The company also plans on expanding through a route between Dallas and Central Mexico.

Providers should carefully weigh and evaluate whether it is better to build out the middle mile infrastructure or purchase it from another carrier.

The company said it will continue to offer an affordable internet service as the Affordable Connectivity Program ends.

A FTTH company announces a new service and their broadband 'nutrition' label.

Strong empirical evidence emerges that open internet regulations exert a significant, strong negative impact on fiber investments.

Major ISPs must begin deploying labels by April 10, 2024.

Matt Larsen gave an impassioned defense of fixed wireless during the WISPAMERICA 2024 conference in Oklahoma City.

RVA market report suggests a future increase of fiber investment in the United States

Windstream CEO analogized a fiber network to arteries and capillaries in the human body.

Rural broadband advocacy organization requests FCC rethink 'technological neutrality' requirements.

The entry-level service package provides speeds of 1 Gigabit per second at a cost of $70 per month.

The nonprofit said broadband offices should consider cost and deployment time as well.

The average cost to connect fiber in a given state hovers in the neighborhood of $7,000 per home.

The digital infrastructure is evolving at exponential rates and the demand for smarter systems and a more connected world is imperative to the progression of our communities.

The digital infrastructure is evolving at exponential rates and the demand for smarter systems and a more connected world is imperative to the progression of our communities.

If the state chose to solely install fiber, underserved communities would be left out, said state broadband leaders.

Panelists from Stealth Communications and Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners addressed operational and financial broadband

Internet for all: Zayo’s mission to connect what’s next.

Access to affordable and accessible high-speed internet is no longer a matter of convenience.

The $100 million plant was announced in June 2023 as part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to America.

Co-ops can provide stability and a meaningful career while capitalizing on local capital.

Networks need to be more resilient, reliable and flexible for ‘unimaginable’ applications.

Fiber can connect city systems to make them more efficient.

Latency is essential for future applications, which are on the rise, said experts.

The service provides a centralized communication hub and technical support for open access networks.

Greater reliable and secure broadband bandwidth is necessary to support a quality remote culture and work environment.

Nokia will continue to invest in American manufacturing in the coming years, said CEO.

The manufacturing of the company’s fiber-optic broadband electronics products will start in 2024.

A strong fiber bias in broadband funding means that underserved communities remain at risk of being left behind.

Verizon executives said the company is continuing to look into lead-clad cable concerns.

’The industry needs to get off its speed fixation.’

$930 million in federal funding will leverage a total of nearly $1.8 billion in middle mile broadband infrastructure.

The state’s unique fiber sharing model makes all the difference for middle mile builds, say Utahns.

25G PONs are ideal to connect customers to 10G or higher speeds, a Nokia rep said.

The NTIA has acknowledged a clear preference for fiber in its bipartisan infrastructure deployment effort.

How are fiber technologies evolving to adapt to ever-higher capacity, and how do alternative technologies compare?

UTOPIA continues to expand open access model builds.

One Eye was given ‘ample opportunity’ to address robocall traffic, FCC said.

County governments can coordinate with ISPs to connect their communities, panel hears.

The middle mile waiver comes ahead of the awarding of grants from the $1B program.

The FCC continues its push to get more Americans on the Affordable Connectivity Program.

The FCC has been trying to get as many eligible Americans on the ACP as possible through outreach.

As providers attempt to expand their fiber footprints, some are turning to open access networks.

Industry leaders agreed that fiber deployment should be prioritized, with other technologies supplementing as needed.

Commerce Secretary Raimondo made stops at fiber manufacturing facilities in North Carolina.

Industry experts agreed that reaching each individual consumer is the key to a full-fiber future.

Fiber, coax and fixed wireless network plans dependent on BEAD funding demand scrutiny.

The company’s CFO compared fixed wireless to ‘empty calories.’

The commission will vote on the robotext proposal in March.

Broadband access and privacy policies present opportunities for bipartisan collaboration, Broadband Breakfast panelists agreed.

Industry associations have agreed that the FCC’s rip and replace program needs more funding.

A new law presents an opportunity to reuse existing infrastructure for fiber broadband deployment.

The Verizon rival is claiming that the telco unfairly charged it for more space than it occupies on its infrastructure.

Panelists compared the FCC’s process to flying a plane while it’s being built.

The cost of remote fiber deployment can be a deterrent, necessitating creative community solutions.

The FBA report shows an unprecedented rate of new fiber deployments in 2022.

Quantum technology is not merely a stepwise improvement on current technologies, but a seismic leap, said Qubitekk’s Duncan Earl.

The FCC and industry have said there is a shortfall in rip and replace funding.

G.hn technology can utilize existing telephone wiring and coaxial cabling to deliver fiber-like speeds.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided the foundation case for why fiber’s symmetrical capabilities have became so central.

Commissioner Geoffrey Starks argued that expanding connectivity would enable sustainable, environmentally-friendly technologies.

Sleeper issue could derail a state’s ability to spend its broadband infrastructure allocation effectively

Behind every great wireless network, is an even greater wired network.

Cox’s Brian Rose said he welcomes market challenges from pure fiber players.

Multi-dwelling units often pose challenges for expedited broadband deployment, calling for innovative solutions.

40 percent are unsure of their home internet speeds, said Jonathan Chaplin of New Street Research.

‘We’re in the early innings now of this 5G evolution and really the fourth industrial revolution,’ said a Verizon partner.

AT&T is seeking a joint venture partner to plow billions into a fiber expansion project.

In the midst of what can only be described as a fiber boom, how should you value your fiber business?

‘The way you close the digital divide is you build fiber to every single rural home,’ Jonathan Chambers said.

Biden-Harris administration implements new action plan to expedite infrastructure projects, including a new “dig once” policy.

‘The only way to get that density is to get fiber out there. That allows you to get more subs with your wireless.’

On the surface, satellite seems like the ideal way to close the rural-urban digital divide.

The company’s president of broadband access and adoption initiatives lauded AT&T’s public-private partnerships.

SiFi Networks will construct an all-fiber network for 40,000 households in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The Fiber Broadband Association has said there is up-to 60 weeks of wait for materials necessary for fiber deployment.

North Carolina hopes to achieve 80 percent subscription to broadband services among its citizens.

One fiber tools company says inflation is hitting broadband developers hard.

Cost of doing business is driving companies into markets with favorable tax rates and fewer regulations. Here’s how they’re prioritizing.

Sarah Bleau, Middle Mile Program Director at NTIA, reminded attendees that the Middle Mile program is not for last-mile grants.

Pioneered with city-owned Huntsville Utilities in Alabama and Google Fiber, the utility lease model makes unlit fibers available to others.

Fiber to the home costs $0.52 per Megabit per second, on average.

The cooperative’s executive director said it has at least 70% of Arkansas covered by its network.

Regional Fiber Connect conferences are bringing the industry’s technology and community leadership together.

Issues in contention include choice of technology for broadband deployment, labor rules, and interconnection agreements.

The length of time and expense of building out infrastructure make electric utilities uniquely suited to the task.

‘Advertising around gig speeds is doing tremendous damage to our public policy.’

Wireless is essential because for truly remote properties, a physical connection may never be practical.

Randy Brogle was previously working on fiber investments for Facebook parent Meta.

A small city in Utah has some of the country’s highest speeds using a unique model of fiber sharing.

The money will go toward internet access, equipment, and to hire and train information technology personnel.

78% of the US population still uses Facebook regularly

FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel proposed a new broadband speed standard of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload.

A D.C. appeals court vacated the FCC’s authority to require broadcasters disclose if foreign governments lease airtime.

The city aims to connect all homes and businesses to fiber.

A USTelecom report finds that despite high inflation, broadband prices have been declining.

Comments were made at the Fiber Connect conference last week.

Fiber networks have a unique capacity to keep broadband prices low for low-income communities, proponents say.

‘We’re projecting a 5x increase in data consumption from 2021 to 2025.’

The American Technology Leadership Act would establish a federal office to monitor U.S. tech competitiveness versus global players.

Attendance at the fiber show jumped from 2,041 attendees last June to 2,854 registrants as of Friday.

Real convergence has taken hold in the fiber, wireless infrastructure and data center asset class categories.

Industry experts detailed best practices for approaching public-private partnerships at Mountain Connect 2022.

Utilities Technology Council CEO Sheryl Riggs questioned whether broadband access is expanded if costs just float to ratepayers.

Cox said it will invest $400 million to bring symmetrical gigabit broadband across country over the next three years.

Rysavy argued that it would take an “all of the above” approach to meet the coming need for spectrum.

While praising some aspects of NTIA rules, the group said that “we can’t take a victory lap quite yet.”

The lawsuit comes years after Facebook was found to have been used to harvest personal data for political purposes.

The opinion stated that the Department of Justice can prosecute someone who sent millions in crypto to a sanctioned state.

