1. Monthly archive
  2. September 2022

September 2022

Broadband Industry Lobbyists Offer Recommendations on Affordable Connectivity Program Data Collection

On September 21, 2022, representatives from the USTelecom – the Broadband Association, CTIA, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, and ACA Connects – America’s Communications Association met with staffers in the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics to offer recommendations to maximize the effectiveness of the Affordable Connectivity Program’s (ACP) data collection and to keep it simple, streamlined, and efficient for the benefit of consumers and providers alike.

Tarana upgrade provides 1 Gig+ speeds via fixed wireless access

Tarana is releasing its next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA), representing a significant evolution of the company’s heralded G1 broadband solution. Tarana’s G1 ngFWA platform has been embraced by more than 190 broadband providers in 8 countries in its first year of commercial shipments. G1 base nodes sold to date are expected to cover 20 million households and will have the capacity to serve as many as 1 million subscribers when fully deployed in the coming months. Tarana’s next G1 releases will take two new directions.

Five Model Practices for Partnerships in Smart City Projects

 US Ignite curates the best practices in designing and delivering smart city projects with leading-edge municipalities. These five practices on handling partnerships can help any smart city service, project, or application – at any phase – find success:

Communities collect granular broadband data amid wait for better federal maps

States have begun to produce their own mapping data for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant allocation.

Scoring Big on Your Middle Mile Application Series: Understanding Review and Applicant Information

There are three phases of application review associated with the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program: Initial, Merit, and Programmatic. During the Initial Review, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) confirms completeness, eligibility, and responsiveness to curing. In Merit Review, applicants will score up to 100 points, and then NTIA will prioritize those applications which average 80 or more points AND meet 2 of the 5 statutory criteria in Programmatic Review.

The cost of running fiber in rural America: $200,000 per passing

A US Department of Agriculture (USDA) release of the latest grant winners for the ReConnect broadband deployment program was the cost of deploying fiber in rural America. Looking at rural Alaska as an example, the Alaska Telephone Company, which won a $33 million grant, is planning to run fiber to 211 homes and five businesses at a staggering cost of nearly $204,000 per passing. In addition to the grant, the operator said it plans to invest $11 million of its own money in the project.

Lobbying the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Rules

Thirteen Republican Senators sent a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) asking the agency to change its approach to administering some of the provisions of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grants. The letter specifically asked for changes related to rate regulation, technology preference, provider preference, workforce requirements, middle mile deployments, and the application review process (You can read the letter here). It’s

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