Daily Digest 3/10/2022

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Table of Contents

Broadband Infrastructure

Sens Blumenthal and Markey Suggest Priorities for Broadband Infrastructure Programs to NTIA  |  Read below  |  Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen Ed Markey (D-MA)  |  Letter  |  US Senate

Broadband Competition

Broadband Labels Should Tell Consumers Competition is Faster, Better and More Affordable  |  Read below  |  Angie Kronenberg, Lindsay Stern  |  Analysis  |  Incompas

State/Local Initiatives

The Pew Charitable Trusts Launches Opportunity Broadband  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Pew Charitable Trusts
Val Verde, California, School District Broadband Network Provides Case Study for Closing the Digital Divide  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  CENIC
Affordable, Accessible Midco Gig Coming to Greater Detroit Lakes  |  Midco
Comcast Rural Pennsylvania Expansion Reaches 1,700 Locations  |  telecompetitor
Vexus Fiber to Build $15 Million Network in Huntsville, Texas  |  telecompetitor
Google Fiber digs deeper into Salt Lake City, Utah  |  Fierce

Spectrum/Wireless

Aviation conflict highlights the need for spectrum management reform  |  Read below  |  Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA), Rep Bob Latta (R-OH)  |  Op-Ed  |  Hill, The
The Interagency Process and Its Importance in Securing the Future of 5G  |  Read below  |  Joel Thayer, Greg Guice  |  Research  |  Public Knowledge, Digital Progress Institute
T-Mobile fights hard to keep its 2.5 GHz leases secret  |  Read below  |  Linda Hardesty  |  Fierce
What Can Consumers and Businesses Do With 5G? Take a Look at South Korea  |  Wall Street Journal

Platforms/Social Media

Members of the House Judiciary Committee accused Amazon of obstructing its inquiry on third-party sellers  |  New York Times
Facebook Adds Tools To Combat Misinformation in Groups  |  C|Net

Emergency Communications

Sens Cornyn and Klobuchar Introduce the Safely Accessing Telecommunications Act  |  Read below  |  Sen John Cornyn (R-TX)  |  Press Release  |  US Senate

A Decade of Accomplishments: 2021 Annual Report to Congress  |  First Responder Network Authority

Media & Democracy

Media and Democracy: Unpacking America’s Complex Views on the Digital Public Square  |  Read below  |  Research  |  Knight Foundation

Anniversary

Fact Sheet: The Impact of the American Rescue Plan after One Year  |  Department of the Treasury

TV

Apple TV Plus Had Nearly Five Times More Churn Than Netflix in 2021  |  Next TV
Apple Enters Sports Arena With Major League Baseball Streaming Deal  |  Hollywood Reporter

Industry/Company News

Fiber Investment Forecast to Surpass $125 Billion Over Next Five Years  |  Read below  |  Joan Engebretson  |  telecompetitor
Charter expands 200 Mbps starter internet speed to 95 percent of its footprint  |  Read below  |  Diana Goovaerts  |  Fierce
Boost Mobile expands sales of Cox prepaid internet across footprint  |  Read below  |  Bevin Fletcher  |  Fierce
Pavni Diwanji, Meta’s head of youth product initiatives, departs the company  |  New York Times

War & Communications

Civil society to President Biden: Do not disrupt internet access in Russia or Belarus  |  Read below  |  Letter  |  Access Now
Internet experts suggest ways to selectively block Russian military and propaganda sites  |  Packet Clearing House
Russians flock to virtual private networks to evade internet blockade  |  Read below  |  Margaret Harding McGill  |  Axios
European Union sanctions demand Google block Russian state media from search results  |  Washington Post
Twitter launches privacy-protected site on dark web to bypass Russia’s block  |  Guardian, The
TikTok users in Russia can see only old Russian-made content  |  Guardian, The
TikTok Struggles to Find Footing in Wartime  |  Wall Street Journal
China's Facebook ads push Russian line  |  Axios
Today's Top Stories

Broadband Infrastructure

Sens Blumenthal and Markey Suggest Priorities for Broadband Infrastructure Programs to NTIA

Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen Ed Markey (D-MA)  |  Letter  |  US Senate

