telecompetitor

President Donald Trump's $200 billion infrastructure proposal released Feb 12 includes $50 billion in funding for rural communities, but nothing specific for broadband deployment. Even though President Trump has talked about the importance of expanding broadband in rural areas, he has not committed any funding to help build networks. Instead, his efforts have been aimed at eliminating red tape and regulation to get infrastructure built.  

President Donald Trump released his legislative goals to rebuild our Nation’s crumbling infrastructure. The six principles include:

Bipartisan legislation to improve rural call completion passed the US House of Representatives and now heads to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature. The Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act will direct the Federal Communications Commission to require providers that transmit voice calls to register with the agency and establish quality standards for transmitting voice calls.

AT&T has expanded its fixed wireless Internet infrastructure in four states. AT&T fixed wireless is now available in 33 counties serving more than 37,000 locations in AL, 40 counties serving more than 26,000 locations in AR, 46 counties serving more than 27,000 locations in GA and 51 counties serving more than 37,000 locations in TN.

The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology examined  25 bills that seek to improve broadband infrastructure across the country. Members engaged with a panel of seven expert witnesses who provided a range of perspectives on this important issue. Chairman Blackburn said, “We wanted to have a very inclusive hearing today to discuss all of the ideas from Subcommittee members on both sides of the aisle to promote broadband infrastructure deployment with a goal of closing the digital divide.

Santa Maria (CA) has chosen Wave Broadband to build a fiber ring to include city departments, businesses, schools and residents. The Wave Broadband – Santa Maria public/private partnership aims to spark economic growth and attract high technology to the coastal city, which is about 150 miles from Los Angeles. The fiber ring is expected to support an upgrade to Santa Maria’s public safety network, with the city becoming a regional emergency dispatch center.