Fierce
Mediacom taps Tarana to boost its FWA build in 4 states
Mediacom is proving that even though it's a cable and fiber provider, it's happy to use fixed wireless access (FWA), too. Mediacom will use Tarana’s next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) broadband technology in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina—states where it’s won funding from the Federal Communications Commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). The operator’s required RDOF buildout target is 5,694 locations, said Thomas Larsen, Mediacom’s SVP of government and public relations.
Department of Defense outlines spectrum moonshot endeavor during eclipse
They’re calling it a moonshot—akin to sending men to the moon in the 1960s.
ALLO Fiber overbuilds Cable One in Joplin, Missouri
The city of Joplin (MO), has taken broadband competitiveness into its own hands and has wooed ALLO Fiber to build a fiber network in the city that will compete against the long-time incumbent Cable One. This is bad news for Cable One. But it could also spell bad news for cable providers all over the country. For several decades cable operators have been careful to respect each other’s footprints, rather than competing against each other in many markets.
Broadband ‘nutrition’ labels are coming—here’s what you need to know
Soon, getting info on a broadband provider will be as easy as checking the label on the back of a cereal box. Or so we hope! The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is requiring the majority of internet service providers (ISPs) to display broadband consumer labels at the point of sale by April 10.
Wireless prepares for ACP funding gap
With the future of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) looking grimmer every day, wireless operators and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are preparing for its demise and weighing their alternatives. The ACP is expected to run out of money by mid-May, leaving millions of Americans without discounted internet services.
Zayo releases a flurry of fiber upgrades
Zayo Group unveiled a slew of upgrades to its fiber infrastructure, including the acquisition of a new long-haul dark fiber route connecting Washington, DC and Atlanta. Zayo acquired the route through a secretive "technology partnership," but Chaz Kramer, Zayo's VP of product management, said the name of the company and price tag for the acquisition “aren’t being disclosed." In things that are being disclosed, the company announced that it built a dark fiber route connecting Columbus, Ohio to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This Massachusetts program is giving free digital equity advice
In Massachusetts a consulting program is helping local municipalities navigate digital equity planning. There is no flow of money to municipalities under said program. Instead, the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program, spearheaded by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), pairs towns and cities with consultants to develop strategic plans for digital equity within their communities.
Public and private fiber operators tap asset backed security
One tactic that both private and public fiber companies are using to raise capital is to tap asset backed security (ABS), according to the analysts at TD Cowen. ABS is a type of financial investment that uses income-generating assets as collateral and is an alternative to other ways of raising capital, such as corporate bonds.
The clock is ticking for ACP—can it be saved?
April is the last fully funded month for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and the forecast for its future is looking grim. On March 23, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved Congress’ final, fiscal year 2024 spending package, worth a whopping $1.2 trillion. The kicker? The over-1000-page legislation contained no mention of additional funding for the ACP. And the numbers aren’t looking pretty. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has appropriated a total of around $17 billion for the ACP and its predecessor the Emergency Broadband Benefit program.