Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Headlines Daily Digest
Today: NextGen Accessibility Summit
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In May 2022, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published an oft-quoted report that described federal funding for broadband as a “fragmented, overlapping patchwork.” Despite more than 100 broadband-related programs investing millions of dollars into deployment, affordability, planning, digital skills, and connective devices, GAO found that “millions of Americans still lack broadband, and communities with limited resources may be most affected by fragmentation.” GAO asked the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to present to Congress a report that 1) identifies the key statutory provisions limiting the beneficial alignment of broadband programs and 2) offers legislative proposals to address the limitations, as appropriate. On September 6, 2024, NTIA released Proposals to Improve Broadband Program Alignment to fulfill GAO's request. Here we highlight NTIA's major findings.
Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) awarded nearly $42 million for “last-mile” high-speed internet projects in 23 Alabama counties. The latest Capital Projects Fund grants will cover 2,347 miles and provide broadband availability to more than 15,000 households, businesses, and community anchor institutions in the state that currently do not have access to high-speed internet. Those awarded grants (listed alphabetically) and coverage areas are:
- Central Alabama Electric Cooperative – $2.28 million to provide high-speed internet service over a 40-mile area in Chilton County providing access to 1,046 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions.
- Connect Holding (Brightspeed) – $139,968 to provide high-speed internet to 315 unserved households and businesses over a 51-mile area in Mobile County.
- Connect Holding (Brightspeed) – $69,553 to provide high-speed broadband access to 249 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions over a 19-mile area in Baldwin County.
- Farmers Telecommunications Corp. – $1.93 million to provide high-speed broadband access to 380 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions over a 44-mile area in Jackson County.
- Innovations America (Bama Fiber) – $5 million to provide high-speed internet access to 3,261 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions in Randolph County over a 360-mile area.
- Mediacom – $720,905 to provide high-speed internet accessibility to 122 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions in a 10-mile area of Mobile County.
- Millry Telephone Co. – $2.84 million to provide 51 miles of high-speed internet accessibility to 236 unserved households and businesses in Washington County.
- Spectrum Southeast – $5 million to provide high-speed internet accessibility over a 110-mile area to 934 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions in Shelby County.
- Spectrum Southeast – $5 million to provide 105 miles of high-speed internet accessibility to 1,303 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions in Walker County.
- Spectrum Southeast – $4.43 million to provide high-speed internet accessibility to 662 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions in a 93-mile area in Colbert and Lauderdale counties.
- Spectrum Southeast – $5 million to provide 111 miles of high-speed internet accessibility for 1,017 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions in St. Clair County.
- Roanoke Telephone Co. – $912,171 to supply high-speed internet accessibility over 111 miles to cover 1,118 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions in Randolph County.
- Troy Cablevision (C Spire) – $5 million to provide high-speed internet to 2,132 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions in Baldwin, Coffee, Crenshaw, Covington, Houston and Pike counties covering 243 miles.
- Yellowhammer Networks – $3.63 million to provide high-speed internet over nearly 1,000 miles to provide access to 2,352 unserved households, businesses and community anchor institutions in Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Shelby and Sumter counties.
If the data center is the brain powering artificial intelligence (AI), dark fiber is the central nervous system. So it makes sense that companies are spending big on such a critical piece of the puzzle. Almost $200 billion in capex last year went toward AI, according to DigitalBridge CEO Marc Ganzi, and it’s not just data centers using that chunk of cash. DigitalBridge has a hand in various digital infrastructure baskets, such as fiber, enterprise and edge data centers, towers and small cells. It’s invested in DataBank, GD Towers, Surf Internet and Zayo, among other companies. When it comes to fiber, DigitalBridge has noticed a “tremendous resurgence” on the enterprise side, particularly with dark fiber, which provides high-speed and low latency connectivity required to support AI, 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), you name it.
A long-running issue resurfaced recently asking if light poles should be made available for telecommunications. This idea that light poles might be telecommunications infrastructure comes from language included in Section 224 of the Federal Communications Commission’s code that says that a “utility shall provide a cable television system or any telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to any pole, duct, conduit, or right-of-way owned or controlled by it.” The question was raised again recently when AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and the CTIA, the lobbying group for the cellular industry, asked the FCC to consider the issue. It will be interesting to see if the FCC takes up the issue. They have considered it before and never opted to bring light poles under their jurisdiction. I have to imagine there would be a court battle if the agency ordered it.
This study investigates the relationship between online learning activities for educational, professional, or personal purposes and employment likelihood using the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Usage Survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TSI) between 2015 and 2023. Utilizing a nationally representative survey, we analyze (1) online course enrollment and (2) online learning engagement (self-learning and communication-based learning activities) and their relationship with being employed. The results highlight that all forms of online learning—course enrollment, self-learning, and communication-based learning activities—positively influence employment. Regarding the magnitude of the effects, online learning engagement is as useful as online course enrollment, underscoring the importance of engagement that can supplement formal or structured learning methods.
Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) wrote to Jason Matheny, president and CEO of the RAND Corporation to express concern about RAND's involvement in drafting the Biden-Harris' Artificial Intelligence Executive Order. Specifically, he asked Matheny to answer the following five questions:
- Explain, in detail, RAND’s role in drafting the AI Executive Order.
- Identify all RAND employees, fellows, researchers, contractors, and consultants who have worked with or for the federal government.
- Identify every federal grant and contract RAND was awarded, or from which RAND otherwise received money, since January 20, 2021, that relates to misinformation, malinformation, disinformation, or AI.
- List all meetings with federal government employees between June 1, 2023 and November 1, 2023.
- Provide all documents and research RAND has provided the federal government since January 20, 2021.
The top-tier countries of Net Vitality 3.0 are the United States, South Korea, and the Netherlands. These countries encompass what it means to lead in the current Internet ecosystem. Their Net Vitality Index scores of 24, 24, and 21 represent the top 1 percent of countries evaluated in the Net Vitality 3.0 report. Since the release of Net Vitality 2.0 in 2018, the United States has been the only country to maintain top-tier status. While updates in methodology may explain some of this variation, the current method more accurately represents global rankings by accounting for variations in research materials. Moreover, the increased standards for top-tier classification do not diminish other countries' previous success; instead, these high expectations highlight the new leaders' robust broadband infrastructure and application.
After a devastating crop loss in 2023, Olabokunde Tope turned to technology to help run his cassava farm in Nigeria. He decided to work with EOS Data Analytics, a California-based provider of satellite imagery and data for precision farming. EOS’s models and algorithms deliver insights on crops’ health weekly through an online platform that farmers can use to make informed decisions about issues such as when to plant, how much herbicide to use, and how to schedule fertilizer use, weeding, or irrigation. In many developing countries, farming is impaired by lack of data. As harvest time draws nearer this year, Tope reports, the prospects of his cassava field, which now spans a thousand hectares, is quite promising. This is thanks in part to his ability to anticipate and counter the sudden dry spells. He spaced the plantings better and then followed advisories on weeding, fertilizer use, and other issues related to the health of the crops.
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), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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