Thursday, September 19, 2019
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Broadband on the Agenda at FCC and Davenpost (WA) Today
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A new study commissioned by the Fiber Broadband Association finds that fiber broadband is now available to more than 30% of households across the US, and fiber networks should reach 50% of homes by 2025. But 50% coverage would, obviously, leave another 50% of homes without access to the fastest wireline broadband technology. Reaching 80% of homes instead of just 50% would require an additional cash infusion of $52 billion over the next 10 years, the study says. Going from 80% to 90% would then require another $18 billion. Going from 90% to 100% would be far more cost-prohibitive because it would require wiring up the least populated parts of the country, which make up "the vast majority of US land."
Of the more than 56 million people in the US who have a disability, many haven't been able to afford service or have lacked the digital training to access the internet. The result is that Americans with disabilities are three times more likely than those without a disability to say they never go online. When compared with those who don't have a disability, disabled adults are roughly 20 percentage points less likely to say they subscribe to home broadband and own a traditional computer, a smartphone or a tablet. What this means for people with disabilities is that they often miss out on the benefits and opportunities that high-speed internet connectivity affords the rest of the population. This includes losing out on educational and employment opportunities. And it means not being able to take advantage of medical advances, like access to remote monitoring or other advances in health care because they do not have access to the internet.
- Digital deserts exist, more so in rural areas.
- The urban-rural access divide is sizeable and still persists.
- A little less than half of housing units in the country are sliced up in between either top 6 only providers or other providers only.
- The technology with the largest footprint in the nation (DSL) also has the lowest median advertised speeds pointing to a potential quality of service issue.
- “Other only” providers advertised to a larger share of rural housing units compared to Top 6. Therefore, federal incentives and state broadband programs need to ensure these providers also receive funds to expand or upgrade infrastructure.
- Lastly, given that median advertised speeds are higher when more providers overlap, overbuilding concerns need to be reconsidered.
[Roberto Gallardo, Ph.D., is assistant director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development. Brian Whitacre is a Sarkeys Distinguished Professor at Oklahoma State University.]
The Federal Communications Commission took a step in its efforts to streamline and strengthen consumer eligibility verification for the Lifeline program, as a nationwide automated connection between the Medicaid program and the Lifeline National Eligibility Verifier went live Sept 17. The connection between the Medicaid and Lifeline databases means that the eligibility of up to 60% of the Lifeline-eligible population can be confirmed automatically. Automation will streamline the process for both subscribers and service providers, and result in more effective protection against waste, fraud, and abuse. Lifeline is the FCC program that provides subsidies to make phone and broadband service more affordable for low-income consumers. Medicaid, which is overseen by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), provides health coverage to millions of Americans, including eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults, and people with disabilities.
Senior Program Manager Cat Blake presented on Fiber and the Future of Mountain Communities, an informational panel hosted by the town of Breckenridge (CO). Panelists discussed the importance of investing in broadband infrastructure and the future of connectivity in the region. The discussion began with a question on the value of internet access in a community like Breckenridge, with panelists noting potential job growth and new educational resources. Blake said, “In my opinion, the internet is such a powerful tool because it’s non-prescriptive. You can use the internet to do whatever it is you need: whether that’s driving your business, accessing educational resources, or catching up on Big Little Lies, individuals and communities achieve their highest potential and respond to change.”
Bethlehem Area School District Superintendent Joseph Roy thinks that soon, high-speed internet access will be viewed as a basic right. Electricity, running water and indoor plumbing were all once luxuries for the rich, but we cannot imagine living without them today. As the leader of Pennsylvania’s sixth-largest school district, Roy sees tackling that digital divide as one of the top equity issues in his schools, as hardback textbooks are traded in for digital ones. That’s why he’s spearheading regional conversations about how best to get internet accesses to every Lehigh Valley household, and he’s not just talking to other superintendents. The district’s bringing to the table educators, elected officials, local governments, the Lehigh Valley’s top employers, and industry and economic development experts -- because high-speed internet access can reap dividends across all sectors.
Education
The Homework Gap: Teacher Perspectives on Closing the Digital Divide
In 2018, Common Sense conducted a national survey and focus groups to understand the challenges and promise of technology use in the classroom for learning. Teachers across the US were asked about the use of educational technology with students in their classrooms, and issues of access emerged:
- Approximately one out of 10 teachers (12%) reported that the majority of their students (61% to 100%) do not have home access to the internet or a computer. Approximately four out of 10 teachers said that many of their students do not have adequate home access to the internet or a computer to do schoolwork at home.
- Teachers in Title I schools or in schools with more than three-quarters of students being students of color are more likely to say that over 60% of their students do not have home access to the internet or a computer.
- As grade levels increase, teachers are more likely to assign homework that requires access to digital devices and/or broadband internet outside of schools.
