Anchor Institutions or a Digital Bridge to Nowhere?

[Commentary] One of the most important issues that the Federal Communications Commission should examine in considering a proposal to expand its E-rate programs, is the issue of “dark fiber.”

Dark fiber refers to fiber optic cable that has not been activated, or “lit,” for use. Some people are saying that the FCC should expand E-rate by expending limited Universal Service Fund (USF) resources on limited-reach networks, i.e., networks that only reach the locations of E-rate customers, and do not provide broadband services to the community at large. But in a world where USF dollars are limited, and any expansion in E-rate could reduce funding available for other universal service objectives, it is critical that the FCC build synergies between its programs. E-rate should not become a digital bridge to nowhere. Proponents of this plan argue that dark fiber could be a more cost-effective way for schools and libraries to afford high speed broadband service. But policymakers must be careful when analyzing this assumption. Fiber in the ground does not a reliable broadband service make. Even if a school is capable of building and operating a high-capacity network with dark fiber, in many cases it would do so at the cost of the community at large. Allowing that to happen would conflict with the national Universal Service Fund imperative to get high speed broadband service to all Americans in all parts of the country. AT&T fully supports the President’s ConnectEd initiative and E-rate 2.0. There is no question that all schools and libraries must be armed with the power of high-speed broadband. But let’s make sure we do not modernize E-rate in a vacuum. Universal Service funding is, and always has been, about ensuring modern telecommunications services are available to all Americans. That’s what E-rate should be about as well.