Diana Goovaerts

A bevy of US telecommunications groups warned the Federal Communications Commission that an ongoing global semiconductor shortage could slow network deployments and impede their ability to fulfill key requirements associated with certain federal programs. Responses to the FCC's recent call for information on the shortage's impacts have flooded in from a multitude of organizations, including CTIA, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Rural Wireless Association (RWA), Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), NCTA – The Internet and Television Association, Verizon, Qualcomm, and M

AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh highlighted the potential for the operator to boost average revenue per user (ARPU) by offering multi-gigabit capabilities on its fiber infrastructure, shedding more light on an ambitious network expansion plan. AT&T bumped up speeds on its lower broadband tiers to 300 Mbps and 500 Mbps, and currently offers a 1-gig plan as its premium service.

Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg argued policymakers should focus broadband funding more on promoting affordability rather than accessibility. “I think that when it comes to accessibility, I think that all carriers are building quite extensively,” he said, adding Verizon covers “almost all individuals in this country with” its wireless network. “Now we're turning that into fixed wireless access or using our fiber-to-the-home.

Maine-based fixed wireless access (FWA) provider Redzone Wireless followed Charter Communications in seeking a waiver from commitments made in the Federal Communication Commission’s recent Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction on the grounds its promised deployments would be redundant. In December 2020, Redzone won $507,752 in RDOF support to cover 755 locations in its home state with broadband service.

AT&T CEO John Stankey conceded the operator’s plans for fixed wireless access (FWA) technology may not be as ambitious as those of its competitors, but he noted the technology could end up being a good replacement for legacy DSL connections.

SiFi Networks is dangling 10 Gbps capabilities in front of US operators, aiming to entice them to adopt a more European infrastructure model and sign on as tenants on its wholesale fiber network rather than building out the last mile themselves. SiFi has build commitments in place covering 13 cities across seven states. This will eventually yield a projected footprint of “well over” 40 million feet of fiber covering more than half a million homes and businesses.

AT&T CEO John Stankey outlined plans to boost spending on fiber and 5G rollouts, after the company announced a move to spin off its WarnerMedia unit and combine it with Discovery in a $43 billion deal. AT&T is aiming to more than double its fiber footprint in the coming years to reach 30 million customer locations by end-2025, “with the single goal of offering the best fixed broadband service in the market.” On the wireless side, he said the operator is planning to 

Comcast Cable CEO David Watson highlighted the company’s efforts to accelerate expansion of its fiber network by focusing on three primary opportunities for new builds. And he noted Comcast plans to ramp testing of offload capabilities for its wireless service later in 2021. Watson said the company added 2.5 million new residential and commercial passings over the past three years, stating this was a pace it aimed to maintain.

Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge warned the operator expects to face a range of challenges as it presses ahead with Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) subsidized broadband buildouts. In December 2020, Charter won $1.2 billion in Phase I of the Federal Communications Commission’s RDOF auction to fuel broadband deployments across 24 states. Rutledge stressed the size of the undertaking, and he noted the rural nature of the markets it is set to cover will make construction harder. “Physically getting it done is a big deal,” he said.

Windstream lit up 129,000 new locations with its Kinetic fiber service in Q1 2021, as it pushed toward a goal of extending gigabit capabilities to a total of 1 million homes and businesses by the end of 2021.