- Teachers who assign homework that requires access to digital devices and/or broadband internet outside of school are more likely to teach in affluent, non-Title I schools than in Title I schools.
- Teachers in schools with student populations of predominantly students of color are more likely to say that it would limit their students’ learning if their students did not have adequate access to broadband internet or a computing device at home to do homework (34%), as compared to teachers in schools with mixed populations or teachers in schools with predominantly white students (26% and 27%, respectively).
The Federal Communications Commission announced the creation of its first two Innovation Zones, in New York City and Salt Lake City. These Innovation Zones will be city-scale test beds for advanced wireless communications and network research, including 5G networks. These wireless technology test beds extend the geographic areas in which already-licensed experimental program licensees can conduct tests. Under this initiative, parties have flexibility to conduct multiple non-related experiments under a single authorization within a defined geographic area to develop new technologies and services while protecting incumbent services against harmful interference. This initiative allows experimental program license holders which are licensed to operate elsewhere to also use the New York City and Salt Lake City Innovation Zones.
In New York City, the Innovation Zone will support COSMOS (Cloud Enhanced Open Software Defined Mobile Wireless Testbed for City-Scale Deployment). COSMOS, located in West Harlem, will be run jointly by Rutgers University, Columbia University, and New York University, in partnership with the City of New York. In Salt Lake City, the Innovation Zone will support POWDER (A Platform for Open Wireless Data-driven Experimental Research with Massive MIMO Capabilities). POWDER, which will operate in several connected corridors of Salt Lake City, will be run jointly by the University of Utah and Rice University, in partnership with Salt Lake City.
In 2018, the GAO released a report related to spectrum use for broadband services by tribal entities and selected updates. Specifically, it discusses (1) tribal entities' ability to obtain and access spectrum to provide broadband services and the reported barriers that may exist, and (2) the extent to which FCC promotes and supports tribal efforts to obtain and access spectrum. For that report, GAO interviewed 16 tribal entities that were using wireless technologies. Selected entities varied geographically, among other characteristics. GAO analyzed FCC's license and auction data as of September 6, 2018, reviewed FCC's rulemakings on spectrum for broadband services, and interviewed other tribal and industry stakeholders and FCC officials. The information obtained was not generalizable to all tribes or industry participants. As an update, GAO reviewed FCC's June 2019 draft order related to spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band.
A partnership between Nextlink Internet and Microsoft aims to bring broadband to hundreds of rural communities in six states through the Microsoft Airband program. The partnership will provide broadband in IA, IL, KS, NEB, OK, and TX. “This partnership will enable the coming of precision agriculture, IoT, digital healthcare, access to higher education and overall economic growth,” said Ted Osborn, Nextlink’s Senior Vice President of Strategy & Regulatory Affairs. “Our experience tells us that advanced broadband access and community support can make these promises a reality in relatively short order.”
Nextlink won $281.3 million in the Connect America Fund (CAF) II auction in 2018, the most of any entrant. In October, CEO Bill Baker said that rural broadband fixed wireless could have the side benefit of boosting cellular connectivity in rural deployments. The company is obligated to use the CAF II funding to provide 100 Mbps downstream to a vast majority of locations, with a small portion receiving 25 Mbps downstream. Baker said that the slower areas would probably offer up to double that speed.
On September 17, the Senate Appropriations Committee's Agriculture Subcommittee marked up the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Sen Jeff Merkley, the subcommittee's ranking member, said, "Our bill also protects conservation and agriculture research programs that help our farmers and ranchers continue to be the most productive and efficient in the world, and maintains significant investments in rural broadband and water and wastewater programs." The bill goes before the full Appropriations Committee on Sept 19.
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government approved its FY2020 spending bill which includes:
- $339 million for the Federal Communications Commission, which is offset by regulatory fees and equal to the enacted level. The bill also provides $132.5 million for the spectrum auctions program.
- $312.3 million for the Federal Trade Commission, which is $2.6 million more than the FY2019 enacted level and equal to the FY2020 budget request.
Platforms
House lawmakers are planning to unveil legislation to probe social media and online extremism
Congressional lawmakers are drafting a bill to create a “national commission” at the Department of Homeland Security to study the ways that social media can be weaponized — and the effectiveness of tech giants’ efforts to protect users from harmful content online. The draft House bill is slated to be introduced and considered next week. If passed, the commission would be empowered — with the authority to hold hearings and issue subpoenas — to study the way social media companies police the Web and to recommend potential legislation. It also would create a federal social media task force to coordinate the government’s response to security issues. The effort reflects a growing push by members of Congress to combat online hate speech, disinformation and other harmful content online, including a hearing held Sept 18 where Senate lawmakers questioned Facebook, Google and Twitter executives to probe whether their platforms have become conduits for real-world violence.
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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