General

Broadband Bytes, May Issue

This edition notes the nexus of politics and broadband, including Net Neutrality—will SCOTUS rule?, The Politics of ACP, NY mandates low-income $15/month internet service, Altice surrenders more RODF, Acquisition and JV news, Fact Sheet on Municipal Broadband Growth, Nokia OLT BEAD production in WI, BEAD News and Initial Proposal Progress Dashboard.1. The FCC voted 4/25/24 to classify broadband services as a Title II telecommunications service, restoring net neutrality. A long-anticipated vote to restore net neutrality has forbidden internet service providers from blocking, throttling, or engaging in paid prioritization of lawful content. The vote reclassified broadband as a common carrier service, and subjected broadband service to regulatory oversight regarding consumer pricing. Read more.2. But will the US Supreme Court rule otherwise? The FCC’s new net neutrality rules likely have a rendezvous with the U.S. Supreme Court. A trip to the Supreme Court would not be unprecedented, seeing as the nine Justices decided a major net neutrality-related case involving cable broadband providers in 2005. The judicial scenario suggested isn’t inevitable. Congress could pass a new law, taking the issue from the FCC, and a Republican-controlled FCC could take power and gut the net neutrality rules adopted under FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. While Rosenworcel is highly confident in the lawfulness of her Internet rulebook, her agency will face an uphill battle to win five votes on a conservative-controlled Court that favors placing new limits on the reach of administrative state actors like the FCC. Read more.3. On the final day that full program benefits are offered under the Affordable Connectivity Program, officials in Washington rallied April 30th to emphasize the grave repercussions of the program’s imminent end. The internet subsidy program, which has been providing low or no-cost internet to 23 million American households for roughly two years now, was hailed by officials for addressing long-neglected affordability barriers that prevent some people from accessing the internet. One in six U.S. households has utilized the program since its inception. Of these, nearly half are military families. Over half are above age 50, and four million are seniors living on a fixed income. The program has bipartisan support among voters, and urban-rural backing. However, starting May 1st enrolled households will only receive a partial credit towards their monthly internet costs through May. In a month, these families will have to notify their provider on whether they are able to afford to continue their internet subscription or are opting to face disconnection. Altice USA, the third-largest cable ISP in the country, informed federal regulators on 4/19/24 that it intends to surrender broadband subsidy grants in three states, saying its decision would allow affected locations to become eligible for funding in other broadband support programs. Read more.4. With ACP gone, what impact will a new NY law have on other states? New York $15 Internet Mandate Has Providers Worried. Associations representing large and small broadband providers are presenting a united front in opposition to New York’s requirement that providers offer low-income internet service for $15 a month. …they are “disappointed” by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision to uphold New York’s mandatory $15-a-month offering. The associations said the mandate is rate regulation and implied that it isn’t needed because the industry is competitive. Read more.5. Altice USA to surrender RDOF Awards in three more states. Altice USA, the third-largest cable ISP in the country, informed federal regulators on 4/19/24 that it intends to surrender broadband subsidy grants in three states, saying its decision would allow affected locations to become eligible for funding in other broadband support programs. Altice told the FCC that it was giving up locations won in the RDOF reverse auction in 2020. The company listed 22 census block groups (CBGs) in all, including 12 in Kentucky, nine in Arkansas, and one in West Virginia. In March Altice relinquished RDOF awards in 18 CBGs in Louisiana, bringing to four the number of states in which the company has decided to give up broadband deployment subsidy projects. Read more. 6. Grain Management LLC has agreed to acquire a majority interest in 123NET, a fiber Internet, colocation, and business voice provider that serves Michigan. 