"As the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) takes significant steps to close the digital divide and bring broadband to more Americans under the bipartisan infrastructure law, we write to encourage the Agency to prioritize and protect competition, high quality jobs, affordability, and consumer protection standards in its grant programs," said Sens Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ed Markey (D-MA) in a letter to NTIA Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson. Regarding the broadband programs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the senators urge the NTIA to:

  • ensure affordable and equitable broadband options for all Americans: the senators encourage the NTIA to use its rulemaking on low cost options to ensure that affordable broadband is readily-accessible for all Americans that need the assistance.
  • Promote competition through wholesale and nondiscriminatory access requirements: NTIA should encourage competition in unserved and underserved areas and ensure that innovative competitors can access those areas.
  • Support American workers with high-quality jobs: the senators support strong labor standards that give preference to high-road employers and training initiatives tied to good jobs.
  • Promote safeguards for the free and open internet: the senators encourage NTIA to implement measures that promote net neutrality as it fulfills its mandates under the Infrastructure Act.

Broadband Competition

Broadband Labels Should Tell Consumers Competition is Faster, Better and More Affordable

Angie Kronenberg, Lindsay Stern  |  Analysis  |  Incompas

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directs the Federal Communications Commission “to promulgate regulations to require the display of broadband consumer labels...to disclose to consumers information regarding broadband Internet access service plans.” INCOMPAS believes the FCC should clarify that the purpose of the broadband labels is to help residential and small business consumers—and that the requirements will not apply to providers or resellers providing services to large business or government customers. INCOMPAS suggests that the FCC exclude E-Rate and Rural Health Care providers the label requirement. And the FCC should allow broadband providers to add two optional elements to their label: symmetrical speeds and reliability. 

State/Local

The Pew Charitable Trusts Launches Opportunity Broadband

Press Release  |  Pew Charitable Trusts

The Pew Charitable Trusts launched Opportunity Broadband—an alliance of 5 companies, associations, and nonprofit organizations across the country working to ensure that our nation’s investment in universal, affordable broadband access strengthens communities and promotes equal participation in the economy. Strong bipartisan support—illustrated by the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the American Rescue Plan Act, and many other legislative actions at the federal and state levels—has finally put high-speed internet, and the skills and tools to use it, within reach for all Americans. The programs created by these initiatives will lead to opportunities for improved economic mobility, access to health care, educational opportunities, and much more. Pew formed Opportunity Broadband to help ensure that the nation can deliver on those promises by helping communities prepare to leverage connectivity, skills, and devices to realize the long-promised outcomes of digital equity. Along with The Pew Charitable Trusts, the founding members of Opportunity Broadband include Heartland Forward, the James H and Mary B Quello Center at Michigan State University, Small Business Majority, and the XR Association.

Val Verde, California, School District Broadband Network Provides Case Study for Closing the Digital Divide

Press Release  |  CENIC

A public-private partnership to provide internet connectivity for residents in the Val Verde Unified School District (USD) serves as a model case study for broadband deployment to hard-to-reach populations. Val Verde USD, located in Riverside County (CA) will work with hybrid network provider GeoLinks to establish the first-ever broadband service explicitly for families of the school district, with low-income households receiving the service for free. In February 2022, the Val Verde School Board voted to hire GeoLinks to provide three internet options for households in the school district. The first will offer gigabit symmetrical service and the second will offer 200Mbps symmetrical service, both of which will require a technician to install a receiver at the residence. The third option will offer a WiFi connection of 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up but requires no installation, as it uses wireless mesh technologies. Such an approach is ideal for older multi-tenant housing lacking a contemporary twisted pair ethernet cable or fiber to each residence, or where an installation in every unit is disruptive, cost-prohibitive, or blocked by property owners. Each connectivity option will be supported with multigigabit backhaul capabilities, ensuring reliability through multi-point redundancy via connection to CENIC’s fiber network backbone.

