Fierce
New Mexico, Minnesota latest to say BEAD funds won't be enough
Officials from New Mexico and Minnesota are the latest to declare that federal and state funds currently available to them will not be enough to bring broadband to the underserved and unserved in their states. Bree Maki, the executive director of Minnesota’s Office of Broadband Development, said the state’s Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) allotment of about $651.8 million is “very close to” what her office expected. “However, we have statutory goals that are different when we talk about what unserved is,” said Maki.
Tillman gets $500 Million from Northleaf for open access fiber build in 5 states
Tillman FiberCo received a $200 million investment from Northleaf Capital Partners to fuel plans to build an open-access fiber network in five states. The deal with Northleaf leaves the door open to another $300 million investment when the time is right. Founded in 2021, Tillman FiberCo is a subsidiary of Tillman Global Holdings, whose other subsidiary, Tillman Networks, is a well-known player in the telecommunications construction world. But unlike its sister company, Tillman FiberCo not only designs and builds fiber networks, but also owns them.
Michigan broadband chief: Only ‘one shot’ for universal broadband access
As a two-peninsula state, Michigan has broadband accessibility challenges others states may not have, said Eric Frederick, chief connectivity officer at the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI).
Are anchor institutions the forgotten piece of BEAD?
As state leaders forge proposals for Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding, local stakeholders are imploring them not to forget about the role of community anchor institutions (CAI). CAIs are rooted entities such as hospitals, schools, universities, and government agencies that drive economic growth and social welfare in their communities. “If you're building out to those unserved homes, and there are anchor institutions, you might as well connect the anchors while you're there,” said John Windhausen, founder and executive director of the
Fires on Maui destroy telecommunications equipment, adding to emergency
Cell towers and other telecommunications equipment have been destroyed in the wildfires burning on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Similarly, the electric grid suffered outages, and telecom equipment also relies on the grid. The lack of telecom service has made things worse for people calling for help and evacuation. Justen Burdette, CEO of Mobi, a Hawaiian wireless provider said, “The devastation in Lāhainā is just incomprehensible. So many folks have lost their homes, their small businesses—but to lose an entire community?
5G coalition presses FCC to allow FWA in lower 12 GHz band
The 5G for 12 GHz Coalition is urging the Federal Communications Commission to take action by December 31, 2023, to expand the 12.2 GHz band for terrestrial fixed use, giving entities like Dish Network the ability to use the band for fixed wireless access (FWA). The 12.2 GHz band is currently allocated to Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS), non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite service (NGSO FSS) and fixed service.
Colorado BEAD plan is ‘agnostic’ to fiber versus fixed wireless
Fixed wireless is "absolutely part of the equation” for Colorado’s Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding plans, according to Brandy Reitter, executive director of the state’s broadband office.
Cable operators can get to 8 Gbps without end-to-end DOCSIS 4.0
DOCSIS 4.0 has been billed as the technology that will put cable operators on par with 10G PON service from fiber providers, but a recent CableLabs interoperability event showed cable companies can hit over 8 Gbps with a mix of new and old gear. CableLabs Principal Architect Doug Jones said that operators demonstrated speeds of “eight point something” gigabits per second downstream and 1.5 Gbps upstream. But rather than using an end-to-end DOCSIS 4.0 system, this was done using a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem termination system (CMTS) in a high split configuration and a DOCSIS 4.0 modem.
Telecommunications and the climate crisis: Solutions for cutting CO2
As global economies race to curb climate change, the telecommunications industry is positioned to make a substantial difference.