123NET’s management team will remain in place and hold “a meaningful” ownership position, the companies said. Grain Management has emerged as a fiber network consolidator in recent years. Among its acquisitions: Last April the company acquired Quintillion, a provider of connectivity in the American Arctic. In May 2021, it acquired Tachus LLC, a fiber broadband provider in Texas. Read more.According to Nokia, its OLTs and ONTs already power 70% of fiber broadband lines in North America.7. T-Mobile, EQT unveils fiber Joint Venture, with plans to acquire Lumos. T-Mobile and investment firm EQT announce joint venture to expand the carrier’s fiber broadband footprint. As part of the deal, the companies will acquire Mid-Atlantic FTTH provider Lumos. T-Mobile will invest an initial $950M in the JV, plus another $500M sometime between 2027-28. T-Mobile and EQT’s transaction is expected to close in late 2024 or early 2025, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Once the deal closes, T-Mobile plans to invest $950 million in the JV to acquire a 50% equity stake as well as all of Lumos’ existing fiber customers. Read more.8. As the municipal broadband movement continues to gain momentum, Community Networks created a new fact sheet to highlight the dramatic surge in the number of communities building publicly owned, locally controlled high-speed Internet infrastructure over the last three years. In January, they announced an updated tally of municipal broadband networks across the U.S., which showed that between January 2021 and January 2024 at least 47 new municipal networks had been lit up for service. Read more.Learn more about the dramatic surge in the number of communities building publicly owned, locally controlled high-speed Internet infrastructure over the last three years in the Rising Tide of Municipal Broadband Fact Sheet.9. And in Wisconsin news: With their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft the Green Bay Packers select Jordon Morgan, OT Arizona. Protect that young QB! As for industry-related Wisconsin news: Nokia makes its first Buy America products at a Wisconsin factory. Nokia’s new manufacturing plant in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, is now open and producing optical line terminals (OLTs) and optical network terminals (ONTs). Nokia is working with the manufacturer Sanmina to produce the products after the NTIA determined that OLTs and ONTs must be made in America to qualify for use in BEAD fiber projects. According to Nokia, its OLTs and ONTs already power 70% of fiber broadband lines in North America. Read more.10. More States Gain Full Approval of BEAD Proposals: $2 Billion in Funding Coming Their Way. Initial Proposals, including both Volumes 1 and 2, in the BEAD program from Kansas, Nevada and West Virginia have been approved, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The three states can now request access to funding and begin implementing the program. Kansas was authorized to receive $451.7 million, while Nevada will get $416.6 million and West Virginia will get $1.2 billion. The FCC has asked the US units of Chinese carriers, China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile to discontinue offering fixed or mobile broadband internet operations in the country.11. ​This dashboard allows anyone to track how BEAD Eligible Entities are progressing through the major milestones* necessary to earn NTIA approval of their Initial Proposal. FCC bars Chinese carriers from offering broadband services in US. The FCC has asked the US units of Chinese carriers, China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile to discontinue offering fixed or mobile broadband internet operations in the country. The service providers would be required to stop offering services within 60 days of the order being passed on April 25, 2024. The new order will also impact Pacific Networks and its wholly-owned subsidiary, ComNet. Read more.    Broadband Bytes is a regular feature by David Levine of UCL Swift. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD,and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions.He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift.

