Superior, Wisconsin is the latest American city to take control of their broadband future after the City Council voted 7-3 to establish a municipal broadband utility. Like many medium sized cities, Superior is stuck with inferior service from large providers. Under the plan adopted by the City Council, the city will build a fiber-to-the-premise network and invite ISP's to lease capacity on the network to provide service. It's similar to the open access model that has been deployed in several other US communities. The city has hired CBAN associate member Magellan Advisors/Entrust to do a detailed design of the first phase of the project. CLICK HERE for more details on the project at GovTech.com.
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Voters in Texas strongly backed a proposal to create a $1.5 billion state fund for broadband infrastructure. The ballot measure, Proposition 8, was approved by 69% of ballot casters on November 7th. An estimated 7 million Texans lack broadband access. The state funds will be used to help match BEAD funds from the federal government. $3.3 billion in BEAD funds (the largest allotment of any state) will flow to the Lone Star State to fund broadband deployment, mapping, and adoption when released next year.
Safe Holiday Online Shopping The busy holiday shopping season is upon us, and many Americans will be doing much of their shopping online. In the latest episode of Broadband Action, CBAN Digital Navigator Brianna Dillavou has some tips to stay safe while shopping the online sales! You can also view Broadband Action on the CBAN YouTube Page!
Concerns have been growing among digital equity advocates that the Affordable Connectivity Fund (ACP), which has successfully gotten millions of Americans online, may run out of funds before Congress acts to interject more funds or create a permanent funding stream. So a recent FCC announcement that service providers could start applying to be eligible for a larger subsidy in "high-cost" areas raised concerns that the enhanced subsidy could drain the ACP bank even further. However the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, a top community broadband advocate, says the enhanced subsidy in high-cost areas ($75 instead of $30 per month) will likely have little impact for several reasons, including the limited eligible areas, limited eligible consumers, limited provider participation, and the (potentially) limited duration of the enhanced subsidy. CLICK HERE to read the full article at the Benton Institute website.
The official FCC definition of broadband has been stuck at 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload since 2015. Meanwhile, the world has changed and internet usage has continued to accelerate. So, the FCC is opening an inquiry into raising that definition to 100 Mbps by 20 Mbps. The new proposed speed definition is hardly revolutionary. The 100/20 standard is already baked into federal and state funding programs. What is interesting about the FCC's inquiry is that they are also seeking comment on setting a separate national goal of 1 Gbps/500 Mbps for the future. Now we're talking broadband! In addition to adjusting the broadband definition, the FCC Notice of Inquiry will also examine the universal service goals of Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act. “During the pandemic and even before it, the needs of internet users surpassed the FCC’s 25/3 standard for broadband. This standard is not only outdated, it masks the extent to which low-income neighborhoods and rural communities are being left offline and left behind,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel. “In order to get big things done, it is essential to set big goals. That is why we are kicking off this inquiry to update our national broadband standard and also set a long-term goal for gigabit speeds. Broadband Communities has a great article about the FCC's actions. CLICK HERE to read it. Or for a different take, CLICK HERE to see an article at Telecompetitor.
A little cable TV news for our CBAN provider members. According to an article at CableFax, Bally Sports is looking to regain control of the Bally Sports regional sports networks (RSN's) from the now bankrupt Diamond Sports Group. Bally reportedly offerd $850 million to take control of Diamond Sports, which is waiting for a decision on its request to delay the filing of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan to late this month. There are a total of 39 professional MLB, NBA, and NHL teams under the Bally Sports banner.
In a move that has been welcomed by small, community-based providers, the Natonal Telecommunications Informaton Administration (NTIA) has released a waiver for the letter of credit requirement under the BEAD program. Writing on the Keller and Heckman blog, telecommunications attorney Sean A. Stokes says, "This is big news for small and mid-size public and private entities that might not otherwise have been able to meet the LOC requirements." There were deep concerns that the letter of credit requirement would have a chilling effect on smaller broadband providers who are interested in applying for BEAD funds to build out broadband in unserved and underserved areas, but were not in a position to follow the original LOC rules. You can read another take about the BEAD letter of credit programmatic waiver at Fierce Telecom.
FIberFirst, a Texas internet service provider, says it will launch fiber internet services in Omaha, NE in partnership with Ubiquity, a private infrastructure investment firm. FiberFirst is the first to announce service over Ubiquity's open-access network in Omaha. CLICK HERE for an article at Yahoo FInance about the project. CLICK HERE to learn morea about Ubiquity and their open access projects.
Door County, WI - a CBAN community member - remains focused on bringing better broadband to the region's residents. To advance that goal, a Broadband Grant Education Summit will take place on November 7, 2024 at Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay, WI. The goal of the summit is to help communities in the region learn how to successfully seek a share of funding the upcoming round of BEAD funding. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission will receive approximately $1.1 Billion to fund broadband projects in the state. In an interview for the Door County Daily News, Door County Broadband Coordinator Jessica Hatch said she is amazed by the progress municipalities have been able to make in such a short time while also doing their due diligence to make sure they get the best service they can get for the money they can afford.
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Broadband Bytes NewsPresented by the Community Broadband Action Network and curated by Curtis Dean. Archives
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