May 2019

Connecting the Dots: The Telecommunications Crisis in Puerto Rico

The report condemns the Federal Communications Commission for failing to adequately respond to the September 2017 hurricanes, which knocked out 95 percent of all cell sites, 97 percent of radio stations and all local television stations. The report calls out the agency’s failure to hold wired and wireless carriers to account for neglecting to build resilient networks or respond in a timely or sufficient fashion to restore communications to the islands’ residents.

Three States, Their Local Communities, and Broadband Funding Denied

In many states, elected officials are listening to constituents and experts who tell them that they need fast, affordable, reliable connectivity to keep their communities from dwindling. States that refuse funding to public entities, however, block out some of the best opportunities to connect people and businesses in rural areas. In places such as Michigan, Tennessee, and Virginia, states need to trust their own people to develop necessary broadband networks.

Apple and the iPhone Near Trade Crosshairs Again

Renewed trade tensions between the US and China threaten to throw Apple back into the global trade battle, putting its iPhone business at risk just as the tech giant appeared to be shoring up declining sales of its most important product. The round of tariff increases that hit May 10 don’t directly affect iPhones, iPads, Macs or Apple Watches. But President Donald Trump recently threatened a tariff of 25% on $325 billion in Chinese imports that haven’t previously been targeted by duties. Those would cover virtually all Chinese exports to the US, including Apple’s most important devices.

Telecom, Cable Groups Push Rival Plans on FCC Broadband Mapping

Influential industry groups are vying to get the Federal Communications Commission to adopt competing proposals for how to map broadband coverage across the country. A consortium of groups and companies including USTelecom, whose members include AT&T, Verizon, and smaller broadband providers, is proposing that the FCC create a new nationwide map -- using satellite imagery, digital land parcel data, and other data sources -- to track all locations that could be served by broadband. USTelecom is running a pilot project in VA and MO that it plans to submit to the FCC later in 2019 to showc