Internet/Broadband

Windstream racks up 13k broadband adds in Q1

Windstream lit up 129,000 new locations with its Kinetic fiber service in Q1 2021, as it pushed toward a goal of extending gigabit capabilities to a total of 1 million homes and businesses by the end of 2021.

How Does the Emergency Broadband Benefit Discount Work?

The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program launches on May 12. Here's what you need to know

Funding - Congress dedicated $3.2 billion to the Emergency Broadband Benefit.

Discounts – eligible households can receive discounts off monthly broadband service:

FCC to Launch $7.17 Billion Connectivity Fund Program

The Federal Communications Commission unanimously adopted final rules to implement the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. This $7.17 billion program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, will enable schools and libraries to purchase laptop and tablet computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, and broadband connectivity for students, school staff, and library patrons in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Report and Order establishes the rules and policies governing the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program.

Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds

The Secretary of the Treasury is issuing this Interim Final Rule to implement the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund established under the American Rescue Plan Act.

Capital Projects Fund

The Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CCPF) will address many challenges laid bare by the pandemic, especially in rural America and low- and moderate-income communities, helping to ensure that all communities have access to the high-quality, modern infrastructure needed to thrive, including internet access. The American Rescue Plan provides $10 billion for payments to States, territories, and Tribal governments to carry out critical capital projects that directly enable work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the public health emergency. The America

“Building Back Better” Requires Building In Digital

Any national infrastructure package should include 21st century digital infrastructure—not only investments in core digital infrastructure, such as broadband and government IT systems, but also hybrid-digital upgrades to existing physical infrastructure to improve its performance. There is an array of areas any infrastructure bill should target to ensure digital infrastructure deployment.

How Long Prairie, Minnesota and a Local Cooperative Partnered to Build a Citywide Fiber Network

Tired of waiting for connectivity solutions to come to town, one Minnesota community has instead partnered with a local telephone cooperative to build a fiber network reaching every home and business in the city. In embarking on its journey to improve local Internet access six years ago, Long Prairie (pop. 3,300) ended up partnering with one of the most aggressive fiber network builders in the state - Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) - on a solution that meets local needs. The two finished a ubiquitous Fiber-to-the-Home build in 2018, with CTC now owning and operating the network. 

A county-by-county look at the broadband gap

As we kick off our Infrastructure Week series, we wanted to show the scope of the problem ourselves. This map shows where the broadband problem is worst — the areas where the difficulty of reliably connecting to the internet has gotten bad enough to become a drag on everyday life. Specifically, the colored-in areas show US counties where less than 15 percent of households are using the internet at broadband speed, defined as 25Mbps download speed.

Economic Impact of Big Tech Platforms on the Viability of Local Broadcast News

Radio and television stations’ local content – particularly news – provides great value for audiences on the major technology platforms. However, broadcasters are not fairly compensated for this valuable content because of the way the markets currently operate. The reason for that is simple – these tech platforms have substantial market power in their provision of services, and they use that power for advancing their own growth and benefit to the detriment of local broadcast journalism.

Now is the Time to Get the Questions Right

For those of us who spent the last four years fighting a totally depressing battle against the last Administration’s nuclear attack on the public interest, springtime has brought the hope of rebirth, regeneration, and reform.   In media and telecom (my beat) we already see the budding of policies and programs to reverse the nation’s embarrassing broadband shortfalls.  Broadband is now seen as essential infrastructure, as important to twenty-first-century life as electricity was to the twentieth.  Not only that, but understanding broadband as a civil right seems to be taking hold.  Better la

How the homework gap may actually be the key to solving our digital divide

Beyond supporting students, information being collected by schools across the country could prove useful when addressing the problem of the digital divide. The work to close the so-called homework gap, exacerbated when the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools and forced 50 million students to suddenly adopt remote learning, could also provide the federal and state governments a roadmap toward fixing the broader digital divide problem. The homework gap is a subset of a much larger d

Internet access should be considered utility, greater access improves quality of life, experts say

In Indiana, 12.4% of Hoosiers live in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. Where broadband infrastructure is available, broadband may be too expensive, and 16% of Indiana households do not have an internet subscription. Joshua Wells, an informatics professor at Indiana University South Bend, said that the internet “is at a stage where we have to think of it as a vital utility.” 

