Connect with us

#broadbandlive

Broadband Infrastructure to Rural Areas is on the Move at the Broadband Breakfast Club

WASHINGTON, October 21, 2011 – Rural broadband providers, national union members, federal agency officials and state broadband administrators squared off on Tuesday at the Broadband Breakfast Club’s keynote and panel presentations on “Bringing Broadband Infrastructure to Rural Areas: Where is the Progress?”

Event Highlights

Highlights from “Bringing Broadband Infrastructure to Rural Areas: Where is the Progress?” from BroadbandBreakfast.com

Complete Program

“Bringing Broadband Infrastructure to Rural Areas: Where is the Progress?” from BroadbandBreakfast.com

Published

12 years ago

on

WASHINGTON, Friday, October 21, 2011 – Rural broadband providers, national union members, federal agency officials and state broadband administrators squared off on Tuesday at the Broadband Breakfast Club’s keynote and panel presentations on “Bringing Broadband Infrastructure to Rural Areas: Where is the Progress?”

Event Highlights

Highlights from “Bringing Broadband Infrastructure to Rural Areas: Where is the Progress?” from BroadbandBreakfast.com

Complete Program

“Bringing Broadband Infrastructure to Rural Areas: Where is the Progress?” from BroadbandBreakfast.com

Moderator, Jerry Hagstrom of the Hagstrom Report, set the stage for the morning’s discussion by highlighting the necessity for broadband in Rural America.  High speed internet is not only crucial for telemedicine, education and access to Native American communities but is important for general rural development and prosperity including the ability of the farming sector to make equipment repairs and access information about markets.

Undersecretary for Rural Development of the United States Department of Agriculture, Dallas Tonsager provided the keynote.  Tonsager is proud of RUS’s progress on loans and grants awarded through the broadband stimulus initiative and is anxiously awaiting the Federal Communication Commission’s Universal Service Proposal to see how it would benefit rural communities.

The Undersecretary expressed the importance of different technologies like wireless and fiber in addressing the needs of different communities. “It takes an eclectic set of solutions to meet the challenge and get out there and serve that broad area of the US…the stakes are high.”

Tonsager was pleased with the $3.5 billion in stimulus dollars that went to support grant and loan projects.  He mentioned that while over 100 projects are in the act of construction or completed there are some that are moving along slower than expected.  Those projects he stressed are very large and require intense planning in order to be executed properly.  All funds are slated to be spent by 2015.

Tonsager also noted that over 110 million dollars have been allocated to 25 projects aimed to help tribal communities.

“How do we keep moving forward?” asked Tonsager, “we have to be persistent and focus on this critical period of investment.”  He also stressed the importance of the Community Connect Programs which focus on infrastructure to develop community centers that provide free public access to broadband.

Tonsager also touted his staff’s focus on the “Build Out and Build On” efforts. “The intension is not just to get to the homes, but to provide them with the support to help them build their businesses.”

Addressing the USF proposal the Undersecretary said “With the proper support agricultural and rural communities will be the ones that help get this country out of a recession.”

Hagstrom then asked the Undersecretary about the threat of budget reductions on the agency and how cuts would affect programs that support rural development.

Tonsager said while he realizes the need for deficit reduction, there is strong support for rural development.  He also noted that he spends a lot of time making the case that the agriculture community needs the rural development programs.

Tonsager said that if faced with deficits cuts, there are possibilities for consolidation of some of the 42 programs currently operating under RUS and there are additional steps that can be taken to target better loan opportunities in order to keep delinquencies low.

The panel that followed consisted of six experts with varying perspectives on the RUS programs, the USF proposal, national goals for broadband adoption. These six included: Chandler Goule, Vice President of Government Relations, National Farmers Union, James Kohler, Deputy Director of Enterprise Technology Services, Alaska Department of Administration, Forbes Mercy, President of Washington Broadband Inc & Board Member/VP & Legislative Committee Chair, Wireless Internet Service Provider Association (WISPA), Leif Oveson, Director of Government Affairs, National Telecommunication Cooperative Association (NTCA), Jaqueline Johnson Pata, Executive Director, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and David Russell, Solutions Marketing Director, Calix and Head of the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council’s Regulatory Affairs Committee.

Goule expressed NFU’s support of broadband adoption and reiterated the importance of broadband in the daily lives and tasks of the farming industry.  Rural development in broadband is essential to economic vitality of the farming community.

Kohler from Alaska’s main concern is “when is rural America going to get adequate infrastructure.”  He said, “if you take the remarks of Chairman Genachowski at face value… it will not be anytime soon.”

Kohler was also concerned about the concept of the auction program; he stated that “the further you get from population density, the fewer competitors you are going to get for USF funding.”  Kohler added that Rural America’s best friends are their state commissions, and he was surprised that many states have not been more vocal about the role of state authorities leading up to the FCC’s proposal.

“What we do not see,” said Kohler “is how great the challenge is to actually connect many of these areas.”  He believes that rural carriers are going to be hard pressed to meet many of their obligations because of the severe lack of infrastructure in many rural places.

Kohler feels that the government should be focused on getting everyone up to even 2G or 3G before they worry about meeting their goal of 4G.

Mercy made a strong case for wireless internet service providers and claimed that those providing fixed wireless have been the true innovators in the most rural areas.  Mercy said that there is a misconception that there are only two types of broadband providers, cable and telecom companies.  WISPs can ignore the density metrics used by the major carriers that seek 1000-3000 homes per square mile.  In some areas of Texas Fixed Wireless Service Providers provide broadband to areas that only have 10.48 homes per square mile.  Mercy said that this important information “will provide clarity and credibility in preventing federally funded aid to competitors in the form of grants or USF when an existing fixed wireless provider is already an incumbent.”

Obstacles for fixed wireless come from the vast swaths of unused spectrum and the inefficient use of white spaces.  In the end, Mercy noted that fixed wireless equipment is much less expensive than the equipment used by mobile providers and can be deployed much faster in rural areas.

Oveson from NTCA highlighted the fact that it can get very expensive when rural independent service providers serve 40% of the US land mass with only 5% of the US population.  He addressed the slower pace of some of the RUS loan and grant infrastructure build out projects, but understood some of the issues with historical preservation areas and fiber shortages that have slowed down some of the projects.

NCAI represents 565 tribes throughout the country but there are only 9 tribal telcos.  While Pata was proud of the telemedicine developments in the tribal communities she stressed that with unemployment levels ranging from 20-90% broadband deployment to tribal is the key for future economic development

Russell was speaking on behalf of Calix as well as the Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) Council that represents 250 service providers and vendors.  Calix is the largest electronic vendor to rural markets; they provide DSL as well as fiber to the home.  Russell stated that all technologies that provide broadband require fiber at some point, fiber infrastructure is very important even for wireless providers.

Russell believed in a three prong model of success first prong being USF support, second prong being support from RUS programs and the essential third prong is lies in the success of BTOP and its focus stimulating middle mile and last mile infrastructure build out.

Russell ended his statement with a note of caution for the USF proposal that focuses on the cap and a capital fund model. Russell suggests that the FCC focus on an operating fund model, “giving people an annuity every year allows them to leverage private capital.”

A very interesting question was raised by Stephanie Joyce from Arent Fox, who asked the panelists whether USF should focus on income and not just census numbers. “Would you support means testing of any kind in connection to USF funding for broadband in rural areas?”

Both Kohler and Pata were against means testing citing concerns that it would reduce incentive to build out to the last mile. Oveson was against means tests because it would add another step of uncertainty for the providers, “a provider might hesitate because they would not know what part of their constituency would apply.”

Mercy on the other hand believed if Telco’s build out they should build out all the way.  He also noted that the customer should be able to choose who they give the voucher to provide them this that service.

Related Topics:

As Deputy Editor, Chris Naoum is curating expert opinions, and writing and editing articles on Broadband Breakfast issue areas. Chris served as Policy Counsel for Future of Music Coalition, Legal Research Fellow for the Benton Foundation and law clerk for a media company, and previously worked as a legal clerk in the office of Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. He received his B.A. from Emory University and his J.D. and M.A. in Television Radio and Film Policy from Syracuse University.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

#broadbandlive

Experts Disagree on Net Neutrality Legal Ground

The Supreme Court has shown less deference to federal agencies in recent years, a BBLO panel heard.