May 15, 2024

General

UCL Swift Spring 2024 Quarterly Newsletter

In the fiber-optics industry, in-person relationships made at trade shows can be the difference in a customer choosing your product over your competitor’s. Engaging with the people behind the products is crucial, and being able to meet our partners and customers in person is part of what makes trade shows so impactful.This year, UCL Swift plans to increase our market reach even further by focusing on our attendance at trade shows and conferences across the country. Trade shows are critical to increasing product awareness, making real-time connections and being part of important industry dialogues.In 2024, UCL Swift will be building real-life relationships at these shows:1. Orlando, Florida: platinum sponsorship of BICSI’s Winter Conference (occurred January 2024)2. Dallas, Texas: platinum sponsorship of Connected America 2024 (occurred March 2024)3. Nashville, Tennessee: Fiber Connect4. Dallas, Texas: ISE Expo5. Las Vegas, Nevada: BICSI Fall Conference6. Atlanta, Georgia: SCTE TechExpo We hope to see you at one (or more!) of these shows this year.We’re more than just splicers. While UCL Swift is known for our one-of-a-kind All-In-One fiber optic splicer, our robust product suite is here to support all of your fiber optic needs. Want to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings in the fiber optic industry? Introducing “Broadband Bytes: The Latest in Fiber Optic Industry News” written by David Levine of UCL Swift.  David regularly reviews dozens of recent news articles and distills the most important information into one convenient post. He adds insights and includes the original article’s link. UCL Swift prides itself on being an industry leader, and we hope these bytes will be a useful resource for all those who wish for an easy way to stay informed.We introduced David in our last newsletter, but in case you missed it—he’s a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions. He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift. We’re thrilled to have his expertise and experience and look forward to his perspectives on today’s fiber optic industry.Click here to have Broadband Bytes delivered straight to your inbox as soon as it’s published.UCL Swift products in action.Check out these awesome photos customers have shared of our UCL Swift products in the field! All credit goes to the creators whose handles are in the caption. Do you have photos of yourself using UCL Swift products on the job? We’d love to see them. Tag us on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and use the hashtag #uclswiftinaction.Leave us a Google Review.UCL Swift thanks our customers for their continued loyalty over the years. We appreciate the word-of-mouth referrals we know you’ve given us. You can help even more people learn about our products when you drop us a quick 5-star Google Review. Let everyone know how reliable your UCL Swift splicer is! Click the button. It’s quick, easy, and means a lot to us.Click here to leave us a Google review.

