Coverage of how Internet service is deployed, used and regulated.
Internet/Broadband
Civil society to President Biden: Do not disrupt internet access in Russia or Belarus
Access Now, Wikimedia Foundation, and over 35 civil society organizations called on President Joe Biden and his administration to ensure the people of Russia and Belarus are not cut off from the internet. The signatories deplore Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urge that further restricting the internet in Russia and Belarus will only accelerate violence and repression. Signatories to the letter are concerned that the US government and like-minded governments may be considering disrupting internet access in Russia and Belarus through new sanctions.
Sens Cornyn and Klobuchar Introduce the Safely Accessing Telecommunications Act
Sens John Cornyn (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Safely Accessing Telecommunications (SAT) Act, which would authorize the US State Department and Department of Defense to enter into contracts with satellite cellular and internet providers to provide direct connectivity in conflict regions. The SAT Act would:
Val Verde, California, School District Broadband Network Provides Case Study for Closing the Digital Divide
A public-private partnership to provide internet connectivity for residents in the Val Verde Unified School District (USD) serves as a model case study for broadband deployment to hard-to-reach populations. Val Verde USD, located in Riverside County (CA) will work with hybrid network provider GeoLinks to establish the first-ever broadband service explicitly for families of the school district, with low-income households receiving the service for free.
Fiber Investment Forecast to Surpass $125 Billion Over Next Five Years
A US fiber investment forecast from RVA LLC calls for service providers to spend $125 billion over the next five years, exceeding the total amount that has been invested in fiber since providers first began deploying it. The $125 billion includes money allocated in government programs, said Michael Render, RVA owner and principal analyst. The largest of these programs is the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program created in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Aviation conflict highlights the need for spectrum management reform
As the leaders of the House Energy and Commerce's Communications and Technology Subcommittee, we are responsible for pursuing public oversight and restoring trust in the spectrum management process, and we are committed to doing so in a bipartisan fashion. First, NTIA, the congressionally designated manager of federal spectrum, must continue to be recognized throughout the federal government as the entity authorized to balance the needs and concerns of federal spectrum users, and to communicate those interests to its governmental counterparts and the public.
The Pew Charitable Trusts Launches Opportunity Broadband
The Pew Charitable Trusts launched Opportunity Broadband—an alliance of 5 companies, associations, and nonprofit organizations across the country working to ensure that our nation’s investment in universal, affordable broadband access strengthens communities and promotes equal participation in the economy.
Broadband Labels Should Tell Consumers Competition is Faster, Better and More Affordable
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directs the Federal Communications Commission “to promulgate regulations to require the display of broadband consumer labels...to disclose to consumers information regarding broadband Internet access service plans.” INCOMPAS believes the FCC should clarify that the purpose of the broadband labels is to help residential and small business consumers—and that the requirements will not apply to providers or resellers providing services to large business or government customers. INCOMPAS suggests that the FCC exclude E-Rate and Rural Health Care provide
Sens Blumenthal and Markey Suggest Priorities for Broadband Infrastructure Programs to NTIA
"As the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) takes significant steps to close the digital divide and bring broadband to more Americans under the bipartisan infrastructure law, we write to encourage the Agency to prioritize and protect competition, high quality jobs, affordability, and consumer protection standards in its grant programs," said Sens Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ed Markey (D-MA) in a letter to NTIA Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson. Regarding the broadband programs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the senators urge the NTIA to:
T-Mobile fights hard to keep its 2.5 GHz leases secret
T-Mobile is using its considerable legal muscle to try and prevent the terms of its 2.5 GHz spectrum leases from being revealed. This is particularly newsworthy right now because the Federal Communications Commission recently announced it would kick off the process for its Auction 108 in July 2022. Auction 108 is the auction of 2.5 GHz spectrum in the “white-space” gaps in the band that are currently lying fallow.
Charter expands 200 Mbps starter internet speed to 95 percent of its footprint
Charter Communications continued a multi-year march to double the entry-level speed available on its Spectrum Internet service, rolling out 200 Mbps service in more than three dozen new markets. The 37 markets where the faster service is now available cover more than 5 million homes and include Bakersfield (CA), Bangor (ME), Binghamton (NY), Dayton (OH), and Green Bay (WI).