Starry CEO assured investors that Starry’s technology model allows them to compete with other more established providers.

Both the GSCA and Yellowstone Fiber are using UTOPIA’s techniques to provide open access broadband over fiber.

Broadband leaders note cities prefer to partner than to own networks.

Twitter’s board is reportedly re-considering Musk’s $43 billion cash offer.

“We have put our thumb on the scale for fiber,” said Joseph Wender, director the Treasury Department’s broadband fund.

AT&T executives emphasized role of fixed-wireless as crucial to serving rural Americans.

Fixed wireless providers will be given an opportunity to view data about their served regions ahead of fabric roll-out.

Apple CEO is not a fan of the legislation that would allow third-parties to bypass Apple store payments.

Comedian John Oliver wants the federal government to work on federal privacy legislation.

Gary Bolton and Shirley Bloomfield called on NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson to prioritize applicant investing in “future-proof” fiber.

Lit Communities will operate the network, with subsidiary BTX Fiber as the last-mile provider. HMI Utilities is prime contractor.

Wireless and wireline technologies play their own roles in helping connect the country, the head of WISPA said.

The suit accused Amazon of violating laws by using third-party sellers’ data to help sell its own products.

Revising its pole replacement rules may give providers quicker access to poles in communities for deploying high-speed broadband.

Public Knowledge spokesperson warns about FCC’s new multi-tenant housing rules.

Co-ops have the chance to support education, healthcare and work-from-home coming out of the coronavirus pandemic.

Observers from the event say the chairwoman’s remarks were her most substantive yet on the matter.

Commentators concerned existing middle-mile infrastructure not used to drive last-mile home.

Telecom industry associations are asking for an exemption from ‘Buy American’ provisions in the infrastructure bill.

The agency’s results over these years indicate the versatility of fiber in critical infrastructure projects.

This will be the “first true gigabit city in the state of Montana,” said Bozeman’s director of economic development.

AT&T now has a 5 gigabit speeds for residential and business customers in 70 additional markets.

While NTIA will interpret grant funding under the law, it’s up to states to determine where to allocate money.

The Treasury Department has resolved all of the concerns that the Institute for Local Self Reliance identified in May.

A judge dismissed Facebook’s objection to the FTC’s investigation into the company’s alleged anticompetitive practices.

In the coming year, fiber-optic infrastructure will needed to manage and offer increases in bandwidth capacity.

Leading figures in telecom media share thoughts on what the next year will hold for the industry.

Keller and Heckman Partner Jim Baller says model could lead to a race to the bottom, but UTOPIA CEO disagrees.

Money comes from the Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Community Connect programs.

Gary Bolton and Nicol Turner Lee debated technology use to tackle the digital divide.

Industry also debated merits of fiber versus other technologies, and speeds.

FCC chairwoman cleared, refocusing attention on party tie-breaking nominee Gigi Sohn.

A Texas court blocked enforcement of a social media that would prevent companies from removing extreme speech.

Ting Internet said it will continue expanding its fiber infrastructure throughout the rest of the year.

Industry officials disagree over how effective mandates are in creating internet provider choice within multitenant residential buildings.

AT&T copper facilities suffered significant damage after Ida, FCC’s second round of ECF, and Comcast’s expanded plans for low-income Utahns.

Many WISPs are no longer merely “wireless” internet service providers, but offer fiber-optics in a hybrid solution.

The company is putting millions more into fiber infrastructure in the Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia areas.

Some experts believe that public-private models may provide answers for municipalities struggling to narrow the digital divide.

Even though the models are not yet mainstream, some experts praise them for their unique advantages.

Conference, which hosted the Digital Infrastructure Investment show, digs into pressing connectivity issues.

Christopher Ali discusses his solutions to bridge the rural-urban digital divide in his most recent book, “Farm Fresh Broadband.”

Thirteen additional bidders approved for RDOF, Blue Ridge going full fiber, YouTube Premium growing but trails other streaming apps.

Lightbox publishing new broadband map, Epic Games suffers loss in Apple antitrust case, 2021 Community Broadband Awards announced.

SiFi is getting an injection of funds to deliver open fiber to cities.

City is yet another in a growing field of municipalities aiming for a municipal fiber network.

When their connection to the World Wide Web was cut, Tuttle’s local leaders got to work.

Both emerging and established internet service providers will stand to gain from SiFi Networks’ shared broadband model.

In an interview with Broadband Breakfast, Technology Policy Institute President Scott Wallsten blamed bad mapping for RDOF mess.

Jamestown is hoping an open access network would make internet more affordable.

At Fiber Connect, Garry Bolton said he is optimistic fiber will prevail over other tech for connectivity.

White House announced infrastructure bill to include $65B, Fiber Connect 2021 wraps up, Washington State community broadband bill becomes law.

Company head says scalable, gigabit future is a priority now to deal with future broadband challenges.

Industry association reps discussed changing attitudes in Washington about broadband and concerns about political action.

Companies disagree about what fiber providers should prioritize, and whether hard standards should be set.

Hu Meena argued for fiber as preferred technology, as debate rages about what Congress should focus on.

Fiber Connect 2021 panel breaks down how open access models work, and how discussion can be framed.

Huntsville Utilities has constructed a fiber network to nearly every residence and business but not directly connected the properties.

Leaked infra proposal has base 100 Mbps speeds, Apple’s phones getting 5G, Newsom signs broadband bill, FTC money recovery bill.

Debate has pitted certain tech over others, but the WIA says all broadband tech must be considered.

Experts argue for significant changes in order for broadband mapping efforts to be successful.

New, easier fiber installations could address shortage in trained staff.

More experts weigh in on the fiber debate, but point to other technologies as important for the future of connectivity.

Open access provisions in municipal builds could alleviate fears of competition concerns with ISPs.

A decade after the advent of LTE, the next-generation 5G will be, and already is, a critical resource for Americans.

Consultancy says fiber deployment costs are going down, which could mean more pure fiber plays.

Ernesto Falcon of the EFF says expansion of fiber is the only way California keeps up with demand for broadband.

The speed of the broadband service used was only one component of the issues students faced.

This was not the first time Darth Vader strode into a council chamber, but this time he had positive news.

Experts discuss the short- and long-term need for gigabit speeds.

Critics are unhappy about President Joe Biden’s $2.3-billion plan that includes prioritizing local builds.

Broadband Breakfast panelists wrestle with the challenge of financing broadband infrastructure projects.

Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist said telecoms should be right there alongside new road builds and improvements.

Openreach aims to get 20 million fiber-to-the-premise connections by later this decade.

Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis speaks about broadband rollout, education and bills more than a year into the pandemic.

This installment of Broadband Breakfast Live Online explores innovative solutions that increase the capabilities of infrastructure already in place.

Experts at the Broadband Breakfast Live Online event debated what “future-proofing” broadband would look like.

March 29, 2021—Judge Laurence Silberman has worn many hats throughout his career—diplomat, lawyer, jurist—and he may now add “staunch critic of big tech” to his list of titles. Silberman wrote the dissenting opinion in Tah v. Global Witness Publishing, released on March 19 by the D.C. Circuit Court

March 24, 2021 — Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr said the regulator has since 2017 seen what he wanted: Broadband speed increases and lower prices. “The approach we adopted in 2017 is working,” he said at the Free State Foundation’s 13th annual telecom policy conference on Tuesday.

March 4, 2021 – The broadband industry is better off getting ahead of network builds instead of waiting for government subsidies, CEO of Biarri Networks Paul Sulisz said in an interview with Broadband Breakfast. That would involve focusing on getting the right people connected with the right leaders

Panelists include: Donny Smith, CEO of FiberSmith, Sandeep Dhingra, CTO of Network Services at STL, and Brian Regan, VP at Starry, and moderated by Drew Clark of Broadband Breakfast

February 8, 2021 – Washington insiders marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Telecommunications Act on Monday by discussing how broadband deployment must be a top priority for new government and regulatory administrations. The new-look White House and Federal Communications Commission ca

February 8, 2021—Montana state Democrats have announced a legislative package that aims to fill the rural broadband gap. State Rep. Katie Sullivan has introduced LC 2670, a bill that would see the creation of either a broadband manager or an advisory board under the state’s executive.  The goal of t

February 2, 2021—With new leadership at the Federal Communications Commission, there is a strong probability that more agency focus and aid will be directed towards broadband deployment, advocates for broadband deployment said on January 26. They said that there is currently a great need for direct

January 27, 2021 – Keynoting Wednesday’s State of the Net Conference, former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell urged the new administration of Joe Biden to promote broadband, fiber, 5G wireless networks – as well as allowing consumers to move seamlessly across wired and wirel

January 2, 2021 – Expect issues of broadband and multifamily housing to gain renewed attention in 2021. Watch for some strange alliances and interesting policy turnarounds. The subject matter is complicated because of both policy challenges and infrastructure issues associated with the inside wiring

December 29, 2020 — Smaller internet service providers were critical to fiber growth in 2020, accounting for 88 percent of total capital expenditure, according to the results of the latest annual study of network operators and consumer research, conducted by Mike Render, CEO of RVA LLC, for the Fibe

When it comes to a decision that will affect the lives of everyone in your community for years to come, the only place to start is with the truism, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” What we did know is that with all the technological options we knew a collaborative expertise was going to […]

December 17, 2020 — Networks of the future need to be scalable to keep up with burgeoning bandwidth demands, according to Greg Luhman, business development manager at ADTRAN. “There has been a 56 percent increase in upstream usage, largely due to video conferencing,” said Luhman, during an event ent

Harold Feld, senior vice president of Public Knowledge, called for Democratic members of the Federal Communications Commission to fight Republican fire with fire in a recent publication, in which he lists all the tools Democrats have at their disposal to take equally audacious political actions, and

LUXEMBOURG, EUROPEAN UNION – On October 16, Post Luxembourg launched its commercial 5G wireless network, when the first cell sites were activated in the city of Luxembourg and other pilot zones using the 700 MegaHertz and 3.6 GigaHertz spectrum auctioned by city-state earlier this year. As a senior

November 24, 2020 — In a virtual conversation sponsored by Connected Nation Michigan, Wes Kerr, director of community solutions at Connected Nation, was joined by Chip Spann, director of engineering and technical services at Connected Nation, to discuss the predominant technologies providing broadba

November 3, 2020 – Broadband networks have had their greatest challenges during the coronavirus pandemic, and sometimes fail in meeting the challenge of upstream speed needs, said Gary Bolton, vice president of ADTRAN, speaking during the kickoff event of Broadband Breakfast Live Online’s “Tools for

October 20, 2020 – There are many viable options for deploying fiber that should be explored, stressed John Burchett, head of public policy and community affairs at Google Fiber, as part of Fiber Broadband Association’s “Connecting Consumers” event series on Wednesday. After four years of pausing on

October 12, 2020 – The digital divide is a real problem for rural America, Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA, the Rural Broadband Association, said on Thursday at the Blandin Foundation’s conference on broadband. “People in Washington like to talk about the digital divide, those who have connectivity

October 12, 2020 — How should one go about building a gigabit city? Act quickly, be strategic and work in partnership with the private sector. That was the conclusion of panelists speaking about a fiber internet build in Springfield, Missouri, included as part of the Broadband Communities Virtual Su

October 2, 2020 – Electric utilities and rural cooperatives are increasingly building out broadband, agreed panelists at last week’s Broadband Communities Virtual Summit. Sheryl Riggs, CEO of Utilities Technology Council, believed that while utilities will probably not surpass other providers to bec

September 30, 2020 – Municipalities are well suited to investment in broadband networks, particularly those in rural areas, said Ben Fineman, president and co-founder of Michigan Broadband Cooperative, at the Broadband Communities Virtual Summit on Thursday. He said that many for-profit broadband pr

September 29, 2020 — A panel of experts with experience deploying both fiber and wireless networks weighed the pros and cons of each technology during a virtual conversation on Thursday streamed as part of the Broadband Communities 2020 Virtual Summit. The panelists recognized that there are benefit

September 25, 2020 — Understanding and developing strategies for interconnecting middle-mile and last-mile networks has become even more critical since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with many across the country currently aiming to expand last-mile fiber networks in urban and rural America.

September 23, 2020 — Localities, states, and companies are embracing broadband partnerships through public and private entities that work together in mutually beneficial ways to overcome broadband gaps. To these public and private partnerships, the Coalition for Local Internet Choice hosted a three-

September 16, 2020 – Partnerships between local municipal governments and private broadband providers can actually work, according to a panel on “Communities in Need” at Tuesday’s kick-off the rural broadband association NTCA. Some local communities, like Fairlawn, Ohio, have begun taking forward-th

September 8, 2020 —The right time to engage in accessing funding is right now, fiber financers said during an ADTRAN webinar on Wednesday. “The market is getting more congested and more difficult to enter,” said Peter Stokes, senior managing director at Macquarie Bank, and “it’s crucial to enter soo

August 20, 2020 — The Wireless Infrastructure Association recently published a new report, entitled “Fiber: An Essential Facet of the Connected Community,” which finds that ubiquitous fiber is an essential backbone to 5G connectivity. WIA’s report (PDF) recognizes that in order to maximize the advan

As part of an effort in Longboat Key, Florida to move electrical infrastructure underground, the town is also building a city-wide fiber-optic network, which holds the potential to foster 100 percent internet connectivity within the town, GovTech reported. The project was born out of an ongoing conc

The Facebook Connectivity team announced Monday that it has developed a robotic aerial fiber deployment solution, in collaboration with a number of partners, which could assist in CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s goal of expanding internet access around the globe, CNET reported. The solution utilizes a robot d

The city of West Des Moines will invest $40 million to become Iowa’s first Google Fiber-enabled city, the Des Moines Register reported. The agreement between the West Des Moines City Council and Google Fiber is set to pass Monday, with other fiber providers expected to sign on at a later date. The p

July 8, 2020 – The United States is leading in the deployment of 5G, claimed Verizon Communications CEO Hans Vestberg on Wednesday. Vestberg updated the public on the rollout of 5G and Verizon’s response to COVID-19, among other matters, in a virtual conversation with David Rubenstein, president of

June 23, 2020 — Due to the nature of its services, the subsea cable industry deals with numerous threats on a routine basis. In a webinar hosted by Federal Communications Bar Association on Monday, panelists detailed the challenges that the submarine cable industry faces as it attempts to connect th

June 19, 2020 — There is currently considerable buzz around the prospect of obtaining bids from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, the largest federal initiative to subsidize rural broadband in America to date. However, it is no secret that the rural digital funding will be allotted based off of ma

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

June 11, 2020 — “Many gigabit passive optical networks will exhaust in the 2020s, as bandwidth demands have been accelerated by COVID-19,” said Ed Harstead, lead technologist at Nokia, at a webinar hosted by the Fiber Broadband Association on Thursday. Panelists predicted that gigabit networks offer

June 9, 2020 — The Federal Communications Commission adopted procedures for Phase I of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction, or Auction 904, at their open meeting Tuesday. The auction, scheduled to begin October 29, will award up to $16 billion in federal support to existing and prospective br

The federal government has always been one of the largest consumers of broadband and that has become especially true with the transition of most federal workers to a telework status. The federal government continues an upward trajectory as guidelines and budgets push for a digital transformation tha

June 5, 2020 — According to market analysts, labor costs account for around 60 percent of the cost of fiber infrastructure construction. Panelists on a webinar hosted by Telecompetitor on Wednesday advocated considering scalability up front, to avoid labor intensive and costly future infrastructure

May 28, 2020 — Not all internet infrastructures are created equal, and some are more susceptible to cybersecurity attacks than others. According to panelists on a Fiber for Breakfast webinar hosted Wednesday by the Fiber Broadband Association, fiber optic internet infrastructure is far less vulnerab

Investments of up to $450 million will help to bring high-speed fiber connectivity to millions across the country, said fiber company SiFi Networks. The company announced Tuesday that it had recently secured the funding and will use it to expand infrastructure and hire specialists in several new cit

May 12, 2020 — The Federal Communication Commission’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been successful, Commissioner Brendan Carr said in a Federal Communications Bar Association teleconference Monday. The conference, hosted by FCBA President-elect Natalie Roisman and moderated by FCBA Presi

May 7, 2020 – Current passive optical network technology will have to transform if it wants to survive, said Adtran product line manager Javier Lopez in a Thursday webinar hosted by the Fiber Broadband Association.   The coronavirus pandemic has created a traffic surge that gives a glimpse into the

May 5, 2020 ­– As internet connectivity grows increasingly essential, fiber optics may prove to be a better option than wireless internet connection, the Institute for Local Self Reliance’s Christopher Mitchell said Tuesday at a webinar hosted by the nonprofit Merit Network. Mitchell, who directs th

April 20, 2020— There are aspects of fiber-optic cabling that make the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction “very favorable” to the technology, said Kara Mullaley, a market development manager at Corning Optical Communications at a webinar hosted by Corning on Thursday. The Rural Digital Opportuni

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

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2020 — Dane Jasper, CEO of mid-size internet service provider Sonic, promoted his brand and challenged that of big telecom providers at Incompas’ policy summit on Tuesday. “Our approach is to run [wires] as fast as they will go,” said Jasper. In addition, Sonic offers no data ca