Spectrum

Aviation conflict highlights the need for spectrum management reform

Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA), Rep Bob Latta (R-OH)  |  Op-Ed  |  Hill, The
As the leaders of the House Energy and Commerce's Communications and Technology Subcommittee, we are responsible for pursuing public oversight and restoring trust in the spectrum management process, and we are committed to doing so in a bipartisan fashion. First, NTIA, the congressionally designated manager of federal spectrum, must continue to be recognized throughout the federal government as the entity authorized to balance the needs and concerns of federal spectrum users, and to communicate those interests to its governmental counterparts and the public. Second, the establishment of clear rules and expectations for federal and other spectrum users will lead to better spectrum outcomes, providing federal users with sufficient spectrum to meet their current and future needs and fostering the valuable benefits to which the American people have grown accustomed. Third, everyone should agree that the government process for managing these critical spectrum resources must rely on science and engineering to promote the goals of both the federal government and the American economy, not the institutional interests of a single federal agency. And fourth, the finality of such decisions is crucial. If we are to maintain U.S. leadership, the government needs to speak with one clear unified voice when it makes spectrum management decisions. Disagreements outside of the proper channels will only delay progress and make the spectrum allocation process more difficult.
[Rep Mike Doyle (D-PA) is chair of the House Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Rep Bob Latta (R-OH) is ranking member of the House Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.]

The Interagency Process and Its Importance in Securing the Future of 5G

Joel Thayer, Greg Guice  |  Research  |  Public Knowledge, Digital Progress Institute

This paper aims to: 1) outline why the Federal Communications Commission is the appropriate authority to resolve commercial spectrum disputes; 2) outline how the interagency process works and the role the National Telecommunications and Information Administration plays in resolving issues with government spectrum incumbents; and 3) demonstrate the importance of coordination by reviewing a few recent examples of government agencies circumventing this interagency process and the problems that has created. The paper includes the following recommendations: a) respect the role and expertise of the FCC to thwart any further incumbrances to rolling out 5G expeditiously; and b) leverage the traditional interagency process by submitting all federal spectrum concerns to the NTIA as opposed to forging individual complaints. In the long term, Congress should consider whether to:

  • update the Communications Act to codify the interagency process into statute akin to versions of the FCC-NITA MOU; 
  • reauthorize the FCC’s spectrum authority for ten more years; and
  • provide more funding to the FCC and NTIA to hire more engineering resources, including funding for more engineering labs.

T-Mobile fights hard to keep its 2.5 GHz leases secret

Linda Hardesty  |  Fierce

T-Mobile is using its considerable legal muscle to try and prevent the terms of its 2.5 GHz spectrum leases from being revealed. This is particularly newsworthy right now because the Federal Communications Commission recently announced it would kick off the process for its Auction 108 in July 2022. Auction 108 is the auction of 2.5 GHz spectrum in the “white-space” gaps in the band that are currently lying fallow. Sometimes the auction is referred to as “an overlay auction.” When 2.5 GHz spectrum was first distributed to educational institutions in the 1980s, the licenses were granted in 35-mile-radius circles. Unfortunately, the circles leave oddly-shaped white spaces where no one owns the spectrum. This is the spectrum that will be available via Auction 108. T-Mobile is seen as the primary bidder in the auction because it wants to fill in the gaps in its nationwide 2.5 GHz coverage. Some wireless internet service providers (WISPs) also use the band and may participate in the auction. Meanwhile, AT&T and Verizon want to see the terms of T-Mobile’s leases with the educational institutions in order to make informed decisions about bidding. If they don't see the terms of T-Mobile's leases, then they likely won't participate in Auction 108. But T-Mobile is fighting hard to ensure that its competitors do not see the terms of its 2.5 GHz leases. It has made numerous FCC filings, and it’s also reached out to some of the educational institutions it leases spectrum from, directing them to not reveal any terms of the leases and to take down or redact sensitive information in leases that might have been posted online.

