Expert Opinion
Joe Supan: Why Internet Under 5 Megabits Per Second Should be Free
'Everybody ought to have access to a computer; everybody ought to have access to the internet; everybody ought to know how to use it.'
Benton
Public Knowledge Celebrates 20 Years of Helping Congress Get a Clue on Digital Rights
February 27, 2021 – The non-profit advocacy group Public Knowledge celebrated its twentieth anniversary year in a Monday event revolving around the issues that the group has made its hallmark: Copyright, open standards and other digital rights issues. Group Founder Gigi Sohn, now a Benton Institute
Benton
Broadband Maps are Flawed, and So is Mobile Apps Data; WISPA Calls for Patience, and FCC Swears in Simington
It’s no secret that the Federal Communications Commission’s current broadband maps are flawed, many observers believe. The existing maps rely on industry-reported data that overstates broadband availability and prevents underserved communities from obtaining broadband funding. Consequently, many rur
Benton
Building a Bridge over the Digital Divide: Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act
December 11, 2020 – Last week we began our broad overview of the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act, sweeping legislation that calls for a $100 billion investment in broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved parts of the country, as well as federal funding and coordinated support
Benton
Major Change on the Horizon? Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act
December 2, 2020 – As House GOP leaders ask the Government Accountability Office to audit the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect program because of concerns federal funds are being used to “overbuild,” Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have filed legislation that aims to build
Benton
Benton on Middle Mile Open Access Networks, CENIC Fiber Route in California, Investors Buying Bitcoin
Middle mile open access networks can serve as launching pads for local broadband expansion, furthering competition, according to Benton’s newest report, “If We Build It, Will They Come? Lessons from Open-Access, Middle-Mile Networks.” Middle mile networks connect large national and regional backbone
CETF
Looming Income Inequality Demands a National Broadband Plan for the Next Decade, Says Benton Expert
November 17, 2020 — A group of broadband enthusiasts on Friday urged a new national broadband plan and that the nation act on addressing issues of digital equity. “The time for action is now,” said Sunne Wright McPeak, CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund, which co-hosted the virtual forum
Fiber
FCC Pushes American 5G Globally, Public Infrastructure and Private Services, Topography As a 5G Hurdle for T-Mobile
FCC, USAID partner to secure 5G markets in developing world, Public Infrastructure/Private Service broadband model shows promise, Topography biggest hurdle for T-Mobile 5G deployment, The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday signed a memorandum (PDF) with the U.S. Agency for International
Benton
Coronavirus Roundup: Georgia’s On the Mind of Public Access and Broadband Equity Advocates, Libra and Digital Dollar
On Monday the United States Supreme Court determined that Georgia’s state-codified annotation system of law is not eligible for copyright protection. Public interest groups criticial of a “copyright maximalist” position applauded the decision, Georgia v. Public Resource.Org. “Today’s decision is a r
COVID
Lack of Symmetrical Networks May be Choking Internet Performance, Say Fiber Advocates on Webinar
April 9, 2020 – Local broadband speeds may be impaired by upload speed, says analyst at a webinar hosted by the Fiber Broadband Association on Wednesday. While overall broadband usage during the coronavirus may have leveled out, networks that use symmetrical technologies, in which users require the
ILSR
Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 – The Importance of Universal Broadband in the Age of the Coronavirus
Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Monday, March 31, 12 Noon ET – “The Importance of Universal Broadband in the Age of the Coronavirus” Follow upcoming Live Online events, see Broadband Breakfast Live Online Will Stream Daily in March on ‘Broadband and the Coronavirus’ Guests for this event: Ben Baw
FCC
FCC Seeks Comment on Net Neutrality Issues Remanded by Appeals Court: Public Safety, Pole Attachments and Lifeline
WASHINGTON, February 25, 2020 – In the wake of the D.C. Circuit court’s decision to uphold the substance but remand three elements of the Federal Communications Commission’s 2017 net neutrality decision, the FCC issued a notice seeking public comment. The FCC’s 2017 initiative changed the classifica
Advocates for Digital Inclusion Address Different Facets of Bridging the Digital Divide
WASHINGTON, January 23, 2020 – The digital divide is a real division in the country, affects more than just rural areas and keeps Americans from crucial access to 21st Century skills, a diverse panel of digital inclusion experts said Thursday at an event here hosted by Next Century Cities. The digit
Benton
Broadband Roundup: Digital Inclusion Often Falls Short, Rumble Over Roomba Spectrum, Deal Over Education SuperHighway
Most attempts to close the digital divide through smart city digital inclusion fall short of their overpromising corporate rhetoric, argues Burcu Baykurt for the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society. Digital inclusion is “the idea that nobody in the city should be deprived of digital technolog
FCC
Ajit Pai Discusses 5G in Geopolitical Context, TIA on 5G Supply Chain, Benton Institute’s Vision for 2020s
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai calls for more spectrum and fiber Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said that the US is “poised” to seize 5G opportunities at the Council of Foreign Relations Tuesday, the agency reports. Despite the benefits that 5G will provide, Pai said in his remarks, such
FCC
FCC Commissioner Starks Touts High-Speed Internet as the ‘Great Equalizer’ at Broadband Communities Event
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, November 1, 2019 – High-speed broadband has the potential to be the “great equalizer,” said Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks at a regional Broadband Communities event Thursday. However, more work needs to be done in connecting and empowering underserved commu