To Bridge The Digital Divide, Biden Administration Launches Vaccine Hotline

To help overcome the digital divide, the Biden Administration has launched a new vaccination assistance hotline for people who would prefer to get information via telephone. It's part of the administration's push to get 70% of adults in the U.S. vaccinated with at least one dose by July 4. "We know that millions of people in America don't have consistent access to broadband or are uncomfortable navigating the web," wrote Dr. Marcella Nunez Smith, who chairs the Biden administration's COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force.

Amazon and Apple Built Vast Wireless Networks Using Your Devices. Here’s How They Work.

What to do if you’re a globe-spanning tech titan that wants to connect millions or even billions of devices, but you don’t want the hassle or cost of dealing with telecommunication companies, satellite operators, or cable companies for connectivity? You use the devices your customers have already purchased—and brought into homes, businesses and public spaces—to make an end-run around traditional wireless networks.

Will The Government's New Broadband Subsidies Close The Digital Divide For Older Americans?

On May 12, the Federal Communications Commission will launch the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, which will have internet service providers give low-income Americans who qualify up to $50 off per month for broadband service. Advocates for older adults say the government's new broadband subsidies are a good step towards closing the digital divide — but that much more will need to be done to get them on the internet.

San Francisco North Bay counties wrestle with broadband internet disconnect

Marin County, California launched a project called Digital Marin to better serve its citizens broadband needs. Of the 671 people completing the survey in the San Fransisco-area community, only 11% indicated they were satisfied with how fast and reliable their internet service is.

Competitive Carriers Association warns up to $1 billion of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund could be wasted

The Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) warned the Federal Communications Commission is about to misspend millions in federal broadband funds, sending money to locations where it isn’t actually needed, due to faulty coverage maps. Specifically, CCA flagged money set to be distributed as part of Phase I of the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program. CCA CEO Steve Berry said, “We knew the data was not accurate.

New president, new FCC, new net neutrality rules?

One policy issue that has haunted every Federal Communications Commission in the past decade, and then some, is net neutrality. That’s the idea that internet service providers have to treat all content equally and can’t slow down or charge more for certain kinds of content. Rules have ping-ponged between administrations. Obama’s FCC put neutrality rules in place in 2015 and Trump’s appointee repealed them in 2017. New Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel supports net neutrality rules. She said, "I think things are always sturdier when they’re written into law.

The government is making broadband more affordable — for now. How do we make that permanent?

Congress created a $3 billion fund to provide low-income Americans with $50 per month for broadband service. The subsidies start May 12 and the program is, for now, temporary.

Broadband Equity: Addressing Disparities in Access and Affordability

The House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing on the disparities that exist in accessing affordable, reliable high-speed internet in the US. The panel heard from the National Urban League's Joi Chaney, Public Knowledge President Chris Lewis, Francella Ochillo of Next Century Cities, and George Ford, the chief economist at the Phoenix Center.

Price Too High and Rising: The Facts About America’s Broadband Affordability Gap

The facts on pricing and profits for the US broadband industry, the varying ways to measure prices, the important differences between these methods, and how certain methods can be used to obfuscate the reality of what is happening in the market and at the kitchen table. Government and industry data note the strength and weaknesses in each form and highlight how the ISP industry and its apologists use this kind of data to mislead. Some of our findings include:

Priorities and Policies To Connect the Unconnected Worldwide in Light of the 2021 International Telecommunication Union World Telecommunication Development Conference

The World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC–2021) will set the priorities and activities for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Development Sector in areas such as connectivity and digital inclusion.

Developing a Grant Strategy in an Evolving Funding Landscape

In light of many moving pieces and the potential broadband funding streams, we recommend communities take the following steps to develop a funding strategy and position themselves competitively for federal dollars:

Net Neutrality 'Vital' To Protect The Public, California Tells Appeals Court

California is urging a federal appeals court to leave in place a state net neutrality law that broadly prohibits broadband carriers from blocking or throttling traffic and from charging higher fees for prioritized delivery. “Congress has not established a federal regulatory regime that bars the states from taking steps to safeguard access to something as essential as the Internet,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta argues in papers filed with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.