The Federal Communications Commission updated its radio frequency device marketing and importation rules to accelerate the timeframe for developing and releasing new wireless devices. The new rules will give innovators more flexibility to engage in crowdfunding and other popular marketing campaigns and, in specific cases, to import devices still under equipment authorization review. These changes will help consumers more quickly access must-have devices that meet the stringent authorization requirements of the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology’s equipment authorization program. This modernizes the FCC’s review process to ensure that it keeps pace with the rate of innovation by expanding opportunities to import, market, and conditionally sell radiofrequency equipment while ensuring that the Commission retains appropriate oversight over the proper authorization of such devices.

This digital map displays key indicators of broadband needs across the country.  The “Indicators of Broadband Need” tool is the first interactive, public map that allows users to explore different datasets about where people do not have quality Internet access. It contains data aggregated at the county, census tract, and census block level from the US Census Bureau, the Federal Communications Commission, Measurement Lab, Ookla, and Microsoft. Speed-test data provided by M-Lab and Ookla help to illustrate the reality that communities experience when going online, with many parts of the country reporting speeds that fall below the FCC’s current benchmark for fixed broadband service of 25 Mbps download, 3 Mbps upload. This is the first map that allows users to graphically compare and contrast these different data sources while also putting poverty and lack of broadband access on the same page. The dataset allows you to see where high-poverty communities are located and how that relates to internet usage patterns, as well as to a lack of computers and related equipment. Usage patterns in tribal communities, which have historically suffered from lack of internet access, are also shown. Users can toggle the separate data sets on and off to compare information, and search for specific locations, including Tribal lands and minority-serving institutions, to gain a better understanding of where broadband needs are greatest.

More than 30 million Americans live in areas where the internet infrastructure simply isn’t there. This disproportionately affects rural and tribal areas because it’s just too expensive for private companies to install the wiring. The farther homes are spread apart, the lower the return on investment. So some cities and counties across the country have decided to build broadband as a utility for residents, just like water or power. Residents in Wilson County have some of the best internet in the nation. That’s because in 2008 the city of Wilson established its own broadband service, called Greenlight Community Broadband, and began wiring the entire county with fiber optic cables. “When the pandemic hit, we were able to prioritize getting our teachers and students connected,” said City Manager Grant Goings.

Kandiyohi County (MN), as part of the federal American Rescue Plan coronavirus relief package, will receive approximately $8.3 million over the next year and is already committing $1.3 million to a project expanding high-speed broadband in the area. The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners will spend a large chunk of the county’s overall allotment, perhaps as much as 75 percent, to help fund several broadband improvement projects across the county. The funds can be used to pay for a wide range of projects, programs and personnel as long as it can be tied back to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes critical broadband infrastructure investments that can provide 1,000 megabits per second upload and download speeds. A number of other projects relating to broadband infrastructure are also in progress according to the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission broadband committee.

An advanced optical technology, hollow core fiber (HCF) is a potential tool to help slash network costs and enable advanced use cases with latency-sensitive requirements. The fundamental idea behind HCF is that light travels faster through air than glass. Thus, as the name implies, HCF cables have been designed to have an air-filled center channel which is surrounded by a ring of glass tubes. Generally, a cross-section of a hollow core cable looks a bit like honeycomb with a hole in the middle. While HCF has been around for about 20 years, it has been plagued by high loss and other performance issues, but modern companies are working on minimizing these and mazimizing its potential. If successful, HCF could allow for reduced network costs and longer reach without sacrificing performance.

Enterprise fiber provider Lightpath charted a course to double-digit revenue growth, planning to spend millions to expand its footprint and serve more customers through a combination of network extensions and acquisitions. Lightpath is jointly owned by Altice and Morgan Stanley and has hitherto operated within Altice’s traditional footprint in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. However, it gained a foothold in Massachusetts through three acquisitions focused in the Boston area. These included the purchase of Cambridge Network Solutions, a second unnamed provider and assets from Hub Fiber. Lightpach CTO Phil Olivero said that Lightpath intends to grow its footprint “to serve more of the Boston-area’s business customers over time” but noted the deal was a “great way to get into the market in a big way rather quickly.” Outside of these acquisitions, the company is focused on building within and just beyond its current footprint as well as adding higher bandwith options to support customer needs.