Energy and Climate

Fiber companies have made being environmentally friendly a central part of their messaging—especially when it comes to comparing the technology to its counterparts, like cable and copper.

Earth Day is here, and Fierce Network is celebrating by looking into how telcos are approaching their sustainability agendas. Fierce reached out to several internet service providers (ISPs) to ask how they're making their businesses more environmentally friendly. For companies Fierce didn't hear from, it took a look at their recent environmental, social and governance (ESG) reports to check their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Scope 1 emissions are a company's direct emissions from owned or controlled sources.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced 30 new “categorical exclusions” established to support National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews for broadband infrastructure deployments funded by the Internet for All programs.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) launched a new mapping tool, the NTIA Permitting and Environmental Information Application, to help grant recipients and others deploying infrastructure identify permit requirements and avoid potential environmental impacts when connecting a particular location to high-speed Internet service.  The application is designed to help federal broadband grant re

Ubiquity, which builds and operates open-access networks, recently obtained a green loan to help finance fiber network construction. It’s an interesting concept that other providers might want to consider.

The Environmental Protection Agency sent letters requesting telecommunications companies to meet with the agency about their lead-sheathed phone cables, in a new phase of an investigation in the EPA’s efforts to protect the public from potential lead hazards.

This paper investigates the association between relative mobile broadband penetration (i.e. mobile broadband connections in total mobile connections) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions globally. The study is based on 181 countries for the period 2002–2020. The results indicate an initial increase in CO₂ emissions for a country at an average emission level once mobile broadband is introduced. Possible explanations might be initial investment in network infrastructure and increased consumption of electricity.

Puerto Rico’s mountainous geography and experience with natural disasters play a role in the digital divide that leaves too many without the ability to access broadband internet. Widespread damage to the island’s existing telecommunications infrastructure as a result of recent natural disasters—such as Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Hurricane Fiona, the 2020 earthquakes, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic—highlighted the importance of reliable and affordable broadband access, particularly for remote work, online learning, telehealth services, and connecting with the government.

When Executive Director for ConnectLA—Louisiana's broadband office—Veneeth Iyengar was asked if he was concerned that there might be areas of Louisiana that no broadband provider would want to serve, his response was, "We’re not concerned [because] it’s all in how you design the program.

The Federal Communications Commission has been ramping up our work to promote space-based innovation.