1. Monthly archive
  2. January 2017

January 2017

FCC Votes To Expand Broadband Deployment In New York

In its first action under Chairman Ajit Pai, the Federal Communications Commission voted to provide up to $170 million from the Connect America Fund to expand broadband deployment in unserved rural areas of New York State. The $170 million in federal funding will be coupled with at least $200 million in state funding and private investment to jump-start broadband deployment and close the digital divide in these unserved areas more quickly.

This partnership with the state program will also result in more efficient and effective use of both state and federal funding. The Order adopted by the FCC today will authorize Connect America Phase II support in areas where applicants are selected through New York’s competitive New NY Broadband Program, subject to specified conditions to ensure broad participation and ongoing oversight. The funding that will be made available was declined by Verizon in 2015.

FCC's Pai Talks Rural Broadband

American Cable Association president Matt Polka and top ACA policy staffer Ross Lieberman were among a group representing rural broadband who met with new Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai Jan 26, his second meeting with outside groups since being named chairman this week. It was a continuation of Chairman Pai's pledge to focus on closing the digital divide. Also at the meeting were Mike Romano of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, Alex Phillips and Stephen Coran from the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, Steve Berry and Rebecca Murphy Thompson of the Competitive Carriers Association, and Martha Duggan of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

According to an FCC official, "participants raised several ideas for closing the digital divide and expressed strong support for proposals he made as part of his Digital Empowerment Agenda." For his part, Chairman Pai at the meeting "pledged to continue working closely with these organizations to bring digital opportunity to all Americans."

Can Hybrid Wired/Wireless Infrastructure Stop the Broadband Hype?

[Commentary] Now that wireless can comfortably reach 40 to 50 Mbps in the home and gig wireless capacity backhaul is working in the field, can hybrid wired/wireless infrastructure dial back some of the hype? To lower their susceptibility of getting caught up in the hype, community broadband planners could start by understanding that the average person doesn’t much care how they get their data, so long as it's reliable, affordable, secure and fast. Many variations of wireless — including fiber-powered Wi-Fi radios and almost all configurations of fiber — can meet those for criteria.

[Craig Settles assists communities with developing their broadband business and marketing plans, and help communities raise money for broadband projects. ]

Conservative groups ask Congress to rescind FCC privacy rules

Conservative groups are urging Congress to roll back the broadband privacy rules that were enacted by the Federal Communications Commission in 2016. In a letter to House and Senate leaders, the groups asked the lawmakers to use their Congressional Review Act authority to rescind the FCC’s Broadband Privacy Order. The letter’s signees include the telecom industry-aligned NetCompetition as well as free-market groups like Americans for Tax Reform and FreedomWorks.

“Congress is fully justified in rescinding these rules both because the Order lacks proper legal grounding and because of the need to ensure real consumer privacy across contexts of user experience,” the letter reads. The regulations were passed in October and require internet service providers to obtain permission from customers before using their browsing and app usage data. “Rescinding the Privacy Order would promote both innovation and effective, consistent privacy protections in over-the-top, application, wireless and wireline markets,” reads the letter. “It would also send a clear signal that the FCC has lost its way in interpreting the statute Congress gave it.”

Comcast mobile phone service coming in 2017 with wireless/cable bundles

Comcast said it plans to offer a mobile phone service in 2017 with an emphasis on selling bundles of wireless and cable service. Launching the wireless product is a priority in 2017, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said. Comcast will be able to offer wireless service nationwide because of a reselling agreement with Verizon, but the company is expecting particularly good sales with existing customers in its cable territory.

"We plan to include wireless in our multi-product bundles in a way that is designed to add value to our customers, improve retention, and ultimately benefit lifetime customer economics for us," Roberts said. "Our offering will give customers access to a world-class wireless network, benefiting from our Wi-Fi [hotspots], with the best mobile devices and a simple, transparent experience, all for a great value." The Comcast "triple-play" bundle would thus expand to four major products: home Internet service, cable TV, landline phones, and mobile phones.

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