Broadband Roundup
The Case Against Deregulation, Repealing Section 230, Looking Back At AT&T’s Breakup
Why deregulation isn’t pro-competition, the case for repealing Section 230, and the breakup of AT&T.

April 26, 2021—An article published by The American Prospect argues why deregulation is not inherently pro-competition as the Biden Administration prioritizes universal broadband coverage for Americans.
Sean Gonsalves and Christopher Mitchell penned a piece that detailed why properly funded, public, municipal broadband services are necessary to promote competition and affordability, particularly in rural and underserved communities across the U.S..
The authors explored a case in Colorado involving a municipal broadband provider known as Clearnetworx and the telecommunications company Lumen Technologies, then known as CenturyLink. Clearnetworx was awarded a $1-million grant to deliver high-speed internet via fiberoptic cable to Ridgeway, CO.
Before it could begin deployment, however, their grant was vetoed by CenturyLink under what Gonsalves and Mitchell called a bureaucratic “buzzsaw,” known as “right of refusal,” whereby incumbent providers can simply veto potential competition.
Gonsalves and Mitchell point out in their article that to their knowledge, every state with a comparable broadband grant has similar laws on the books.
Not only did CenturyLink veto the grant, but they then turned around and took it for themselves. The difference was that while Clearnetworx had committed to laying fiber, CenturyLink felt no such obligation, instead opting to marginally upgrade its existing DSL network in the region.
Gonsalves and Mitchell state that efforts to utilize municipal broadband will be a crucial component of Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan; broadly, the administration hopes to divert federal dollars to “providers with less pressure to turn profits and with a commitment to serving entire communities.”
The authors made the case that deregulation is not pro-competition, despite what many legislators—both Republican and Democrat—would have their constituents think.
“In short, the barriers to competition and investment tend to be the big ISPs, and the games they play as powerful incumbent providers,” they wrote, “Focusing on deregulation when Charter Spectrum or AT&T can use their market power to squash rivals six ways from Sunday is like arriving at the emergency room with a gunshot wound, only to have the doctor focus solely on the toe you stubbed last night.”
One expert’s take on why he is “repeal not reform” for Section 230
Last week, president and founder of the research consultancy Precursor, Scott Cleland, published a piece with the Daily Caller arguing that it would be better to repeal Section 230 rather than simply reform the internet liability law. Not repealing it, he argued, would “perpetuate lawless U.S. Internet policy and guarantee Big Tech remains unaccountable and Americans remain unprotected online.”
Cleland took the position that repeal is inevitable and that it is out of date. He also pointed out that at the time, only one U.S. senator claimed to have broadband service, and that the average American with broadband access only used it for an average of 30 minutes per month.
He also argued that members of Big Tech have “asserted themselves as virtual global governors and unaccountable private regulators,” and hide behind “opaque algorithmic rule of code and take-it-or-leave-it” terms of service.
Cleland also made the case that Section 230 is not only a threat to those who consumer Big Tech’s services, but it has also presented a greater national security and public safety concerns. He pointed to the 1000-plus open investigations into Chinese espionage and the SolarWinds hack as evidence that Section 230 has weakened the U.S.’s defensive cybersecurity capabilities.
Looking back on the break-up of AT&T
“When Wire was King: The Transformation of Telecommunications” is an upcoming documentary that examines the telecommunications market since its inception. In a recent blogpost on their website, the production team analyzed the legacy and ramifications of AT&T’s breakup when they were compelled to cede their control of Bell Operating Companies.
The blogpost lauded the move, stating that criticism that it may have stunted innovation was blown out of proportion; as a monopoly, Bell Labs was not incentivized to innovate, and breaking up the monopoly was more beneficial for innovation, according to the post.
The post went on to argue that the breakup not only improved innovation, but it also lowered cellular backhaul costs and improved competition.
“When Wire was King” will feature interviews with dozens of experts who shaped the telecom industry. The production team maintains an active presence online and has released a trailer for the project.
