Universal Broadband

Concerns with Broadband Deployment Report

Public Knowledge, Common Cause, New America’s Open Technology Institute, et al. met with Federal Communications Commission Wireline Competition Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics staff on January 16, 2020, to express concern regarding the methodology, analysis, and conclusions in the Fifteenth Broadband Deployment Report Notice of Inquiry. They disagreed with the FCC’s conclusions in its two prior broadband deployment reports that broadband is being deployed to all Americans in a timely fashion.

FCC Chairman Pai visits Marietta, Ohio and touts broadband fund

Rep Bill Johnson (R-OH), Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, and local dignitaries met to discuss the importance of broadband access for Southeastern Ohio’s rural communities. In Marietta (OH), Chairman Pai outlined the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) at the roundtable. He said the RDOF would be divided into two phases. Phase 1 will cost $16 billion and will target areas with no broadband access. He said part of phase 2 will be data collection. “We’ll collect information from providers as a map may show an area has service, but they don’t in reality,” he explained.

Sponsor: 

Communications and Technology Subcommittee

House Commerce Committee

Date: 
Wed, 01/29/2020 - 16:30
Sponsor: 

The Pew Charitable Trusts

Date: 
Tue, 02/11/2020 - 15:00 to 22:00

Preview new research from Pew’s broadband research initiative. The project’s forthcoming study will examine how nine states are bridging gaps in connectivity – and highlight five “promising practices” associated with effective broadband deployment.

8:00 AM – Breakfast

9:00 AM – Opening Remarks

9:15 AM – An overview of Pew's research findings
 



Gov Walz (D-MN) announces $23 million for expanding rural broadband in Minnesota

Gov Tim Walz (D-MN) announced the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is awarding $23,270,933 in Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program funds to 30 broadband projects across the state.

USDA Invests $7.1 Million in Broadband for Rural Arkansas Communities

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested $7.1 million in two, high-speed broadband infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for 1,250 rural households in north central Arkansas. The Yelcot Telephone Company will use a $1.7 million ReConnect Program grant and a $1.7 million loan to upgrade facilities from copper cable and drops to a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network that is expected to connect 548 households in Baxter and Marion counties.

USDA Invests $18.7 Million in Broadband for Rural West Virginia Communities

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested $18.7 million in a high-speed broadband infrastructure project that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for more than 6,300 rural households and an estimated 383 farms in Harrison, Doddridge, Lewis, Barbour and Upshur counties in West Virginia. The Harrison Rural Electrification Association Inc.

Terrific Digital Opportunities Ahead…But Some Tweaks Are Needed To Prevent Storm Clouds In The Future

Here are just a few pieces that we think are worthy of further consideration and some modification before the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) order becomes final.

Broadband Associations Collectively Call For Changes in Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

The major broadband associations have gotten to together to urge the Federal Communications Commission to make changes to the proposed Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.

The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund: Subsidizing Toyotas or Ferraris?

The problem with using speed alone in assessing the capabilities of broadband networks is that it represents only one product characteristic, and is not necessarily linked with the requirements of the applications commonly used by end consumers.

FCC Plotting to Exclude New York from Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) sounded the alarm on a misguided plan from the Federal Communications Commission that would exacerbate the digital divide in numerous Upstate New York communities and called on it to reverse course at once. The FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund will allocate $20.4 billion to connect millions of rural homes and small businesses to high-speed, broadband internet.

Frontier Misses CAF Broadband Deployment Milestone

Frontier provided the Federal Communications Commission notice that, based on its current year-end data, it met or exceeded the FCC Connect America Fund Phase II program’s December 31, 2019 interim broadband deployment milestone in 16 states, but, based on preliminary year-end data, it may not have reached the CAF Phase II 80 percent interim deployment milestone in 13 states. More information by March 1, 2020.

CenturyLink Misses CAF Broadband Deployment Milestone

CenturyLink provided the Federal Communications Commission notice that its current year-end data shows it met or exceeded the Connect America Fund Phase II program’s interim broadband deployment milestone in ten states, but, based on preliminary year-end data, it may not have met the CAF Phase II 80 percent interim deployment milestone in 23 states. Additional information coming by March 1, 2020.

