The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment on two petitions for relinquishment of Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) Designation filed by T-Mobile. T-Mobile seeks to relinquish its ETC designation for which it is eligible to receive high cost and Lifeline support in Florida and its Lifeline-only ETC designation in Virginia. Interested parties may file comments on or before September 27, 2022; reply comments are due October 12, 2022. [WC Docket No. 09-197]

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel recently responded to a letter from Sens Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) regarding the FCC's Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric mapping progress in Alaska. In their letter, the senators expressed concerns over CostQuest's methodology and the availability of foundational data in the state. The lawmakers requested that the FCC accept supplemental data, work with state stakeholders to procure more accurate data, and ameliorate "deficiencies" in the FCC production maps released in June 2022. On September 2, 2022, Chairwoman Rosenworcel responded to these concerns. In her response, Rosenworcel highlighted the FCC's efforts to work with stakeholders in developing the Broadband Data Collection system, as well as the increasingly specific data required in the agency's latest mapping effort. She said that the FCC is working to improve the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric as required by the Broadband DATA Act and that stakeholders can get involved by participating in the bulk Fabric challenge process beginning in September 2022. Also, Rosenworcel added that CostQuest is specifically working in Alaska to incorporate more data sources reflecting the state's broadband landscape.

With US cable broadband subscriber growth remaining flat or going negative, operators are hard-pressed to find a remedy that will rekindle growth in a service category now considered central to the overall business. Analysts at MoffettNathanson are attributing cable's recent broadband subscriber woes to market saturation and market share loss to fiber and fixed wireless access (FWA). To remedy the broadband subscriber issue, analysts expect US cable operators to accelerate buildout through voluntary edge-outs and participation in programs that subsidize network expansions into underserved or unserved areas, which are largely rural. While Charter was already a big winner in phase I of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), analysts point out that both Charter and Comcast are now securing a "steady stream of state-level grants for network expansion with state-level subsidies." Cable's more aggressive involvement in state-level broadband subsidy programs signals a major change, as telcos have tended to be the largest participants in such programs. Though the reported state-level amounts won by cable have been relatively small or modest, they are "just a warm-up" for the much larger subsidies on tap for next year and beyond that will be appropriated under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

This paper explores the role of counties in the deployment of high-speed internet networks in the United States. Counties play crucial roles in local governance but have been absent from discussions of broadband policy, planning and deployment by both lawmakers and scholars. Rectifying this, this paper reports the results of a survey of counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Using thematic coding analysis, themes from our survey include (1) mapping and the ongoing issue of identifying un- and under-connected areas; (2) funding and the use of public money; (3) strategic partnerships with electric cooperatives, investor-owned broadband providers, and other counties and (4) urban bias. Based on these themes, we argue that countries play three crucial, but heretofore neglected, roles in broadband deployment: funder, partner, and mobilizer. Moreover, we argue that counties are eager for greater responsibility and authority over deployment. This paper concludes with recommendations for how Virginia can amplify the roles and responsibilities of counties in broadband deployment.

[Also see Counties: The Missing Pieces in the Broadband Puzzle published by Benton Institute in June 2021]

The recent update of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) memorializes a shared commitment between the two agencies to renew a partnership critical to jointly managing the nation’s spectrum resources. Now the work begins to translate this agreement into consistent, meaningful practice. Given the scope of the document, there is quite a lot for the FCC and NTIA to do to fulfill the potential of the MOU. The MOU promotes:  

• Evidence-based policy-making;  
• More frequent and more effective communication;  
• Long-range planning and sharing of information to coordinate proposals well in advance; and  
• Development of a common approach for assessment and technical analysis of potential radio frequency interference issues.  

More information on this agency partnership can be found here.