BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: We can expect many more instances in which new interfaces are making technology more compatible with user needs. Underlying it all is faster and better broadband technology. || Microsoft Cortana Speech Recognition Now Allows You To Dictate Text In Office Apps, from Geeky Gadgets: c is bringing Cortana speech recognition technology to… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: In a conference call with reporters, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn said that governors and mayors are scheduled meet at the White House with President Donald Trump for a session focused on efficiently using tax dollars for infrastructure projects.|| Trump to Push for U.S. Infrastructure Overhaul of Roads, Bridges, Air Traffic,… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: While there are a lot of uncertainties about timing – and how it meshes with tax legislation – the White House is pressing forward with its “vision” for infrastructure, which is primarily one of melding public and private forces to rebuild physical backbone of America. This is not all bad, as public-private partnerships… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: The Huntsville combination of open access and leased fiber is a model to watch! || Google Fiber launches in Huntsville, Alabama by leasing new municipal fiber network, from 9to5 Google: First announced over a year ago, Google Fiber is now live in Huntsville, Alabama. Alphabet’s internet connectivity division was able to launch its service… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Always important to get to the bottom of reports criticizing municipal networks in an incomplete fashion. Bravo to Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Next Century Cities for addressing these. || Addressing UPenn Report: Dud Data, Unsuitable Approach, from Institute for Local Self-Reliance: For the second week in row, our staff has felt… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: United States broadband speeds are continuing to rise, according to Akamai’s periodic “state of the internet” report. The more urban “states,” including Rhode Island, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, conventionally do better in these rankings than less-dense states. || Akamai: Average U.S. Broadband Speed Rises to 18.7 Mbps, from Telecompetitor: The… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: There is an important linkage between the growing discussion about public-private partnerships in broadband, and the call for greater infrastructure investment by the Trump administration. The four key principles discussed by Trump are (1) targeted federal investments, encourage self-help by local government, re-align agencies providing infrastructure investment, and (4) leveraging the private… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: We’ll be looking for some alternative analysis of this material. Interesting to see that this is becoming such a focus of certain industry observers and interests. || Municipal Fiber in the U.S.: An Empirical Assessment of the Financial Performance, from Wharton’s Public Policy Initiative: Many municipalities have already built municipal-owned fiber networks… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Mixed signals emerging from Office of Management Budget about the role of infrastructure in the Trump administration plan. Trump Budget Said to Include $200 Billion for Infrastructure, from Bloomberg: President Donald Trump will propose spending $200 billion in federal funds over 10 years to spur investment in the nation’s infrastructure, a senior… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: The best time to release a budget? When the president is away on a foreign trip! Trump to Propose $1.4 Trillion in Cuts to Non-Defense Agencies, from GovExec President Trump, in budget documents to be released on Tuesday, will propose shrinking spending at non-defense agencies by $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years, with… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: An example of the convergence of the Washington and Silicon Valley elites, in the form of technology and broadband taking over (at least one portion of) our world. || Campaign and White House veterans who in years past would have turned their resumes & connections into cushy jobs are headed west to… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai’s take on this may seem inconsistent, but from his perspective, anything that preserves FCC authority will help him preserve his (pending) rule to overturn the reclassification of broadband as a Title II service. Now the contest continues on only two front – the FCC and Congress… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: This development highlights that Google Fiber isn’t done with fiber builds — just exploring new methods and models with which to carry forward. || Google Fiber officially selects Louisville, KY to run its new gigabit play, from Tech Republic: Google Fiber has confirmed that the next city to receive its gigabit internet… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: A concerning new development from Maine. Thanks to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance for raising this issue through this alert. || Bill Introduced in Maine Legislature to Limit Local Authority over Broadband Investment, from Community Broadband Networks: Maine State Representative Nathan Wadsworth (R-Hiram) introduced a bill to revoke local authority over building… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: A new report from the Haas Institute raises the question that’s been lurking behind the important-to-significant fiber rollouts over the past decade by Verizon, Google and AT&T: Are these providers cherry-picking their neighborhoods? This report drills deeply into AT&T’s deployment. || Digital Divide in California, by the Haas Institute: Californians need high-speed… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: One of the most interesting questions in broadband infrastructure today centers around dry legalities like “dig once” and “one touch.” This conflict in Louisville shows that Google still intends to stay in the battle, at least on the policy and legal front, vis-a-vis incumbents like AT&T. || Legal bills mount as Louisville… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: By taking this action, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has likely avoided the fate of a bill that would require the agency to add conduit to infrastructure projects. See Steve Blum’s perspective below, and on the link. || Caltrans buries dig once conduit bill, from Tellus Venture Associates: Under a veto… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Open access networks, such as those proposed by SiFi Networks, are important because they allow for the next generation applications and services. This story updates how a Rhode Island community is considering the company for its fiber network. Economic Development Commission keeps SIFI high-speed Internet idea alive WESTERLY — The Economic Development… Keep Reading