Published

2 days ago

on

September 27, 2023

By

Screenshot of the event on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, September 27, 2023 – Experts disagreed at a Broadband Breakfast Live Online event on Wednesday whether reinstituted Federal Communications Commission rules on net neutrality would survive legal challenges. 

The FCC announced on Tuesday that it is looking to reinstate its 2015 net neutrality regulations, which involve categorizing broadband internet as a Title II service under the Communications Act of 1934. That would give the commission more muscle to regulate the industry, on par with its authority over telephone companies.

In particular, the commission is looking to prevent carriers from throttling or increasing users’ speed depending on the site they want to access.

The move survived legal scrutiny in 2016, when the D.C. Court of Appeals held the agency had the authority to classify technologies under the act as it saw fit. The Supreme Court would ultimately refuse to hear the case and let the D.C. ruling stand.

Berin Szoka, president of policy think tank TechFreedom, said Wednesday the legal landscape has changed since then, with a conservative majority on the Supreme Court that is more willing to tell federal agencies they are overstepping their boundaries.

“In the last six years, the ground has shifted very significantly,” he said.

He pointed to a dissent from then-D.C. Circuit judge Brett Kavanaugh when the court refused to rehear the net neutrality case. Kavanaugh, now part of a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, argued the FCC’s move to reclassify broadband was too drastic for it to do without explicit authorization from Congress.

“That was a dissent in 2017. That’s now the Court’s majority position,” he said, referring to the so-called major questions doctrine. Under the doctrine, the Supreme Court has ruled in recent years that federal agencies cannot enact policies that address major economic or political questions without explicit congressional authorization, giving agencies less authority to regulate as they see fit.

Stephanie Joyce, chief of staff and senior vice president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, a tech trade group, said the doctrine might not apply to the FCC’s action at all.

She compared net neutrality rules to the EPA’s attempt to transition power plants to clean energy sources, which the Supreme Court nixed under the doctrine.

The EPA had not taken such a step before, she said, making it a bigger change in regulation than the FCC’s reclassification of broadband. That and other technology reclassifications have precedent at the commission, she said, including both the 2015 rules and a 1998 reclassification of DSL technology.

“I’m not sure the major questions doctrine is going to carry the day here,” she said.

Chip Pickering, CEO of another tech trade group, INCOMPAS, agreed that “there’s a lot of uncertainty” about how the Supreme Court would treat a challenge net neutrality rules from the FCC. But he said that a gridlocked Congress has little chance of enacting wider regulation on internet providers.

“Title II has, so far, been the only authority that’s been upheld on net neutrality,” he said. “And we have to act now.”

FCC commissioners will vote on whether to put up the proposed rules for public comment on October 19, barring a government shutdown.

Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Watch the event on Broadband Breakfast, or REGISTER HERE to join the conversation.

BREAKING NEWS SESSION! Wednesday, September 27 – What Happens Next on Net Neutrality?

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wasted no time in promulgating rules regarding network neutrality. With Anna Gomez’ confirmation as the elusive fifth commissioner, Democrats finally have a majority at the agency. The chairwoman has said that she will put forward proposed rules on the topic at the agency’s open meeting on October 19. The partisan-tinged topic is expected to largely be a return of the 2015 rules under the agency’s authority under Title II of the Communications Act. One day after Rosenworcel’s Tuesday speech on net neutrality – and one day before the item is publicly released – Broadband Breakfast will convene industry and civil society stakeholders in a discussion about What Happens Next?

Panelists

  • Chip Pickering, CEO, INCOMPAS
  • Stephanie Joyce, Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President Computer & Communications Industry Association
  • Joe Kane, Director, Broadband and Spectrum Policy, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
  • David Zumwalt, CEO, WISPA: Broadband Without Boundaries
  • Berin Szoka, President, TechFreedom
  • Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Panelist resources:

Please note: The originally scheduled Broadband Breakfast Live Online event, on renewing the Affordable Connectivity Program, will now take place on October 11, 2023.

