Lauren Frayer

As the business data services (BDS) proceeding is drawing to a close, some are still arguing for an additional delay, suggesting that resolution of this proceeding is contrary to the facts and will slow the deployment of 5G services. These objections miss the mark (and ignore the massive pile of competitive data compiled by the Federal Communications Commission). Removing unnecessary regulatory burdens will increase investment, particularly in fiber facilities, and create jobs. And, in the end, that incremental fiber investment will be essential to the deployment of the next generation of wireless technologies.

In prep for the next generation optical fiber backbone necessary for the deployment of 5G, Verizon has agreed to a minimum purchase agreement with Corning worth at least $1.05 billion. The purchase includes fiber optic cabling and associated hardware. The deal calls for Corning to provide up to 20 million kilometers (12.4 million miles) of optical fiber each year from 2018 through 2020, with a minimum purchase commitment of $1.05 billion. Verizon will use those fiber assets for a fiber network architecture that supports 5G, 4G, and its Fios FTTP service. Verizon says they wanted to hedge against a possible shortage in fiber supply and thus wanted to lock-up a commitment with Corning.

The Federal Communications Commission sent a letter to Universal Service Administrative Company on April 17, 2017 to revise directions regarding how USAC should administer E-rate program funds and, in particular, how USAC should account for the different categories of potential funding disbursements. The revised guidance is effective immediately and supersedes a previous letter sent to USAC.

In 10 days, the Federal Communications Commission will lift a ban on telecoms companies engaging in merger talks, and Wall Street is betting on T-Mobile US, Sprint, and Dish Network to be the first ones out of the gate. Shares of these companies have soared over the past 12 months on expectations of deal talks, and are trading at up to 31 times forward earnings, versus the S&P 500 telecom services index's .5SP50 18 times.

The rich valuations could discourage acquirers, who also have to assume the risk that antitrust regulators may look askance at more consolidation in the sector after a wave of mergers in recent years, investment bankers and industry experts say. "It seems as though valuations have already jumped to a near certainty a deal will be announced and approved. You have to ask yourself whether T-Mobile is going to be as eager to do a deal as Sprint," said Craig Moffett, an analyst at MoffettNathanson.

Google Fiber is implementing a fiber installation process in San Antonio (TX) it hopes won’t upset local residents along with methods to reduce network build-out costs. The emerging fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) provider, according to a San Antonio Business Journal report, wants to be more responsive to the Texas community’s concerns. "They want Google Fiber, but they also want it deployed with a minimum of disruption," Google Fiber wrote in a statement. "We agree. Across all our markets, we are focused on innovating new deployment techniques that are faster, more efficient and less disruptive." The first thing on Google Fiber’s list is to remove a fiber hut that it initially constructed inside a pocket recreational area at the city’s Haskin Park. As part of the revised plan, the service provider plans to replace the hut, which holds its network cables, with a smaller utility cabinet.

CenturyLink says it does not always compete head to head with Level 3—which it is in the process of acquiring—and that the two companies are providers in an ever-evolving business services market.

In a new Federal Communications Commission filing responding to questions about the markets in which the two providers offer business services, CenturyLink said it and Level 3 offer similar services to small and large businesses, but not in every market. “While CenturyLink and Level 3 offer overlapping services for SMBs and enterprises, they do not significantly compete with each other in the provision of these services,” CenturyLink said. In the fourth quarter of 2016, CenturyLink said it had 28.5% of sales of SMB data 11 services in its ILEC territory, while Level 3 accounted for only 1.1 % of similar service sales. Ethernet is another key factor. CenturyLink noted it had 6.5% of the total US sales of business Ethernet services, and Level 3 accounted for 17.6% of such sales. CenturyLink said it is seeing competition in the business data services (BDS) market from two main sources: cable and national providers.

FairPoint has completed broadband expansion projects in 25 Vermont towns, thanks in part to funding from the FCC’s CAF-II rural broadband expansion program. By completing these broadband expansion projects, the service provider will offer higher broadband speeds to over 4,500 locations throughout the state. In towns like Dover, Jamaica, Londonderry, Stratton, West Dover, Wilmington and Winhall, over 2,200 locations have been impacted, providing broadband service to some locations for the first time.

We’re launching News Voices: North Carolina to forge connections between North Carolinians and the newsrooms that serve them. We’re beginning our community-engagement initiatives in Charlotte and the Triangle, and we anticipate working in places like Asheville, the Triad and Wilmington over the next two years. We’ll host small gatherings, trainings and public conversations. We’ll foster collaborations between newsrooms and community groups. We’ll strengthen networks of journalists, media makers and people who care about quality local news and information, building stronger bonds statewide to foster better and more sustainable news coverage of North Carolina.

Police and federal agents around the country have for years been quietly using cell site simulators in which a portable device intercepts signals from cellphones attempting to connect with cell towers and then captures their identifying numbers and precise locations. Defense lawyers and civil libertarians claim that the devices are the equivalent of a police search and therefore require a search warrant.

In 2016, a federal appeals court in Maryland agreed and ruled that Baltimore police could not use evidence collected by a StingRay in a murder case. On April 18, the District’s highest appeals court heard oral arguments and is now ready to be the second court in the nation to weigh in on whether capturing an individual’s cell signal is covered by the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of governmental search and seizure.

A coalition of consumer advocacy groups is calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to oppose requiring foreign nationals to provide their social media passwords to enter the US.

In February, DHS Secretary John Kelly floated the idea of forcing citizens of certain countries to hand over their passwords as part of “enhanced vetting measures” supported by the Trump Administration. The groups, which include the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Daily Kos and Center for Media Justice are trying to solicit signatures for a letter to Kelly protesting collecting foreign nationals' passwords. Evan Greer, campaign director at Fight for the Future, another member organization of the coalition, argued that Kelly’s initiative wouldn’t get the results he wanted. "Asking people to hand over the passwords to their accounts will make all of us less safe, not more safe,” Greer said.