Joan Engebreston

As the US sets out to reach the goal of connecting everyone nationwide to broadband, Telecompetitor’s new online resource, Broadband Nation, is your guide to federal and state broadband initiatives. The Broadband Nation web pages contain a wealth of information about state broadband funding programs, including links to funding program rules, funding awards, state broadband offices and Telecompetitor news coverage. All organized by state and frequently updated. The Broadband Nation includes:

Tarana is expected to supply gigabit fixed wireless for at least one or two of the biggest winning Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) bidders; one of which is Nextlink. Tarana's new hardware will be able to use spectrum in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands, as well as new software that supports what the company calls G1x2 mode. That mode enables the new hardware or the previous version of the hardware to use up to 160 MHz of spectrum. The previous version of Tarana’s offering worked only in the 5 GHz band and could use only 80 MHz of spectrum.

Public private broadband partnerships (PPPs) are in full swing.

A coalition of 11 carriers and corporations, eight industry associations and the nation’s largest port authority have sent the Federal Communications Commission an auction proposal for the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum band that represents a middle ground between rules currently in place and a proposal submitted recently by organizations representing mobile carriers. CBRS auction plans have pitted the mobile carriers, who want larger license areas to support mobile 5G services, against those who want to use the spectrum for fixed wireless broadband and who argue

USTelecom has filed a forbearance petition with the Federal Communications Commission, asking the commission to eliminate a requirement for larger, incumbant telephone companies to offer unbundled network elements (UNEs) at regulated prices. USTelecom President and CEO Jonathan Spalter said telecom unbundling regulations currently enable competitive carriers to lease network elements – typically the copper connection between the customer and the telco central office – at “extremely low rates.” INCOMPAS, an association that represents competitive carriers, sees it differently.