Internet/Broadband

The short time frame for many state grants is out of synch with the reality of the way that internet service providers (ISPs) can add customers to a network. Grants generally pay only for the capital cost of assets. The largest cost for fiber grants is likely the cost of the fiber running up and down streets to pass customers. The second largest cost in many grants is the fiber drops that connect from the street to customers. In short, an ISP has two concerns with a grant with a short timeframe. Make sure to ask for enough money upfront.

AT&T is opening a new Connected Learning Center inside the Asian Pacific American Community Center (APACC) in San Francisco (CA) to provide internet access and education tools to those who face connectivity barriers vital to their long-term success. It’s part of the AT&T Connected Learning initiative and the company's $2 billion commitment to address the digital divide through internet accessibility, affordability and safe adoption. This is the second Connected Learning Center that AT&T has opened in California.

NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association urged the Federal Communications Commission to waive scheduled cuts to Universal Service Fund (USF) support for rural operators, arguing a reduction in financial assistance could force them to raise rates for consumers or halt planned network investments. The organization’s concern relates to the Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support and High-Cost Loop Support programs. Both are targeted at smaller operators and are designed to make the economics of deploying and providing broadband service in rural areas more sustainable.

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition published its 2022 Policy Roadmap, outlining the 10 policy priorities that shape its advocacy in 2022. In brief, the SHLB Coalition will focus on the following policy priorities in 2022: 

The Illinois Electric Cooperative (IEC) said it will use funding received through the Connect America Fund II (CAF II) auction to deploy fixed wireless in rural Pike County (IL). IEC will use technology from Ericsson and Xtreme LTE for the deployment, which will use the CBRS spectrum. The companies did not indicate whether the spectrum to be used is in the licensed or unlicensed portion of the band. Fixed wireless technology has made big gains in recent years, and both LTE and CBRS spectrum were key developments to boost speeds and performance.

AT&T and Verizon have talked up their copper retirement plans, but analysts say the technology is likely to stick around in the US at least until the end of the decade. That’s in part because copper is deeply entrenched in the country. There’s no question operators are eager to move away from copper and for good reason.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) announced the launch of the 5G Challenge in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD). ITS, the US’s Spectrum and Communications Lab, supports the Department of Defense 5G Initiative through a combination of its subject matter experts in 5G and its research, development, test, and evaluation laboratory infrastructure in Boulder (CO).

As policymakers begin to plan how to use Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds to increase broadband connectivity, there are three important data points from two recent surveys to keep in mind:

1. Some 32% of households are subscription vulnerable, that is, they struggle to maintain service and have a very difficult time affording service.

2. Only 18% of cellphone-only respondents were “very satisfied” with their online access for activities such as school or work, activities that moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Big telecommunications companies including Frontier and AT&T are asking the state for millions in the most recent round of broadband expansion grants, according to the list of applications submitted to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.

New investments flooding partisan media platforms are starting to restructure the US internet business around the nation's