May 14, 2024

General

Broadband Bytes, April Issue

This edition of Broadband Bytes includes ReConnect Program Rd 5, the new NTIA Permitting tool, RDOF default and penalty debate, loss of ACP and impact on BEAD, $811M in Digital Equity Funds and municipal drive for competition.1. USDA has begun accepting applications for $700 million in funding in round five of the ReConnect program, which covers some of the costs of high-speed broadband deployments in rural areas where service is not available. Eligible applicants have until May 21 to apply. The original deadline of April 22 was extended. Read more.2. NTIA launched a public permitting tool to help ISPs identify the permits they will need. The agency unveiled a new, publicly available permitting tool to help federal broadband grant recipients and subgrantees identify and understand the types of permits they’ll need and avoid potential environmental impacts. Dubbed the NTIA Permitting and Environmental Information Application, the tool is a map that combines public federal maps from agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and other sources. Read more. 3. As the FCC considers pleas for more lenient RDOF fines, electric co-ops are saying it is time for defaulters to own up.  Last month a coalition of ISPs, unions and local officials penned a letter to the FCC appealing for a brief amnesty period, during which defaulting companies could surrender their contracts with reduced penalties. Mostly, they warned that locations covered by RDOF awards are ineligible for grants through the BEAD program. In a letter to the FCC, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), which represents nearly 900 rural electric co-ops, said the time for amnesty to have a positive effect on BEAD has passed, because most states’ Volume One plans for the BEAD program have already been approved by NTIA, and over half have begun or completed their challenge process to determine location eligibility. Read more.4. Service providers should not let reporting requirements or a requirement to offer low-cost service stop them from applying for BEAD funding, said Evan Feinman, BEAD program director for NTIA. The requirement to offer a low-cost service has become a big concern as funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is set to run out. Many providers had seen the FCC $30-a-month ACP benefit for low-income customers as a means of meeting that requirement. Without the ACP, some providers might be reluctant to participate in the BEAD program.  As Feinman explained, individual states will set their own low-cost program requirements within guidelines set by NTIA. Some states are saying that providers have to offer a $30-a-month service, he noted. But if a service provider says the economics do not work, the state can issue waivers to allow prices up to $65 or $75 a month, he said. Read more.5. The FCC announced that the maximum benefit in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) for May for non-tribal areas will be no more than $14 unless Congress makes additional funding available for the program. That is a bit less than half the usual monthly amount of $30. The ACP program, launched in January 2022, is designed to make internet connectivity more affordable for low-income households by covering some of the costs for monthly broadband service.  The program will run out of funding in May, however, unless additional funding is made available. Congress appears unlikely to do that, as the legislators have not voted to allocate more funding, despite pleas from the FCC, consumer groups, President Biden, and others. Without the additional funding, the ACP will end in May, with no benefits paid beginning in June. Read more. 6. NTIA Gets Set to Release $811M to the States for Digital Equity. NTIA said that it will make $811 million available through the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program. The agency also announced tentative allocations to each U.S. state through the program. The funding announced March 29th is the first tranche that NTIA will administer in the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program. The program has a total budget of $1.44 billion. The total funding allocated to the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in this tranche is $760 million. An additional $8.4 million will go to American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with the funding divided equally among the four territories. In addition, $45 million is available to native entities. Receipt of funding is not automatic. Each state must apply for funding, following guidelines to be released March 29th. States will have until May 28 to apply. Read more.Read more : Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program Fact Sheet. 7. NTIA aims to streamline National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews for broadband projects via 30 new categorical exclusions. Categorical exclusions are actions that a federal agency has determined will not have a significant environmental impact, so they do not require an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement. Typically, broadband deployment projects have limited, if any, significant environmental impacts, according to NTIA. NTIA relied on 11 categorical exclusions that were established in 2009. Read more. 8. Net neutrality is happening whether broadband providers like it or not.  The FCC plans to publish its final proposed order for net neutrality April 4th. And then, the full FCC will vote on the order at its meeting on April 25, where it is expected to pass on a 3-2 partisan vote. At a high level, net neutrality means that the FCC is reclassifying broadband service providers as Title II carriers under the Communications Act. This will subject them to the same rules as telcos. Most controversially, the rules say that broadband providers cannot selectively block or throttle internet traffic or sell unreasonable paid prioritization. Read more. 9. Some Wireless Services Deemed ‘Underserved’ in 4 States, Expanding BEAD Locations. Vermont, Georgia, Missouri, and Nevada received Commerce Department approval to mark areas whose sole source of internet comes from cellular fixed wireless service as “underserved,” hence making these regions eligible for broadband infrastructure funding under the BEAD program.  Gaining approval of the NTIA, the four states’ broadband availability maps will now consider all locations served only by CFWA as “underserved.” Providers will be able to rebut the claims of underservice. In Georgia alone, the implementation of the cellular fixed wireless modification resulted in over 25,000 locations being reinstated on the state broadband map as eligible for BEAD funding. 10. The city of Joplin, Missouri, has taken broadband competitiveness into its own hands and has wooed ALLO Fiber to build a fiber network in the city that will compete against the long-time incumbent Cable One. This deal between Joplin and ALLO is a new animal. It is not by definition a municipal network. The network will be funded, built, and operated entirely by ALLO. The city is involved because it was fed up with what it considered sub-par internet for its residents, and it put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a fiber company to enter the market. Read more.      Broadband Bytes is a regular feature by David Levine of UCL Swift. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD,and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions.He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift.

