Legislation
CWA: Broadband workers' safety and wages have gone down
We hear a lot of talk from the broadband industry about how there’s a labor shortage. But there’s not so much a labor shortage as there is “a shortage of good jobs,” according to Ceilidh Gao, senior research associate at Communication Workers of America (CWA). Wages “have gone down in recent decades” and the jobs are “less safe than they used to be,” she said.
Industry struggles to define ‘middle mile’ even though it’s critical to BEAD
Middle-mile may have become more important than ever in terms of fiber networks because all the last-mile networks that will be built for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program need to connect to something. But honing-in on a precise definition of middle-mile is a challenge even for industry insiders. Joe Pellegrini, president and COO with Great Plains Communications, said, “It’s an end-to-end system with real estate, points of presence….
Reps Carey, Budzinski Introduce Bipartisan Compromise to Renew Affordable Connectivity Program
Reps Mike Carey (R-OH) and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to renew the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)—a federal program that helped low-income households afford access to high-speed internet.
Sens Thune, Luján, Barrasso Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expedite Broadband Permits to Unserved, Rural Communities
Sens John Thune (R-SD), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced the Accelerating Broadband Permits Act, bipartisan legislation that would improve federal agencies’ review and processing of broadband permits and allow service to be more quickly deployed to unserved communities.
Enough Talk About Pole Attachments—It’s Time for Action!
Republican or Democrat, one rare issue that can unite every American is the need to provide affordable internet connections to everyone. In today’s digital world, access to broadband internet means access to jobs, education, health care, and social opportunities.
NTIA: New BEAD guidelines could let states use unlicensed spectrum
Alan Davidson, Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), said that the agency is going to put out a guidelines document in a couple of weeks that will outline the use of alternate technologies in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) projects. NTIA stated from the beginning that fiber is its preferred technology for BEAD projects. But in cases where that isn’t economical, other technologies such as licensed wireless or coaxial cable may be approved for BEAD funds.
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The National Broadband Map is Getting Better—But We Need to Accelerate Improvements to Drive Better Decisions
We should not take our foot off the gas when it comes to the importance of better mapping, considering it’s at the heart of so much in the rural broadband space. Congress charged the Federal Communications Commission in early 2020 with creating a national broadband availability map. It is only fair to say that the national broadband map is better than any broadband availability dataset before it, and that it keeps getting better. But we are in no position to declare “mission accomplished” or even “good enough” when it comes to the national broadband map.
Low-income homes drop Internet service after Congress kills discount program
The death of the US government's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is starting to result in disconnection of Internet service for Americans with low incomes. Charter Communications reported a net loss of 154,000 Internet subscribers that it said was mostly driven by customers canceling after losing the federal discount.
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The Smallest BEAD Dilemma
One of the biggest challenges for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant is for State Broadband Offices to make sure that every unserved location gets covered by the grants. My understanding of the process is that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will not approve the BEAD grants being made by a State until they can demonstrate that every unserved and underserved location will be covered by the grants.
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Tracking Project Progress in the Middle Mile Program
Across six Internet for All grant programs, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is already funding hundreds of individual projects, with hundreds more to come. A new type of data dashboard shows how the public can monitor the progress of construction and implementation related to projects in their area.