broadband

CPUC considers crippling electric utilities' competitive fiber business

31 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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Dark fiber owned by private electric utilities in California could be more strictly regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. A proposed decision, due for a vote by commissioners at next week’s meeting, would rewrite the rules that have governed Southern California Edison’s dark fiber business for the past twenty years. It only applies to one particular transaction for now, but it has serious implications for Pacific Gas and Electric’s telecoms ambitions in northern California, and for communities and competitive broadband providers that need an independent source of dark fiber, particularly for long haul, inter-city connections.… More

The planning-optional Trump administration has no plan to nationalise U.S. telecoms

30 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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The proposal to build a national, federally owned and operated 5G network grabbed a lot of attention early yesterday morning – it was a better wake-up jolt than a double espresso – but as the day went on it became clear that it was an out of the box analytical exercise by low level staff and not an actual plan. Axios broke the news on Sunday night, posting a slide deck and white paper prepared by national security staff that made the argument for clearing off 500 MHz of spectrum in the 4 GHz range and deploying a coast-to-coast, made-in-America 5G network that’s presumably more secure than off the shelf infrastructure made abroad.… More

FCC gets one touch fiber installation advice from industry group

27 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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Proposals for speeding up broadband infrastructure deployment haven’t been posted yet by the Federal Communications Commission. Its industry-led broadband deployment advisory committee wrapped up two days of meetings on Wednesday, with the big news so far being the resignation of San Jose major Sam Licardo, after the FCC allowed AT&T to rewrite draft recommendations that didn’t offer incumbents sufficient protection from the inconvenience of competition.
Thanks to reporting by Mari Silbey at Light Reading, at least we know that the group signed off on a one touch make ready (OTMR) policy…

For any simple pole attachment – i.e.,

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FCC grabs ankles for industry lobbyists San Jose mayor says, but in a nicer way

26 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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The Federal Communications Commission is only interested in listening to big telephone and cable companies, according to San Jose mayor Sam Licardo. He resigned from the FCC’s broadband deployment advisory committee yesterday, following two days of frustrating meetings that were dominated by industry lobbyists and other corporate hacks. Licardo said in his resignation letter that the industry bias was blatant…

One working group, which did not have a single municipal representative among its 30+ participants, created a draft model state code that included provisions to eliminate all municipal control over when, how, and whether to accept industry applications for infrastructure deployment.

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Montana makes a fast play for net neutrality

24 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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While the California legislature is just beginning work on a network neutrality revival, Montana has already put its own version into effect. Montana governor Steve Bullock issued an executive order on Monday that bakes net neutrality rules into state contracting requirements.

If any company wants to sell telecommunications to the State of Montana it has to publicly disclose its network traffic management policies and other terms of service. Providers cannot:

  1. Block lawful content, applications, services, or nonharmful devices, subject to reasonable network management that is disclosed to the consumer;
  2. Throttle, impair or degrade lawful internet traffic on the basis ofinternet content, application, or service, or use of a nonharmful device, subject to reasonable network management that is disclosed to the consumer;
  3. Engage in paid prioritization; or
  4. Unreasonably interfere with or unreasonably disadvantage: a.
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Congress' gridlock won't shut down FCC's broadband "sledgehammer"

22 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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One reason to be happy about a federal government shutdown might have been this week’s planned meeting of the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband deployment advisory committee (BDAC). The FCC’s published plan for federal shutdowns calls for “cancelling FCC sponsored events and notifying participants”. But no joy, the agency found enough money lying around to “remain open and pay staff at least through the close of business on Friday, January 26”.

(Even after the money runs out, staff who work at the high frequency direction finding center will stay on the job.… More

Pile of broadband bills and initiatives grows in Washington, D.C.

21 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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The federal government shut down is an opportunity to take stock of some of the broadband legislation and spending initiatives put on the table in the federal capital during the past couple of weeks.

Federal Communications Commission president Ajit Pai is circulating a proposal to direct what he says is an extra $500 million towards small rural carriers and cooperatives and “put in place strong new rules to prevent abuse”. It would come from an existing universal service program – whether it’s really new money or just a rebranding is unclear.… More

New York, California, 19 other states stake out legal grounds for net neutrality appeal

20 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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California’s attorney general (AG), Xavier Becerra, joined a speculative lawsuit launched by his New York counterpart aimed at overturning the Federal Communication Commission’s decision to end broadband’s status as a common carrier service and eliminate network neutrality rules. Becerra’s press release might lead you to believe it was his idea, but it was New York AG Eric Schneiderman who led the effort and then convinced AGs from 20 other states, including California, to sign on.… More

Broadband won't be slower, mobile isn't the same as wired FCC says

19 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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The republican-led Federal Communications Commission will endorse two essential and, to some, controversial policy positions taken by the previous democratic majority commission: the minimum speed for broadband service to be considered “advanced” is 25 Mbps down/3 Mbps up, and mobile service is not a “full substitute” for wireline broadband – there are “salient differences” between the two.

It’s a victory for common sense and market freedom over the intense, self interested lobbying by big telephone, cable and mobile companies at the local, state and federal level.… More

Four ISPs claim California right of first refusal for broadband subsidies, but big telcos sit it out

18 January 2018 by Steve Blum
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Four Internet service providers exercised their jus primae noctis right of first refusal for California broadband subsidy priority by Tuesday’s deadline. That’s assuming all four got it right, which is doubtful.

When the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) program was turned into a piggy bank for AT&T and Frontier rewritten last year, one of the benefits lawmakers slipped into the bill was an annual opportunity for incumbent providers to claim unserved areas, in exchange for a promise to upgrade broadband service within six months.… More