August 2024

'24 Democratic Party Platform

Under President Joe Biden (D-DE), we’re finally rebuilding our roads, bridges, ports, airports, water systems, electric grids, broadband, and more, paving the way for a great American “Infrastructure Decade” that will create hundreds of thousands of good-paying union jobs. We are bringing affordable, reliable, high-speed internet to every American household. High-speed internet is as vital to our economy today as electricity first was a century ago; Americans need it to do their jobs, to do their homework, to access healthcare, and to stay connected.

Trending Broadband Prices

The results of a recent Technology Policy Institute study feed into the narrative that is rolled out every year by the lobbyists for the biggest internet service providers (ISPs)—that broadband prices are getting cheaper. The big ISPs mean that the price per megabit is getting cheaper—but the study says the absolute prices are getting cheaper. The easiest way to understand my objection is to consider the price of a 100 Mbps broadband product from 2013 to 2024. 

BT suffers blow as Sky opts for CityFibre’s network in broadband deal

BT has suffered a blow after Sky chose rival network provider CityFibre as its second broadband partner while the two telecommunications groups compete to roll out full fibre across the country. CityFibre, which is one of dozens of alternative network providers—or “altnets”—said that work was under way to make Sky’s broadband available to people on its network in 2025.

Fiber Broadband Deployment is Paramount To Achieving Zero Carbon Footprint

The carbon footprint of fiber broadband networks is lower than hybrid fiber coax networks on every sustainability metric, from embodied carbon to carbon in the operational phases, including customer premise equipment. The Fiber Broadband Association’s Sustainability Working Group compared the carbon footprint of fiber to the home (FTTH) networks with Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) data over cable system interface specification (DOCSIS) 4.0 networks.

Cable operators adapting to regulatory 'whiplash'

The cable industry's policy people are working through a smorgasbord of issues, including surprise litigation tied to the Universal Service Fund, a temporary stay on the return of network neutrality rules, tricky nuances tied to the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, and even the recent temporary injunction slapped on Venu, a new sports streaming service. Yet another challenge: a US Supreme Court decision in June that 

Some indie broadband operators still on the fence about mobile

Many small and midsized cable and broadband operators are exploring a potential launch into the mobile arena, but other priorities, including fiber network buildouts, are keeping some of them on the sidelines. But the option is there for many operators that want it thanks to the National Content & Technology Cooperative's (NCTC's) mobile partnerships with Reach and AT&T. NCTC is 

Zayo Extends Middle-Mile Network to Provide Reliable Internet Access for Thousands Across Dallas County

Infrastructure provider Zayo has been awarded $27.8 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to expand critical middle-mile infrastructure and help deliver equitable Internet access across Dallas County. The project will enable local internet service providers (ISPs) to extend high-speed internet to areas most in need, including approximately 24,000 households in Dallas County that currently lack home internet access, and serve as a catalyst for future economic growth and innovation in the region. Zayo’s new middle-mile fiber network in Dallas County will directly address