Monday, August 24, 2020
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FCC Hangs on to 25/3 Mbps Broadband Definition for 2021 Broadband Deployment Report
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82% of Residents in Tribal Zip Codes Have Broadband Internet Access vs. 94% of Non-Tribal Residents
Champaign Announces New Project to Provide Free Internet to Support Distance Learning
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The Federal Communications Commission is seeking input on how it should prepare its 2021 annual broadband deployment report. The report, which is intended to determine whether broadband is being deployed in a reasonable and timely manner, traditionally generates controversy, and 2021 is likely to be no exception – particularly considering that the FCC is proposing few changes to the methodology and definitions used in the 2020 report. The most controversial element of the proposed plan is likely to be the minimum broadband speed definition. In a notice of inquiry (NOI), the commission recommends retaining the definition that has been used for several years – 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream – and to continue to gather information about one lower and three higher speed levels.
82% of Residents in Tribal Zip Codes Have Broadband Internet Access, Compared to 94% of Non-Tribal Residents
Key findings:
- 82% of the 14.2 million residents in tribal zip codes have access to a wired broadband connection, compared to 94% of non-tribal zip codes.
- Only 33% of these residents have access to a low-price wired broadband plan under $60 per month, compared to 51% of non-tribal residents.
- Louisiana has the least amount of tribal wired broadband availability in the country, coming in at 39%.
In order to ensure the deployment of robust broadband across all of America’s tribal lands, the FCC must commit to a sustainable, concerted effort to incentivize service and infrastructure development within them. This was vital before the pandemic, and now, it is absolutely crucial to the continued health and safety of some of our most vulnerable citizens. It is the shared responsibility of all Americans to ensure that the digital divide is closed, and affordable, equitable broadband is available to everyone.
NCTA-The Internet & Television Association is telling the Federal Communications Commission that it should include all makes and models of broadband in gauging competition in the communications marketplace, in comments on the FCC's framework for its next review of that marketplace. NCTA took aim at comments from Google and INCOMPAS that the FCC should only consider service with symmetrical upstream and downstream speeds or only service of at least 1 gig downstream as providing competitive service. NCTA said that was a transparent effort to game the competitive analysis by "excluding options that millions of consumers purchase." It said that limiting the competitive landscape to a minority of available services would be like assessing automotive competition by only looking at high-end sports cars. Google Fiber argues that competition can be inadequate because of a variety of factors including "asymmetric bandwidth, data caps, and opaque pricing that makes broadband unaffordable."
Education
Project to Provide Free Internet to Support Distance Learning in Shadowwood Mobile Home Park
The City of Champaign (IL) is pleased to announce the installation of new equipment to provide wireless Internet connectivity to Champaign Unit 4 students living in the Shadowwood Mobile Home Park. Through a collaborative project, new wi-fi equipment is being installed in Shadowwood Aug 19-21, 2020, with the goal of having the equipment fully operational to support online learning by the start of the fall semester. The City of Champaign is coordinating the project with cooperation from Unit 4 Schools, i3 Broadband, Mesh++, Ameren Illinois, and Shadowwood Mobile Home Park. This project was fully funded through a $20,000 grant from the UC2B Community Benefit Fund.
Underlying fiber connectivity for the project will be provided by i3 Broadband, who has waived all recurring fees for connectivity associated with this project while it is used to provide student
access to online learning. Ameren Illinois is also assisting with the project by allowing the mesh-network equipment to be mounted on their light poles. Ameren Illinois and the City of Champaign will each provide bucket trucks and personnel to facilitate the equipment installation.
Cox Expands Commitment to Bridging the Learning Divide, Provides Additional Support for Kids and Families Learning from Home
Cox announced an expanded commitment to bridging the learning divide as part of its ongoing effort to support kids and families learning and teaching from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Through June 30, 2021 Cox is suspending late fees and extending payment relief offerings for customers in the company's low-cost internet program Connect2Compete who express an inability to pay due to pandemic hardships.
Wireless
Chairman Pai's Response to Members of Congress Regarding the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window
On July 30, 2020, numerous Members of Congress wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajti Pai to request that the FCC extend the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window by 180 days — until Feb 1, 2021 — while not delaying further necessary proceedings associated with the auction in order that it stay on track.
On Aug 13, Chairman Pai responded by saying, "In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the application window has been extended an additional 30-days" until Sept 2, 2020. "This 30-day extension strikes an appropriate balance between providing more time for additional Tribal entities to apply and not unduly delaying the grant of licenses to those that have already applied."
Health
Senator Schatz leads 15 Senators in Demanding FCC Increase Funding for Health Providers, Help Expand Telehealth Services During Pandemic
Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) led a group of 15 senators in urging Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to increase funding for and improve the operations of the Rural Health Care (RHC) program, which helps expand access to telehealth services in hard-to-reach and economically depressed communities. “Cash-strapped health care providers are looking to the RHC Program for help to defray these costs, but you have so far not taken steps that would allow health care providers to receive additional support through the program,” they wrote. “We urge you to address these issues as soon as possible."
The letter to Chairman Pai was also signed by Sens Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tom Udall (D-NM), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Tom Carper (D-DE).
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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