1. Monthly archive
  2. May 2021

May 2021

Sponsor: 

Next Century Cities

Date: 
Fri, 05/14/2021 - 13:00

Non-profit organizations, anchor institutions, and local and state governments will join forces on May 14th to build awareness about the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. Our collective goal is to ensure that every household that is eligible for the program learns about the program and how to enroll. There are various ways for your community to promote the EBB, including becoming an FCC community partner.


BroadbandNow Estimates Availability for all 50 States; Confirms that More than 42 Million Americans Do Not Have Access to Broadband

In 2020, we manually checked availability of more than 11,000 addresses using Federal Communications Commission Form 477 data as the “source of truth.” Based on the results, we estimated that 42 million Americans do not have the ability to purchase broadband internet. In 2021, we expanded our study, manually checking availability of terrestrial broadband internet (wired or fixed wireless) for more than 58,000 addresses. In all, we checked more than 110,000 address-provider combinations using the FCC Form 477 data as the “source of truth”.

House Commerce Chairman Pallone, Doyle Statement on Launch of the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Internet service isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity like any other utility. This has never been truer than it is now, as hundreds of millions of families across the country are relying on it to telework, attend tele-health appointments, and keep their kids learning in virtual classrooms. Our economy would fall apart without it, yet right now millions of Americans are struggling to afford it. That’s why Congress enacted the Emergency Broadband Benefit last year – because it’s time to get serious about bridging the digital divide, and in that fight, affordability is half the battle.

Sponsor: 

The Verge

Date: 
Wed, 05/12/2021 - 12:30

After a year of work, school, political organizing, and socializing via remote video, the pandemic has made clear how essential connectivity is to American life. 

It’s also revealed deep inequalities in internet access: millions are unable to run multiple video calls at once, with many lacking in-home access entirely. Meanwhile, the future of net neutrality remains uncertain. With states like California enforcing their own open internet rules, the federal government may be forced to solve the issue once and for all.


Rural CBRS Wireless Broadband Pilot Project Unveiled

The state of South Carolina has teamed up with educational broadcasters, 5G tech suppliers, and others to launch a residential wireless broadband pilot project using COVID-19 aid funding.

National Association of Broadcasters on TV White Spaces: No More Microsoft Hand-Outs for 'Failing Experiment'

The National Association of Broadcasters took the gloves off in a recent meeting with Federal Communications Commission engineering staffers over TV white spaces (TVWS) -- the use of small slices of spectrum set aside for broadcasting for unlicensed uses like wireless broadband -- calling it a failing experiment. Microsoft has been pushing the FCC to allow unlicensed devices operating in the TV band to do so closer to existing TV channels, but NAB told the engineering staffers that Microsoft's proposal on how to determine if a channel is available for unlicensed use is disingenuous and in s

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