Rosenworcel Confirmed, Rohingya Meta Class Action, FTTH Builds Increase, WOW! Offers 1 Gig

WASHINGTON, December 7, 2021 – The Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm Jessica Rosenworcel as commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission.

The chairwoman of the FCC had 68 votes in favor and 31 against and will serve another five-year term on the agency. She was pushed ahead by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee on Wednesday after being questioned by the committee last month.

“Chairwoman Rosenworcel has served as a tireless advocate for consumer protection in today’s digital landscape,” said Senator Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, in a press release. “Now more than ever, the FCC needs a chair who understands the importance of net neutrality and critical protections for broadband users, and I know Chairwoman Rosenworcel is up for the task.” Markey added that Rosenworcel is the “best person to lead” the administration of programs, including the Emergency Connectivity Fund and the E-Rate subsidy.

Other statements of support poured in on Tuesday following the approval.

Gigi Sohn, another President Joe Biden nominee for FCC commissioner, has yet to be confirmed. If so, the Democrat will be the fifth and tie-breaking commissioner on a commission that has been divided along party lines.

Meta facing class action from Rohingya

Meta, formerly Facebook, has been sued Monday by Rohingya refugees for $150 million for allegedly allowing anti-Rohingya hate speech that preceded mass killings.

The case has been brought as a class action in California court.

The Rohingya genocide has been ongoing in Myanmar since 2016. More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled the country, and more than 25,000 have been killed. Marzuki Darusman served as the chairman of the U.N. Independent International Fact-Finding Mission in Myanmar and stated that Facebook played a “determining role” in the genocide.

“[Facebook] was used to convey public messages but we know that the ultra-nationalist Buddhists have their own [Facebook pages] and are really inciting a lot of violence and a lot of hatred against the Rohingya or other ethnic minorities,” said U.N. Myanmar investigator Yanghee Lee, according to Reuters.

Telcos turn up heat with increased FTTH builds, Broadband Communities

According to data assembled by Broadband Communities on Monday, AT&T, Verizon, and other large telcos are continuing to grow their base of fiber users, with AT&T and Verizon gaining 289,000 and 98,000 fiber broadband subscriptions, respectively.

Broadband Communities Associate Editor Sean Buckley notes that even though more Americans rely on older coax cable for internet rather than fiber-to-the-home services, that difference is shrinking. Both Tier-1 and Tier-2 telcos are increasing their penetration across the country, with Frontier CEO Nick Jeffery stating that Frontier’s FTTH subscription number were up by a factor of five within the last year, as reported by Buckley.

“Fiber assets are likely to escalate, and that’s going to be a growing source of pressure for cable operators,” said Managing Partner of New Street Research Jonathan Chaplin, according to Buckley.

WOW! offers 1 Gbps download speeds to Michigan

WOW!’s fiber-to-the-neighborhood in mid-Michigan will provide gigabit download speeds for residential and business properties.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring our fastest internet speeds to our mid-Michigan service area and give our customers even more choices for how they connect to what matters to them most,” said WOW! CEO Teresa Elder in a statement. “For most people across the country, having access to a fast and reliable internet connection is essential to their everyday life, especially these days.”