Comcast, Charter dominate US; telcos “abandoned rural America,” report says

guest · Jan 30, 2020

FCC cues up Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to close digital divide
January 30, 2020
https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telec...ital-opportunity-fund-to-close-digital-divide

As expected, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on Thursday its new Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) for faster broadband speeds in order to help close the digital divide in rural areas.

RDOF will push out up to $20.4 billion in funding over the next 10 years to build and connect gigabit broadband speeds in unserved rural areas.
The RDOF initiative follows on the heels of the FCC's Connect America Fund (CAF) II program. For telco incumbents such as AT&T, CenturyLink, Windstream and Frontier, RDOF extends their CAF II funding for one additional year through 2021.

“We are excited that the FCC has adopted the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund,” said David Bartlett, CenturyLink vice president of government affairs, in a statement.
Phase II of the program will make available at least $4.4 billion to target partially served areas, or census blocks where some locations lack access to 25/3 Mbps broadband speeds.
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guest · Feb 7, 2020

Research shows twice as many people lack broadband access as FCC thinks
February 5, 2020
https://statescoop.com/research-shows-twice-as-many-people-lack-broadband-access-as-fcc-thinks/

New research published on Wednesday projects that twice as many people lack access to rural broadband than the federal government thinks, coming just days after the Federal Communications Commission finalized an order to distribute a new $20.4 billion rural broadband fund.

The research, from BroadbandNow, estimated that 42 million U.S. residents lack access to broadband internet, nearly double the FCC’s estimate of 21.3 million people that was stated in the commission’s 2019 Broadband Deployment Report.

“Instead, the FCC should know in detail where service truly is and is not,” she wrote in an opinion partially dissenting from the FCC’s vote last week to approve the new fund. [...] We rush billions of dollars out the door in what feels like a broadband publicity stunt without taking a broad view of what the nation needs.”
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BroadbandNow: FCC Reports Broadband Unavailable to 21.3 Million Americans, BroadbandNow Study Indicates 42 Million Do Not Have Access

guest · Feb 7, 2020

Comcast “not welcome” here: Customers protest sale of tiny cable company
"I'd rather have no Internet service than give one penny to Comcast."
February 7, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/information...customers-protest-sale-of-tiny-cable-company/

Customers of a small cable company in Vermont are protesting the company's pending sale to Comcast.

The sale of Southern Vermont Cable Co. (SVCC), which has about 2,450 subscribers and operates 123 miles of cable, is being reviewed by the Vermont Public Utility Commission. The commission has received 25 public comments, all of them either opposing the sale or expressing concerns that it will be bad for customers without appropriate consumer-protection measures.
What customers are saying
While a sale of the company appears to be inevitable, customers who filed comments would prefer a buyer other than Comcast. [...]
“Safest option”
SVCC provides service in Putney, Dummerston, Newfane, Williamsville, Townshend, Jamaica, and Rawsonville. SVCC has four employees, according to a VTDigger article yesterday.
Scialabba told VTDigger that selling to Comcast is "the safest option."
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Comcast regional VP of government affairs Daniel Glanville told the commission that "Comcast will provide increased reliability and network capacity" to current SVCC customers.
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guest · Feb 19, 2020

T-Mobile claims it didn’t lie about 4G coverage, says FCC measured wrong
Disputed speed tests found that T-Mobile exaggerated coverage in FCC filings
February 19, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...ie-about-4g-coverage-says-fcc-measured-wrong/

T-Mobile says the Federal Communications Commission screwed up 4G measurements in a report that accused the carrier of exaggerating its mobile coverage. The FCC report "incorrectly implies, based on a flawed verification process, that we overstated coverage," T-Mobile said in an FCC filing Monday.

The FCC staff report, issued in December, found that Verizon, T-Mobile, and US Cellular exaggerated their 4G coverage in official filings. As the FCC said, "Overstating mobile broadband coverage misleads the public and can misallocate our limited universal service funds."
The FCC relies on carriers' submissions to determine which parts of the country receive government funding to expand broadband access.
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ronjor · Mar 4, 2020

Struggling AT&T plans “tens of billions” in cost cuts, more layoffs

Jon Brodkin - 3/4/2020
AT&T also de-emphasizing DirecTV except in areas without fast broadband.
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guest · Mar 5, 2020

House passes Broadband DATA Act, again
March 5, 2020
https://statescoop.com/house-passes-broadband-data-act-again/

The House of Representatives this week passed a revised version of a bill intended to address the federal government’s methods of mapping broadband coverage in the United States, which have been found to be inaccurate.

The Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability — or Broadband DATA — was originally passed by the House in December, one of several recent pieces of legislation introduced as part of efforts to get the Federal Communications Commission to improve its broadband mapping strategy, which has been criticized for allowing telecommunications companies to overstate their coverage areas, especially in rural areas.

The Broadband DATA Act is expected to pass an impending Senate vote before it moves to President Donald Trump’s desk.

“Accurately mapping the availability of broadband internet service is essential to promoting the deployment of high-speed service to all Americans, especially those in unserved and underserved areas.”
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ronjor · Mar 9, 2020

Comcast, Charter expand broadband domination as cable hits 67% market share

Jon Brodkin - 3/9/2020
Cable soars again as telcos fail to deploy enough fiber to offset DSL losses.
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guest · Mar 27, 2020

Maine hopes new law will improve rural broadband access
March 27, 2020
https://apnews.com/2d142bd0bea4f7246f82e32335bce85c

Maine has enacted a law that supporters said would expand access to broadband in underserved parts of the state.

The proposal from Democratic Sen. Shenna Bellows is intended to make it easier for communities to get planning grants for broadband. Maine Democrats said the changes will also make it easier to identify parts of Maine where the state needs to invest in better access to high-speed internet.
It also changes the authority’s planning grant structure to allow for more flexibility and take away barriers to the planning process, they said.
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guest · Apr 1, 2020

Deadline for rural broadband internet grants extended
March 31, 2020
https://apnews.com/76478f04c6a210a95a693f655f6863ae

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended a deadline for funding requests by rural communities and businesses seeking to improve high-speed broadband internet access.

The department said in a news release Monday that the application deadline for the ReConnect Pilot Program is now April 15.
Rural areas around the country have been clamoring for more high-speed internet access for use in schools, libraries, homes and businesses such as farms.

The federal ReConnect program provides loans and grants to help build broadband infrastructure in rural parts of the country. In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to the USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services under the program.
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The Agriculture Department said in February that it is investing $9 million on high-speed broadband internet projects in 10 rural Tennessee counties. They are Cumberland, Houston, Henry, Maury, Montgomery, Rutherford, Smith, Stewart, Williamson and Wilson counties.
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ronjor · Apr 1, 2020

ISP Frontier moves toward bankruptcy, admits it under-invested in network

Jon Brodkin - 4/1/2020
Frontier said it lost customers due to "significant under-investment in fiber."
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guest · Apr 9, 2020

Frontier bungles redaction of network audit that it doesn’t want you to see
Blacked-out text is readable, revealing 952,000 potential network problems
April 9, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...on-reveals-952000-potential-network-problems/

Frontier Communications needs a lesson in how to redact documents.

Frontier is trying to hide large portions of an audit report from the public, claiming that details about the ISP's broadband-network problems are trade secrets. But when Frontier made a redacted version of the report public, many of the blacked-out parts were still readable simply by copying and pasting from the document.

(Update: It turns out some of the exhibits weren't properly redacted, either.)
Other unsuccessfully redacted information includes the number of customers and the number of miles of copper in the network.
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As we previously reported, Frontier is preparing to file for bankruptcy after years of failing to invest properly in upgrading its copper-based DSL network to fiber broadband. The company's poor maintenance of its copper phone and broadband network has led to investigations and complaints of chronic outages in New York, Minnesota, Ohio, and West Virginia.
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ronjor · Apr 14, 2020

Charter still hates broadband competition, asks FCC to help prevent it

Jon Brodkin - 4/14/2020
If approved, FCC won't subsidize other ISPs in Charter's planned NY territory.
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guest · Apr 18, 2020

AT&T gave FCC false broadband-coverage data in parts of 20 states
AT&T corrects mistake, admitting it offers no broadband in 3,600 census blocks
April 17, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...roadband-coverage-data-in-parts-of-20-states/

AT&T falsely reported to the Federal Communications Commission that it offers broadband in nearly 3,600 census blocks spread across parts of 20 states.

