Infrastructure
Accurate Maps Required To Estimate Cost Of Connecting Rural America, Experts Say
Experts say it’s difficult to get an understanding of cost for connecting rural regions without quality maps.
Rural
Because Rural America is often the least-connected region in the country, ensuring coverage is central to BEAD.
Rural
Faster Rural Broadband Bill, Tools For Robocalls, Opposition To Instagram For Kids
Senators introduce rural broadband legislation, FCC tackles robocalling, advocates ask Facebook to stop developing Instagram for kids.
Infrastructure
Invest In Local Communities, Center on Rural Innovation Urges Telecom Companies
March 11, 2021 – The Center on Rural Innovation is recommending telecom companies engage with local communities and invest in hyper-local programs. Speaking at the second general session of the National Rural Broadband Association last month, Matt Dunne, executive director at the Center on Rural Inn
Infrastructure
Broadband Breakfast Live Online Wednesday, March 31, 2021 – State Broadband Authorities
Panelists include broadband officers from Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland and Hawaii.
BBLO
Debate About Fiber Versus Wireless for Rural Broadband Deployments Continues to Percolate
March 4, 2021 – Amid claims that the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund chose winners that may not be able to fulfill their broadband commitments, Vantage Point CEO Larry Thompson said his whitepaper contributing to the discussion wasn’t intended to be critical but to figure out what’s best for quick de
Infrastructure
WISPA Responds To Claims Wireless Providers Have Not Demonstrated Gigabit Capabilities
March 3, 2021—Vantage Point Solutions is questioning whether wireless providers can deliver on their contractual obligations following the announcement of $9 billion in federal award for the first phase of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. The concerns, outlined by CEO Larry Thompson in a white pa
Infrastructure
Smaller Carriers Serving Rural Communities Need Customer Service to Stand Out
February 25, 2021—Customer service strategies are being used to separate smaller carriers from bigger ones during the pandemic, according to company executives speaking at the third general session Thursday at the conference of NTCA, the Rural Broadband Association. In the session, industry members
Infrastructure
Electrical Cooperatives Are the Unsung Heroes of Rural Broadband, Say Broadband Breakfast Panelists
February 18, 2021— Electrical cooperatives that own their own fiber are filling in the broadband gaps that telecoms have left, said panelists at a Broadband Breakfast Live Online event on Wednesday. The locally-owned businesses that have traditionally only provided electricity are now owning their o
Infrastructure
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
Infrastructure
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
Infrastructure
Representative Pallone Says Committee Charging Through With Broadband Goals
February 10, 2021— House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said the committee he heads will be focusing on broadband expansion, affordability and adoption. He said that the committee will focus on three primary goals: Universal broadband, particularly insofar that inner-c
Infrastructure
FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Prioritizes Visits to Hospitals in Telehealth Push
February 7, 2021 – Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on Tuesday made a visit to Children’s National Hospital, and a virtual visit to the University of Virginia, to emphasize the agency’s goals of investing in telehealth strategies, with a specific emphasis on se
BBLO
Broadband Breakfast Panelists Discuss How Rural Fund Recipients Can Prepare For Efficient Network Builds
December 22, 2020 — With the closing of the bidding in Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund reverse-auction, many across the country are beginning to initiate groundwork for the federally-supported networks that will be deployed or expanded over the next 10 years. To de
BDC
Render Networks Offers Industry Guide to RDOF Network Deployment Success
December 16, 2020 – Render Networks has announced the launch of its new RDOF Deployment Guide, sharing key considerations for network deployment success and insights into developing a compelling and complete Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) long-form application. Render’s role in the Federal Co
Rural
FCC to Spend $9.3 Billion on 5.2 Million Broadband Locations as Result of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction
December 7, 2020 – The Federal Communications Commission on Monday announced that it had awarded $9.3 billion in broadband funds (PDF) for rural Americans, over 10 years, through the recently-concluded Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction. About 5.2 million locations in rural America will now gain
NTCA
National Telecommunications and Information Webinar Focuses on Broadband Boost to Local Economies
November 19, 2020 – While the business case for rural broadband has been debated, panelists at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s monthly webinar on Wednesday concluded that rural broadband enhances local economies. Mid-Atlantic Broadband was able to establish an open a
