Competition/Antitrust
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Despite data caps and throttling, industry says mobile can replace home Internet
AT&T and Verizon are trying to convince the Federal Communications Commission that mobile broadband is good enough for Internet users who don't have access to fiber or cable services, in filings they submitted for the FCC's annual review of broadband deployment. The carriers made this claim despite the data usage and speed limitations of mobile services. In the mobile market, even "unlimited" plans can be throttled to unusable speeds after a customer uses just 25GB or so a month.
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NDIA to FCC: “Closing digital divide” means your annual broadband report should look at affordability, digital redlining
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) has called on the Federal Communications Commission to prove its commitment to “closing the digital divide” by adding home broadband affordability, the broadband adoption rates of low income households, and the digital redlining of urban neighborhoods to the issues covered by the agency’s upcoming 2019 Broadband Deployment Report.
Charter CEO: We have a better platform to deploy 5G than cellular companies
Charter Communications Chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge explained why 5G isn’t an existential threat to cable’s connectivity business. “We have a better platform to deploy [5G] technology, I think, than the cellular industry does because we are fully distributed from a high-capacity wireline perspective,” said Rutledge. “If you think about what 5G is, it is small cells,” Rutledge added. “Small cells mean you needs lots of wired line connectivity to make the small cells work. We think we are actually in a better position to do that than traditional cellular companies.
Privacy Role Sparks Debate at FTC Hearing
The debate over the right approach to privacy took center stage during the Federal Trade Commission’s inaugural hearing on competition. David Vladeck and Howard Beales, both former directors of the agency’s consumer protection bureau, clashed over whether the FTC requires a bigger stick when it comes to privacy enforcement. Vladeck argued the agency needs the power to impose civil penalties from the get-go. “I think that a civil penalty, for example, against Google or Facebook initially would have had a deterrent value,” Vladeck said. “Facebook is currently under investigation again.
The 5G lessons from Google Fiber's failure
5G technologies are expected to put mobile broadband on par with fiber networks — and they're rolling out on a city-by-city basis similar to how Google Fiber deployed networks between 2010 and 2016. Google has stopped expanding its expensive fiber build-outs and, as a result, is seen as a failed experiment.
Largest US Wireless ISP Offers Its Take on Suburban Fixed 5G
An interview with Rise Broadband co-founder Jeff Kholer. Rise Broadband is the largest US wireless Internet service provider (ISP).
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Rhetoric Aside: What the Data Actually Say About Broadband Deployment
Looking at the Federal Communications Commission’s Form 477 data from 2015 and 2016, three empirical facts emerge:
3 years in, many Nashvillians still waiting for Google Fiber
Residents across Nashville (TN) have been waiting for the highly anticipated Google Fiber internet service since Google announced its expansion to Nashville three and a half years ago. While parts of several neighborhoods and apartment buildings have access to Google Fiber, many Nashvillians continue to renew contracts with existing providers they pledged to drop when the city rolled out its red carpet to Google.
INCOMPAS to FCC: Broadband Maps Inadequate, Need for Competition
INCOMPAS, the internet and competitive networks association, filed comments at the Federal Communications Commission in response to the Public Notice requesting information for the assessment of competition in the fixed broadband market. INCOMPAS’ comments explain that in order to formulate policies encouraging broadband competition, it is necessary to have an accurate accounting of where there is and isn’t sufficient competition across America. As such, INCOMPAS is calling upon the FCC to reform its collection of broadband data via its Form 477 proceeding.
ACA: Smaller ISPS Lack Leverage to Be Anticompetitive Threat
Smaller cable operators don't have the incentive or ability to act anticompetitively toward either their customers or edge providers. That came in American Cable Association comments to the Federal Trade Commission as it tees up month-long hearings on protecting consumers and competition in a digital age. ACA said smaller operators provide vital connectivity, particularly in the rural areas the government is focused on bringing into that digital age as full participants.