USDA Invests $5.7 Million in Broadband for Rural Nebraska Communities

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested $5.7 million in a high-speed broadband infrastructure project that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity in parts of three Nebraska counties. The investment is expected to connect 489 rural households, 24 farms and eight businesses to high-speed broadband internet in unserved portions of Madison, Wayne and Pierce counties. Eastern Nebraska Telephone Company will use a $5.7 million ReConnect Program grant to construct 221 miles of fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband infrastructure.

USDA Invests $11 Million in Broadband for Rural Minnesota and Iowa Communities

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) invested $11 million in three, high-speed broadband infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for more than 1,395 rural households and nearly 120 businesses throughout several counties in Minnesota and northern Iowa. Harmony Telephone Company will use a $2.7 million ReConnect Program loan and a $2.7 million ReConnect Program grant to construct a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to connect 577 households, a health care center and a critical community facility spread over 143 square miles in several counties bordering

Rural Broadband in the House

House Democratic leaders are set to roll out infrastructure legislation following the Martin Luther King Jr. Day recess. The legislation will likely feature provisions aimed at closing the digital divide, putting the issue of broadband internet access front and center ahead of the 2020 elections.

FCC Commissioner Starks Remarks at Future of Work Congressional Caucus Launch

I want to first begin by saying congratulations to Reps Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Bryan Steil (R-WI) for launching the Future of Work Caucus. At the Federal Communications Commission, my number one priority is to ensure that all Americans are connected to affordable and reliable broadband. And I have to tell you, folks, we're just not there yet when it comes to ensuring that everyone is connected to broadband in this country. I know I only have a few minutes to chat with you all today so let me just close by saying that an automation tsunami is coming.

Broadband Associations Collectively Call For Rural Broadband Fund Change

The major broadband associations have gotten to together to add heft to the bone they have to pick with the Federal Communications Commission over the way it has structured its new Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) subsidy process, one they warn could discourage participation and drain $1 billion from broadband buildouts to banks and other lending institutions. The FCC plans to vote on final rules for the $20.4 billion fund Jan. 30.

The Decade in Broadband: 2020 Statistics & Predictions

A data-driven series examining the state of broadband deployment in the US throughout the 2010’s, as well as a look ahead to where and how advanced deployment technologies will affect our progress looking out to the next decade. From 2010 to 2020, Americans with access to broadband internet increased from an estimated 74.5 percent to 93.5 percent. ome states have seen greater improvement in broadband availability over the last ten years than others. Montana saw the greatest improvement, with broadband availability increasing from 11% to 86% between 2010 and 2020 – a 652% growth rate.

Massachusetts Pursues Its Own Route to Broadband Expansion

Conventional wisdom says a town with less than 200 people wouldn’t have the resources to establish and maintain high-speed Internet for its residents. But Mount Washington, located in Berkshire County (MA) contradicted such wisdom in Nov 2017 when it activated its municipal fiber broadband service.  From one angle, the case of Mount Washington is a miracle.

Democratic candidates tout rural broadband infrastructure goals

The leading Democratic presidential candidates are all calling for major increases in spending for roads, bridges, rural broadband and other infrastructure needs, but they'll need large increases in tax revenue to pay for their plans. The Democrats' plans rely far less heavily than private investment than President Donald Trump would, as President Trump's 2018 budget proposed spending $200 billion “to spur at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments with partners at the State, local, Tribal, and private level.” President Trump hasn't pursued the plan with Congress.

We Need Broadband Internet for All

Nearly half of Americans do not have an internet connection that meets minimum broadband speeds. Moreover, a staggering number of poor people of color do not have home internet access of any kind. And, across the board, Americans are charged some of the highest prices for internet service in the developed world. These are all symptoms of a much larger, structural problem: the corporate capture of the pipes, wires, and other infrastructure that powers the internet.

Pennsylvania Counties Eye Broadband Connectivity Study

Officials from Westmoreland County (PA) and seven neighboring counties are studying a proposal for local governing entities to step up and invest in infrastructure needed to expand or enhance broadband connectivity in under-served areas. About a dozen stakeholders from multiple counties attended a kickoff meeting for the Regional Broadband Task Force study.

Could a state cell phone tax power Pennsylvania's rural broadband expansion?

One PA farmer’s group has an idea to pay for expanding rural broadband access — a tax on cell phone bills. The proposal was floated recently at the annual PA Farm Show in Harrisburg (PA) on back-to-back days by PA State Grange president Wayne Campbell. As a starting point, Campbell suggested that a $0.75 to $1 surcharge per-month on every cell phone user could finance small, matching state grants for local broadband projects.