Former Gov Steve Beshear’s (D-KY) administration repeatedly ignored expert advice before embarking on KentuckyWired, the massively over budget statewide broadband project that will leave rural residents waiting months, if not years, for the improved internet access they were promised, a new state audit says. The report, released Dec 16 by state Auditor Mike Harmon, says consultants and outside lawyers warned KY officials more than four years ago that negotiations with the Australian investment bank Macquarie Capital could lead to a higher price tag and fewer protections for the state.

KentuckyWired, the state’s ambitious plan for providing enhanced internet connectivity to rural residents, has been plagued by delays and cost overruns since the project began. It is now two years behind schedule and could cost taxpayers $1.5 billion over the next 30 years, according to the state’s auditor. The auditor’s report suggested such problems could have been mitigated had state officials heeded expert warnings from July 2014 to Sept 2015, the period between when they first sought bids for the project and when they reached a final agreement with Macquarie. It also confirms a joint Courier Journal-ProPublica investigation that revealed a flawed bidding process and projections that oversold the amount of federal funds available for the project. Jim Baller, a telecommunications attorney, was one of the experts who told the state it should be more cautious in negotiations with Macquarie, a company known for organizing big infrastructure projects around the globe.

More than 110 rural electric co-ops have embarked on fiber optic projects to increase Internet access for their members, a number that is growing rapidly from just a handful in 2012. The vast majority (72.7 percent) of the fiber service available in rural areas is provided by rural cooperatives. Personal anecdotes from Michigan, Virginia, Minnesota, and Missouri residents attest to the far-reaching benefits of cooperatives’ expansion into Internet service. A new map shows where rural cooperatives are planning to expand fiber Internet service. Co-ops have proven that this is a model that works. With increased support from federal and state governments, they will continue to connect rural Americans to economic and educational opportunities otherwise denied to them. 

Smartphone data addicts shouldn't hold their breath for speeds of 10 gigabits per second. To provide the kind of 5G coverage consumers will expect, carriers will need to install as many as 20 access points per square kilometer, an expensive endeavor that will take years. Until then, we'll have to accept that 5G is here, but it's unevenly distributed. Here are some places to watch for it in the (nearish) future. 1) The folks who are gunning to make cars drive themselves are itching for 5G connectivity. Why? The faster you can get data into and out of a rolling robot, the better the experience. 2) Surgery goes wireless. 3) A new kind of assembly line may someday put many humans out of a job. Virtual reality may become the new reality. 

The Network Security Information Sharing Act (HR 4461) would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to mitigate cybersecurity threats to suppliers of telecommunications services and equipment. Under the bill, the DHS would establish a program office to share information with trusted participants in the telecommunications industry about efforts by adversaries to embed malicious software into communications equipment purchased by American companies.

Using information from DHS about similar programs, CBO expects that implementing the provision would require, on average, 15 cybersecurity advisors in each year beginning in 2020, at an average annual rate of about $150,000 per employee. CBO also estimates that the annual operating expenses of the program office would cost $1 million. In total, CBO estimates that implementing HR 4461 would cost $17 million over the 2020-2024 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriations.