Internet/Broadband

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has expressed a preference for fiber when it comes to dispensing $42.5 billion from the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding. But the NTIA rules allow U.S. states some leeway in regard to areas where it will be extremely expensive to deploy fiber. Specifically, states and territories must define their thresholds for extreme high-cost locations.

The nation’s spring construction season is starting up, and, in theory, it should be a big one. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act devoted more than $1 trillion dollars to upgrading the country’s roads, rails and ports. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act is supposed to pump tens of billions more into renewables and other energy infrastructure.

President Joe Biden made clear in his 2023 State of the Union address that as the US spends billions of dollars on new broadband connections, “we’re going to buy American.” But that aspiration is easier said than done. While there seems to be enough domestic fiber optic cable to connect communities, the electronic components such as routers that transform glass strands into data highways are made mainly in other countries.

City officials in Syracuse (NY) have formally approved a new project to provide heavily discounted wireless broadband to low-income city residents. The plan is being made possible courtesy of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), $123 million of which has been doled out to Syracuse city leaders for various urban improvement efforts. After issuing a request for proposals (RFP) in 2022, Syracuse officials say they’ve selected Community Broadband Networks FLX to help build the fledgling, city-owned network.

Governor Wes Moore (D-MD) announced that Maryland is awarding nearly $92 million to expand high-speed internet access to an estimated 14,500 households and businesses across the state through Connect Maryland, an initiative to close the digital divide through the Office of Statewide Broadband.

The Utah Broadband Center (UBC), powered by the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, recently announced the recipients of two new broadband planning grants. A total of $942,738 in grant funds was awarded to 28 organizations to facilitate local planning efforts to identify areas of the state needing increased investment in high-speed internet infrastructure, digital skills training, and access to online devices. These efforts will facilitate Utah communities’ access to critical online resources such as telemedicine, remote work, and educational opportunities.

Charter Communications came out on top in the latest advertising claim challenge lodged by AT&T. In its response to a challenge plaint from AT&T, the National Advertising Division (NAD) announced that Charter substantiated its "most consistent download speeds" claim for its Spectrum-branded broadband service. AT&T used an expedited challenge process, dubbed Fast-Track SWIFT, to bring this "single-issue" ad case to the NAD.

Telecom carriers and analysts have been talking about lower capital expenditures (capex) for 2023, so it’s no surprise that Dell'Oro Group released a report citing a decline in worldwide telecom spending in 2023. Dell'Oro states that the decline is going to continue for a while.

Some questions about T-Mobile’s Home Internet service remain unanswered, including the cause of a deceleration of subscribers from the third quarter to the fourth quarter of 2022. However, the analysts at MoffettNathanson took a stab at examining that and other issues related to fixed wireless access (FWA) in a new report. The report is an update of one from a year ago in which MoffetNathanson worked with Opensignal, formerly Comlinkdata, to analyze where FWA subscribers are coming from. Not a lot has changed from a year ago; Opensignal’s estimates of T-Mobile’s FWA subscriber mix show sign

To maximize the impact of the Biden-Harris administration’s historic infrastructure, manufacturing, and clean energy investments, the US Department of Labor announced the availability of $80 million in funding through its Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program. The Investing in America agenda, which includes legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS and Science Act, is creating millions of good-paying jobs in renewable energy, transportation, and broadband infrastructure sectors, and the Biden-Harris administrat