Los Altos Hills Community Fiber (LAHCF) is a cooperative (co-op) broadband provider that gives multi-gigabit fiber Internet to dozens of homes and has a plan to serve hundreds more. Town residents were able to form the provider with the help of Next Level Networks, which isn't a traditional consumer broadband provider but a company that builds and manages networks for local groups. This was done to overcome frustrations residents have been having with providers like Comcast. Resident Sasha Zbrozek's experience with Comcast led to him getting involved with LAHCF and organizing an expansion that brought 10Gbps symmetrical fiber to his house and others on nearby roads. Zbrozek said it took over a year to and reaching out to the Los Altos Hills town government to get Comcast to tell him how much it would charge for a line extension to his house. The answer was $210,000. Zbrozek proposed connecting to Comcast by running a line to a neighbor's property that had Comcast service. "The closest point between my property and a (now former) neighbor with Comcast who would've let me do some private trenching is about 40 feet," said Zbrozek. However, Comcast doesn't allow that type of property-to-property connection.

We’ve all been told to put more fiber in our diets. But we also know what happens with too much fiber in your diet. It isn’t pretty. The same is true for broadband policy. As US policymakers at every level of government look to spend tens of billions of dollars to connect Americans to high-speed internet, aka broadband, they are far too focused on using a single technology to get the job done: fiber optic cable. This myopia runs the risk of cost overruns and delayed buildout that will see rural Americans, in particular, waiting even longer for connectivity. The problem isn’t fiber itself, it’s that many policymakers at every level of government, from President Biden to mayors and county commissioners, are operating on the false notion that fiber is “future-proof” and unconditionally better than everything else. The idea that you can put the fiber in the ground once and forget about it is appealing to politicians and their constituents, who, justifiably, don’t want heavy equipment forever digging up their streets. But it just isn’t true. Fiber has a shelf life of about 25 years. Apart from natural degradation over time, other factors can reduce fiber’s lifespan. Infinitesimal surface cracks that go undetected at the time of installation can expand over time. Elevated temperatures and interaction with water can cause “stress corrosion” that grows the cracks. Moreover, every network has upgrade cycles. To claim that one technology does not is misleading at best.

[Scott Wallsten is president of the Technology Policy Institute.]

The largest ever 5G global consumer study to date. The respondents selected for the interview represent the online population aged between 15 and 69 within the surveyed markets, which in total consists of 1.7 billion consumers and 430 million 5G users. The research reveals that the next wave of 5G is underway, with mainstream consumers now adopting 5G in frontrunner markets that launched 5G early on. It also highlights six key 5G trends and suggests how communications service providers can respond to the expectations of both early adopters and the next wave of consumers, driving further 5G adoption. The 6 key finds are as follows: 

1. Consumer 5 G adoption to be inflation-resilient: Despite spiraling inflation, elevated food and energy costs, and rising interest rates during 2022, consumers globally are still planning to upgrade to 5G. However, this will vary across different markets.
2. 5G is being adopted by a new wave of users with higher expectations: 5G subscriptions have gone beyond early adopters and we are now seeing the next wave of users, who are demanding 5G works without hassle.
3. Perceived 5G availability is emerging as the new satisfaction benchmark: 5G users perceive being connected to an active 5G signal. Ensuring the availability of 5G has become the new benchmark for user satisfaction. Consumer satisfaction with 5G can no longer be assessed by the extent of the population covered by 5G alone; perceived availability is a far better metric.
4. 5G is pushing up usage of enhanced video and augmented reality (AR): over the past two years, time spent by 5G uhas have been on AR and enhanced videos such as HD/4K multi-view video or 360-degree video.
5. 5G monetization models are expected to evolve: Around 6 in 10 consumers globally want 5G plans to move beyond just offering more gigabytes. However, most service providers still provide the same offerings they did for 4G.
6. 5G adoption is paving the path to the Metaverse: The transition from immersive services to metaverse experiences is now underway. Our research reveals that 5G users are taking the first steps into the metaverse.

Total worldwide telecoms revenues from mobile and fixed broadband services will grow 14% between 2022 and 2027 to reach €1.2 trillion ($1.18 trillion). However monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) combined across both mobile and fixed broadband will fall by 4.2% from €7.48 ($7.36) in 2022 to €7.16 ($7.05) in 2027. In mobile markets, it is now evident that 5G will not be sufficient to offset ARPU decline as customers are unwilling to pay more for it. Unlimited data and video streaming services bundled exclusively on 5G contracts have had some success, but this only gives the industry the illusion of a 5G ARPU uplift. In fixed broadband markets, the transition to fiber has had a net positive impact in most cases as the technology offers a much-needed step-change in-home broadband quality of service on the back of the pandemic. However, markets with high fiber penetration are seeing a significant drop in ARPU such as France, Spain, and China as competition intensifies and there isn’t a clear monetization path for fiber customers once they transitioned. Omdia forecasts 5G will account for 5.9 billion subscriptions in 2027 equivalent to a population penetration of 70.9%. Consumer residential fixed broadband subscriptions delivered via fiber to the home will exceed 1 billion subscriptions by 2027 equivalent to a household penetration of 41.9%. 

Frontier is launching its first-ever social impact program, Broadband for Good. The new program will use Frontier’s fiber technology to advance digital inclusion and strengthen the communities it serves.  Frontier is Building Gigabit America, the digital infrastructure that enables high-speed, reliable connectivity. As part of its purpose, the company is launching Broadband for Good to use its technology to address critical connectivity needs and find innovative ways to promote digital inclusion. Frontier selected The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Brazos Valley in Bryan, Texas as the first community location to benefit from its new program. The organization offers underserved youth in the community a safe place to learn, grow and play. As part of the program, Frontier will donate high-speed broadband connectivity and computer equipment to support the organization’s mission to connect today’s youth to tomorrow’s opportunities.