Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Light Reading

Omdia: Global broadband fiber subscriptions top 1 billion

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Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/24/2024

Omdia: Global broadband fiber subscriptions top 1 billion (Light Reading)

zwalker@benton.org — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:53:09 +0000

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https://www.lightreading.com/regulatory-politics/5g-slices-are-a-net-neutrality-…

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Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/12/2024

5G slices are a net neutrality loophole, critics argue

zwalker@benton.org — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 18:04:43 +0000

There are growing concerns among some lobbyists that 5G network operators will be able to use network slicing technology to evade the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) proposed net neutrality rules. Some claim that network slicing will establish Internet "fast lanes." "Mobile ISPs and their trade associations are pushing the FCC to let them create new kinds of fast lanes by using a network management technique known as 'network slicing,'" wrote a group of public interest groups—including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Technology Institute at New America, and Public Knowledge—in a new filing with the FCC. "They are asking the FCC to let them treat these new fast lanes as 'specialized services' that are largely exempt from net neutrality rules." Those public interest groups aren't the only ones sounding the alarm. "The commission should not allow network slicing to be used to evade any Open Internet rules it adopts," wrote the NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, a trade group representing the nation's cable companies.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

There's a blooming debate over how the FCC's proposed net neutrality rules will address network slicing

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Author:

Mike Dano

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Mon, 04/01/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 3/29/2024

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Fri, 03/29/2024

Coverage Type:

Federal Communications Commission

Regulatory classification

Wireless Telecommunications

Wireless Internet

Blair Levin: BEAD dollars to flow in later than expected

zwalker@benton.org — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 17:57:36 +0000

The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program is poised to "provide a material stimulus" to broadband service operators with respect to government-subsidized footprint expansion, but the "dollars will flow later than originally expected," a top policy analyst predicts. It's unlikely that a "significant number" of BEAD-funded networks will become operational in 2025, New Street Research's Blair Levin explained in a research note aimed at resetting expectations for the program. Instead, Levin expects BEAD-funded networks to become operational in greater volume between 2026 and 2028. Even so, he said he expects BEAD to be "one of the biggest events in the telecom sector" in 2024 and 2025 as the government doles out $42.5 billion to help expand high-speed Internet access in unserved and underserved areas.

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https://www.lightreading.com/digital-divide/bead-dollars-to-flow-in-later-than-e…

Teaser:

BEAD is on track to give ISPs a financial jolt, but the 'dollars will flow later than originally expected,' New Street Research's Blair Levin predicts

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Author:

Jeff Baumgartner

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Mon, 04/01/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 3/29/2024

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Fri, 03/29/2024

Coverage Type:

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Digital Divide

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Federal Broadband Programs

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Level of Government

Federal

RDOF winner coalition tells FCC to grant more funds and amnesty

zwalker@benton.org — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 14:13:59 +0000

A group known as the "coalition of RDOF winners" has weighed in on whether the Federal Communications Commission should grant an amnesty period for providers to relinquish their locations awarded through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) in the interest of making those locations available for the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program instead. Essentially, the coalition expressed support for the idea but is also pushing for more RDOF funding. The coalition first filed an emergency petition with the FCC in 2023, requesting supplemental funding and additional concessions to address what it called "unprecedented" cost increases associated with RDOF builds. This latest filing from the RDOF coalition comes in response to an FCC request for comment on a proposal to allow winners a short period of time to relinquish their awarded RDOF and Connect America Fund II (CAF II) locations in order to make more locations available for the much larger BEAD program.

Benton Content:

https://www.lightreading.com/broadband/rdof-winner-coalition-tells-fcc-to-grant-…

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The 'coalition of RDOF winners' told the FCC it should provide 'supplemental funding' for RDOF awardees and grant amnesty relief 'without imposing huge financial penalties'

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Author:

Nicole Ferraro

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Mon, 04/01/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 3/29/2024

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Fri, 03/29/2024

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https://www.lightreading.com/fixed-wireless-access/rural-fwa-operators-start-to-…

Rural FWA operators start to 'edge-in'

zwalker@benton.org — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 18:30:56 +0000

For rural operators, fixed wireless access (FWA) technologies have served well to "edge-out" and deliver services to areas that can't be reached by cable and fiber networks cost-effectively. But thanks to the beneficial economics of FWA paired with some of the capabilities packed into the latest generation of equipment, those operators are also looking to "edge-in" and bring wireless broadband to pockets of urban markets that aren't adequately covered by wireline networks, said Bill Baker, CEO of Nextlink Internet, a provider of wireline and wireless broadband in parts of eight states. FWA rollout costs are low, and deployments of the customer premises equipment (CPE) are driven on a success-based model. Unlike fiber buildouts, FWA deployments only need 1-2 percent of the market share to be financially viable, which makes it easier for formally rural-focused operators to expand into urban markets.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Nextlink CEO Bill Baker says new technologies and capabilities are enabling rural-focused fixed wireless service providers to 'edge-in' and hit pockets of urban markets that aren't well covered by wireline broadband

