Universal Broadband

If you live in the US and want home Internet service at speeds of at least 100Mbps, you will likely find one Internet service provider in your area or none at all. The latest Internet Access Services report was released by the Federal Communications Commission the week of Feb 5. The report's broadband competition chart finds that 44 percent of developed Census blocks had zero home broadband providers offering download speeds of at least 100Mbps and upload speeds of at least 10Mbps.

[Commentary] Lack of digital connectivity carries extremely high costs, but few areas reveal the opportunities and challenges of rural digital divides better than health care. Broadband has the power to conquer distance. With telemedicine, we can extend the reach of care, making it possible for treatment, even hours from the nearest hospital. Initial analysis shows that rural “cancer hotspots” also face major gaps in broadband access and adoption.

The Federal Communications Commission's recent broadband deployment report claims that seven West Virginia counties have 100-percent access to a fixed broadband connection and, overall, 82.2 percent of West Virginians have access. Rob Hinton, chairman of the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council, which oversees broadband expansion and access in the state, said the FCC's numbers are “not even close to being correct." Hinton said the FCC's "Form 477" data isn’t expected to be a flawless measure of broadband access, but added that he thinks the data in the 2018 report is exaggerated.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) send letters to both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees asking for a portion of the $10 billion for infrastructure in the just announced budget agreement, for the FY18 Omnibus bill and FY19 spending bill still being developed, to be designated for rural broadband. Specifically, NRECA requested that at least $2.5 billion of those funds dedicated to rural broadband, and to fund that effort through the US Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service, using a “level playing field” approach that would ensure electric

The budget bill that passed in the wee hours of the morning of Feb 9 included $20 billion for infrastructure initiatives, at least some of which will go to broadband buildouts.

[Commentary] The solution to the country’s digital divide isn’t going to come from private-market competition, but rather from massive government mobilization. Just don’t call it “nationalization.”

Since its establishment in March 2011, the Federal Communications Commission Native Nations Communications Task Force has been composed of senior FCC staff and elected or appointed leaders from federally recognized Tribal governments or governmental entities, or their designated employees, and has helped the Commission fulfill its commitment to increasing broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal lands.  In view of the Task Force’s increasing involvement in a range of Commission matters and undertakings going beyond broadband deployment and adoption, the Commission, through its Office of

A bipartisan budget deal announced by Senate leaders includes $20 billion for U.S. infrastructure programs, an investment plan that comes ahead of the Trump administration's highly anticipated rebuilding proposal. The funds would go toward “existing” projects for water and energy infrastructure as well as expanding broadband to rural regions and improving surface transportation said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY).