Expert Opinion
Kate Forscey: Mobile Broadband Gap Needs to Be Remedied, Too
A recent study by CostQuest suggests that 37,000 more towers are needed to bring mobile coverage up to speed nationwide.
broadband roundup
Carr ‘Surprised’ by RDOF Denials, ‘New Normal’ on Supply Chain, $68M for Student Connectivity
Carr said he was notified via press release of the FCC decision to deny RDOF money to Starlink and LTD.
Rural
FCC Greenlights $200 Million More in Latest Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Round
It’s the ninth wave of funding confirmations, bringing the total amount to more than $5.2 billion to three million locations.
Funding
FCC Approves Another $640 Million from Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
The FCC has now confirmed more than half the $9.2 billion for the program.
FCC
FCC Announces Largest Approval Yet for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund: $1 Billion
The agency said Thursday it has approved $1 billion to 69 providers in 32 states.
Satellite
Critics Concerned Infrastructure Bill Money Will Go to Satellites, Harm Fiber Builds
The infrastructure bill’s tech neutrality is concerning critics who say money will go to satellite, not enough to fiber.
broadband roundup
Need for Infrastructure Bill Accountability, California Broadband Projects, Broadband In Wisconsin
Rural advocates are asking for accountability for infrastructure bill spending on broadband.
Broadband Mapping & Data
FCC Commissioning Mobile Wireless and Fixed Broadband Data for Better Mapping
The agency released a statement of objectives earlier this month.
Funding
TPI President Wallsten Defends Reverse Auction, Points to Mapping Flaws in Light of RDOF Defaults
In an interview with Broadband Breakfast, Technology Policy Institute President Scott Wallsten blamed bad mapping for RDOF mess.
Funding
More Companies Are Defaulting on RDOF Money They Won
Defaulters say new FCC mapping data shows areas they bid to connect are already adequately served.
Spectrum
SpaceX, Engineers Clash over Whether 12 GigaHertz Band Can Be Shared with 5G Operators
Competing submissions to the FCC show the friction over valuable mid-band spectrum.
Satellite
Experts Investigating Starlink Are Not Convinced that Elon Musk’s Satellite Project Provides Rural Broadband Solution
February 16, 2021—While SpaceX touts Starlink as the answer to the world’s dearth of broadband coverage, experts are not convinced that it will be able to meet increasing demand. Elon Musk’s SpaceX began launching a constellation of small satellites early in 2018 with the goal of providing affordabl
Rural
Providers Increasingly Vocal in Raising Concerns About Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction
February 11, 2021—Broadband providers are becoming increasingly vocal in their concerns over some of the winning bidders in the first phase of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund that was completed last year. In late 2019, the Federal Communications Commission announced that it would put more than $2
Rural
At Rural Broadband Association NTCA, Pai Touts Improvements to Rural Broadband Auctions
September 21, 2020—Speaking Thursday at the fall conference of NTCA, the Rural Broadband Association, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai highlighted recently-announced improvements to the upcoming Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction. The RDOF will provide $20.4 billion over 10 ye
FCC
Optimal Network Strategies Will Increase Chances of Receiving Rural Broadband Funds
June 12, 2020 — For regional operators, the stakes are more competitive than ever, as the Federal Communication Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction has significantly accelerated the agency’s efforts to subsidize broadband coverage in unserved areas across America. In a webinar hosted
Telework
Work-From-Home Here to Stay, Says Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O’Rielly
June 12, 2020 — Americans will continue to work from home after the spread of the coronavirus is over, said Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O’Rielly in a US Telecom webinar Thursday. O’Rielly predicted that industries that do not require employees to be present in person would mostly c