Broadband Roundup
Supply Chain Improvements, Bill for Broadband in Public Parks, FCC Grants Alert System Compliance Extension
The Biden administration announced Wednesday a list of new measures to promote supply chain resiliency.

November 30, 2023 – President Joe Biden announced at an inaugural meeting Wednesday new measures to improve national supply chain resilience, many of which are targeted at bettering semiconductor manufacturing.
These new measures will see the development of a geospatial mapping protocol that will be used to account for and track trade disruptions of raw materials, with a special focus on ones that are involved in semiconductor manufacturing.
Additionally, the US plans to develop a resilience center to assess risks and supply chain vulnerabilities specifically inside national ports alongside looking at how to better implement CHIPS and Science funding.
In July of 2022, the Biden administration signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act, which was broadly supported by lawmakers, putting $52 billion into semiconductor research and development and a 25 percent investment tax credit to promote manufacturing.
More recently, Biden has announced tech innovation hubs supported by CHIPS Act funds, four of which will focus directly on improving semiconductor production and manufacturing.
Legislation put forth to expand broadband to public parks
Congressman Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas, and Congressman Raúl Grijalva, D-Arizona, introduced legislation Wednesday that would bring broadband connectivity to public parks and lakes.
The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act would include increasing broadband connectivity in those visitor centers and surrounding areas as well as create digital passes for visitors to use when going to those parks.
“The increasing popularity of outdoor recreation is a boon for local economies and job creation, but we must make sure our public land management agencies have the tools, resources, and staff they need to keep up,” said Grijalva.
The broader legislation looks to improve access to public lands and waters, modernize visitor experiences and reduce overcrowding.
FCC granted emergency alert development extensions to broadcasters
The Federal Communications Commission granted extensions to certain national broadcasters Wednesday, allowing them more time to acquire equipment needed to comply with national emergency alert system requirements.
There are two ways that broadcasters can transmit emergency messages, either to devices connected to the internet using what is called the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System or over audio channels, which is referred to as the legacy emergency alert broadcast system.
Historically, messages sent via IPAWS transmit more information to the recipient than ones that are formatted for being transmitted via the legacy system. Because of that, in 2022 the FCC required emergency broadcasters to alert constituents via the IPAWS unless they were unable to.
Broadcasters were required to comply with this by December 12 of this year. However the National Association of Broadcasters and REC Networks, a broadcast advocacy group, filed a joint request for a 90-day compliance extension.
They explained that Sage Alerting Systems, a manufacturer of firmware needed to encode and decode emergency messages, is not able to meet supply demands for broadcasters to update equipment by the December 12 deadline.
As a result, the FCC waived the deadline and granted a 90-day extension to emergency broadcast participants who are customers of Sage Alerting Systems.
Broadband Roundup
FCC Fines TracFone, Rip and Replace Extensions, Kansas State Internet Exchange Point
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has entered into a settlement with TracFone for subsidy program violations.

November 29, 2023 – The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday that the Enforcement Bureau and TracFone Wireless, a Verizon Subsidiary, have reached a $23.5 million settlement for TracFone’s violation of broadband subsidy program rules.
After TracFone was acquired by Verizon, the company self-reported instances in which it violated the FCC’s regulatory rules for the Lifeline and Emergency Broadband Benefit programs, according to the agency
During an investigation into TracFone, the agency found that the company reported improperly claiming support for customers jointly-enrolled in subsidy programs and improperly using inbound text messages to make claims for customers who had not been using those services for at least 30 days, according to a press release.
According to the FCC, TracFone also conceded that some of their field enrollment representatives used false tax documents to enroll customers in the lifeline and EEB programs.
“Whether attributable to fraud or lax internal controls, or both, we will vigorously pursue allegations of misconduct that harms critical FCC programs designed to help those most in need of communications-related services,” said Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal.
As part of the settlement, TracFone has entered into an improvement plan agreement with the Enforcement Bureau.
