Fierce
The future of broadband mergers and acquisitions
You can’t go far in the broadband industry without hearing about some internet service provider getting acquired or an investment from a private equity company. Brightspeed, Consolidated Communications and Wire 3 are a few recent examples. Ropes & Gra
The Universal Service Fund is stuck in its own Groundhog Day
It seems like the Universal Service Fund (USF) has been stuck in a loop for years, as debates over how it could be improved and better funded rage on. There are plenty of possible solutions on the table, yet the wheels just keep on spinning.
Richard Bennet | When Wi-Fi doesn’t save the day (Fierce)
Submitted by zwalker@benton.org on Thu, 03/21/2024 - 15:00Municipalities can apply for BEAD. Will it matter?
In spite of all the public broadband haters, municipalities will be allowed to vie for money from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
Fastwyre revs up network upgrades as it reaches 120,000 passings (Fierce)
Submitted by Grace Tepper on Mon, 03/18/2024 - 16:56Maybe speed isn’t everything when it comes to connectivity
Speed is but one thread in the tapestry of connectivity and user experience. To address bandwidth-constrained households, some ISPs and vendors are exploring alternative routes to enhance network performance. Traffic prioritization tools within the home, for instance, offer a potential solution for the bandwidth-constrained. The key to driving user adoption of tools like this is to make the interface easy to use, and automate where possible. Speed has become “less relevant,” said OpenVault CEO Mark Trudeau, now that the industry has reached multi-gig levels.
Dish marks 5G drive test milestone, validating its network speeds (Fierce)
Submitted by zwalker@benton.org on Fri, 03/15/2024 - 16:37RDOF defaulters hinder state BEAD programs
There’s a lot of talk about how the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) might make a mess of things with the Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) program. That’s because if a location is covered by an RDOF award, then it’s ineligible for a BEAD grant. Unfortunately, many RDOF awardees have officially defaulted on their obligations to build fiber, or they just haven’t made any progress in deploying the fiber.
Monetizing fixed wireless access is the next big thing
Consumer fixed wireless (FWA) access growth using 5G networks has been one of the bright spots of the move to the new cellular standard. Both T-Mobile and Verizon in the United States have seen success offering the latest wireless technology to replace cable internet for the public stateside and it is spreading across the world. The reason?