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Author:

Jeff Baumgartner

Send date:

Thu, 03/28/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 3/27/2024

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Publish Date:

Wed, 03/27/2024

Coverage Type:

Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

Infrastructure

Marginalized Populations

Wireless Internet

ACP, excluded from House spending package, creeps closer to death

Grace Tepper — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 03:54:47 +0000

The House of Representatives unveiled a $1.1 trillion spending package on March 21 that, if passed, will keep the government from shutting down this weekend. What it won't do, however, is fund the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) before it ends in May 2024. With April set as the ACP's final month of full funding, advocates had hoped to see Congress fund the program in must-pass spending legislation. In addition to the ACP, another top priority for the telecom industry is getting more funding for the Secure Networks Program, also known as rip-and-replace. Network operators have been sounding the alarm that the funding allotted for that 2020 program is less than 40 percent of what's needed to cover the costs of ripping out and replacing Chinese-made telecommunications equipment. President Biden had initially requested $6 billion for ACP, and $3 billion for rip-and-replace in his FY 2024 budget released last October. In a letter last week, a group of Democratic and Independent Senators also urged Congressional leadership to fund both programs in must-pass legislation.

Benton Content:

https://www.lightreading.com/broadband/acp-excluded-from-house-spending-package-…

Teaser:

The House of Representatives neglected to include funding for the ACP, as well as the 'rip-and-replace' program, in its latest spending package, pushing both programs to the brink.

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Author:

Nicole Ferraro

Send date:

Fri, 03/22/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 3/21/2024

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Publish Date:

Thu, 03/21/2024

Coverage Type:

Agenda

Upcoming policy issue

Digital Divide

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Broadband Programs

Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

https://www.lightreading.com/finance/the-death-of-acp-could-cut-4b-out-of-teleco…

Infrastructure

Affordability/Cost/Price

The death of the Affordable Connectivity Program could cut $4 billion out of telecom industry

zwalker@benton.org — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 20:23:56 +0000

According to a new report from the financial analysts at New Street Research, the US telecommunications industry stands to lose roughly $4 billion in market value–and $1.1 billion in revenues–if the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) ends. New Street said it based its latest calculation on its own survey of over 1,000 ACP recipients as well as data from Recon Analytics, the Federal Communications Commission and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, plus commentary from companies in the ACP program and historical data obtained during the pandemic. The firm found that 27 percent of ACP beneficiaries said in surveys that they will drop service if their bill increases by $30 (the amount of the ACP subsidy). However, the analysts estimated that around 1.2 million households may actually do so, considering survey responses often do not directly correlate with actual behaviors. The firm also estimated that around 1.6 million households will cut their telecommunications spending by $15 per month if the ACP ends.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

New Street Research analysts used survey and other data to calculate the effect of the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

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Author:

Mike Dano

Send date:

Thu, 03/21/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 3/20/2024

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Publish Date:

Wed, 03/20/2024

Coverage Type:

Agenda

Upcoming policy issue

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Broadband Programs

Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Affordability/Cost/Price

Legislation

Level of Government

Federal

Marginalized Populations

Low-income

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Benton Foundation

Charter's Alderfer pushes for more spectrum sharing (Light Reading)

zwalker@benton.org — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 19:58:08 +0000

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Charter's Alderfer pushes for more spectrum sharing

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https://www.lightreading.com/fttx/us-fiber-rollouts-reach-tipping-point-but-are-…

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Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 3/14/2024

US fiber rollouts reach tipping point but are still far behind hybrid fiber-coaxial

zwalker@benton.org — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 20:53:24 +0000

Fiber network deployments have reached a milestone as they now pass more than 50% of US households, according to recent data from the Fiber Broadband Association and RVA Market Research and Consulting. Almost 69 million of those locations are "unique" fiber homes, meaning that about 9 million are passed by more than one fiber provider. The share of broadband technology is also evolving. While hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) remains the primary way of delivering broadband, fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) and fixed wireless access (FWA) will continue to make their presence felt in the coming years. Research companyy Omdia expects cable's share of that mix to drop over the next four years, hitting about 55% by 2028, while fiber's share is expected to rise to 30% by that time. For the cable industry, fiber and FWA are not solely about competition. Many operators are also using FTTP extensively in greenfields and subsidized rural buildouts. They are deploying it on a targeted basis via a new generation of nodes that can support multiple access technologies, including HFC and wireless. Additionally, CableLabs has put fiber-to-the-premises on the front burner via a pair of new working groups. A recent survey from Omdia shows that more than one-third of cable operators have already deployed passive optical networking (PON) in some form. That number will "undoubtedly keep rising" thanks to initiatives such as the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, according to Heavy Reading analyst Alan Breznick

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Fiber now passes about 51.1% of US households, and fixed wireless access continues to make inroads

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