t afford broadband services or devices.
- Current gaps in broadband access for students, affordability and lack of equity in broadband coverage among communities of color are strong arguments that help increase support for federally funded broadband programs.
- Nearly three-in-five (59 percent) of voters say they will be more likely to support a candidate for Congress who supports “Making sure every American can access an affordable and reliable broadband internet connection.”
The Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), in conjunction with the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB), released updated data on fixed broadband deployment, and mobile voice and broadband deployment as of December 31, 2020. These data were collected through Federal Communications Commission Form 477 and are available on the FCC’s website. Fixed Deployment Data are available for download and will be visible on the National Broadband Map shortly. Mobile Deployment Data are available here. For data on fixed broadband deployment, users can download data on the census blocks where providers report offering fixed broadband services to at least part of the block. These data tables also indicate the technology used to offer the service, and the maximum advertised download and upload speeds for both consumer and business fixed broadband services. For data on mobile deployments, users can download coverage area shapefiles indicating mobile voice and broadband network deployment for each combination of provider and network technology.
The Federal Communications Commission released the second of its twice-yearly data on broadband availability on October 29, showing data as of December, 2020. The data, which are available at the Census Block level, show a continued increase in availability and speeds. The Technology Policy Institute (TPI) analyzed the data and incorporated it into the TPI Broadband Map following its release. Highlights of the new data are:
- The share of households with access to 25/3, 100/20, and 100/100 all increased by about one percentage point from June 2020 to December 2020.
- The median of the maximum available download speeds across counties increased from about 695 Mbps in June 2020 to about 740 Mbps in December 2020.
- The median of the maximum available upload speeds across counties increased from about 131 Mbps in June 2020 to about 155 Mbps in December 2020.
Wireless/Spectrum
President Biden’s telecom picks face a growing pile of spectrum fights once confirmed
House Energy and Commerce lawmakers are offering bipartisan grumbling about whether President Biden’s executive branch is properly coordinating with the Federal Communications Commission on how to manage wireless airwaves. Their latest concern: the Federal Aviation Administration issuing warnings about possible disruption to airplane equipment from wireless carriers’ use of 5G-friendly airwaves in the C-band. This means there will be pressure on the leaders Biden has tapped to head the FCC and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) — Jessica Rosenworcel and Alan Davidson, respectively, who will likely face their confirmation hearing in mid-November. Executive branch agencies shouldn’t unilaterally question FCC decisions, lawmakers argue, and instead should coordinate through the NTIA, which oversees federal airwave issues (the FCC handles commercial ones). Such skirmishes repeatedly arose during the Trump era, with the departments of Education, Energy, Commerce, Defense and Transportation challenging various FCC decisions on spectrum. Other percolating spectrum fights pit Biden officials at the departments of Defense, Transportation and Commerce Department against the FCC on the agency’s Trump-era decisions involving GPS and auto safety airwaves.
AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay their planned December 5 rollout of a new 5G frequency band so they can work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address concerns about potential interference with key cockpit safety systems. AT&T said it agreed to delay its planned 5G deployment until January 5 at the request of the US Transportation Department, which oversees the FAA. Verizon also agreed to postpone its launch of the new 5G wireless spectrum by about a month, people familiar with the matter said. At issue is a band of radio frequencies measured between 3.7 and 4.2 gigahertz, known as the C-band. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications regulations, issued a statement with the FAA confirming the voluntary pause. “Aviation safety and technology leadership are national priorities, and with today’s announcement these companies have demonstrated their commitment to both,” the federal agencies said, naming both carriers. The agencies said they would continue working closely together to ensure the US keeps pace with the rest of the world regarding the latest communications technologies, without undue delay.
T-Mobile is claiming a new first for standalone (SA) 5G. The operator used a combo of 2.5 GHz and mmWave spectrum to reach nearly 5 Gbps on its commercial SA 5G network. T-Mobile said it’s the world’s first New Radio Dual Connectivity (NR DC) data call on a commercial standalone 5G network, which resulted in download speeds of 4.95 Gbps. The data session took place in the September-October timeframe on a single site in Southern California, utilizing 100 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum and 800 MHz of mmWave. Ericsson provided the network gear, and the call was conducted on a test device.
The Open Technology Institute urged the Federal Communications Commission to take action to improve broadband competition in multi-tenant environments (MTEs) such as apartment buildings. In comments submitted to the FCC, OTI outlined how internet providers broker kickbacks and other deals with property owners that block competitors from accessing the building. These anti-competitive agreements create de facto monopolies for the building’s tenants. OTI has long criticized these deals as a contributor to the United States’ high broadband prices and lack of competition. The FCC tried to prohibit these deals in a 2008 rulemaking, but internet providers have since found ways to circumvent those efforts. In July 2021, President Biden issued an executive order that called on the FCC to ban these sweetheart deals and close loopholes.
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org) and Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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