Internet/Broadband

In what’s described as a “proposed decision,” California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Administrative Law Judge Karl Bemesderfer has denied a petition by Dish Network that seeks more time in migrating CDMA customers off T-Mobile’s network. In a filing in early February 2022, the CPUC said the decision by ALJ Bemesderfer has no legal effect “until and unless” the commission hears the item and votes to approve it. The item may be heard, at the earliest, at the California commission’s March 17 meeting. But it essentially signals defeat for Dish at the CPUC level on this item.

The Federal Communications Commission just announced increased testing for internet service providers (ISPs) accepting funding from FCC High-Cost programs, which includes the Connect America Fund (CAF) II and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). The new rules include the following:

The Federal Communications Commission announced that it is committing $125,962,023.72 in its ninth wave of Emergency Connectivity Fund program support. This round of funding will support over 270,000 students and provide funding for 340 schools, 20 libraries and 6 consortia, which are approved to receive over 330,000 connected devices and over 39,000 broadband connections. Since its June 2021 launch, the program has committed over $4.5 billion supporting all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Washington (DC).

The Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Reverse Auction was completed a little more than a year ago to much fanfare and spilled ink, and though we’ve seen irregular updates over the last twelve months, we thought it worth the time to round up what we know so far in an effort to see where we’re at and determine what is likely to come. The RDOF was built to award up to $20.4 billion in grants over 10 years using competitive reverse auctions generally won by the lowest bidder.

Nielsen recently published some statistics about the way that we watch video that shows a continuing trend of migration from traditional video to watching video online. One of the most striking statistics is the total volume of online video. December 2021 saw an aggregate of 183 billion minutes of online video viewing, and even that number is likely small since there are many uses of video on the web that are not likely counted in the total.

The Arizona Commerce Authority, in partnership with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), announced the Arizona Statewide Broadband Middle-Mile Strategic Plan, which supports current broadband expansion efforts on Interstate 17 and Interstate 19.

Louisiana is ahead of most states in its efforts to improve internet access and usage according to Jon Wilkins, a consultant and former chief operating officer for the Federal Communications Commission. By dedicating money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to provide broadband infrastructure in rural areas, Louisiana will have a chance to tackle other aspects of the problem sooner, he says.

Brandy Reitter has begun her newly appointed role as Executive Director of the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO). Reitter is taking the helm amid historic funding opportunities that have the potential to bring reliable broadband to every community across the state. Reitter will drive the state’s broadband strategy to provide equal access for all Coloradans. Among her many leadership responsibilities, Reitter will direct substantial federal and state funding expenditures by working with industry, communities and agencies to ensure the greatest impact for digital literacy and inclusion.

In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Congress allocated around $65 billion to connect Americans to broadband internet and gave the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) a leadership role in guiding states on how to spend the funds. Now, it will be up to the NTIA and the states to ensure that congressional goals become a reality. This Request for Comment by the American Action Forum raises important questions about the appropriate path forward, and these comments aim to guide the NTIA to maximize the efficiency of each tax dollar spent.