Infrastructure

FOCUS Broadband Brings Fiber to Rural North Carolina, Grant by Grant

In the past five years, FOCUS Broadband has gone from deploying fiber connectivity to just two North Carolina counties to eight, nearly doubling its number of customers from 36,000 to 63,000.

A fifth of China's broadband users access speeds of 1 Gbps or above

Twenty-two percent of broadband customers in China have access to downlink speeds of at least 1 Gbps. China is progressing in fixed-line broadband as well as mobile, according to its latest government statistics. The country's three big operators reported 622 million fixed-line broadband users at the end of August, which is up 32.1 million from the start of the year. All told, of the 587 million Chinese broadband users, 94 percent are on 100 Mbps and above. The country's success in rolling out advanced infrastructure and racking up big subscriber adds is due to several factors, such as a su

European telecommunication groups ask Brussels to make Big Tech pay more for networks

Europe’s biggest telecommunications companies have called on the European Union to compel Big Tech to pay a “fair” contribution for using their networks, the latest stage in a battle for payments that has pitched the sector against companies such as Netflix and Google. Technology companies that “benefit most” from telecommunications infrastructure and drive traffic growth should contribute more to costs, according to the chief executives of 20 groups including BT, Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica.

Put Out the Red Light (Report)

Have you read Senator Cruz’s Red Light Report on broadband funding that came recently? The report accomplished several things:

The FCC’s clock is ticking on defining digital discrimination

In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress tasked the Federal Communications Commission to “take steps to ensure that all people of the United States benefit from equal access to broadband internet access within the service area of a provider of such service.” In the statute, the term “equal access” refers to “equal opportunity to subscribe to an offered service that provides comparable speeds, capacities, latency, and other quality of service metrics in a given area, for comparable terms and conditions.” In principle, Congress’s directive is straightforward and reasonable cons

Broadband Forum, Fiber Broadband Association deal strives for ‘ubiquitous’ broadband delivery

The Broadband Forum is striving to better inform broadband providers of the work it’s doing in technical standards, with the help of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA). In July, the Broadband Forum and FBA partnered to focus on developing and educating the broadband industry on best practices.

Lumos expands network to Columbia (SC)

Lumos, formerly known as NorthState, is establishing a fiber-optic network in the cities of Columbia, West Columbia and Irmo (SC) as part of an overall expansion into the state. Lumos initially announced its South Carolina plans with a $100 million investment in Richland and Lexington counties to build more than 1,200 miles of fiber-optic technology. 

GeoLinks Touts Gig+ Fixed Wireless Access Speeds: Using Broad 28 GHz Holdings Comes Next

GeoLinks has a lot going on with fixed wireless access (FWA), Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) deployments, gig+ speed offers, and spectrum bands. The company has more licenses in the 28 GHz band than any other license holder and "that will give us the opportunity to look into other states in the future,” said COO Ryan Adams. Investments from Rock Mountain Capital and JLC Infrastructure make GeoLinks' expansion plans possible and help GeoLinks build upon their signi

TDS Telecom doubles down on commitment to improve rural broadband

TDS elected to receive Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (E-ACAM) support from the Federal Communications Commission. TDS has communicated to the FCC the company will accept the FCC's offers in 24 states TDS serves. A-CAM, which is being extended and enhanced to provide additional funding for rural broadband, requires the deployment of at least 100/20 Mbps internet service to consumers who lack that service. TDS has been part of the A-CAM program since its inception in 2016. The extended program requires TDS to deploy high-speed internet to more than 270,000 locations.

Kentucky Pursues Full and Equitable Digital Access for All

The goal of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Digital Equity Plan is to establish a roadmap that ensures everyone, regardless of their background or community, has access to the necessary technological resources to fully engage in our society, democracy, and economy. The Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet’s (ELC) Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has made the state's draft plan available to the public for feedback until October 15, 2023.