AT&T disclosed the error to the FCC in a filing a week ago. The filing provides "a list of census blocks AT&T previously reported as having broadband deployment at speeds of at least 25Mbps downstream/3 Mbps upstream that AT&T has removed from its Form 477 reports." The 78-page list includes nearly 3,600 blocks.
With Form 477 reports, ISPs are required to tell the FCC which census blocks they offer service in. The FCC uses the data to track broadband-deployment progress and, crucially, to decide which census blocks get government funding for deploying Internet service.
Error “unnoticed for 2-plus years”
The error appeared in AT&T filings to the FCC going back to December 2017, broadband researcher Derek Turner told Ars. Turner is the research director of consumer-advocacy group Free Press.
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FCC to issue $16B before getting more accurate data
AT&T discovered its error after the FCC asked carriers to update their Form 477 filings in preparation for Phase 1 of the commission's $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).
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guest · Apr 27, 2020

FCC's 2020 broadband report touts progress, but analysts say agency 'failed America'
April 24, 2020
https://statescoop.com/fccs-2020-broadband-report-touts-progress-analysts-say-failed-america/

The Federal Communications Commission’s 2020 Broadband Deployment report claims there are fewer than 18 million Americans living in areas that lack access to broadband.

But Democratic FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and independent broadband experts called that number into question and lambasted the accuracy of the report’s analysis after its release on Friday afternoon. Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr, meanwhile, took it as a sign that broadband deployment’s “momentum” is “unmistakable.”
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The report claims that just 5.4 percent of people nationally lack access to fixed broadband that meets the FCC’s definition of 25 megabits per second download speed and 3 Mbps upload, which represents a 0.9 percent increase over its 2019 report.
But virtually all of the figures that show the agency’s efforts to close the digital divide are successful are based on data that the FCC knows isn’t accurate.

“I wish that this report could contribute to that effort. I wish it could provide accurate data to inform our action. I wish it could provide a meaningful template for broadband for all. But it does not,” Rosenworcel wrote in her dissenting opinion.
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guest · May 2, 2020

Frontier, amid bankruptcy, is suspected of lying about broadband expansion
Small ISPs want investigation as Frontier tries to block FCC funding for rivals
May 1, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...suspected-of-lying-about-broadband-expansion/

Small Internet providers have asked for a government investigation into Frontier Communications' claim that it recently deployed broadband to nearly 17,000 census blocks, saying the expansion seems unlikely given Frontier's bankruptcy and its historical failure to upgrade networks in rural areas.
“Now is the time to investigate”
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) also questioned Frontier's reported deployment and created a map of where Frontier is newly claiming 25/3Mbps broadband:
[...] Frontier's poor network maintenance has been investigated by multiple states and that Consumer Reports has repeatedly found Frontier "to be one of the worst Internet Service Providers in the nation."

The accuracy of Frontier's claimed expansion matters to other telcos because the Federal Communications Commission is planning to distribute up to $16 billion to ISPs that commit to deploying broadband in census blocks where there isn't already home Internet service with speeds of at least 25Mbps downstream and 3Mbps upstream.
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guest · May 14, 2020

FCC shouldn't delay broadband upgrades for better data, industry tells lawmakers
May 13, 2020
https://statescoop.com/fcc-shouldnt-delay-broadband-upgrades-better-data-industry-tells-lawmakers/

Efforts from the Federal Communications Commission to expand both fixed-wireless and mobile broadband across rural America will require more granular data to reach their full potential, but deployment efforts shouldn’t be delayed any longer, according to industry stakeholders and legislators testifying at a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

Lawmakers who attended the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s hearing in-person and virtually said that the FCC’s planned “Rural Digital Opportunity Fund” auction and $9 billion 5G fund should not be delayed further so that the FCC can collect more accurate coverage data.