Emergency Communications

Sens Cornyn and Klobuchar Introduce the Safely Accessing Telecommunications Act

Sen John Cornyn (R-TX)  |  Press Release  |  US Senate

Sens John Cornyn (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Safely Accessing Telecommunications (SAT) Act, which would authorize the US State Department and Department of Defense to enter into contracts with satellite cellular and internet providers to provide direct connectivity in conflict regions. The SAT Act would:

  • Authorize the Department of Defense to provide service for the purposes of providing military aid;
  • Authorize the State Department to provide service for the purpose of providing humanitarian aid;
  • Authorize both departments to procure the end-point infrastructure necessary to service, such as satellite phones and receiver dishes;
  • Allow these agencies to enter into agreements with other nations to offset the costs of the service, including reimbursements after the fact;
  • And prohibit an agency from compelling a service provider to provide the service and from providing the service longer than needed to address the conflict.

Media & Democracy

Media and Democracy: Unpacking America’s Complex Views on the Digital Public Square

Research  |  Knight Foundation

Gallup and the Knight Foundation conducted a survey of US adults regarding media and democracy. Major findings include:

  • US adults' attitudes go beyond party lines to fall into six groups with respect to internet regulation: Individualists, Reformers, Unfazed Digital Natives, Unplugged and Ambivalent, Traditionalists, and Concerned Spectators.
  • Americans use social media sites more than any other type of website. Those who say a social media site is one of their most-used tend to go to these platforms for entertainment and to connect with others, more rather than for news.
  • Americans rarely engage in politics online, and 32 percent say debates on social media make them less likely to use social media. But large numbers say these debates make them more likely to take offline action like voting or more closely following the news.
  • Most Americans believe social media makes it easier for harmful and extreme viewpoints to spread. Most say they distrust what they see on social media. Black Americans are the most likely to be concerned about hate speech and abusive content.
  • Among Americans, 71 percent say the internet does more to divide us than bring us together, and 62 percent say that elected officials pay too little attention to tech issues.

Industry News

Fiber Investment Forecast to Surpass $125 Billion Over Next Five Years

Joan Engebretson  |  telecompetitor

A US fiber investment forecast from RVA LLC calls for service providers to spend $125 billion over the next five years, exceeding the total amount that has been invested in fiber since providers first began deploying it. The $125 billion includes money allocated in government programs, said Michael Render, RVA owner and principal analyst. The largest of these programs is the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program created in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. But although that program has a budget of $42.5 billion to go toward broadband deployments in unserved, primarily rural areas, Render noted that RVA doesn’t expect deployment from the BEAD money to become significant until 2024, and “a good portion of the spending will not occur until after 2026.” This observation offers an interesting counterpoint to a note from telecom and broadband financial analysts at MoffettNathanson. The analysts expressed concern that we may be heading for a period of overinvestment in fiber that could create a fiber bubble akin to the one that occurred around the year 2000. RVA expects fiber deployment to grow for several years and then level off, but according to Render, “we do not expect any significant pullback in fiber deployment during the next 10 years.”

Charter expands 200 Mbps starter internet speed to 95 percent of its footprint

Diana Goovaerts  |  Fierce

Charter Communications continued a multi-year march to double the entry-level speed available on its Spectrum Internet service, rolling out 200 Mbps service in more than three dozen new markets. The 37 markets where the faster service is now available cover more than 5 million homes and include Bakersfield (CA), Bangor (ME), Binghamton (NY), Dayton (OH), and Green Bay (WI). Charter first began upgrading its starting internet speeds in December 2020, boosting rates for around 8 million homes across 17 markets. It doubled speeds in another 17 markets covering approximately 6 million additional homes in March 2021. Including the 37 markets it just covered, Charter said starting speeds of 200 Mbps are available to nearly 95 percent of its service area. Charter SVP of Internet and Voice Products Carl Leuschner said the company  expects to complete the rollout “of 200 Mbps starting speeds across our entire service area later [in 2022].” The operator’s shift comes as consumers increasingly opt for higher speed tiers. A Charter representative confirmed the operator’s 100 Mbps tier is no longer offered in markets where the 200 Mbps upgrade has been launched. However, the representative explained the operator views its move less as a way to drop its 100 Mbps offering and more one which will allow it to offer a faster 200 Mbps service without having to add a tier to its lineup. The 200 Mbps service is being offered alongside the company’s 400 Mbps and gigabit options.

