Wireless Internet

FCC Announces July 18, 2024 Open Commission Meeting Agenda

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold an Open Meeting on the following subjects on Thursday, July 18, 2024, which is scheduled to commence at 10:30 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room of the Federal Communications Commission. 

FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel's Response to Members of Congress Regarding the 5G Fund for Rural America

On April 24, members of Congress wrote to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to "urge the FCC to carefully consider and account for the impact of investments funded by the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to maximize the reach and efficiency of the 5G Fund." On July 2, Chairwoman Rosenworcel responded, agreeing that it is critical to maximize the efficiency and impact of federal broadband programs.

Fixed wireless trounces cable in customer loyalty metrics, says Recon Analytics

According to survey data from Recon Analytics, the net promoter scores of Verizon and T-Mobile for their fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband absolutely demolish the net promoter scores of Comcast and Charter for their hybrid fiber coax (HFC) broadband services. “FWA’s numbers are off the chart,” said Recon Analytics principal Roger Entner. However, he cautioned that there is a “selection bias” in the data because with FWA, people do their own installation, and if they aren’t happy with the service they can return the gear within three days. NPS scores are a big deal.

5G Fund: How many locations will be eligible for this $9 billion program for rural 5G?

As all of us have focused on the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to bring fixed broadband to rural areas, the Federal Communications Commission has quietly moved another program forward: the proposed “5G Fund for Rural America”, a program that could be as large as $9 billion. As of March 2024, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated to colleagues a draft order that would restart the 5G Fund.

5G Wireless Connections in North America Double the Global Average

There was strong 5G wireless growth during first quarter of 2024, with 185 million additions pushing global connections to almost the 2 billion level, according to data from 5G Americas telecommunications trade organization and Omdia, an analyst and advisory company. North America is a big part of the positive momentum. The researchers reported that 32% of all cellular connections were 5G, which is double the global average. The overall growth rate was 11%, which equates to 22 million new connections.

House Debates FCC Budget

On July 9, the House Commerce Committee's Communications and Technology Subcommittee held a hearing on the fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget for the Federal Communications Commission. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel testified before the subcommittee along with fellow commissioners Brendan Carr, Geoffrey Starks, Nathan Simington, and Anna Gomez.

FCC Extends Pause of Lifeline Voice Phase-Out and Mobile Data Changes

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau extended, for an additional year, the waiver pausing both the phase-out of Lifeline support for voice-only services and the increase in Lifeline minimum service standards for mobile broadband data capacity.

Study: Global 5G Connections Reach Nearly Two Billion

The 5G industry continues to see strong growth according to new data from 5G Americas and Omdia that shows 185 million 5G connections were added in Q1 2024, pushing the global total to nearly two billion. 5G Americas and Omdia project that 5G connections will hit 7.7 billion by 2028. The new data shows that North America leads the charge in 5G adoption, with 5G connections in the region comprising 32 percent of all wireless cellular connections. Notably, the region experienced healthy growth in the first quarter, adding 22 million new connections to operator networks.

Here are 5 broadband startups making waves around the globe

The digital divide is a global problem. NCTA – the Internet & Television Association released last week a documentary called “Every Last Mile,” which aims to illustrate the challenges ISPs face in building broadband in rural America, but we went a step further. We looked at which broadband and telecommunications startups are tackling connectivity on a global scale.

Could 5G carriers ink a spectrum deal with TV broadcasters?

A television conference in Washington (DC) aired a proposed remake of one of the bigger spectrum-policy hits of the past decade, although it's not clear what kind of reception "Incentive Auction 2.0" might get. Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr endorsed the idea of a second "incentive auction" during his talk onstage with Madeleine Noland, president of the Advanced Television Systems Committee.