Axios says that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is inching toward a decision that could profoundly shift the relationship between Britain and the United States over Chinese equipment manufacturer Huawei. But in a research note, Strand Consult projects that the U.K. will in fact ban the use of H

In advance of a Federal Communications Commission vote on the proposed Rural Digital Opportunity Fund on January 30, the agency released an analysis of areas eligible for the new federal subsidies. The new fund, a crafted version of the Connect America Fund, is expected to disperse $20.4 billion in

It seems that everyone except California and Alabama wants in on the action, whatever that action is, against Google. Attorneys general for 48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico on Monday announced an antitrust investigation, although not a lawsuit, against search engine giant Goo

Nearly 100 percent of internet modems, routers, and other equipment sold to residential broadband subscribers in 2018 met the energy-efficiency standards of the Voluntary Agreement for Ongoing Improvement to the Energy Efficiency of Small Network Equipment, according to a new report from auditor D+R

Congress and the Federal Communications Commission are working together to stop robocalls, wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, in an op-ed on Wednesday. Rep. Latta in April introduced legislation that encourages phone companies to automatically block unwanted robocalls, and in Ju

WASHINGTON, August 7, 2019 – Investment in future-proofing roads for high-speed fiber optic infrastructure could save $126 billion federal dollars on broadband deployment. But Congress has yet to pass any legislation in support of “dig once” conduit building, according to a recent report from Broadb

The Universal Service Fund should be subject to a budget cap, argued Technology Policy Institute Senior Fellows Sarah Oh and Scott Wallsten in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission. “A budget cap will create incentives for the entire USF community to assess the program, experiment with n

The Founder of Broadband Census and Breakfast Breakfast, and the former executive director of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois – one of the State Broadband Initiatives that actually created the National Broadband Map – comments on a growing controversy.

Locally-run internet service providers offer better broadband than their private sector counterparts, according to a recent study by PCMag. The data shows that six of America’s ten fastest ISPs either involve some form of public-private partnership or were run directly by a local community. “Local n

The Electronic Frontier Foundation announced Tuesday that it is filing a class action lawsuit on behalf of AT&T customers in California to stop the telecom giant and two data location aggregators from allowing third parties to access wireless customers’ real-time locations without authorization. The

The Hill reports that dozens of consumer advocacy groups have called for congressional committees and regulatory agencies to impose a moratorium on Facebook’s cryptocurrency project. Among the 33 groups include Public Citizen, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Economic Policy Institute

MONTROSE, Colorado, July 2, 2019- Policymakers and providers agree that collaboration is vital to sustaining high-quality broadband in rural communities. However, there is still work that needs to be done to deploy high-speed symmetrical broadband, panelists said Tuesday at a rural broadband webcast

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2019 – When it comes to removing Huawei or ZTE telecommunications equipment from U.S. broadband networks, a strategy of “rip and place” would cost well over $1 billion. Rural broadband carriers don’t have the budget for that, and they are concerned that the costs of a retrofit w

Axios is reporting that Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., plan to introduce The Designing Accounting Safeguards to Help Broaden Oversight and Regulations on Data Act (DASHBOARD). The measure would require tech company to better explain to consumers what they are giving up when they s

Just because 5G is “around the corner” doesn’t mean fiber optic broadband development is unnecessary, said Ben Lewis-Ramirez of Lit Communities. Ramirez is not the only one with a cynical outlook on 5G’s nationwide rollout. “Deep deployment of fiber optics is a national imperative. The success of 5G

Currently, 1.45 million residents of rural Texas lack high-speed internet connections, but a program launched on Wednesday by Connected Texas, a subsidiary of the national nonprofit Connected Nation, will attempt to change that. Connected Texas is taking a three-step approach over the next two years

Approximately 1.6 million residents of rural Georgia currently lack high-speed internet access, but this could change under a new state broadband plan (PDF) released this month, AJC reported. According to Georgia officials, this will have a major impact on schools, hospitals, farmers, and more. The

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: There is much to cheer for better broadband in Utah, including this report from today’s Daily Herald. The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency, the U.S.’s largest open access network, is on a roll. It is boasting an accelerated buildout in several Utah commu

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Rep. Anna Eshoo on Thursday introduced three separate measures designed to expedite broadband access. The Conduit Deployment Act and the CLIMB Once Act are common-sense measures that enjoy strong support from many players in the industry, at least at a general level. The

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Telecommunications industry and advocacy organizations on Wednesday and Thursday reacted to the introduction of the LIFT America Act, H.R. 2741, which stands for Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s America Act, by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pall

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: California, and many other states, have muscled their way onto the national broadband stage. They’ve done this through legislation that would either require net neutrality protections that the Federal Communications Commission removed in December 2017, or use state purch

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Susan Crawford is once again bringing history to life with this blast-from-the-past story of how “net neutrality” owes some of its roots to a 20-year-old fight in Portland. Today, however, the city is bringing open access battles into the 21st Century. (We wrote about La

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Many fiber-focused companies in the U.S., and overseas, have turned to private equity investors instead of the public markets. What the public company Zayo’s acquisition mean for the industry? Steven Blum takes a stab at his prognostication. One can only hope that it bod

SiFi Networks’ recent announcement of a more-than $75 million open-access network in Fullerton, Calif., represents a departure from the public-private model that the company had been pursuing in the U.S. over the past four years. SiFi is continuing its focus on an open-access network, or a network i

SiFi Networks on Monday announced that it had obtained funding to build an open access fiber network through the whole city of Fullerton, California. SiFi will fund, build and operate the networks in partnership with Internet Service Providers, which will market services to individual households. A

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: New business models are coming for fiber to the home deployments across the U.S. On Tuesday, Medina County, Ohio, announced just such a model, together with Neighborly, a company that provides communities with access to capital for broadband projects. The fiber networks

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: As Google says goodbye to the first of its fiber cities in which it has actually deployed connectivity, questions swirl about what happens to the network already in place. In its blog post, Google refers to “learn[ing]” by failing,” and links to an article about challeng

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: We reported this news back in August, but it’s worth highlighting again with this new new piece on SiFi Networks’ project in Saratoga Springs, a city of 28,027 in upstate New York. Most notably, the article includes a link to the agreement between SiFi Networks and the c

November 16, 2018 – With the launch of a group of communities in a “broadband accelerator” launched by the municipal finance portal Neighborly, the momentum behind open access broadband networks is continuing to build. On Thursday, Neighborly announced that it had selected 35 cities, including sizab

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: There’s no question that California courts controversy, in technology and telecommunications as well as many other spaces. However, putting aside the drama over net neutrality, this bill removing restrictions on the public option will aid rural broadband. In particular,

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: The Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency has been outperforming expectations for some time; and never more so than recently. This post from FreeUTOPIA summarizes some of the reasons. In September, the entity signed a deal with Layton to allow the city to ac

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT – Views differ on the extent of Google Fiber progress, or persistence, throughout the country, and particularly here in Utah. I have cousins in both Provo and Salt Lake, each of whom have Google Fiber, each of whom love Google Fiber. And yet reports such as this one highl

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: SiFi Networks appears to be gaining some traction in the U.S., based upon this report from Telecompaper. The company bring a public-private partnership model to a universal broadband build within cities, helping cities to get gigabit symmetrical service — and to have con

PITTSBURGH, August 16, 2018 – Big telecommunications providers are not making it easy for communities to step up and offer robust broadband service, even in low-density areas that the private sector has declined to serve for years, according to experts speaking at a July 23 Next Century Cities confe

WASHINGTON, August 2, 2018 – The Federal Communications Commission voted to pass the new, so-called “One Touch Make Ready” policy, a measure designed to accelerate pole attachment processes for new broadband deployments. At the agency’s monthly open meeting today, the commissioners voted 3-1 to shif

WASHINGTON, August 2, 2018 – Google Fiber and Verizon split with AT&T and Comcast over the so-called “One-Touch Make-Ready” policy, with the former claiming that the need for faster deployment speeds make the policy essential, and the other side claiming it oversteps existing rules and jurisdiction

PITTSBURGH, July 31, 2018 – Rural electric cooperatives and not “small cell” deployment powered by 5G networks, may be the solution to closing the digital divide, according to Jonathan Chambers, former chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Strategic Planning. Speaking at the reg

PITTSBURGH, July 30, 2018 – Many broadband experts speaking at the Next Century Cities regional summit here said last week that city jurisdiction should take precedence over federal rules in ensuring impactful broadband deployment. The conference highlighted some of these local voices, eager for bro

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2018 – Colorado broadband officials stressed the importance of public-private partnerships in extending broadband access to unserved Americans in rural areas, and expressed doubts that the so-called fifth-generation wireless standard dubbed 5G will be the answer to closing the di

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: We were present at the Broadband Communities Summit at which Blair Levin gave these remarks; thanks to the Coalition for Local Internet Choice for providing the complete and unvarnished record of this important and scathing speech. Remember that Levin was the former exec

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: This falls into the category of a gaffe, or when a politically-minded business like AT&T accidentally tells the truth. Here, the truth is that 5G is not, current hype notwithstanding, a fiber-to-the-home killer. Instead, 5G will rely more directly on fiber build deeper i

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: We’ve been watching the progress of CityFibre closely because of what it is demonstrating on the other side of the pond: The future of broadband is in wholesale. Separating infrastructure from services provides significant advantages in being able to raise capital. This

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2018 – Questions about how the federal government will be involved in rolling out the next-generation infrastructure for wireless, known as 5G (for 5th generation) remained after a Wednesday infrastructure hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee. “With the rise of the internet

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Windstream seems to increasingly be trying to talk and act like an AT&T or Verizon Communications. This article highlights some strong aspects to his heritage as a back-haul fiber-optic provider. If this division is sold, it might mark the continued evolution toward tele

WASHINGTON, January 22, 2018 – A leaked document purporting to be an outline of the Trump Administration’s forthcoming infrastructure plan makes few provisions for broadband or other digital infrastructure outside of rural areas. The six-page outline, which was first reported by Axios, bears the tit

WASHINGTON, January 8, 2018 – President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order encouraging rural broadband deployment by speeding up permitting processes for facilities on federal land and allowing wireless broadband equipment to be co-located on federally-owned towers. In addition to the

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Once again, the folks at the Institute for Local Self Reliance have produced another standout report on how to get better broadband to those parts of American that are not served by the major incumbents. This report focuses on the role that cooperatives are playing, and

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Major news from the United Kingdom with the deal announced between Vodafone and CityFibre. This deal shows how the rest of the world is adapting to the model that the United States has not yet, but eventually will: Separation of infrastructure from services. Vodafone thr

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: The power of municipal broadband isn’t going away. While competition benefits everyone, it’s undeniable that as the custodians of their rights of way, local government will play a role in the telecommunications infrastructure developments of the future. Charter gets comp

WASHINGTON, November 7, 2017 — The Universal Service Fund dollars the Federal Communications Chairman has allocated for rebuilding Puerto Rico’s communications infrastructure has helped with rebuilding efforts so far, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai  said on Monday in a statement following his visit to meet w

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Siklu, which has been active in promoting the way high-speed wireless gigabit access can help communities leverage fiber-optic infrastructure, assembles a useful primer on its technology and business case for deployment. Providing 21th Century Broadband with Fixed Wirele

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: It is truly astonishing to see an incumbent provider, such as Verizon, taking the position that there must be easier access to poles and rights of way. But that’s a good thing! Perhaps this is evidence of how far Verizon has moved away from the public utility model, but

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Allow us to highlight one of the seven points made by Patrick Brogan in this commentary: Deep fiber. In this piece, he highlights seven elements – (1) Technical standards, (2) cell densification, (3) coexistence of 4G and 5G, (4) reevaluation of the mobile network archit

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: The long-awaited day has arrived for the “official” launch of the open-access fiber-optic network in Ammon, Idaho. This city of about 14,000 people has been making waves for some time with its unique approach to (a) providing advanced open-access technology and (b) enabl

Wireline technologies such as fiber and cable are usually deployed where populations are greater, but areas with less density can best be served with fixed wireless networks for far less money, say WISPA officials.

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: A useful voice of skepticism on the viability and timeliness of 5G. Here’s the simple point: Our nation don’t have enough fiber, deep enough, in order to capitalize on 5G. As the article says later on, “federal, state, and local governments have policy and regulatory lev

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Here’s my piece in the Deseret News, responding to information about the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency that simply isn’t correct. I discuss why cities need to open up their thinking about using fiber as a utility, and why cities are going to be in th

WASHINGTON, August 1, 2017 — President Donald Trump is committed to moving an infrastructure bill this year despite making little legislative progress towards on other policy goals, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Monday. “The President has been very outspoken on the need

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Our friend Craig Settles probes the question: How can rural areas get better broadband? Equally important, he provides some concrete examples of where and how it is happening. Broadband and Rural Economices – Maybe Small is Better | Rural communities should set realistic

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2017 – Rural areas of Tennessee have lost business because they don’t have access to high-speed internet, Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn said Monday at a panel on broadband infrastructure hosted by the Brookings Institution. Trump was aggressively pushing new infrast

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: One of the first groups to begin the movement toward a Gigabit City, KC Digital Drive, prepares for its Gigabit City Summit next week in Kansas City. Take advantage of opportunities to learn about how your city can benefit from fiber-optic connectivity! Why a Gigabit Cit

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Major new expansion by wholesale infrastructure provider CityFibre in U.K., giving more credence to the “open access” model that is beginning to be deployed globally. Under such a model, one entity owns the fiber infrastructure, with another selling retail internet acces

OREM, Utah, July 6, 2017 – The founder of the Broadband Breakfast Club, journalist and lawyer Drew Clark, announced his candidacy for city council here with a campaign seeking to tap into “Better Broadband, Better Lives.” Orem is the fifth-largest city in Utah, home to Utah Valley University, and a

WASHINGTON, June 21, 2017 — The White House on Thursday plans to continue its “tech week” by hosting a group of 25 technology company founders and CEOs to meet with Trump Administration officials on new technologies and promoting economic progress, Deputy Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios sa

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2017 — Despite myriad public events and a soundbyte-friendly title of “Infrastructure Week,” last week the White House was light on infrastructure and nearly empty of plans to build out 21st century digital infrastructure of fiber or wireless broadband. “There’s not going to be

WASHINGTON, June 7, 2017 – Two organizations supportive of municipal broadband advocacy efforts last week issued differing reports critical of a May 24 report by a University of Pennsylvania professor. The report, by Christopher Yoo and Timothy Pfenninger, was titled “Municipal Fiber in the United S

WASHINGTON, June 7, 2017 – Champions, partnerships and flexibility are necessary to bring fiber-optic networks to less-populated communities, said participants involved in launching such a network in Kent County, Maryland. Speaking at a Friday panel was hosted at the Schools Health and Libraries Bro

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2017 — Despite giving this week the title of “Infrastructure Week” at the White House, President Donald Trump and his staff haven’t taken any public actions to make digital infrastructure, such as high-speed broadband, a part of their plans for the much-discussed infrastructure b

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2017 — Infrastructure plans in President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget represent a significant break from his predecessor not only in the brick-and-mortar variety, but also in the next generation of infrastructure for the next generation of the American economy — wired and wireless

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: The Huntsville combination of open access and leased fiber is a model to watch! || Google Fiber launches in Huntsville, Alabama by leasing new municipal fiber network, from 9to5 Google: First announced over a year ago, Google Fiber is now live in Huntsville, Alabama. Alp

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Always important to get to the bottom of reports criticizing municipal networks in an incomplete fashion. Bravo to Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Next Century Cities for addressing these. || Addressing UPenn Report: Dud Data, Unsuitable Approach, from Institute fo

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: We’ll be looking for some alternative analysis of this material. Interesting to see that this is becoming such a focus of certain industry observers and interests. || Municipal Fiber in the U.S.: An Empirical Assessment of the Financial Performance, from Wharton’s Public

DALLAS, May 5, 2017 – Open access networks are becoming more real for gigabit connectivity in the United States, according to panelists attending the Broadband Communities Summit here this week. The conference was notable in having numerous, positive discussions of the “three-tiered” model: One enti

DALLAS, May 1, 2017 – One of the biggest puzzles in broadband today is a financial conundrum: Our nation needs next-generation networks everywhere, but advanced internet capacity is spotty at best. One solution to the problem of financing universal broadband networks — on display in Ammon, Idaho — w

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: This development highlights that Google Fiber isn’t done with fiber builds — just exploring new methods and models with which to carry forward. || Google Fiber officially selects Louisville, KY to run its new gigabit play, from Tech Republic: Google Fiber has confirmed t

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: A concerning new development from Maine. Thanks to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance for raising this issue through this alert. || Bill Introduced in Maine Legislature to Limit Local Authority over Broadband Investment, from Community Broadband Networks: Maine State

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: A new report from the Haas Institute raises the question that’s been lurking behind the important-to-significant fiber rollouts over the past decade by Verizon, Google and AT&T: Are these providers cherry-picking their neighborhoods? This report drills deeply into AT&T’s

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: One of the most interesting questions in broadband infrastructure today centers around dry legalities like “dig once” and “one touch.” This conflict in Louisville shows that Google still intends to stay in the battle, at least on the policy and legal front, vis-a-vis inc

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: By taking this action, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has likely avoided the fate of a bill that would require the agency to add conduit to infrastructure projects. See Steve Blum’s perspective below, and on the link. || Caltrans buries dig once c

