Internet/Broadband

USDA Invests $11.8 Million in High-Speed Broadband in Rural Arkansas

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $11.8 million in grants to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Arkansas. Mountain View Telephone Company (MVTC) will use a $2.9 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 1,331 people, 39 farms, six businesses, two fire stations, and one post office to high-speed broadband internet in Stone County, Arkansas.

FCC Commissioner starks calls for new scrutiny of undersea data cables

Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks called for new scrutiny of undersea cables that transmit nearly all the world’s internet data traffic at the FCC meeting Sept 30.  “We must take a closer look at cables with landing locations in adversary countries,” Commissioner Starks said.

Black America Needs An Emergency Broadband Benefit

31% of Black households do not have high-speed home broadband, affecting Black school-aged children and their ability to complete homework assignments at a disproportionate rate.

America's Internet Wasn't Prepared for Online School

It’s become clear to teachers, administrators, and community members that the digital divide is too big for schools to bridge on their own. The infrastructure needed to teach rural students remotely would require systemic change — it would require government assistance. Months into the pandemic, educators say they still don’t have what they need.

East St. Louis families scramble for internet access to engage in remote learning

Melissa Lawson does whatever she can to ensure her children have a great education. The single mom of three juggles working as a licensed cosmetologist, a Zumba instructor and a school’s lunch and recess monitor while ensuring she has the money to keep her children at Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School and Gibault Catholic High School. But now that Lawson’s children are remote learning this school year, she’s had to double her efforts because she can’t afford internet service in her home. She leaves her phone with her kids while she goes to work so they can use her hotspot for school.

Next Century Cities Asks California Governor For Special Broadband Bill Session

Next Century Cities wants the governor to bring the California legislature back for a special session to consider a broadband bill, SB1130. Under current law, California's broadband deployment plan is that no later than Dec. 31, 2022, the state will approve funding for infrastructure projects "that will provide broadband access to no less than 98% of California households."  The new law would stretch that timeline by two years, but up the ante on what broadband must be deployed. "[N]o later than Dec.

The Unequal Costs of the Digital Divide

Attending college during the coronavirus has meant added costs. And the digital divide that was a problem for many students last academic year hasn’t disappeared. In fact, with the fall semester already underway, institutions are still working to assess and overcome the gaps in technology for students. 57 percent of college students said that having access to a stable, high-speed internet connection could be challenging if they continued their education online. For the most vulnerable students, a lack of access to the internet and a computer could keep them from enrolling.

Investigation of Competition in Digital Markets

The House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee released the findings of its more than 16-month long investigation into the state of competition in the digital economy, especially the challenges presented by the dominance of Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook and their business practices. After outlining the challenges presented due to the market domination of Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook, the report walks through a series of possible remedies to (1) restore competition in the digital economy, (2) strengthen the antitrust laws, and (3) reinvigorate antitrust enforcement.

Lessons learned from Taiwan and South Korea's tech-enabled COVID-19 communications

In exploring the principles behind democratic health communications around the world, South Korea and Taiwan stood out for their use of technology both to understand what their citizens were thinking and to prevent the health disinformation spreading as it did in Europe and North America. Their experiences in dealing with the infodemic provide five important lessons for policymakers:

USDA Launches New, Streamlined Process for Private Lenders to Invest in Rural America

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting applications for the department’s four key loan guarantee programs under the OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative. USDA has officially eliminated duplicative processes and has launched a common loan guarantee application for the following programs:

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for October 2020 Open Meeting

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the October Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, 2020:

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to the International Regulators' Forum

Thank you to the International Institute of Communications and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for inviting me to speak with you. We’ve been asked to talk today about consumer protection in a market economy. When we think about how best to promote the public interest, regulators should avoid the trap of viewing consumer welfare and the private sector as being inherently at odds with one another. After all, it is good for consumers when the private sector invests, innovates, and competes.

CWA calls out AT&T's lack of fiber in its DSL footprint

On the heels of AT&T saying it will no longer take new orders for its DSL service, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) criticized its lack of fiber.  According to a report CWA did in conjunction with the National Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), AT&T has deployed fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) to 28% of the households in its footprint as of the end of June. By contrast, the report said AT&T has targeted more affluent, non-rural areas for its fiber upgrades. Houses with fiber have a median income that's 34% higher than those with DSL only.

