Internet/Broadband

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) should prioritize funding for fiber broadband in rules for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, said NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association and the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) in a letter to Alan Davidson, head of NTIA, which will be administering the BEAD program in conjunction with individual states. NTCA and FBA recommendations for the BEAD program include:

On February 25, 2022, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the grantees which will receive a collective total of $277 million in Broadband Infrastructure Program funding. NTIA has since published further information on the 13 Broadband Infrastructure Program grantees.

The Federal Communications Commission heard from the public on April 7 as the agency focuses on plans to create broadband consumer labels. This was the second FCC public hearing on so-called nutrition labels as the agency revives an effort from late in the Obama administration to stick the information on internet service provider (ISP) plans. One common thread was that even when information is available on internet service quality, consumers don't know enough about the specifics to grasp what it means for their own online needs.

Over the past few years, the US government has allocated billions of dollars for broadband, most recently setting aside $65 billion in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in late 2021. While that’s a lot of cash, it might not stretch as far as one would think when it comes to covering rural and underserved areas. That’s where private equity comes in, according to GTCR managing director Stephen Jeschke. The way Jeschke sees it, delivering broadband to every American is an all-hands-on-deck kind of task.

With an unprecedented amount of federal funds to build broadband networks flowing into individual states, lawmakers in some states are doing the bidding of the big monopoly Internet Service Providers and potentially blowing a once-in-a-generation chance to invest in the locally-accountable infrastructure that offers the best chance to bridge the broadband gap for millions of families once and for all.

AT&T and Verizon – two of the nation's biggest 5G mobile network operators – own extensive fiber holdings around the country, and both argue that such ownership is critical to their long-term success. T-Mobile and Dish Network, on the other hand, are building extensive 5G mobile networks (though Dish hasn't yet switched on commercial services) without owning any fiber whatsoever. And, according to both Dish and T-Mobile, that's just fine. So, which side is right?

Google Fiber announced plans to move into its second city in Iowa, revealing construction is set to begin in the capital city of Des Moines (IA) later in 2022. The company said it is currently in the planning stages for the build, kicking off the permitting process ahead of actual its actual construction work.

Seven technology industry associations sent a joint letter to the Senate majority and minority leaders urging the Senate to confirm Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] as the fifth Federal Communications Commissioner. Associations signing the letter included service provider groups INCOMPAS and NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, as well as the Consumer Technology Association, Chamber of Progress, CompTIA, Computer & Communications Industry Association, and Internet Infrastructure Coalition.

Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen delivered remarks on digital assets policy, innovation, and regulation at American University's (DC) Kogod School of Business Center for Innovation. "A few weeks ago, President Biden signed an Executive Order calling for a coordinated and comprehensive government approach to digital asset policy," Yellen said. "Digital assets have grown explosively, reaching a market cap of $3 trillion last November from $14 billion just five years prior.

Breezeline, the eighth-largest cable operator in the US, has introduced a new “Internet Assist Plus” package with download speeds up to 100 Mbps for customers who are eligible to receive broadband connectivity at discounted prices through the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).