Today's broadband news
The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition filed comments in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SFNPRM) to remove barriers to infrastructure investment.
Broadband and higher speeds have made significant contributions to economic growth over the last decade according to Raul Katz, director of business strategy research at Columbia University. Katz conducted his research to determine where the United States economy would be if broadband had not evolved since 2010. He developed four models to explain the economic contribution of broadband, and all found support to suggest that broadband development has contributed to substantial economic growth.
Rep Brad Schneider (D-IL) re-introduced legislation to ensure critical online LGBTQ resources are not blocked at schools and public libraries. Currently, public schools and libraries that receive discounted telecommunications and internet rates through the Federal Communication Commission E-Rate Program must enforce an internet safety policy that in some cases leads to the blocking of useful LGBTQ resources.
When Zachary Cohn and his wife bought a house in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle (WA), they didn't expect any trouble getting home Internet service. It was only after closing on the house in July 2019 that they learned the bad news. "All six neighbors I share a property line with are wired for Comcast, but our house never was," Cohn said. Comcast had wired up the neighborhood with cable decades earlier and provides high-speed broadband to the abutting properties.
Telecommunications companies have surprisingly strong opinions about pole attachments. Several groups filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission advocating for a more streamlined process related to pole attachments. But AT&T and Verizon, to the contrary, filed comments indicating they don’t want any changes. The FCC is interested in clarifying the process and costs for those seeking to attach telecommunications equipment to utility poles. It issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in March and has since been seeking stakeholder comments.
A new study from Tufts University’s Digital Planet initiative found a correlation between broadband and Covid-19 death rates, highlighting a particular link between greater access and better outcomes in urban areas. The report comes after researchers at the University of Chicago released a paper earlier in 2022 that came to a similar conclusion.
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