For nearly three decades, Chip Pickering has been at the forefront of every major telecommunications milestone. From his time as a Senate staffer on the Commerce Committee shaping the Telecommunications Act of 1996, to his role as a Member of Congress leading on tech issues and overseeing the transition to the commercial internet, to serving as CEO of the leading internet and competitive networks association advocating for more competition and innovation in our ever-evolving industry. Through his leadership at INCOMPAS, Pickering continues to be a trusted voice and a leading expert on important issues facing the tech and telecommunications industry.

Stephanie Joyce joined CCIA after decades in private practice representing technology companies and competitive carriers before state and federal administrative agencies and courts. She is an experienced advocate for procompetitive policy, including her advocacy for CCIA at the FCC on broadband deployment and Open Internet rules. Stephanie has also provided counsel to telecommunications companies, as well as CCIA, on privacy matters. Stephanie is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, received her graduate degree from George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, and her law degree from George Washington University Law School.

Joe Kane is director of broadband and spectrum policy at ITIF. Previously, he was a technology policy fellow at the R Street Institute, where he covered spectrum policy, broadband deployment and regulation, competition, and consumer protection. Earlier, Joe was a graduate research fellow at the Mercatus Center, where he worked on Internet policy issues, telecom regulation, and the role of the FCC.

David Zumwalt is CEO & CEO of WISPA – Broadband Without Boundaries.WISPA represents the interests of innovative, often small ISPs that provide fixed wireless, fiber and other connectivity solutions to consumers, businesses, first responders and community anchor institutions in the digital divide.  Supported by a robust vendor and supplier ecosystem, these ISPs deliver primary broadband connectivity in traditionally underserved and unserved suburban, rural and tribal communities nationwide, with a growing subscriber base now reaching nine million Americans. Prior to WISPA he served as Chief Operating Officer of Broadband VI, a major Internet Service Provider in the US Virgin Islands.  He also served as the Executive Director of the University of the Virgin Islands Research & Technology Park, an instrumentality of the USVI government formed to establish and grow a vibrant knowledge-based sector in the Territory’s economy.  He also founded and served as Chairman and CEO of Dallas-based CNet, Inc., a leading provider of radio frequency (RF) engineering and operational support system software and services to the worldwide wireless communications industry, securing significant customer relationships in forty countries.

Berin Szoka serves as President of TechFreedom. Previously, he was a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Center for Internet Freedom at The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Before joining PFF, he was an Associate in the Communications Practice Group at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he advised clients on regulations affecting the Internet and telecommunications industries.

Breakfast Media LLC CEO Drew Clark has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing campaign for broadband data. As Editor and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media company advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative

Illustration by Bryce Durbin of TechCrunch

WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

As with all Broadband Breakfast Live Online events, the FREE webcasts will take place at 12 Noon ET on Wednesday.

SUBSCRIBE to the Broadband Breakfast YouTube channel. That way, you will be notified when events go live. Watch on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

See a complete list of upcoming and past Broadband Breakfast Live Online events.

Continue Reading

#broadbandlive

Broadband Breakfast on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 – What Happens Next on Net Neutrality?

Industry and non-profit experts on both sides of net neutrality speak at 12 Noon ET on Wednesday.

Published

3 days ago

on

September 26, 2023

By

See Experts Disagree on Net Neutrality Legal Ground, Broadband Breakfast, September 27, 2023

Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Watch the event on Broadband Breakfast, or REGISTER HERE to join the conversation.

BREAKING NEWS SESSION! Wednesday, September 27 – What Happens Next on Net Neutrality?

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wasted no time in promulgating rules regarding network neutrality. With Anna Gomez’ confirmation as the elusive fifth commissioner, Democrats finally have a majority at the agency. The chairwoman has said that she will put forward proposed rules on the topic at the agency’s open meeting on October 19. The partisan-tinged topic is expected to largely be a return of the 2015 rules under the agency’s authority under Title II of the Communications Act. One day after Rosenworcel’s Tuesday speech on net neutrality – and one day before the item is publicly released – Broadband Breakfast will convene industry and civil society stakeholders in a discussion about What Happens Next?

Panelists

  • Chip Pickering, CEO, INCOMPAS
  • Stephanie Joyce, Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President Computer & Communications Industry Association
  • Joe Kane, Director, Broadband and Spectrum Policy, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
  • David Zumwalt, CEO, WISPA: Broadband Without Boundaries
  • Berin Szoka, President, TechFreedom
  • Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Panelist resources:

Please note: The originally scheduled Broadband Breakfast Live Online event, on renewing the Affordable Connectivity Program, will now take place on October 11, 2023.

