Fierce

When it comes to using AI, Comcast firmly believes it has a leg up on the fiber competition due to its DOCSIS 4.0 technology, according to chief network officer Elad Nafshi. Nafshi argues that because Comcast has embedded AI that’s “literally feet away from the customer” with real-time pattern detection capabilities, the operator can pinpoint “exactly” where there is interference in the network. Comcast started rolling out DOCSIS 4.0 in fall 2023, offering con

Frontier Communications CFO Scott Beasley knows a thing or two about finance. After all, he’s spent the past four years guiding the operator from bankruptcy to not only profitability but a $20 billion acquisition by telecommunications giant Verizon. As the data center industry rolls full steam ahead into a high-cost building boom, he’s got some words of wisdom: look into asset-backed securities. Unlike other funding vehicles, ABS use income-generating assets as collateral. ABS vehicles have historically been used by tower companies to raise money for new projects.

The Universal Service Fund’s day in court came and went, and the U.S. telecommunications industry still has hope the subsidy will live to see another day. But even if the Supreme Court deems the USF framework constitutional, there’s still no easy path to reform the program. The Supreme Court heard arguments related to the Fifth Circuit’s decision that the USF’s funding method is unconstitutional.

It’s fairly obvious by now long-haul fiber and data center connectivity matter for AI innovation. But where do last mile fiber-to-the-premises deployments factor in? Network automation is perhaps the most apparent use-case, but fiber operators are also be well-positioned to house future AI edge applications.