Project OVERCOME will Accelerate Novel Broadband Deployments in Underserved Communities

Project OVERCOME, a National Science Foundation- (NSF-) funded effort, will accelerate the delivery of broadband services to unserved and underserved communities. The project has received an NSF grant award (Award # CNS-2044448) of $1.945 million, which will support the selection and buildout of five proof-of-concept network deployments designed to connect both rural and urban communities in novel ways. US Ignite will oversee the selection process as well as the build-out phase of the winning concept proposals.

Tricks, Not Treats: New America Slams FCC’s ‘Unhinged’ October Surprise on Net Neutrality

After Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced an Oct 27 vote to reaffirm the 2017 repeal of net neutrality, Joshua Stager, senior counsel at New America’s Open Technology Institute said: “This is an October surprise that nobody wanted except for AT&T and Comcast lobbyists. A federal court ruled that the FCC was 'unhinged from reality' when it repealed net neutrality in 2017, and yesterday's announcement shows that Chairman Pai's perspective remains unhinged.

USDA Invests Nearly $4 Million in High-Speed Broadband in Rural Indiana

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing nearly $4 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Indiana. Jackson County Rural Electric Membership Corporation will use a $1.9 million loan and a $1.9 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 4,881 people, 198 farms and 36 businesses to high-speed broadband internet in Indiana’s Jackson and Lawrence counties.

USDA Invests $4.6 Million in High-Speed Broadband in Rural Mississippi

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $4.6 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Mississippi. Bay Springs Telephone Company, Inc. will use a $4.6 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 5,139 people, 69 businesses, 77 farms, three fire stations, two post offices, two health care facilities and five educational facilities to high-speed broadband internet in Jasper, Jones, Newton, Lauderdale and Smith counties in Mississippi.

Facebook Keeps Data Secret, Letting Conservative Bias Claims Persist

Conservatives claim that tech platforms disproportionately suppress and censor conservative views online. But the facts to support that case have been hard to find. Technology experts say there is no statistical evidence to support the argument that Facebook does not give conservative views a fair shake. When Republicans claim Facebook is "biased," they often collapse two distinct complaints into one. First, that the social network deliberately scrubs right-leaning content from its site. There is no proof to back this up.

The Trump FCC's Repeal of Net Neutrality Is Still Wrong, and Still Hurting People Without Internet Access

No amount of lying by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will change this reality: The Trump FCC’s repeal of Net Neutrality protections and agency authority were wrong in 2017 and they’re still wrong today.

Pandemic program to boost Alabama student internet use mostly unused

A $100 million program to increase internet usage among low-income Alabama families during the pandemic has gone mostly unused, and the state is sending 300,000 more vouchers in a search for additional takers. While 75,000 students have gained internet access so far through the program, which seeks to make it easier for students to get online for school, around 450,000 students qualify statewide, said Mike Presley, spokesman for the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. The second round of vouchers is being sent by a state contractor to increase participation.

Commissioner Rosenworcel on FCC's Latest Move to Harm Net Neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission announced that it will address 2019’s court remand of key elements of the FCC’s rollback of net neutrality. In particular, the court decision took the agency to task for disregarding its duty to consider how the FCC’s decision threatened public safety, service for low-income households, and broadband infrastructure. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said, “This is crazy. The internet should be open and available for all...Now the courts have asked us for a do-over.

Halloween Treats

I can say for sure that the agenda for the Commission’s October meeting will be filled with treats for consumers and innovators. 

AT&T’s Digital Redlining Leaving Communities Behind for Profit

AT&T has made fiber-to-the-home available to fewer than a third of the households in its footprint. Across rural counties in AT&T’s footprint, only 5 percent of households have access to fiber. For 28 percent of the households in its network footprint, AT&T’s internet service does not meet the FCC’s 25/3 Mbps benchmark to be considered broadband. AT&T prioritizes network upgrades to wealthier areas, leaving lower income communities with outdated technologies -- households with fiber available have median income 34 percent higher than those with DSL only.

Broadband Internet Is an Imperative, Not a Luxury

Imagine if we could put every area of America on an even playing field when it comes to high-speed internet. How much of an investment do we need? A Democratic proposal earlier this year committed $100 billion to an investment in digital infrastructure but was part of a COVID-related bill that did not make it into law.