"The single most critical question facing cable investors is what happens to broadband subscriber growth from here," said Craig Moffett, the influential principal and senior analyst at MoffettNathanson. "If the problem facing cable broadband today is saturation, then subscriber growth likely flatlines from here. If the problem is market-share loss, it probably goes negative.” Moffett said new government figures give him the penetration rate for wired broadband in the US. The rate, which he figures is 87.4% of broadband-available homes, suggests the broadband industry is saturated, a better outcome than finding an industry suffering a share loss to fixed wireless. Moffett’s previous estimate was 81.5% penetration. Moffett said the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission “strongly supports the ‘saturation’ thesis, in our view. What’s left to penetrate (of what has already been wireline enabled) will have to compete with headwinds that include poverty, illiteracy and, of course, relevance. We’ve seen estimates that suggest that fully half of broadband-enabled but unsubscribed homes don’t own computers. We don’t suggest that 87% penetration of homes is a ceiling … but it is likely not far from one.”

Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) announced over $234 million in 29 preliminary grant awards for broadband internet expansion through the Capital Projects Fund Grant Program. These awards will improve connectivity for communities, households, businesses, and anchor institutions in 28 Georgia counties. When combined with significant capital matches from the awardees, almost $455 million will be invested to serve over 76,000 locations in communities with some the greatest need for high-speed internet access. The 29 awardees include 12 different internet service providers comprised of electric membership cooperatives, large telecommunications companies, and local Georgia-based companies. The state will open a second round of the Capital Projects Fund Grant Program for the five eligible counties that did not receive an award in the Spring of 2023 (Calhoun, Echols, Johnson, Miller, and Webster Counties). (See full list of awardees)

The purpose of this research is to provide a review of ongoing public safety mobile broadband projects in which mobile operators play a key role. The results show that mobile operators have new business opportunities in the public safety market. Their existing mobile networks can be used for public safety services with certain enhancements. Within existing projects, mobile operators have different business models. The two analysed models were found to require different resources and offer different business opportunities for mobile operators. Procurement authorities responsible for selecting business models are encouraged to pay attention to the choice of model based on, for example, strategic objectives. Very little research has been done on the business opportunities of mobile operators in the public safety market. In this area, this study lays the groundwork for new research. Procurement authorities can use the results when deciding on the business model. Mobile operators can benefit from these results by better understanding their own roles in public safety projects and when assessing the business opportunities of a particular project.

For the first time in my memory, the Senate does not have the votes to approve the nominated FCC Commissioner, Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society]. This has meant that the FCC has been on hold and we’ve had a two-year deadlock between the two Democratic and Republican Commissioners on any controversial issues. There are a number of FCC initiatives that are on hold until there is a fifth Commissioner:

• The big issue is net neutrality, which says that there should be no discrimination used in delivering Internet content. But everybody understands that the real issue at stake in this discussion is the overall regulation of ISPs. Reintroducing net neutrality means having to reinstate Title II authority or some other similar mechanism to regulate broadband. Re-regulation of broadband is the issue that the big ISPs most strongly oppose. Broadband regulation could result in many new rules that big ISPs would hate, like perhaps outlawing data caps.
• The FCC has needed for years to increase the definition of landline broadband, which still sits at 25/3 Mbps. Equally out of touch is the definition of acceptable 4G cellular broadband set by the FCC at 5/1 Mbps.
• The FCC recently ordered broadband labels that are supposed to inform customers about their home broadband. The FCC got this authority through the IIJA legislation. But oddly, since the FCC doesn’t currently have the authority to directly regulate ISPs, the Commission can be stymied by ISPs that blatantly fail to honestly disclose the facts to the public.
• The FCC is considering spending up to $9 billion on subsidies to improve rural cellular coverage. It’s a great idea, but there needs to be a fifth Commissioner to make sure this isn’t just a handout to the giant cellular carriers and not another boondoggle like RDOF.
• There are probably not the needed votes in the current Commission to impose penalties against ISPs that continue to falsely report to the FCC mapping database.