An earlier model estimated how far the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding might go, using estimates of the unserved and underserved from the old Form 477 data. The prediction was that with an optimal allocation between states, there would be almost enough money to reach all the unserved and underserved. Well, we’re getting closer to real and final data, and an update is in: $41.4 billion at an average national cost of $6,214 per location should reach 6.7 million locations. Considering the 3.5 million locations already committed to by Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), we should be able to reach 10.1 million locations, or 79% of the total unserved and underserved nationally.  As of this writing, 3.5 million locations have been authorized for RDOF funding. These are locations that are intended to be rural and unserved. There should be a 100% overlap between RDOF locations and BEAD-eligible locations. While RDOF-authorized locations are counted as unserved for the purposes of the allocation of money, by rule BEAD money can’t be used to fund a project for the same location. In the fall I was optimistic about how far the BEAD money can go in closing the Digital Divide. The new maps, if anything, make me more optimistic.

US Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)—ranking member and chairman, respectively, of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband—and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) reintroduced the Rural Internet Improvement Act. This bipartisan legislation would streamline and bolster US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development broadband programs and ensure that their funding is being targeted to rural areas that need it the most. Sens Thune, Luján, Klobuchar, and Fischer are all members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture. The Rural Internet Improvement Act would:

• Streamline USDA’s broadband authorities by merging and codifying the popular Rural e-Connectivity Pilot Program (ReConnect) with USDA’s traditional broadband loan and grant program;
• Ensure ReConnect funding is going to areas most in need of reliable broadband service by limiting funding to areas where at least 90 percent of households lack access to broadband service;
• Enhance the participation of all types of broadband providers in the ReConnect Program by removing unnecessary barriers;
• Increase transparency by improving the challenge process in the ReConnect Program;
• Improve the coordination between USDA and the Federal Communications Commission on broadband programs; and
• Require USDA to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the FCC and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to facilitate outreach to rural residents and businesses of available federal programs that promote broadband access, broadband affordability, and broadband inclusion.

Without a record to point to yet, addresses from new governors tend to be light on details as they grapple with forming their cabinets, articulating policy priorities, confronting economic realities, and delving into budget details. But a clear through-line emerged, nonetheless: Governors are going deep on broadband. Whether an incumbent or newly elected, thanks to a historic infusion of federal funds, governors cited the millions in investment going to bolstering connectivity within their borders, with many getting specific about residents and businesses slated for high-speed Internet. Apart from broadband, tech-heavy initiatives were hard to find in this year’s speeches, though a couple of governors mentioned intentions to “modernize” and “streamline” government operations, which will certainly involve upgraded technology. See an analysis of governor broadband addresses.

When the covid-19 pandemic hit, Dr. Corey Siegel was more prepared than most of his peers. Half of Siegel’s patients — many with private insurance and Medicaid — were already using telehealth, logging onto appointments through phones or computers. Siegel’s Medicare patients weren’t covered for telehealth visits until the pandemic drove Congress and regulators to temporarily pay for remote medical treatment just as they would in-person care. The $1.7 trillion spending package Congress passed in December 2022 included a two-year extension of key telehealth provisions, such as coverage for Medicare beneficiaries to have a phone or video medical appointments at home. But it also signaled political reluctance to make the payment changes permanent, requiring federal regulators to study how Medicare enrollees use telehealth. The federal extension “basically just kicked the can down the road for two years,” said Julia Harris, associate director for the health program at the D.C.-based Bipartisan Policy Center think tank. At issue are questions about the value and cost of telehealth, who will benefit from its use, and whether audio and video appointments should continue to be reimbursed at the same rate as face-to-face care. The omnibus bill’s provisions include: paying for audio-only and home care; allowing for a variety of doctors and others, such as occupational therapists, to use telehealth; delaying in-person requirements for mental health patients; and continuing existing telehealth services for federally qualified health clinics and rural health clinics. Fears over potential fraud and the cost of expanding telehealth have made politicians hesitant, said Josh LaRosa, vice president at the Wynne Health Group, which focuses on payment and care delivery reform. The report required in the omnibus package “is really going to help to provide more clarity,” LaRosa said.

