Monday, March 29, 2021
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ISPs are flocking to Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
US Telecom: Who Should Pay for Universal Broadband Connectivity?
Digital Inclusion
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Digital Inclusion
The Federal Communications Commission is reviewing applications from internet service providers to join the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. The program has already received more than 380 applications from broadband providers interested in offering discounted services, though a program start date hasn’t been set. The FCC will send eligible households $50 per month for broadband service and as much as a $100 one-time benefit for a new computer or tablet. The commission is also seeking help from community organizations, schools and faith-based institutions to spread the word about the new subsidy. The goal, Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said, is to enact what she called a “100% policy” of providing broadband access to all Americans.
RCN, Grande and Wave announced that Internet First customers, both new and existing, are receiving a significant speed increase – double the speed of their current package – for no additional cost or required action. Internet First delivers reliably fast internet for just $9.95 per month to qualifying low-income households eligible for assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid, or WIC. Internet First includes:
- Double the speed, with up to 50Mbps internet.
- Free internet and standard WiFi for first 60 days through enrollment in the Internet First Program, for all qualifying low-income households who do not already subscribe to their internet service
- No activation or installation fees for equipment
- Option to add Whole Home WiFi powered by eero for $9.95 per month, including one eero Pro and 1 eero Beacon
Facebook is laying fiber across the width of Indiana to connect a couple of its own data centers, and it will lease excess capacity on the fiber to telcos or other providers that are interested. Facebook has completed the first phase of the build, laying over 77 miles of fiber to connect the I-70 corridor from the Indiana/Ohio border to downtown Indianapolis. Phase One was 100% funded by Facebook via its wholly-owned subsidiary Middle Mile Infrastructure. The 77 miles of fiber that runs from Interstate Highway 70 at the Indiana/Ohio border through Marion, Hancock, Henry, and Wayne Counties to downtown Indianapolis will connect Facebook’s data centers in Iowa and Nebraska to its East Coast cluster in Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina. The social media company is also planning a second phase with its partner Zayo. Phase Two will include a new 85-mile build that will connect downtown Indianapolis to the Illinois state line. Phase Two will head west from Indianapolis through Vigo, Clay, Putnam, Hendricks and Marion Counties. Both phases are slated to be complete by the end of 2021, at which time Indiana will have a fiber route via Facebook that spans the state from east to west.
The Universal Service Fund (USF) is currently on an unsustainable financial path, funded by a regressive surcharge on a shrinking base of telephone customers. If it isn’t fixed, and fixed quickly, the fund won’t be able to meet its mandate and fulfill its connectivity promise – not just to the next generation, but to the current one. So how do we fix USF?
First, Congress should provide more direct and sustainable funding. The Federal Communications Commission just raised more than $80 billion in a blockbuster auction of airwave rights that will carry 5G and other next generation connectivity. Congress should direct a significant portion of that money to universal broadband service or make direct appropriations to shore-up the fund. Another option – one that should be explored even if Congress appropriates additional funds: broaden the base of USF contributors beyond the shrinking pool of telephone customers to include other players in the internet ecosystem. Congress should also consider whether some of the largest of our nation’s technology, streaming and internet platforms, which don’t currently support our shared networks (but couldn’t have reached trillion dollar market caps without them), should contribute to the costs of ensuring universal connectivity.
[Jonathan Spalter is President and CEO of USTelecom - The Broadband Association]
Concerns about the 5.9 GHz band came up again during a hearing of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg gave testimony. But that wasn’t all. Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) reiterated his concerns about potential interference from 5G in the C-band – the very band where the likes of Verizon and AT&T just pledged over $80 billion for access to airwaves for 5G. The spectrum currently is used by satellite companies that need to move to the upper part of the band in order to make room for 5G. Generally speaking, DeFazio said there are two spectrum issues in play: one is ground-based and one is based in space.
This report updates and expands on a paper the author presented nearly a decade ago at the Research Conference on Communication, Information and Internet Policy (TPRC), which predated the Federal Communications Commission’s adoption of a use-it-or-share-it approach in several underutilized bands. These use-it-or-share-it precedents should pave the way to an authorization of opportunistic access as the default policy for a growing number of underutilized and newly allocated or auctioned bands, both federal and commercial. A national goal of not merely universal access to broadband, but of truly pervasive connectivity—high-capacity connectivity anywhere and anytime at affordable prices—will require an enormous increase in available spectrum capacity. A use-or-share rule expands productive use of spectrum and facilitates more communication and consumer welfare without the undue risk of harmful interference or the undermining of primary licensees’ deployment plans.
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 Robbie McBeath (rmcbeath AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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