For nearly three decades, Chip Pickering has been at the forefront of every major telecommunications milestone. From his time as a Senate staffer on the Commerce Committee shaping the Telecommunications Act of 1996, to his role as a Member of Congress leading on tech issues and overseeing the transition to the commercial internet, to serving as CEO of the leading internet and competitive networks association advocating for more competition and innovation in our ever-evolving industry. Through his leadership at INCOMPAS, Pickering continues to be a trusted voice and a leading expert on important issues facing the tech and telecommunications industry.

Stephanie Joyce joined CCIA after decades in private practice representing technology companies and competitive carriers before state and federal administrative agencies and courts. She is an experienced advocate for procompetitive policy, including her advocacy for CCIA at the FCC on broadband deployment and Open Internet rules. Stephanie has also provided counsel to telecommunications companies, as well as CCIA, on privacy matters. Stephanie is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, received her graduate degree from George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, and her law degree from George Washington University Law School.

Joe Kane is director of broadband and spectrum policy at ITIF. Previously, he was a technology policy fellow at the R Street Institute, where he covered spectrum policy, broadband deployment and regulation, competition, and consumer protection. Earlier, Joe was a graduate research fellow at the Mercatus Center, where he worked on Internet policy issues, telecom regulation, and the role of the FCC.

David Zumwalt is CEO & CEO of WISPA – Broadband Without Boundaries.WISPA represents the interests of innovative, often small ISPs that provide fixed wireless, fiber and other connectivity solutions to consumers, businesses, first responders and community anchor institutions in the digital divide.  Supported by a robust vendor and supplier ecosystem, these ISPs deliver primary broadband connectivity in traditionally underserved and unserved suburban, rural and tribal communities nationwide, with a growing subscriber base now reaching nine million Americans. Prior to WISPA he served as Chief Operating Officer of Broadband VI, a major Internet Service Provider in the US Virgin Islands.  He also served as the Executive Director of the University of the Virgin Islands Research & Technology Park, an instrumentality of the USVI government formed to establish and grow a vibrant knowledge-based sector in the Territory’s economy.  He also founded and served as Chairman and CEO of Dallas-based CNet, Inc., a leading provider of radio frequency (RF) engineering and operational support system software and services to the worldwide wireless communications industry, securing significant customer relationships in forty countries.

Berin Szoka serves as President of TechFreedom. Previously, he was a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Center for Internet Freedom at The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Before joining PFF, he was an Associate in the Communications Practice Group at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he advised clients on regulations affecting the Internet and telecommunications industries.

Breakfast Media LLC CEO Drew Clark has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing campaign for broadband data. As Editor and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media company advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative

Illustration by Bryce Durbin of TechCrunch

WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

As with all Broadband Breakfast Live Online events, the FREE webcasts will take place at 12 Noon ET on Wednesday.

SUBSCRIBE to the Broadband Breakfast YouTube channel. That way, you will be notified when events go live. Watch on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

See a complete list of upcoming and past Broadband Breakfast Live Online events.

Continue Reading

#broadbandlive

How to Watch the Videos from the BEAD Implementation Summit

The recordings of all the videos from the BEAD Implementation Summit are available to Breakfast Club members.

Published

1 week ago

on

September 22, 2023

By

Watch the videos from the BEAD Implementation Summit on September 21, 2023.

Those who attended the BEAD Implementation Summit or watched the webcast are able to access the videos. Members of the Broadband Breakfast Club also have access to the BEAD Implementation Summit videos, as well as videos of all in-person events.

If you missed BEAD Implementation Summit, sign up for Broadband Breakfast’s BEAD Starter Pack for $35/month (cancel anytime). You’ll get access to each of the Breakfast Club reports for the BEAD Implementation Summit:

Questions? Email drew@breakfast.media!

Continue Reading

Signup for Broadband Breakfast News



Broadband Breakfast Research Partner

BroadbandNow: Internet Provider Search and research on the digital divide

Trending