Reporting

Local Philadelphia advocates explain why affordable internet is important for digital equity

The Federal Communications Commission announced that over 20 million households across the country are enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Between this push to spread the word about ACP and the billions of dollars that will be put toward broadband infrastructure expansion, the federal government is investing mightily in digital access. At a local level, even if there is broadband infrastructure in Philadelphia (PA), thousands of families still can’t afford to pay for internet service.

Verizon, AT&T struck by shareholder lawsuits over lead cables

Verizon was hit with a fresh pair of class action lawsuits from investors, who claim the operator misled the public about the environmental and health risks of lead-clad cables. The lawsuits were filed in a western Pennsylvania federal court by the Gross Law Firm and Levi & Korsinsky, both of which urged Verizon shareholders to register for the class action.

Some areas of Colorado still don’t have high-speed internet, but new funding could change that

Since the late 1990s Colorado has tried to expand access to high-speed broadband. It’s been done in starts and stops, and sometimes not at all. Now Colorado is getting a huge amount of federal money, more than $826 million in Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding that was part of the 2021 infrastructure law to help expand broadband internet across the state and the country.

Proposal to Use E-Rate for Wi-Fi on School Buses and Hotspots Runs Into GOP Opposition

Two key Republican lawmakers are opposing a Federal Communications Commission proposal that would expand the E-rate program to allow it to pay for Wi-Fi on school buses and mobile hotspots that schools can loan out to students.

Higher minimum broadband speeds reflect internet’s growth

The last time the Federal Communications Commission raised the standard for broadband, the internet was a much different place. Most people were still commuting to work, relying on their employer’s high-speed internet connection.

Great Plains Communications Expands Indiana Footprint

A growing Midwestern provider is continuing their Indiana expansion by bringing fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and business services in southeastern Indiana. Great Plains Communications (GPC) will expand its network to the communities of Aurora and Vevay (IN). In addition, the company will utilize Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program funding to expand its network to reach more homes and businesses in specific unserved areas of southeastern Indiana. GPC currently owns over 18,000 miles of fiber network reaching 13 states.

Providers are ditching tech jargon to sell high-speed internet

Low take rates have broadband experts talking about how to pique subscriber interest in the high-speed internet capabilities now available across the US. Matt Collins, chief commercial officer at Calix, said that building higher speed tiers as many providers have been doing “is an incredible capex investment strategy," and "something we all have to do.” Although, in spite of providers racing against each other to provide the highest speed tiers on the market, he noted “subscribers don't understand

"Nutrition labels" aim to boost trust in AI

As adoption of generative AI grows, providers are hoping that greater transparency about how they do and don't use customers' data will increase those clients' trust in the technology. There's a mad 

Fiber Connect: The Promise and Pitfalls of Private Funding

Broadband mergers and acquisitions have increased five-fold over the last 10 years, according to Jeff Brown, segment marketing manager for Calix. And Brian Vu, chief investment officer for Connect Humanity, estimates that there are about 50 investment funds at an average size of $2.5 billion that have invested or could invest in broadband. All that could be good news at a time when some industry observers are questioning w

Industry cautions FCC against complicating Wireless Emergency Alerts

The CTIA is among wireless industry stakeholders cautioning the Federal Communications Commission against complicating the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system with additions of multimedia content and other requirements, which the CTIA told the FCC remains "fraught with practical and technical challenges." The New York State's Public Service Commission suggested that the FCC's well-meaning language proposal would face implementation hurdles. Instead, the FCC should "require WEAs to be translated to all languages spoken by at least 300,000 people, or 1%, of the United States population over