Boost Mobile expands sales of Cox prepaid internet across footprint

Bevin Fletcher  |  Fierce

Boost Mobile appears happy with an earlier go selling Cox prepaid home internet service at its retail stores in a few markets, as distribution has expanded more broadly to all Boost store locations within the cable operator’s footprint. In December 2021, Boost Mobile, the Dish-owned prepaid brand, started selling Cox’s Straight Up Internet service in select stores in Las Vegas (NV) and Phoenix (AZ) while mulling a wider push. A February 2022 Wave7 Research report flagged that the effort had expanded, which Boost Mobile’s Jay Miglionico confirmed. As the fourth-largest US cable operator, Cox serves around 6.5 million customers across 18 states. With more than 4,500 stores, according to Wave7, Boost Mobile has a much larger retail footprint versus Cox’s roughly 130 stores – although clearly not all Boost stores fall within the cable operator’s footprint. Cable operators are making more of a move on the wireless front, which in addition to Comcast and Charter mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) offering mobile service, include more recent happenings such as Wide Open West announcing a wireless service in partnership with MVNO aggregator Reach Mobile and Cox removing a legal hurdle for its own wireless ambitions after winning an MVNO dispute against T-Mobile.

War & Communications

Civil society to President Biden: Do not disrupt internet access in Russia or Belarus

Letter  |  Access Now

Access Now, Wikimedia Foundation, and over 35 civil society organizations called on President Joe Biden and his administration to ensure the people of Russia and Belarus are not cut off from the internet. The signatories deplore Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urge that further restricting the internet in Russia and Belarus will only accelerate violence and repression. Signatories to the letter are concerned that the US government and like-minded governments may be considering disrupting internet access in Russia and Belarus through new sanctions. Limiting internet access will hurt individuals attempting to organize in opposition to the war, report openly and honestly on events in Russia and Belarus, and access information about what is happening in Ukraine and beyond. The letter calls on the Biden Administration and like-minded governments seeking to sanction the actions of the Russian Federation and its allies to:

  • Immediately authorize the provision of services, software, and hardware incident to personal communications over the internet, while providers are still considering compliance strategies, rather than waiting until after individuals in Russia are cut off from these vital services;
  • Consult with civil society actors and technology companies to understand the likely ramifications of potential sanctions; 
  • Ensure that sanctions are implemented in a smart and targeted manner, consistent with international human rights principles, including by providing clear guidance about how sanctions should be implemented in ways that protect human rights and humanitarian initiatives;
  • Be transparent about the justifications for and impacts of sanctions, clarify how they are developed, and enable stakeholders to provide evidence on current and potential targets and measures;
  • Pledge to regularly review and, if necessary, revise sanctions to ensure that they remain fit-for-purpose, in close consultation with civil society; 
  • Include clearly articulated guidance about the possibility of sanctions removal and delisting, and the specific factors that will lead to the revision of sanctions; and
  • Apply a similar approach to any potential sanctions on Belarus, as its role in the conflict evolves.

Russians flock to virtual private networks to evade internet blockade

Margaret Harding McGill  |  Axios

Tools to sidestep internet restrictions have surged in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine and the government's decision to block some social media services, including Facebook. Finding ways around Russia's internet blockade could enable its citizens to stay connected to the rest of the world and gather information from sources beyond state-owned outlets. Virtual private networks, or VPNs, enable users to hide their locations to evade location-based restrictions and make browsing more private by encrypting internet traffic. Demand for VPNs surged by 1,092 percent in Russia on March 5, the day after Russia blocked access to Facebook, according to Top10VPN.com. Demand in Ukraine climbed 609 percent higher than before the invasion began, according to the site, which tracks search volume data. Meanwhile, VPN providers are reporting spikes as well; Surfshark said average weekly sales in Russia have increased by 3,500 percent since Feb. 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine, and spiked after the country blocked Facebook and other Western media. Another provider, ExpressVPN, said traffic to its website last week from Russia increased by about 330 percent week over week. Likewise, traffic from Ukraine increased by about 130 percent. VPN use in Russia is legal, but accessing officially blocked content is not according to Simon Migliano, head of research at Top10VPN. Russia is already trying to block VPN traffic at the network level, Migliano said, and he expects that to intensify.

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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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