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Open access networks, such as those proposed by SiFi Networks, are important because they allow for the next generation applications and services. This story updates how a Rhode Island community is considering the company for its fiber network. Economic Development Commi

RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, April 19, 2017 – At 7,200 square miles, this Southern California county is nearly the size of New Jersey. On April 3, the county put out a “Request for Participants” in an effort to jump-start a $2 billion to $4 billion initiative building a gigabit fiber network. The project

DALLAS, April 18, 2017 – The Universal Service Administrative  Corporation may not grab broadband headlines, but the once-obscure federal agency is central to helping rural America and other stakeholders get Broadband Broadband, Better Lives. USAC’s programs, plus its “new look,” will be the subject

DALLAS, April 6, 2017 – The Rural Telecommunications Congress program at the 2017 Broadband Communities Summit here on May 1-4, 2017, will feature panelists on the Universal Service Administrative Corporation’s role in bringing broadband to underserved and unserved communities, the role of broadband

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: This came out just over a month ago, but is well worth highlighting. Ammon, Idaho, has developed a model that helps to break apart the closed-box model of the vertically-integrated communications providers. This article on Muni Networks well encapsulates some of the ways

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Another possible success story from Appalachia, where local utilities are stepping up to the plate and making fiber the new utility for middle America.  Morristown And Newport Buddy-Up For Broadband In Rural TN, from MuniNetworks.org Morristown Utilities Commission (MUC)

Broadband Breakfast Insight: Unlike the United States, the UK has a system of “structural separations” – at least in theory – where the provider of the wholesale networks (Openreach) is to be separated from its sister-provider of retail broadband services (BT). This article recounts some of the cont

Broadband Breakfast Insight: This article in the Charlotte Observer highlights the fact that, even when people want fiber, there are inevitably logistical and infrastructure challenges that need to be managed in a fiber-to-the-home build. Both Google Fiber and AT&T are impacted by the problem. Buste

WASHINGTON, January 31, 2017 – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday announced the formation of a new federal advisory committee that would seek to accelerate deployment of high-speed broadband nationwide, and to close the digital divide, by providing a model approach to dep

Broadband Breakfast Insight: The need for speed is here, and is here to stay. You don’t build a next century network to accomodate the current capacity, but the capacity that people are going to be using. Here is more evidence that the future is coming sooner rather than later. AT&T says 30% of FTTH

Broadband Breakfast Insight: We have no information on the veracity of this speculation, from last week’s Fortune, but it is clear that the broadband ecosystem is in the midst of coping with Google’s retrenchment from expansions in the fiber marketplace. -> Why Google Might Be Getting Ready to Dump

Broadband Breakfast Insight: Will the cable or the telco incumbents make the first move to the gigabit fiber future? The answer may be “none of the above.” Public-private partnerships unallied with either camp may make the next move in getting infrastructure to the smart cities of the future. -> AT&

Broadband Breakfast Insight: A great article detailing the way that a rural community, even in a sparsely-populated region of Colorado, is able to make an open-access network work for the communities and residents of the region. -> Rio Blanco County Stays Relevant With Broadband, from Broadband Comm

Broadband Breakfast Insight: Fiber is prevalent in the Utah broadband marketplace, both because of Google Fiber, and because of the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency. This helps push the speed upward on the state’s connection speeds.-> Utah Internet Speed #2 in the Country and #3 in

Broadband Breakfast Insight: Although this article highlights the negatives, it is a bit of a reversal that, in spite of its general withdrawl from the FiOS marketplace, Verizon is going full-scale in Boston. -> Verizon begins fiber optic rollout in Boston – The Verge Verizon is beginning its $300 m

SALT LAKE CITY, October 19, 2015 – Utah has been leading the nation in many areas of broadband internet access and its proliferation, according to a report released on Wednesday [http://www.utahfoundation.org/reports/21st-century-infrastructure-how-broadband-internet-has-shaped-and-is-shaping-utah/]

LAKE OSWEGO, Oregon, October 14, 2015 – This suburb of Portland, a potential candidate for Google Fiber’s Gigabit-speed internet service, has said it isn’t willing to wait around for the search engine giant. At a city council meeting here on Tuesday night, elected officials in this city of 37,000 l

Editor’s Note: This past week, Drew Clark’s column [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865635687/The-zeitgeist-of-modern-Provo-Jobs-and-a-good-quality-of-life.html] in the Deseret News of Salt Lake City, Utah, was on the “The zeitgeist of modern Provo: Jobs and a good quality of life.” Click here [h

June 18, 2015 – Recent changes to the eligibility rules for the Federal Communication Commission’s eRate program open the door for new fiber connections for schools and libraries using agency funds. Among the rule changes were the suspension of the requirement that applicants seek funding for large

SALT LAKE CITY, April 28, 2015 – The Utah Breakfast Club and Broadband Breakfast Club released the video of the organizations’ most recent event, “GigUtah: How Fiber Networks Are Transforming Salt Lake City, Provo and Utah.” Panelists from the event included: * Devin Baer, Head of Fiber Business,

Panel on Municipal Debt Financing and Public-Private Partnerships [https://broadbandbreakfast.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CCfd49JUAAAlT1O.jpg] Editor’s Note: This is one of several wrap-up articles about the 2015 Broadband Communities Summit earlier this month in Austin, Texas. For the complete

[https://broadbandbreakfast.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/6873d9e1-4f68-4004-bae9-dfa70b6c0ec9.jpg]http://www.scoop.it/t/broadbandpolicy/p/4041924133/2015/04/21/broadband-breakfast-to-sponsor-gigutah-luncheon-event-on-friday-april-24-register-for-free SALT LAKE, April 21, 2015 – Utah’s Gigabit Net

April 13, 2015 – Attention on the significance of community-based Gigabit Networks rose dramatically when President Obama included an announcement about the importance of community broadband networks in his State of the Union address in January, and in remarks in Cedar Falls, Iowa, one week before t

February 10, 2015 – With all the talk — and now the action — behind building Gigabit Networks by hundreds of cities across the United States, a key question emerges: What can actually be done with all the speed? Understanding the technologies that take advantage of Gigabit Networks is a key componen

February 3, 2015 – The Federal Communications Commission will put its legal weight behind a petition that would preempt laws in North Carolina and Tennessee  that restrict the ability of community broadband networks to expand operations. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will urge his fellow commissioners —

PROVO, Utah, October 30, 2014 – The conversation was all about Google Fiber, but it was the city mayor, officers and citizens who took center stage at the Provo Recreation Center here on Tuesday night. At the public kick-off of “Provo Accelerated,” a civic effort to tap into the power of Gigabit Ne

WASHINGTON, October 29, 2014 – Small business owners, teachers, librarians and representatives broadband industry official gathered at the 2014 Michigan Broadband Conference in the city of Lansing on Wednesday to discuss affordable and innovative ways to enhance Michiganians’ internet access. The co

October 17, 2014 – Fiber-optic communication is increasingly being recognized as a new necessity of urban life, with momentum for cities to obtain Gigabit Networks enabled by fiber is growing every week. On Monday, October 20, a new group of cities — called Next Century Cities — launches a “city-to-

WASHINGTON, October 10, 2014 –High-capacity internet and networked services are the future of education because they will provide instructors and students with the necessary connectivity and capacity for 21st century educational technologies, said the Indiana state director of Education Networks of

WASHINGTON, October 7, 2014 – Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and wireless industry pioneer Marty Cooper took to the opinion page of the San Jose Mercury News to offer their thoughts on the future of wireless spectrum. As they emphasized the importance and centrality of mobil

October 2, 2014 – On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler addressed the importance of local choice and competition regarding broadband access during remarks at the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors Annual Conference in Minnesota. Wheeler di

WASHINGTON, September 29, 2014 – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said that the agency was committed to modernizing the E-rate program. He made the statement in remarks at the 2014 Educational Technology Summit here in Washington. Schools and libraries participating in the FCC’

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., September 23, 2014 – Connecticut officials planning a Gigabit Network in their state aim to take advantage of three core state broadband assets: An extensive state fiber network, streamlined processes governing rights-of-way, and a single administrative point of contact for infra

WASHINGTON, September 23, 2014 – In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission noted that some of its regulatory authority would be lost if the FCC decided to regulate broadband as a public utility. The FTC protects the privacy and security of consumer data by

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., September 22, 2014 – Three of the most prominent women in communications policy on Thursday highlighted the vital role of citizen participation, activism and corporate engagement to ensure a collective high-speed broadband future. “The next six to eight months are perhaps going t

HARTFORD, Conn., September 16, 2014 – Connecticut state and city leaders on Monday announced a nationally-praised effort to build the first all-state Gigabit Network. The mayors of the state’s second- and fourth-largest cities, New Haven and Stamford, joined with state legislative leaders, the state

