Thursday, January 20, 2022
Headlines Daily Digest
Today: Senate Judiciary Committee Considers Regulating Platforms
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FAA clears 62 percent of US commercial airplanes for low-visibility landings
Digital Inclusion
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Digital Inclusion
To commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves, Sens Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D-MD) joined Historically Black College and University (HBCU) presidents and representatives at a roundtable to discuss digital equity. The January 15 roundtable in Baltimore (MD) focused on closing the digital divide as a part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides $65 billion dollars to expand broadband to unserved and underserved areas. HBCU roundtable representatives included Bowie State University Vice President of Information Technology, Maurice Taylor; Coppin State University President, Anthony Jenkins; Morgan State University President, Dr. David Kwabena Wilson; and University of Maryland Eastern Shore Director of Government Relations, Jim Mathias. The group applauded the Administration’s commitment to digital equity and spoke about the challenges their institutions and communities face due to the digital divide. Sens Cardin and Van Hollen and Mayor Scott also expressed their commitment to digital inclusion and equity and vowed to continue to work with the Administration to further these efforts throughout Maryland.
Broadband Service
Ookla releases its mobile and fixed broadband Speedtest rankings for December 2021
Ookla's Speedtest released its mobile and fixed broadband speed rankings in the United States for December 2021. Speedtest Intelligence revealed T-Mobile was the fastest mobile operator in the United States during Q4 2021 with a median download speed of 90.65 Mbps on modern chipsets. AT&T was second and Verizon third. This represents a strong increase in download speed for T-Mobile from 62.35 Mbps in Q3 2021. Calculating median latency for the three top mobile providers in the US during Q4 2021, T-Mobile had the lowest latency at 31 milliseconds (ms). Verizon was second at 32 ms and AT&T third at 34 ms. In measuring each operator’s ability to provide consistent speeds, we found that T-Mobile had the highest Consistency Score in the US during Q4 2021, with 87.3 percent of results showing at least 5 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload speeds. Verizon was second at 80.4 percent and AT&T was third at 80.2 percent. Looking only at tests taken on a 5G connection, T-Mobile had the fastest median download in the US in Q4 2021, Verizon Wireless was second, and AT&T third. During Q4 2021, T-Mobile also had the best 5G Availability, followed by AT&T and then Verizon.
The City of Amarillo (TX) is working with Airspan to set up a $4 million fixed wireless access (FWA) network to help connect school kids to the internet. The 4G FWA network, which has achieved symmetrical speeds of 100 Mbps, is being deployed to the homes of children who do not have internet access. And of course, this will benefit others who live in those households as well. Based on the urgency of serving students, the goal is to have 50 square miles covered by the end of the 2021-2022 school year. The city applied for funding through the Broadband Development Office of the State of Texas via its Operation Connectivity program, which taps American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The project is happening in two phases. The first phase is the initial pilot in Amarillo. And a second phase will involve working with more than 50 communities in the Texas Panhandle to connect educational institutions with the homes of school kids. The city has put in an application for funding of $100 million to cover the costs of Phase Two.
Spectrum/Wireless
FAA clears 62 percent of US commercial airplanes for low-visibility landings at airports where wireless companies deployed 5G
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued new approvals that allow an estimated 62 percent of the US commercial fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports where wireless companies deployed 5G C-band. The new safety buffer announced January 18 around airports in the 5G deployment further expanded the number of airports available to planes with previously cleared altimeters to perform low-visibility landings. The FAA early January 19 cleared another three altimeters. Even with these approvals, flights at some airports may still be affected. The FAA also continues to work with manufacturers to understand how radar altimeter data is used in other flight control systems. Passengers should check with their airlines for the latest flight schedules. For additional 5G information, including the airport list, please visit www.faa.gov/5g.
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the appointment of a diverse group of leading technology experts to serve as members of the Technological Advisory Council (TAC). The TAC will hold its first meeting on Monday, February 28, 2022, beginning at 10:00 am EDT via video conference and will be available online. The advisory council provides technical expertise to the FCC to identify important areas of innovation and develop informed technology policies. The TAC will consider and advise the FCC on topics such as 6G, artificial intelligence, advanced spectrum sharing technologies, and emerging wireless technologies, including new tools to restore internet access during shutdowns and other disruptions. Dean Brenner, a former executive at Qualcomm, will serve as Chairman of the Council. Michael Ha, Chief of the Policy and Rules Division in the Office of Engineering and Technology, will continue serving as the Designated Federal Officer. Martin Doczkat, Chief of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Division in the Office of Engineering and Technology is the Alternate Designated Federal Officer. A complete listing of TAC members is available here.
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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