Fierce

Broadband takes a $35 billion hit as lawmakers hash out infrastructure deal

President Joe Biden backed a new $1.2 trillion infrastructure package which would shave $35 billion off the funding total originally proposed for broadband improvements, insisting the lower amount was still enough to connect every citizen to high-speed internet. The bipartisan plan negotiated by Senate leaders includes $65 billion for broadband infrastructure, a steep drop from the $100 billion Biden pitched in March 2021. Little detail was available about how the broadband funds would be spent; analysts at New Street Research speculated some $40 billion could be devoted to grants for state

WISPA addresses Rural Digital Opportunity Fund award concerns in letter to FCC

The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) sent a letter to Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel yesterday related to its concerns about Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) awards. The FCC has indicated a preference for fiber deployments, which offer the highest broadband speeds as well as symmetrical speeds for both the upstream and downstream.

Could a fiber conduit interstate boost US broadband competition?

Shrihari Pandit, CEO of fiber ISP Stealth Communications, argued the creation of an open access conduit system across the US could help spur broadband competition by lowering barriers to entry for new players. Pandit pitched the construction of a conduit highway akin to the Interstate, which would allow fiber to be more easily run between cities and towns. The CEO stressed the government should only be responsible for building the conduits and not for running fiber or other lines, leaving decisions about what technology to use up to providers.

Lightpath buys its way to a bigger fiber footprint

Enterprise fiber provider Lightpath charted a course to double-digit revenue growth, planning to spend millions to expand its footprint and serve more customers through a combination of network extensions and acquisitions. Lightpath is jointly owned by Altice and Morgan Stanley and has hitherto operated within Altice’s traditional footprint in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. However, it gained a foothold in Massachusetts through three acquisitions focused in the Boston area.

What is hollow core fiber?

An advanced optical technology, hollow core fiber (HCF) is a potential tool to help slash network costs and enable advanced use cases with latency-sensitive requirements. The fundamental idea behind HCF is that light travels faster through air than glass. Thus, as the name implies, HCF cables have been designed to have an air-filled center channel which is surrounded by a ring of glass tubes. Generally, a cross-section of a hollow core cable looks a bit like honeycomb with a hole in the middle.

AT&T puts cable companies on notice with fiber plan

AT&T is looking to give cable companies a run for their money after years of lax competition, with CFO Pascal Desroches expressing confidence in its ability to steal share. The company is currently aiming to double its fiber footprint to 30 million customer locations by the end of 2025; Desroches reiterated that AT&T will primarily focus on filling in coverage within and adjacent to its existing footprint.

Telecommunications companies report ‘cascading impacts’ from chip shortages

A bevy of US telecommunications groups warned the Federal Communications Commission that an ongoing global semiconductor shortage could slow network deployments and impede their ability to fulfill key requirements associated with certain federal programs. Responses to the FCC's recent call for information on the shortage's impacts have flooded in from a multitude of organizations, including CTIA, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Rural Wireless Association (RWA), Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), NCTA – The Internet and Television Association, Verizon, Qualcomm, and M

AT&T eyes multi-gig move as part of fiber plan

AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh highlighted the potential for the operator to boost average revenue per user (ARPU) by offering multi-gigabit capabilities on its fiber infrastructure, shedding more light on an ambitious network expansion plan. AT&T bumped up speeds on its lower broadband tiers to 300 Mbps and 500 Mbps, and currently offers a 1-gig plan as its premium service.

Verizon CEO renews call for broadband subsidy boost

Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg argued policymakers should focus broadband funding more on promoting affordability rather than accessibility. “I think that when it comes to accessibility, I think that all carriers are building quite extensively,” he said, adding Verizon covers “almost all individuals in this country with” its wireless network. “Now we're turning that into fixed wireless access or using our fiber-to-the-home.

Redzone flags $500,000 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund funding mix up

Maine-based fixed wireless access (FWA) provider Redzone Wireless followed Charter Communications in seeking a waiver from commitments made in the Federal Communication Commission’s recent Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction on the grounds its promised deployments would be redundant. In December 2020, Redzone won $507,752 in RDOF support to cover 755 locations in its home state with broadband service.

AT&T eyes higher fiber target and fixed wireless access as DSL replacement

AT&T CEO John Stankey conceded the operator’s plans for fixed wireless access (FWA) technology may not be as ambitious as those of its competitors, but he noted the technology could end up being a good replacement for legacy DSL connections.

SiFi Networks is building 10 Gbps open access fiber across US

SiFi Networks is dangling 10 Gbps capabilities in front of US operators, aiming to entice them to adopt a more European infrastructure model and sign on as tenants on its wholesale fiber network rather than building out the last mile themselves. SiFi has build commitments in place covering 13 cities across seven states. This will eventually yield a projected footprint of “well over” 40 million feet of fiber covering more than half a million homes and businesses.