WASHINGTON, September 5, 2014 – Google Fiber has been perhaps the primary driver of the current push toward high-speed internet in the United States, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a speech here yesterday on the future of broadband competition. In an otherwise general

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2014 – An alliance designed to serve the wireless broadband needs of rural America has partnered with Sprint to provide fourth-generation LTE service to members of the NTCA that are calling themselves the Rural Broadband Alliance, according to details unveiled in a webinar on Th

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2014 – More than one million comments were received by the Federal Communications Commission on net neutrality before the Friday night deadline, Reuters reported. The second round of comments will give the public until Sept. 10 to respond. AT&T pitched to the FCC its proposal th

WASHINGTON, July 15, 2014 – While interest in high-bandwidth internet is growing every year, many communities remain unserved because state laws inhibit local networks, according to local broadband activists. That’s why the Coalition for Local Internet Choice launched last month: to demonstrate the

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2014 – Satellite TV provider Dish Network is lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to block Comcast’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable, according to National Journal. Charlie Ergen, chairman of Dish, told FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler that “serious competitive concerns” woul

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2014 – Leaders of the Baltimore Broadband Campaign are saying that Comcast has a monopoly over fast internet services in the city of Baltimore. Over a course of two years, Comcast customers pay about $1,000 for standard “triple play service, write Philip Spevak, Stan Wilson and A

WASHINGTON, June 11, 2014 – Even the quickest and best-designed networks can succumb to Mother Nature when a hurricane or tornado strikes a community. And when thousands of people dial 911 at the same time, modern-day networks simply aren’t equipped to handle traffic of such tremendous scale. That w

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2014 – Four believers in municipal internet access expressed their dismay at the New America Foundation at an increasingly consolidated broadband marketplace – and promoted local government ownership as a remedy. Speaking on a panel of experts on Wednesday at the think tank, they

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2014 – In what appears to be a tit-for-tat on the United States Justice Department’s indictments last week for cybercrime, China has accused the United States of spying on government officials, businesses and mobile phone users, reported the BBC News. “As a superpower, the United

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, May 5, 2014 – One of the largest global companies involved in the construction of highways, airports, bridges and other capital-intensive infrastructure projects plans to spend more than $300 million to complete a Gigabit Network in Utah. The Australian-based company, Macquar

SOUTH BOSTON, Va., April 9, 2014 – Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation (MBC), a successful wholesale fiber-optic open-access network transport provider, completed a trial last week delivering multi-terabit capacity on its existing network across southern Virginia. […]

AUSTIN, Texas, April 4, 2014 – Next week, at the Broadband Communities Summit here in Austin, the Rural Telecommunications Congress will take center stage with a series of sessions on “The Bandwidth of the States,” “Financing Future Bandwidth,” “Digital Learning in the Classroom,” “Rural Innovation,

Wall Street and K Street are separated by a mere 225 miles, but for many companies they are worlds apart.  In particular, industry observers would do well to compare everything said to policymakers with statements by the same competitors made to Wall Street investors. Defense companies, for example,

SEATTLE and CHICAGO, January 9, 2014 – The City of Seattle has parted ways with Gigabit Squared, the private company tasked by the city with building a fiber-optic infrastructure in the city. In Wednesday statement of the web site of City Mayor Ed Murray, the city declared: The City is now at a cros

TINLEY PARK, ILLINOIS, November 8, 2013 – There is a new holy grail in economic development, and it isn’t land use, tax policy, or cheap energy costs. In a word, it’s Giganomics. The term was coined by David Sandel, President of the Gigabit Communities and Smart Cities consultancy, at the Broadband

AURORA, ILLINOIS, November 5, 2013 – Just over a year ago, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced the first of four awards under the state’s “Gigabit Communities Challenge,” an effort to raise the bar on broadband speeds in the nation’s heartland. Of the four awardees named thus far, the Gigabit Network

Monday, October 28, 2013 – Drew Clark, Chairman and Publisher of BroadbandBreakfast.com, will lead a panel discussion at the Broadband Communities Conference next week on the role of fiber developments in fostering economic growth. The Economic Development Conference Series will be held in Tinley Pa

PROVO, Utah, October 28, 2013 – The prospect and reality of Gigabit Networks throughout the country, beginning in Utah, are “creating bigger surface areas for the mind,” the chief technology officer of US IGNITE said here on Thursday. Speaking at the Utah Broadband Summit here in Provo — selected a

WASHINGTON, September 24, 2013 – The Broadband Breakfast Club released the first video of its Broadband Breakfast Club Virtual Event, on “How High-Capacity Applications Are Driving Gigabit Connectivity.” The dialogue featured Dr. Glenn Ricart, Chief Technology Officer, US IGNITE; Sheldon Grizzle

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2013 — Last Monday, Verizon announced that it would release a new high speed FiOS Quantum Internet service, providing download speeds of 500 megabits-per-second and upload speeds of 100 Mbps. The new speeds are a drastic improvement on most other connections, allowing large file

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2013 – The status of the development of the national smart grid and its relationship to broadband buildouts was the center of discussion at the June 2013 Broadband Breakfast Club. The concept of smart grid is a marriage of intelligence and communications, said David Wollman, Dep

Washington, Wednesday, June 12th, 2013 –  BroadbandBreakfast.com will hold its June 2013 Broadband Breakfast Club event: “Advanced Energy, Smart Grid and Fiber to the Home: Using Advanced Energy to Jumpstart Fiber Builds” on Tuesday, June 18th, 2013 at Clyde’s of Gallery Place, 707 7th St. NW, Washi

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2013 – High-speed broadband is the key to optimizing energy usage, said Graham Richard, CEO of Advanced Energy Economy, at Thursday keynote speak at the annual Better Buildings Summit sponsored by the United States Department of Energy. Richard, the former mayor of Ft. Wayne, Ind

May 15, 2013 – Gigabit-level connectivity is all the rage. It seems that everyone is asking, What Can Gigabit Do for Me? More and more companies and communities — from established communications companies to new market entrants — have announced plans for deployment that cross that psychological Giga

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2013 – It’s springtime across the country, the flowers are blooming, and Gigabit fever must be in the air. Within the past month, several major companies and communities have announced plans for Gigabit-level deployments within their communities. Several major conferences have fea

Mobile communication has become a central part internet connectivity.

The internet has the potential to impact, and also to enhance, society's democratization.

Whether licensed, unlicensed or shared, radio frequency spectrum is the critical resource for wireless communication.

Whether broadband providers may prioritize delivery of bits by the entities they own is a divisive topic.

Open Access networks separate network operations from internet services. Ownership may also be separate from operations.

The pandemic has prompted a new era of funding for broadband infrastructure.

Because Rural America is often the least-connected region in the country, ensuring coverage is central to BEAD.

Wireless technologies are critical for mobile communications, and for being able to reach remote locations.

Satellite broadband remains an option those areas beyond the reach of fiber, terrestrial or mobile wireless.

The Universal Service Fund, codified in 1996 with the Telecommunications Act, remains the foundation of universal access.

Cloud computing relies upon robust and high-speed upload and download internet speeds.

Tribal leaders say the federal government has failed to uphold its trust responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of Native American tribes.

The 5G wireless standard promises breakthrough in capacity, speed and dynamic spectrum-sharing capabilities.

Wireless Internet Service Providers play an important role in delivery of fixed wireless broadband.

We need humans to make digital inclusion work.

Technology, particularly broadband access and adoption, plays a vital role in K-12 and secondary education.

The innovations of telehealth and mobile health care has transformed medicine and health care.

Ensuring that emergency communications are enabled with broadband is the next frontier in public safety.

Broadband internet service allows many people to work from almost anywhere.

Digital locks and keys are necessary, but not sufficient, to ensure cybersecurity.

The scourge of robocalls is making America's once-vaunted telephone network less trustworthy.

The BEAD program is implemented by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U.S. Commerce Department.

The last three years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of communities building publicly-owned, locally controlled infrastructure.

The entire concept of privacy has been transformed by broadband and the internet.

Accurate broadband mapping and data has been central to America's broadband buildout.

