Research

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

Rural Electric Cooperatives: Pole Attachment Policies and Issues

Pole attachment rental rates are a fraction of the overall cost to build broadband systems in rural areas. Rather, the major impediments to rural broadband development are low population densities, high capital costs and other major operating expenses in rural areas. Because electric cooperatives are led by and belong to the communities they serve, they are keenly familiar with these challenges.

Chairman Pai's Response to Members of Congress Regarding Broadband Mapping

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai sent a letter to Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) on May 28, 2019, in response to her letter regarding broadband mapping. Chairman Pai said the FCC initiated a new data collection for mobile broadband coverage as part of the Mobility Fund Phase II and began a review of the Form 477 process to ensure the FCC’s broadband data was more accurate, granular and useful to the FCC and the public.

Who replies to consultations, and what do they say? The case of broadband universal service in the UK

Over the last decade or so, access to broadband services has become increasingly important. While many in the UK already benefit from the provision of broadband, some, especially those located in more rural and remote areas, do not – they may not be able to access the Internet and when they do, their connection and consumer experience may be poor. After trying to resolve this through a stream of different initiatives, the UK government announced a broadband universal service obligation (USO) of 10 Mbps in late 2015.

The Ability to Pay for Broadband

According to recent National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) survey data, roughly 28 million households in the United States still do not use the Internet at home (Goldberg, 2019). In its survey, the NTIA also asked why households did not use the Internet at home, with 58 percent citing a lack of interest as their main reason for being offline and every fifth household (21%) stating that it is too expensive.

Report: 5G Revenue Impact to Be Minimal

Within the next five years, 5G networks will generate more than one quarter (26%) of wireless service revenue, according to new research from Strategy Analytics. But despite the expected impressive technical performance of 5G, the overall 5G revenue impact globally on the wireless service providers will be stagnant, the research firm added. The latest research also shows that any growth in 5G will be slow for the next 18 months before the technology gains strong momentum in 2021 as network coverage improves, phone prices fall, and use cases mature.

Google Made $4.7 Billion From the News Industry in 2018, Study Says

$4.7 billion is the amount that Google made from the work of news publishers in 2018 via search and Google News, according to a study by the News Media Alliance. That $4.7 billion is nearly as much as the $5.1 billion brought in by the United States news industry as a whole from digital advertising in 2018 — and the News Media Alliance cautioned that its estimate for Google’s income was conservative. For one thing, it does not count the value of the personal data the company collects on consumers every time they click on an article like this one.

Legislation to Improve Broadband Connectivity Passes Senate

The Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act has passed the Senate. The legislation, cosponsored by Sens Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), would require the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Technology, to conduct a study of the effects of the digital economy and the adoption of broadband deployment on the US economy.

Freedom and the Media: A Downward Spiral

The fundamental right to seek and disseminate information through an independent press is under attack, and part of the assault has come from an unexpected source. Elected leaders in many democracies, who should be press freedom’s staunchest defenders, have made explicit attempts to silence critical media voices and strengthen outlets that serve up favorable coverage.

Rep Collins Urges FCC to Improve Reliability of Rural Broadband Mapping

Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai requesting the FCC consider a more accurate and reliable approach to mapping broadband availability, particularly in rural areas. Under the FCC’s broadband mapping program, providers of fixed broadband are required to provide a list of all census blocks where fixed broadband service is currently available.

Many Americans Say Made-Up News Is a Critical Problem That Needs To Be Fixed

Many Americans say the creation and spread of made-up news and information is causing significant harm to the nation and needs to be stopped. Indeed, more Americans view made-up news as a very big problem for the country than identify terrorism, illegal immigration, racism and sexism that way.