Wireless Telecommunications

On May 2, 2024, New Street Research Policy Advisor and Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Blair Levin testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband at a hearing entitled The Future of Broadband Affordability.

For decades we have known that for many underprivileged students, leaving the school grounds contributes to a homework gap because they cannot do much schoolwork without a robust internet connection. Bus Wi-Fi could fill a need for the millions of students who have a school-issued laptop but no reliable internet at home.

Can you imagine a future where everyone relies solely on their cellular connection, and they don’t subscribe to a fixed broadband connection at all? Currently, the U.S. government is undertaking a big push to get everyone in the country connected to fiber broadband to close the digital divide. But ironically, a research group from the U.K.

On behalf of Free Press, the African American Research Collaborative (AARC) and BSP Research (BSP) completed a survey of 3,000 American adults to better understand how Americans use media and technology to gain information, how they deal with misinformation and safety online, what privacy concerns they have about online platforms, what they believe are appropriate roles in content moderation, and whether they perceive a need for more independent news sources in the current media and political environment. Key findings included:

Developing a common and comprehensive factual understanding about how we use, need, and could potentially expand access to spectrum is critical to meet the Nation’s diverse spectrum requirements while also maintaining trust in the process.  It’s core to the National Spectrum Strategy's study-first approach to building a spectrum pipeline. For the Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) demonstration, the Department of Defense relaunched Partnering to Advance Trusted and Holistic Spectrum Solutions (PATHSS) to engage key stakeholders.

The 5G revolution is in full swing as consumers perceive significant improvement in both the wireless phone service they receive and their chosen mobile devices. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) report covers three categories of wireless phone service providers—mobile network operators (MNOs), fullservice mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), and value MVNOs—as well as cell phone manufacturers. ACSI scores are reported on a 0 to 100 scale. Key takeaways include:

T-Mobile has agreed to acquire substantially all of UScellular’s wireless operations. This includes UScellular’s wireless customers and stores, as well as certain specified spectrum assets. Upon closing, T-Mobile’s leading 5G network will expand to provide millions of UScellular customers, particularly those in underserved rural areas, a superior connectivity experience, moving from a roaming experience outside of the UScellular coverage area to full nationwide access on the country’s largest and fastest 5G network.

Judging by the online comments, T-Mobile’s price increase didn’t go over well. That’s putting it mildly—and it’s also no surprise. People generally don’t like to be told their monthly bills are increasing. But in T-Mobile’s case, customers are seething because T-Mobile is raising prices on plans that were offered with “guarantees” they wouldn’t go up, such as T-Mobile One plans. A T-Mobile spokesperson said customers who have Price Lock are still covered under that guarantee.

Rep Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced the Clarifying E-Rate Act of 2024, which would expand Wi-Fi access to school buses by making them permanently eligible for E-Rate funding, a program that provides discounts to schools and libraries for affordable telecommunications and internet access.

Broadband infrastructure may be the latest public utility connecting homes and businesses, but it’s also foundational to the emergence of “smart roads” and autonomous vehicles (AVs). Much of the discussion around broadband expansion has been focused, appropriately, on connecting large swaths of the nation with no Internet or less-than-stellar infrastructure.