May 14, 2024

General

Broadband Bytes, March Issue

This edition of Broadband Bytes includes articles on fiber penetration in the U.S. market, a new definition of broadband speeds, RDOF, and the impact on BEAD, municipal broadband, and broadband “nutrition” labels.1. Fiber now passes about 51.1% of US households, and fixed wireless access continues to make inroads. But cable is still the top tech for delivering broadband. Fiber network deployments have reached a milestone as they now pass more than 50% of US households, according to recent data from the Fiber Broadband Association and RVA Market Research and Consulting…fiber lines now pass nearly 78 million U.S. homes, up 13% from a year ago. Read more2. After nearly a decade, the FCC is finally raising the bar with a new definition for broadband of 100/20 Mbps. The upgraded definition for fixed broadband service could influence billions in federal and state broadband funding…and marks a substantial departure from its old benchmark of 25/3 Mbps, set in 2015. Read more3. The German news outlet Handelblattis reported that T-Mobile is about to enter a joint venture with Lumos Networks to build fiber networks in the U.S. T-Mobile would invest at least $1 billion in the joint venture (JV), according to Handelsbatt’s sources at T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telekom. Initially, the JV plans to build fiber-optic connections in Virginia. Read more4. RDOF defaulters hinder state BEAD programs. There is a lot of talk about how the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) might make a mess of things with the Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) program. That’s because if a location is covered by an RDOF award, then it’s ineligible for a BEAD grant. Read moreUnfortunately, many RDOF awardees have officially defaulted on their obligations to build fiber, or they just haven’t made any progress in deploying the fiber. As a result, the locations that were supposed to be covered by RDOF could be left empty-handed. Read more5. Altice USA has joined a growing list of companies that have told the FCC they will not deploy high-speed broadband to areas for which they won funding in the 2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction. The company said it will relinquish 18 census block groups in Louisiana. Altice already had deployed service in parts of the area for which it won funding.The company said in a letter to the FCC that it was making the move to ensure that remaining unserved areas would be eligible to receive funding to receive symmetrical gigabit service through federal programs such as the BEAD program. Read more6. Municipalities can apply for BEAD. Will it matter? Despite (those opposed to) public broadband, municipalities will be allowed to vie for money from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Whether they’ll win BEAD grants or even bother trying, however, is still anyone’s guess… Public networks have seen opposition from incumbent providers and political adversaries. According to Broadband Now, 16 states have legislation that either restricts municipal broadband or bars it entirely. Read more7. And here is a municipal public broadband success story: Longmont Colorado Municipal Network Now Connects Customers Outside the City. Longmont’s fiber-optic internet service NextLight has now…expanded to serve customers beyond the Longmont city limits.When Longmont residents first voted in 2011 to let Longmont provide municipal internet service, the ballot issue allowed it to be built anywhere in the Longmont Power & Communications electric service area, which included some outlying neighborhoods. However, the bond issue that funded the initial build from 2014-2017 could only be used for construction within Longmont city limits. Colorado widened the potential options for growth in 2023 when it repealed the state’s restrictions on municipal broadband, allowing communities to explore all their choices and permitting municipal networks like NextLight to grow without being limited to a particular service footprint.  Read more8. The FCC’s new broadband ‘nutrition’ labels are designed to inject clarity into the often confusing process of shopping for broadband. As previously reported, The FCC has introduced a new regulatory requirement for internet service providers (ISPs) to display “broadband nutrition labels.” The initiative is a key component of the wider Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and mirrors the concept of nutrition labels on food products, providing a standardized format for ISPs to present critical information about their broadband services.The labels aim to enhance transparency and promote fair competition. ISPs with more than 100,000 subscriber lines are required to comply with the new labeling regulations by April 10, 2024. Smaller ISPs have a slightly extended timeline, with a compliance deadline set for Oct. 10, 2024. Read more   Broadband Bytes is a regular feature by David Levine of UCL Swift. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD,and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions.He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift.

Apr 11, 2024

General

Broadband Bytes, February Issue 2

1. NTIA Finalizes BEAD ‘Buy America’ Waivers. With the waiver now finalized, the NTIA is waiving a program requirement that certain electronics and equipment used in broadband projects funded by the BEAD program be domestically sourced in the United States. Read more2. USDA Extends ReConnect Round 5 Application Deadline. The Department of Agriculture extended by 30 days the deadline to submit applications for the fifth round of the ReConnect rural broadband funding program, by pushing the deadline to May 21. Beginning March 22, internet service providers, state and local governments, rural electric cooperatives, and other eligible entities will have 60 days to apply for loans up to $50 million or grants up to $25 million to support broadband infrastructure initiatives in rural areas. The funding from USDA’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program will amount to $700 million if all available money is fully utilized.3. Charter potentially eyes a merger with Altice USA. Looks like Charter might be eyeing a takeover of fellow cable rival Altice USA. Sources told Bloomberg that Charter is working with financial advisors to determine if it makes sense to buy Altice. But there’s no telling if Charter would go through with the plan. Both Altice and Charter declined to comment. However, according to New Street Research’s Jonathan Chaplin, a Charter-Altice merger makes sense given their respective footprints. Read more4. FCC Urged to Grant Amnesty for RDOF Recipients Nearly 70 broadband experts, internet service providers, state and local officials, and nonprofits jointly urged the Federal Communications Commission Wednesday to grant limited amnesty to RDOF recipients so that those communities are eligible to receive BEAD funding.As outlined by the guidelines of the $42.5-billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment federal initiative aimed at expanding high-speed internet access, communities that have previously obtained grants from other federal broadband initiatives, including the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunities Fund and Connect America Fund II, are ineligible from accessing any portion of the funding allocated under BEAD.5. Alabama is getting a major open-access fiber boost via private investment. Meridiam, an infrastructure investment firm, is kicking off a $230 million project to build an open-access network that will reach 17 Alabama cities, including Selma and Demopolis. Read more   Broadband Bytes is a regular feature by David Levine of UCL Swift. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD,and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions.He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift.