Wireline Bureau grants more rip and replace extensions
The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau announced in an order Wednesday that it has granted rip and replace extensions to Montana providers Triangle Telephone Cooperative Association Inc. and Triangle Communication System Inc.
The rip and replace program requires service providers to remove and replace any equipment they use that was manufactured by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation that were installed prior to June 30, 2020, because of security concerns.
Triangle Telephone filed for an extension on October 18 and on November 10th, requesting an extension to replace the equipment by Map 29, 2024 as opposed to their original deadline of November 29 of this year.
Triangle Communications filed their request for extension on October 18 and November 16 of this year requesting for additional time up until July 13, 2024, as opposed to January 13, 2024.
Both petitioners cited supply chain disruptions and delayed equipment delivery as factors preventing them from replacing existing equipment alongside poor weather conditions and a decreasing number of employees.
Both providers were granted the extensions they had requested.
Additional funding from Congress has been requested by president Joe Biden to finance the rip and replace program, as a report published by the Federal Communications Commission in July of 2022 noted that the program’s initial $1.9 billion would not be enough to support providers.
In October of this year the FCC’s Wireline Bureau issued extensions to two other providers who cited that they were unable to completely replace the equipment due to lack of funding.
Kansas awards $5 million to internet exchange point
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday announced that the state had awarded $5 million to help fund the construction of the first carrier-neutral internet exchange point at Wichita State University.
The construction of this carrier-neutral internet exchange point will allow for the operation of cloud services and streaming content networks to operate more efficiently alongside local and regional internet networks, explained a press release.
The endeavor will be undertaken by Connected Nation, a Kentucky non-profit, and Hunter Newby, founder of Newby Ventures investment firm, working with them to build and operate the internet exchange facility.
Tom Ferree, CEO of Connected Nation, said that the exchange point will support Wichita State and the economy well “by improving the entire regional broadband landscape — preparing Wichita, and Kansas more broadly, for the future evolution of the Internet and all that it will enable.”
Broadband Roundup
NTIA Awards $13 Million from Wireless Fund, New Ritter CTO, Middle Mile in Virginia and North Carolina
The NTIA has awarded $13 million to open network projects.

November 28, 2023 – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Tuesday that it is committing $13 million in grant funding from the $1.5 billion Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund.
“The transition to open, interoperable wireless networks is now well on its way — bringing with it greater security, competition, and resiliency,” said NTIA Alan Davidson in a press release announcing the funding, adding the fund will accelerate the transition toward open and interoperable wireless by financially backing research and development.
The seven projects that will be awarded funding are expected to improve the networks’ security, energy efficiency, and allow them to leverage AI to automate the network testing process.
The fund is supported by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which aims to invest in domestic manufacturing to improve national supply chain resiliency.
Ritter Communications new CTO
Telecom service provider Ritter Communications announced Monday that Victor Esposito will serve as the company’s chief technology officer, after having served as its vice president of engineering and network operations.
In his new role, Esposito will lead all of Ritter’s technology-related teams, read a press release.
“[Victor] has the leadership, skills and drive to keep us and our customers on the cutting edge of innovation as well as maintaining the company’s steep growth trajectory,” said Ritter Communications president Heath Simpson.
Esposito joined Ritter Communications in April of this year and will succeed Greg Sunderwood, who served as CTO position for 11 years.
Middle mile to be built in Virginia and North Carolina
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative announced Tuesday that it is partnering with Ciena, a networking systems service provider, to help install middle mile infrastructure to serve more than 31,000 customers in Virginia and North Carolina.
MEC currently services 4,511 square miles in those respective states with its electric distribution system and is partnering with Ciena to deliver low-latency connectivity and aggregate operation technology to better broadband, explained a press release.
“During our network deployment, we will pass tens of thousands of homes, businesses, and organizations, and we found it unthinkable to miss the opportunity to extend this fiber resource to our communities,” said Dwayne Long, vice president of information technology at MEC.
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