The House voted 221-206, mostly along party lines, to pass legislation requiring federal agencies to revert to their pre-pandemic telework policies, although the measure is likely to meet stiff resistance in the Democratically controlled Senate. The Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems Act (H.R. 139), introduced by Rep. James Comer (R-KY), would require agencies to “reinstate and apply the telework policies, practices and levels . . . in effect on December 31, 2019” within 30 days of the bill’s enactment. If agencies want to expand telework beyond 2019 levels, they would have to submit to Congress a plan certified by the Office of Personnel Management. The legislation also requires a study of how telework during the pandemic impacted agencies’ missions and customer services.

Telephone companies (telcos) that have been deploying fiber broadband are having a moment in the sun, finally reversing years of broadband subscriber losses to the cable companies. But will this last? What has given telcos an edge is fiber broadband’s ability to support gigabit and even multi-gigabit speeds bi-directionally. With traditional technology, cable companies can offer gigabit and multi-gigabit speeds but only in the downstream direction. Upstream speeds sometimes top out at just 20 Mbps. All that is set to change, though. Curtis Knittle, vice president of wired technologies for Cablelabs believes that upstream speeds are poised to get a lot faster – maybe not fully symmetrical, but probably fast enough for most consumers. Perhaps of greater concern, it’s still a lot easier to upgrade cable hybrid fiber coax (HFC) infrastructure than it is to replace telco copper with fiber. (HFC networks use fiber networks from the cable company headend to a node where signals are converted to coaxial cable for delivery to customer locations.) To maximize speeds, cable companies will be deploying DOCSIS 4.0, the next generation of the DOCSIS standard. They also will be deploying, and in some cases already have deployed, distributed access architecture (DAA). In addition, cable companies are expanding the amount of spectrum that is available for use within the coaxial portion of the link and making more of that spectrum available for upstream communications. For telcos, the process of upgrading existing DSL networks to fiber broadband takes longer and, in some cases, the upgrade to fiber may not be cost-effective. 

T-Mobile US reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 results, delivering industry-leading postpaid service revenue and cash flow growth in 2022, enabling the Un-carrier to begin shareholder returns earlier than planned. T-Mobile further extended its fame for value while translating its 5G lead into overall network leadership for the first time, resulting in the company’s lowest ever annual postpaid phone churn along with industry-best and record high postpaid account, postpaid customer and broadband customer growth in 2022. T-Mobile's fourth quarter and overall FY 2022 results, as related to broadband, are as follows:

• Postpaid net account additions were 314 thousand in Q4 2022 and reached a record 1.4 million for 2022;
• Postpaid net customer additions were 1.8 million in Q4 2022 and reached a record 6.4 million for 2022, above the high end of the company’s most recently increased annual guidance range of 6.2 to 6.4 million;
• Postpaid phone net customer additions were 927 thousand in Q4 2022 and 3.1 million for 2022. Postpaid phone churn in Q4 2022 of 0.92% improved 18 basis points year-over-year, and 2022 churn of 0.88% improved 10 basis points year-over-year;
• Prepaid net customer additions were 25 thousand in Q4 2022 and 338 thousand for 2022. Prepaid churn was 2.93% in Q4 2022, and 2022 churn of 2.77% was the lowest in company history;
• High-Speed Internet net customer additions were 524 thousand in Q4 2022 and 2.0 million for 2022. T-Mobile ended the year with 2.6 million High-Speed Internet customers;
• Total net customer additions were 1.8 million in Q4 2022 and reached a record 6.8 million for 2022. The total customer count increased to a record high of 113.6 million;
• Ookla: In its Q4 Speedtest Global Index Market Analysis of mobile providers, T-Mobile’s overall network performance swept the competition and placed first in all categories while its 5G network repeated major wins in: Overall Network Performance: Fastest mobile operator in the US, lowest multi-server latency, most consistent network, the best place to stream video.