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2013 – A recent wrap-up of global broadband news included the following items: Islands of Sicily The telecommunications company BT has announced plans to fund a 3.7 million Euro plan to “bring high-speed fibre broadband to the isles of Sicily,” according to digitalspy.com. The

WASHINGTON, Thursday, July 26, 2012 – Last week, the fourth year of the Broadband Breakfast Club Series came to an end with a timely panel on “Bringing Broadband Adoption to the Nation’s Underserved Population.”  Panelists from the private, nonprofit and state government sectors came together to dis

WASHINGTON, Thursday July 19, 2012.  As part of its July Open Commission meeting, the Federal Communications Commission gave an update of its Measuring Broadband America report.  This follow-up was the result of further collection of data from the over 7,000 measurement devices given to volunteers a

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2012 — Last Thursday President Obama announced the launch of a new initiative, “US Ignite” and signed an Executive Order reducing the cost and barriers to broadband build out and construction along federal roadways and properties.  The Order aims to make construction 90 percent

WASHINGTON Tuesday June 12, 2012 – Last week the Federal Communications Commission moved forward with white spaces reform free of challenges from the microphone industry, they took on special access reform and held a meeting of experts to address the future of wireless mHealth innovation.  Broadband

WASHINGTON December 14, 2011 – Last week Joel Gurin, Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau of the FCC, recapped the success of the “Measuring Broadband America” report in an FCC blog post. Gurin’s post begins with him touting the FCC’s recent successes, including its push to fight

WASHINGTON, November 25 2011 – As we all sit and digest post Thanksgiving, Broadband Breakfast can finally wrap up some stories that we have been interested in over the past couple of weeks but have not had time to get around to.  We wanted to draw attention to a couple of the stories below and […]

WASHINGTON, Wednesday November 15, 2011 – November’s breakfast and panel discussion drew a packed crowd Tuesday morning as industry lawyers, lobbyists and experts filed into Clyde’s to hear from the Whitehouse, telecoms, energy management companies and utilities about the challenges and efficiencies

WASHINGTON, DC October 24, 2011 – Forbes Mercy, President of Washington Broadband Inc and WISPA VP/ Legislative Chair shared some thoughts and comments with BroadbandBreakfast.com after our panel on “Bringing Broadband Infrastructure to Rural Areas: Where is the Progress?” You can watch the video of

WASHINGTON, October 21, 2011 – Rural broadband providers, national union members, federal agency officials and state broadband administrators squared off on Tuesday at the Broadband Breakfast Club’s keynote and panel presentations on “Bringing Broadband Infrastructure to Rural Areas: Where is the Pr

WASHINGTON, Thursday, October 13th, 2011 – The internet and intellectual property policy news and events service BroadbandBreakfast.com will hold its October 2011 Broadband Breakfast Club event: “Bringing Broadband Infrastructure to Rural Areas: Where is the Progress?” on Tuesday, October 18th 2011 at Clyde’s of Gallery Place, 707 7th St.

WASHINGTON March 21, 2011 – The Columbia Institute for Tele-Information and Georgetown University’s Communication Culture and Technology Program gathered government officials and industry experts Friday to debate the federal government’s implementation of the National Broadband Plan.

WASHINGTON March 10, 2011 – Internet2, the nationwide ultra high-speed education network, announced that it will increase the network’s speed by a factor of nearly 900. The network’s existing speed is already approximately 1,000 times as fast as a the fastest widely-available high-speed residential

LONDON, October 25, 2010 – The U.K. government has decided to tap into the BBC’s income to help pay the estimated $1.35 billion cost of deploying super fast broadband to some rural parts of the country over the next seven years.

WASHINGTON, October 6, 2010 – The final day of the Telecommunications Policy Research Conference looked at broadband adoption and universality. The problems addressed are key in helping the government determine how broadband is being adopted and where intervention is necessary.

WASHINGTON, September 30, 2010 – The House on Wednesday approved H.R. 6160, the Rare Earths and Critical Materials Revitalization Act by a vote of 325 to 98. The bill authorizes research to address the supply scarcity of rare earth minerals, a category of materials key to a wide range of application

WASHINGTON, September 13, 2010 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced 43 new broadband grants across 27 states. Overall, these grants will receive $518 million in government funding and $34.1 million in private investment.

WASHINGTON, September 9, 2010 – The national broadband network was a key issue in the recent Australian election, with the Parliament evenly split. The Labor and Liberal parties each had 72 seats with two independents.

WASHINGTON, September 3, 2010 – The Federal Communications Commission has updated its latest report on Internet access service subscribership, revealing that only 44 percent of fixed communications connections to households met or exceeded the agency’s target speed for universal access.

WASHINGTON, August 31, 2010 – Qatar Telecom announced that it has begun its fiber-to-the-home network.

WASHINGTON, August 27, 2010 – The United Arab Emirites plans to have a fully fiber network by the end of 2011. The Pyramid Research group is reporting that this new network is expected to provide the nation with a growth of $1.01 billion by 2015.

WASHINGTON, August 16, 2010- New Mexico entities received a $10.6 million broadband stimulus grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and support for a $63.8 million project from the Rural Utilities Service of the Department of Agriculture. The NTIA grant will be g

WASHINGTON August 16, 2010- Verizon has completed its filed trials of their GPON network which will provide users 2.4 Gbps downstream and 1.2 Gbps upstream.

WASHINGTON August 6, 2010- Lebanon’s Telecom Minister has announced plans to install a new nationwide fiber network.

WASHINGTON August 4, 2010 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the funding of 126 new broadband projects with a funding total of $1.2 billion. The projects will span 38 states and a number of Native American tribal areas.

WASHINGTON August 2, 2010- This month the Australian government began to implement its National Broadband Network but they have faced some minor opposition. In the state of Tasmania nearly half of the residents and businesses have yet to give permission to the government to install fiber connections

WASHINGTON July 27, 2010- Ericsson will work with Radius Infratel to setup the nation’s largest FTTH network. The network will bring service to 600,000 households with speeds of 100Mpbs down.

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2010 – One-fifth of Telstra customers in a previous broadband desolate area have upgraded their home networks from copper broadband connections. Telstra had an area that included 1,500 households in its trial fiber-to-the-home project. Around 300 households signed up for fiber

WASHINGTON July 15, 2010- In an update to their fiber project Google has created a new website: www.fibercommunities.com [www.fibercommunities.com], which includes more detailed information on the status of the project. According to Google, the company has received “1,100 community responses and mor

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2010- On July 11 the North Carolina House of Representatives put an end to a bill that would ban communities from installing their own broadband infrastructure. In the last year, several towns and cities built their own Fiber to the Home networks. The networks in North Carolina

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2010 – Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties want $43 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration fund for high-speed internet.

LONDON, July 13, 2010 – The United Kingdom government is under pressure to increase funding for deployment of superfast broadband in rural areas following several public surveys confirming widespread support for positive discrimination in favor of the country’s remote communities. The “outside-in” a

WASHINGTON July 2, 2010- Later today President Obama will announce the awarding of 66 grants for middle mile and public computing centers. The grants will total over $795 million with the award winners providing $200 million in outside investment. The awardees span 36 states and the District of Colu

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2010 – AT&T’s special access lines are set for price hikes, and the NoChokePoints Coalition says FCC regulation of this “is essential to the health of our information economy.” AT&T had a different opinion.

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2010 —Verizon currently maintains one of the few commercial fiber-to-the-home networks in America that achieves a top speed of 25mbps up and 25mbps down; however with increased competition by cable providers who have upgraded to DOCSIS3 which can achieve speeds of 50mbps down an

WASHINGTON, June 21, 2010 – Brazil has started to enact changes to fulfill its long term broadband goals. The nation announced the plan early last month with a goal of bringing down the cost of broadband from $50USD to $25-35USD. Brazil’s Planning Minister Paulo Bernardo said, “Prices for broadband

LONDON, June 17, 2010 – The recently elected U.K. government plans to extent the scope of fiber unbundling by compelling gas, electricity and water utilities as well as the incumbent operator BT to open up their ducts to ISPs for fiber-to-the-home deployment.

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2010 – In March, West Virginia was awarded $126 million from the Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program. The federal money was granted to create a statewide high-speed broadband network of 45mbps down, for all public schools, libraries, health-care facilities and fire and

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2010 – Today’s broadband expansion throughout the United States faces similar challenges to wiring the nation with electricity decades ago, and the nation’s businesses, consumers and government must work together to tap into the resources that high-speed internet access offers,

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2010 –The US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has just released a report that outlines the first round of Broadband Initiatives Program grants from the stimulus package last year. During a conference call with the press USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack stated

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2010 –The New Zealand government has joined much of the rest of the world’s governments and has decided to directly fund the expansion of broadband. The government has setup an ISP Crown Fibre Holdings, back in October 2009 which is being tasked with providing the nation 100Mbps

WASHINGTON, June 7, 2010-The European Commission has approved U.K. regulator Ofcom’s proposals to require virtual unbundling of British Telecom’s fiber network. However, it requests that the full unbundling happen as soon as possible.

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2010 – Chattanooga, Tennessee will now have the fastest home broadband speeds in the nation through a municipal fiber optic network. The network is maintained through a subsidiary, EPB Fiber Optics, of the city’s municipal electric provider EPB. The network boasts speeds of up to

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2009 – Increasing broadband penetration will allow the U.S. to increase engagement abroad and will be an essential element of the Obama administration’s diplomatic strategy, said Alec Ross, a senior adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.