1. Monthly archive
  2. April 2023

April 2023

Testimony Concerning A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Funding Request for the Department of Commerce

The Commerce Department is hard at work. Thanks to major investments like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the CHIPS and Science Act, and your support through the appropriations process, the Commerce Department is making substantial progress on some of our nation’s most pressing economic and national security priorities, including those related to our supply chains, manufacturing, innovation, and workforce. The Department must maintain sufficient oversight of the grants it makes.

The Increasing Cost of Building Fiber

AT&T CFO Pascal Desroches said that the cost of building fiber has increased and that those costs are pushing up against the company’s goal of not spending more than $900 – $1,000 per new fiber passing. Any time I see a broadband provider talking about fiber costs, my first question is: What's included in the costs? AT&T’s low target number highlights two things – its advantage of being able to overlash, and a willingness to skip neighborhoods with higher costs. AT&T’s low target price also highlights that the company is shooting for a higher margin goal than most overbuilders.

Cable Companies and Mobile Carriers Battle Over Fixed Wireless Internet

Consumers increasingly are ditching traditional broadband plans for more-affordable 5G fixed-wireless internet service. In response, cable companies say they may be losing some battles, but in the end they’ll win the war—and that customers who have switched will return.

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