Apr 01, 2024

General

Broadband Bytes, February Issue 1

For this week’s Broadband Bytes, the first 3 articles are interesting in that they cover topics that ISPs must deal with and factor into their budgets outside the scope of what we usually deal with (price and labor costs).This article gives a good summary of the challenge process for BEAD, which most states are currently evaluating or will be soon. 1. What exactly is the BEAD challenge process what steps must ISPs take to make sure they are not building in a location that is covered by another BEAD-funded service provider? And why does the BEAD challenge process matter to ISPs? Tarana Wireless hosted a recent webinar to address these questions for ISPs. Read More 2. Seven telecom organizations filed comments to the FCC Tuesday opposing an electric utility association’s reconsideration petition, which attempts to remove some of the pole attachment reforms the FCC adopted in December.  The December ruling requires pole owners to share in the costs of preparing utility poles for replacement even if they are considered “grandfathered” – meaning they were installed or existed before certain regulations were enacted. This ruling found that when an attacher requests access to a pole that is out of compliance with current safety standards, replacing the pole is “not necessitated solely” by the attacher’s request, and both the pole owner and the attacher who wants access to a pole must share in replacement costs. Read More3. The Georgia House passed a measure on 2/13/24 that would exempt certain federal grants for broadband investment from state income taxes, passing by a vote of 162-1. If enacted, the legislation would waive state income taxes on any grant acquired through the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment program or the American Rescue Plan Act, retroactively effective from January 2022. The bill must now pass through the state Senate. Read More4. Fixed Wireless Access providers, led by T-Mobile and Verizon, added nearly one million Internet subscribers in the fourth quarter last year while many wireline rivals moved in the opposite direction by losing thousands of customers. Nevertheless, Gregory B. Maffei, President & Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Broadband Corp., believes that FWA providers can’t sustain their growth curve because their networks do not have sufficient spectrum capacity. Comcast President Michael Cavanagh has said his company is focused more on competition from fiber network overbuilders than FWA providers. Read More5. LTD Broadband has filed a petition for review of the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to deny its funding as part of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. LTD was initially the largest winner in the FCC’s 2020 RDOF auction, securing over $1.3 billion in planned support over a decade from the $ 9.2 billion program.However, in August 2022, the FCC rescinded LTD’s award, citing failure to meet eligibility requirements in several states and doubts about the company’s ability to deliver high-speed internet to the designated areas. In March 2023, the owners of LTD created a separate entity, GigFire, which operates under a services agreement with LTD. Read More6. Where the first 3 articles cover non-traditional cost factors for ISPs, this article reinforces the importance of the labor savings and cost savings our solutions offer:Rob Laudati, who joined the executive team at Render Networks last year, said fiber network builders often face ballooning labor and material costs, leading to fears that some projects may become unprofitable. Despite resistance to new technology in the telecommunications industry, many firms eventually reach a tipping point caused by market pressures that cause them to look at new solutions to increase efficiency. Read More7. The following funding was just announced. The majority of the funds will be to ensure clean water access. But there is $42M from USDA ReConnect Round 4 that is going to two awardees in Florida: Suwannee Valley Electric Co-op $17,800,000 and IBT Group $24,200,000. The U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled a $772.6 million investment on February 21st to fund 216 projects in 45 states, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands which will enhance rural broadband connectivity and digital skills, ensure access to clean water, and bolster economic growth in underserved communities. A sum of $42 million is coming from the USDA’s Reconnect Program. The program offers both loans and grants to help cooperatives, telecommunications companies, and local governments cover the costs associated with deploying high-speed internet networks in underserved communities. Read More   Broadband Bytes is a regular feature by David Levine of UCL Swift. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD,and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions.He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift.

Apr 01, 2024