The end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) put the kibosh on the business plans of internet service providers (ISPs) working to tackle the urban digital divide. I’m aware of a several ISPs working to bring broadband to neighborhoods where the majority of customers qualified for the $30 ACP discount. These business plans only made sense because a chunk of the revenue was guaranteed by ACP. I’ve been brainstorming with communities about alternatives to ACP, and I’m starting to think that perhaps fixed wireless access (FWA) cellular service is the next best alternative. Deploying FWA on a significant scale means making new investments. I can’t imagine that cellular carriers are interested in making investments in infrastructure and marketing costs to sell FWA broadband in low-income neighborhoods. Expanding an FWA network means constructing new cell sites, probably small cell sites, and involves getting fiber backbone to new sites. But I can picture various kinds of partnerships between a City and cellular carriers that might work. 

The race between Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake for Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat is among the more competitive races in the country. Races in the state’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts are also toss-ups. Winning Congressional candidates will have a say in the country’s broadband future. Arizona has a unique set of broadband access and adoption challenges. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has a record on broadband access and affordability issues. During his House tenure he has been involved in a number of broadband efforts. Kari Lake’s positions on broadband and digital equity are not well-defined. Perhaps her most notable statement on broadband access was in response to a tweet from Rep. Gallego’s account, which highlighted the need for universal broadband access. In her response, Lake cited a Washington Times article that criticizes the BEAD program for its perceived lengthy timeline and inclusion of climate resiliency standards and “DEI mandates.”

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted new rules to bolster the Commission's coordinated nationwide approach to the 4.9 GHz spectrum band through a nationwide band manager framework. "To ensure that the 4.9 GHz band is put to more robust use nationwide in the near term—the 4.9 GHz Band Manager, once selected, will be eligible to apply for a nationwide overlay license and authorized to enter into a sharing agreement with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). Pursuant to this sharing agreement, FirstNet may be permitted to use unassigned spectrum in the 4.9 GHz band as part of its nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN) in a manner that protects incumbent operations."

The same technology that puts artificial intelligence chatbots on your phone and computer is coming to the car. Having a powerful voice assistant at a time when you can't afford to take your eyes off the road could be enormously beneficial. Qualcomm announced it is bringing its next-generation Oryon processor to its in-car computer systems for both entertainment and automated driving. Generative AI in the car will ideally let drivers get help with everything from finding the nearest cheap gas to pointing out landmarks to understanding a dashboard warning light. However, despite efforts already underway, genAI in the car will take some time to arrive. Carmakers design new models years before they arrive in the showroom. 

In case you had any doubts about Verizon’s fiber ambitions, the company revealed just how far it thinks it can go by acquiring Frontier’s footprint. Once (and if) the acquisition closes, Verizon expects to reach more than 30 million fiber passings by 2028. In the longer-term, it’s targeting 35-40 million locations passed, a goal easier said than done, analysts noted. According to New Street Research, Verizon’s fiber target is “exactly what we thought they could do between the existing Verizon markets and what they acquire with Frontier.” The firm estimates Verizon can reach around 38 million locations. But to do that, Verizon needs to crank up its deployment pace. The company said it expects the combined build with Frontier to generate “1 million or more passings annually.” At that speed, “it would take them 10 years to get to our target of [38 million],” said New Street’s Jonathan Chaplin