Wireless Internet

The Texas-Mexico border is one of the least connected in the US.  A map from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows border counties bathed in bright red, meaning less than 60 percent have home access. It’s a distinction shared by the Mississippi Delta and Appalachia, other parts of the country with pernicious poverty. But that may change.

The Federal Communications Commission resolved the remaining petitions for reconsideration of Commission decisions in the February 2017 Mobility Fund Phase II Report and Order. In that Order, the Commission adopted rules to move forward with the MF-II auction, which will provide up to $4.53 billion in high-cost support over 10 years to extend high-speed mobile voice and broadband coverage to unserved and underserved areas across the United States. The Commission received seven petitions for reconsideration of the MF-II Report & Order.

SpaceX's worldwide network of thousands of orbiting devices that can beam Internet signals down to earth from low orbit, 5G data, and more efficient use of our airwaves -- all these could boost competition in your local broadband market in the coming years. If it pays off, the result may be faster Internet speeds, better service and lower prices.

When it comes to the four major carriers, everyone says they are going to be first with 5G. It's always a race to be first with a new generation of technology (and to claim being first, which isn't always the same thing.) The stakes are extra high — both within the U.S. and on the global stage, with China, Korea, Japan and others all looking to be ahead of the game. Expect even more noise (and therefore more confusion) when the cellphone industry's big conference, Mobile World Congress, starts Feb. 26 in Barcelona, Spain.

[Editorial] The Benton Foundation has joined literally hundreds of organizations that are asking the Federal Communications Commission to ensure Lifeline voice and broadband service for low-income households, with minimal disruption to the people who depend on the program for a consistent connection to the world via their telephone or internet connection. We're asking that the FCC:

The Federal Communications Commission should create more incentives for companies to deploy service over fixed and mobile wireless networks to undercapitalized communities. One way we can do this, is by making wireless spectrum available through auctions. 

[Commentary]  Companies across the gamut are investing in new fixed wireless services. And government money aimed at bridging the digital divide could help fund further fixed wireless deployments. Perhaps more importantly, a surprisingly large number of new and existing vendors are selling increasingly inexpensive equipment for fixed wireless services. But the most interesting element in fixed wireless is that it appears to be a breeding ground for new wireless technologies.

New Street Research managing partner Jonathan Chaplin said the cable business is going to look vastly different in the next five years. “Today the wireless and cable industries have completely separate networks. In five years, those networks will be as one.

AT&T is embarking on an interesting expansion strategy by launching AT&T Gfast based broadband service to multiple dwelling units (MDUs or apartment buildings to you and me) outside of their traditional service territory. The latest example is Boston, where AT&T announced the availability of Gfast delivered broadband services to select apartment complexes. AT&T Gfast can deliver up to 500 Mbps broadband, using existing building wiring, coax wiring in this case. AT&T is also bundling satellite-based Directv service, where available.

Google stunned the internet world in 2016 by investing in wireless internet technology and scaling back on its plans to connect customers with fiber optic lines. Wireless advocates like Terry Nelson, Woodstock (MN) Communications' vice president and general manager, say Minnesota should do the same. "We see this as the solution," he said.