Light Reading
Do 5G providers need to own a fiber network too?
AT&T and Verizon – two of the nation's biggest 5G mobile network operators – own extensive fiber holdings around the country, and both argue that such ownership is critical to their long-term success. T-Mobile and Dish Network, on the other hand, are building extensive 5G mobile networks (though Dish hasn't yet switched on commercial services) without owning any fiber whatsoever. And, according to both Dish and T-Mobile, that's just fine. So, which side is right?
Charter picks El Paso as first Rural Digital Opportunity Fund market (Light Reading)
Submitted by Grace Tepper on Tue, 01/25/2022 - 13:17Why does 5G only pose a problem for US airplanes? (Light Reading)
Submitted by Grace Tepper on Tue, 01/18/2022 - 11:195G providers reject mandates for backup power at cell sites
Cellular networks can sometimes play an outsized role in disasters because they can often function on backup power sources like generators. Meaning, when nothing else is working, cell phones can connect calls. But the nation's biggest wireless providers – as well as a variety of other entities – are pushing against suggestions that the federal government mandate the use of backup power generators at all cell sites. In general, the US wireless industry has rejected increased federal oversight over providers' operations.
John Malone sizes up the threat to cable posed by fiber
US cable operators are increasingly threatened by the vast sums of money being plowed into fiber overbuilders, but cable industry legend John Malone believes that multiple-system operators (MSOs) such as Charter Communications are well-prepared to handle the hazards of more capable competition. Malone, whose Liberty Broadband unit holds 26 percent of Charter and owns Alaska's GCI, remains upbeat about Charter's prospects in the face of new and emerging competition from fiber overbuilders. "I believe they can defend their territory quite effectively," Malone said.
Where Biden's FCC pick Gigi Sohn stands on broadband
With the Biden administration on the cusp of passing the infrastructure bill with $65 billion in broadband funding, here are a few things we know about where Federal Communications Commission nominee Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] stands on crucial broadband issues:
How the FCC's 'rip and replace' program may help kill some small carriers
The Federal Communications Commission's "rip and replace" program, formalized in June 2021 as the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, is designed to reimburse small carriers so they can tear out network equipment from Chinese vendors like Huawei and ZTE that the US government has deemed insecure. The program's goal is to finance the replacement of that equipment with gear from "trusted" vendors.
The future of broadband and fiber as infrastructure
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocates $65 billion to broadband infrastructure spending, with approximately $47 billion of this dedicated to building networks.