On Wednesday, April 5, Hudson Institute’s Center for the Economics of the Internet is honored to host Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Chairman Pai will deliver prepared remarks on the importance of economic analysis and the role it will play at the FCC going forward. After his remarks, Chairman Pai will join… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: With the House Rules Committee’s decision to press for a House vote on internet privacy on Tuesday, it’s an “all hands on deck” sort of moment, as multiple parties weight into the pros and cons of approving the Senate’s use of the Congressional Review Act to overturn Obama administration privacy rules. ISPs, Advertisers… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: This came out just over a month ago, but is well worth highlighting. Ammon, Idaho, has developed a model that helps to break apart the closed-box model of the vertically-integrated communications providers. This article on Muni Networks well encapsulates some of the ways that Ammon’s network os so revolutionary. Ammon Launches Its… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Another possible success story from Appalachia, where local utilities are stepping up to the plate and making fiber the new utility for middle America. Morristown And Newport Buddy-Up For Broadband In Rural TN, from MuniNetworks.org Morristown Utilities Commission (MUC) and Newport Utilities (NU) in Tennessee have taken the first monumental step in… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Great piece from Ozy, a publication about which we weren’t familiar until this article, about the need for, and power of, broadband in rural communities. This, if anything, is an issue that blue states and red states can unite upon! The Battle for the Internet in Rural America, from Ozy So much… Keep Reading
Public Knowledge Files Opposition for Reconsideration to Save Broadband Privacy Rules for Consumers On Monday, Public Knowledge, joined by Benton Foundation and the Center for Digital Democracy, filed an Opposition to Petitions for Reconsideration of the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Privacy Order adopted in 2016. We seek to preserve elements of the Order that enable… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Flake’s bill is just one of the many signs that telecommunications issues are likely to be discussed more, not less, in Congress this year. This diminishes the importance of action at the FCC, relegating it to serving a secondary role on more technical issues. GOP senator offers measure to undo FCC internet… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: New York State continues its innovative efforts to provide broadband funding to underserved areas of the state. In addition to funding for traditional and non-traditional telecom companies, the program has received funding from the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline Program. $212 Million in Broadband Funding Awarded to 26 Carriers Including FairPoint, Frontier, and… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Last Week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona presented Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai with his first opportunity to law out his vision for communications. This recap from the Benton Foundation’s Robbie McBeath critiques his approach to the subject. Blame It On The Barcelona (Or Alternative Titles To Celebrate Alternative Facts) Federal Communications… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Unlike the United States, the UK has a system of “structural separations” – at least in theory – where the provider of the wholesale networks (Openreach) is to be separated from its sister-provider of retail broadband services (BT). This article recounts some of the controversies that have now come to a head.… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: We just came across this 23-page report from the National League of Cities providing comparisons of five cities and their approach to “Smart Cities.” While we’d have like to see a bit more specifics about the role that broadband internet services play in the development and role of connected communities, we wanted… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: This item from the “Friday news dump” got less attention, but may be the more significant of the measures taken by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai. In addition to overturning aspects of the Lifeline changes made by the Obama-era FCC, he and the Republican majority have also “rescinded” an E-Rate report issued… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: A summary article highlighting the various impact from the Friday actions, led by Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai. The big-ticket item highlighted is the end of the inquiry by the FCC under former Chairman Tom Wheeler into “zero rating,” a practice of offering streams and downloads that don’t “count” against a subscribers’… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: The need for speed is here, and is here to stay. You don’t build a next century network to accomodate the current capacity, but the capacity that people are going to be using. Here is more evidence that the future is coming sooner rather than later. AT&T says 30% of FTTH subs… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Broadband Penetration inches toward saturation, in this new report from The Diffusion Group. Over-the-top video is now practically any everyday household option. TDG: Three-Fourths of US Broadband Households Now Have an Internet-Connected TV According to new research from The Diffusion Group (TDG), the penetration of Internet-connected TVs among US broadband households has… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Some intelligence into the possible third Republican to join the Federal Communications Commission, from TVNewsCheck.com Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Following up on the example of neighboring Kentucky, and other states, such as New York, Tennessee is engaging in and extensive broadband plan of its own – but with a twist. This program is primarily funded through tax credits. Gov. Bill Haslam announced a $45 million plan Thursday to bring broadband access… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Great and fascinating article urging a more widespread tolerance of electronics in the courtroom, such as Tweeting. A Trial and a Twitterstorm: On Live-Tweeting From a Federal Courthouse As I walked into a federal court in Dallas last Tuesday, waiting to hear the Facebook founder’s testimony, my pockets were filled with the… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Just as the White House web site changed with the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the abundant web resources and social media content associated with the administration of former President Barack Obama is now available through the National Archives. National Archives launches Barack Obama Library website including access to archived web and… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is continuing its efforts to ensure good-quality broadband data, even as broadband policy remains undertain under the incoming presidential administration. These steps will ensure a good foundation. Building Our Next Internet Use Survey January 09, 2017 by Rafi Goldberg, Policy Analyst, Office of Policy Analysis and… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: We have no information on the veracity of this speculation, from last week’s Fortune, but it is clear that the broadband ecosystem is in the midst of coping with Google’s retrenchment from expansions in the fiber marketplace. -> Why Google Might Be Getting Ready to Dump Its Fiber Internet Service, Fortune.com Recent… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: A good roundup piece highlighting the crucial role that cities will play in the future of internet of things (IoT). Consumer gadgets have been the initial driver, but it is in civic applications that full potential will be realized. See Drew Clark’s piece on “What the Internet of Things means for local… Keep Reading