Research

Reports that employ attempts to inform communications policymaking in a systematically and scientific manner.

Peak Seasons, Peak Injuries: Amazon Warehouses Are Especially Dangerous During Prime Day and the Holiday Season—and the Company Knows It

On July 16 and 17, 2024, Amazon will hold its annual Prime Day event, where it discounts products for Amazon Prime subscribers. The event is a major source of revenue for the company, but Prime Day is also a major cause of injuries for the warehouse workers who make it possible.

Where is fiber broadband on the hype cycle?

There’s a huge amount of energy in the fiber broadband ecosystem right now driven largely by the Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) program. But as someone who’s covered telecommunications for three decades, I suspect that we’re nearing the peak of the hype cycle for broadband.

Impact of the Discontinuation of the Affordable Connectivity Program

In a meeting with officials at the Federal Communications Commission, Recon Analytics shared results of a survey of 4,000 consumer mobile and 4,000 home internet consumers.

BEAD Program Surety Bond Information Kit

This first-of-its-kind kit includes bond forms to address the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announcement to accept surety bonds as an additional form of security in lieu of letters of credit (LOCs) for the  Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) and the Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) formed a surety working group to develop performance bond forms and model language to facilitate the use of surety bonds to meet BEAD Program security requirements.

Nebraska Annual Social Survey Snapshot: Is Home Internet in Nebraska Fast and Dependable?

A 2023 survey of about 1450 Nebraskans who reported having internet access at home found significant variation across demographic groups in home internet experiences. Among those with internet access at home, the largest differences in internet dependability and speed are reported across those who live in a town or city compared to those who live on a farm or open country.

Internet Usage Report 2024

One of the big takeaways from our previous Internet Usage Report was how much the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way that people used the internet. In contrast, perhaps the biggest takeaway of this 2024's survey is how little things have changed.

The Efficacy of the Connect America Fund in Addressing US Internet Access Inequities

Residential fixed broadband internet access in the United States (US) has long been distributed inequitably. These inequities remain the subject of significant focus for both researchers and policymakers alike, as taxpayers have invested hundreds of billions of dollars over the past several decades to address these broadband-related challenges. This paper evaluates the efficacy of the Connect America Fund (CAF), a key policy intervention aimed at addressing disparities in US internet access.

New Fiber Optics Tech Smashes Data Rate Record

A team of researchers in Japan and the United Kingdom have smashed the world record for fiber optic communications through commercial-grade fiber. By broadening fiber’s communication bandwidth, the team has produced data rates four times as fast as existing commercial systems—and 33 percent better than the previous world record. The researchers’ success derives in part from their innovative use of optical amplifiers to boost signals across communications bands that conventional fiber optics technology today less-frequently uses.

European FTTH/B Market Panorama 2024

On the occasion of the FTTH Conference 2024, the Market Intelligence Committee of the FTTH Council Europe launched the 2024 edition of the FTTH/B Market Panorama, presenting the latest insights in terms of FTTH/B coverage and adoption in Europe as of September 2023.