Congress Tells FCC to Fix Broadband Maps Now
Friday, March 27, 2020
March 2020
Elizabeth Dwoskin: Why the coronavirus pandemic is a test Facebook can’t afford to fail (Washington Post)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Fri, 03/27/2020 - 11:06Sony is now slowing down PlayStation downloads in the US (Vox)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Fri, 03/27/2020 - 11:01March 23-27, 2020
March 23-27, 2020
Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest
Chairman Pai's Response to Members of Congress Regarding the 5.9 GHz and Vehicular Safety (Federal Communications Commission)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Fri, 03/27/2020 - 10:57
FCC Ensures Americans Can Access Zoom and WebEx During COVID-19 Crisis
The Federal Communications Commission issued a temporary waiver of its access arbitrage rules to Inteliquent, a telecommunications company that carries traffic for two of the nation’s largest conference calling providers, Zoom Video Communications and Cisco WebEx. Absent this waiver, the massive increase in conference calls made by American consumers using Zoom and WebEx to work and attend classes from home during the COVID-19 pandemic would likely result in Inteliquent being deemed an “access-stimulating” carrier under the FCC’s rules.
FCC Grants WISPs Temporary 5.9 GHz Spectrum Access for Rural Broadband
The Federal Communications Commission granted temporary spectrum access to 33 wireless Internet service providers serving 330 counties in 29 states to help them serve rural communities facing an increase in broadband needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Special Temporary Authority (STA) allows these companies to use the lower 45 megahertz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band for 60 days.
How Many Americans Lack High-Speed Internet?
Not everyone in the US has internet access. There are more than 14 million people without any internet access and 25 million without the faster and more reliable broadband access, according to a 2018 Federal Communications Commission study. And that may actually be an undercount. The FCC data is based on census blocks and not households.