Tiny Digital Businesses Play Key Role in Local Economies, Study Says
There are millions of small, digitally enabled ventures across America.
April 2020
Verizon refuses to give DSL users its low-income deals during pandemic
Verizon is one of numerous home-Internet providers offering temporarily free service to low-income households during the pandemic. But a big restriction on Verizon's offer makes it impossible for many people to get the deal. Verizon on March 23 said it would provide two months of free home-Internet and phone service for current low-income subscribers in the Lifeline program and $20 monthly discounts for new low-income subscribers. The $20 discount lowers the starting price for 200Mbps Internet to $19.99 a month.
Verizon canceling FiOS installs and telling customers to wait a few months
Verizon is canceling many home-Internet installations and repairs during the pandemic, and some customers are being given appointment dates in Nov when they try to schedule an installation. The Nov appointment dates appear to be placeholders that will eventually be replaced by earlier dates. But Verizon is sending mixed messages to customers about when appointments will actually happen and about whether technicians are allowed to enter their homes.
Networks could see home internet traffic remain high after crisis
In the United States prior to coronavirus, total home internet traffic averaged about 15% on weekdays. But it started growing in mid March, and by late March it had reached about 35%, clearly connected to all the working and learning from home due to stay-at-home orders. This doubling of work-from-home traffic mirrors the events in China. But it’s too soon to tell if home traffic in the United States will increase permanently even after the crisis has passed. “The data suggests remote working will remain elevated in the U.S. for a prolonged period of time,” wrote analysts at Cowen.
Rural broadband and telehealth critical to America's COVID-19 response
Telehealth can play a vital role in keeping more Americans healthy and easing the stress on the capacity-strained health care system.
Migration From Wireless to Wired Networks During the Pandemic--It's More Than the Squint Factor
One small silver lining in the Covid-19 virulent cloud: an unsponsored and truly unbiased empirical test whether wireless broadband networks offer a direct competitive alternative to wired broadband. The answer is clear: No. Not even close. Despite all the happy talk and sponsored researcher advocacy, broadband consumers understand the financial incentive to use Wi-Fi access to wired broadband wherever available. When homebound consumers have access to wireless broadband access via their smartphones and wired broadband access via personal computers and Wi-Fi, they opt for the latte
Pandemic Changes Pace of Federal Funding for Broadband Deployment
Like most other aspects of life, the ongoing pandemic has disrupted the federal government’s plans to disburse grants, loans, and subsidies for the construction of rural broadband networks. But unlike the sporting events and concerts that can be put on an indefinite hold, these funds are now needed more than ever by the Internet access providers trying to connect rural households during a time when everything has moved online.
Agencies Should Fully Implement Established Telecommunications Transition Planning Practices to Reduce Risk of Costly Delays (Government Accountability Office)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Tue, 04/07/2020 - 13:27Americans without broadband struggle in a stuck-at-home nation
As schools, workplaces and public services shut down in the age of coronavirus, online connections are keeping Americans in touch with vital institutions and each other. But that’s not much of an option when fast internet service is hard to come by. Lawmakers want the federal government to send schools and libraries more money to lend out Wi-Fi hotspots to students. But the Federal Communications Commission says it’s not authorized to do that under current law and is discussing a solution with Congress.