“We can walk and chew chewing gum at the same time,” Berry said. “I think we can identify where the holes are by gathering the data. It’s a matter of months to get the data, not years.”
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ronjor · May 19, 2020

The FCC has received hundreds of complaints about carriers’ coronavirus pledge

By Makena Kelly@kellymakena May 19, 2020
FCC chairman Ajit Pai said most complaints ‘have been resolved to ensure that the consumer remains connected’
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ronjor · Jun 9, 2020

Cox slows Internet speeds in entire neighborhoods to punish any heavy users

Jon Brodkin - 6/8/2020
Cox warns customers to lower usage, imposes 10Mbps upload limit on “gigabit” plan.
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guest · Jun 9, 2020

FCC approves $16 billion auction for rural broadband
June 9, 2020
https://venturebeat.com/2020/06/09/fcc-approves-16-billion-auction-for-rural-broadband/

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted on Tuesday to adopt auction procedures to provide up to $16 billion to areas that lack broadband service, including nearly 6 million unserved rural homes and businesses.

The FCC voted to commence the auction on Oct. 29. Auction applicants will be required to offer voice and broadband services in unserved locations in exchange for receiving monthly payments over 10 years.
The three FCC Republican commissioners approved the proposal, while the two Democrats dissented in part.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Republican said the “auction will allow providers to bring millions of Americans across the digital divide.”
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guest · Jun 11, 2020

mood said: ↑

FCC approves $16 billion auction for rural broadband June 9, 2020
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The proposal also will allow low earth orbit satellite systems, such as those made by SpaceX, to take part in the auction. SpaceX is developing a low latency, broadband internet system using low Earth orbit satellites.
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FCC has “serious doubts” that SpaceX can deliver latencies under 100ms
SpaceX can apply in low-latency tier, but FCC says it faces “substantial challenge.”
June 11, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...hat-spacex-can-deliver-latencies-under-100ms/

The Federal Communications Commission said it has "serious doubts" that SpaceX and other low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite providers will be able to deliver latencies of less than 100ms.

As we reported yesterday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai backed off a plan that would have completely prevented SpaceX and other LEO companies from applying for rural-broadband funding as low-latency providers. But the FCC's full order was released today and suggests that SpaceX will have a tough time convincing the commission that its service will deliver latencies below the FCC standard of 100ms.
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guest · Jun 17, 2020

ronjor said: ↑

Struggling AT&T plans “tens of billions” in cost cuts, more layoffs
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AT&T’s “headcount rationalization”—i.e. job cuts—hit thousands more workers
June 17, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...in-latest-round-of-headcount-rationalization/

AT&T is cutting 3,400 union jobs from its wireline broadband and phone network operations as well as closing 250 wireless retail stores, according to a union that represents AT&T employees. Wireline job cuts are initially "voluntary" through buyouts, but AT&T will proceed to layoffs if not enough workers volunteer.

The total number of planned job cuts is apparently more than double that, because AT&T told Ars that it is cutting even more non-union jobs than union jobs. The cuts are a continuation of what AT&T has called a multi-year "headcount-rationalization" project.

"AT&T has informed the Communications Workers of America (CWA) of its plans to cut over 3,400 technician and clerical jobs across the country over the next few weeks," the union said in a press release yesterday.
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guest · Jul 9, 2020

T-Mobile opens Home Internet signups in Michigan
It's now available to Kent, Muskegon and Ottawa residents, whether they're current customers or not
July 9, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/t-mobile-home-internet-pilot-michigan-101526928.html

T-Mobile’s Home Internet pilot has expanded in the greater Grand Rapids area, giving people in Kent, Muskegon and Ottawa counties the option to switch to its $50-a-month service. The carrier’s Home Internet product started as an invite-only trial for select T-Mobile customer households, mainly those in underserved and rural areas, last year.
Interested households in the three new counties, however, will be able to sign up whether they’re current T-Mobile customers or not.

The company launched the pilot on its LTE network as a precursor to its 5G home internet plans.
T-Mobile seems to be getting good feedback and results shortly after the merger’s completion, because company CEO Mike Sievert said in a statement:

“Three months into our merger with Sprint, we’re just at the very, very beginning of seeing the incredible benefits of our combined network but the early signs are extremely promising — particularly in rural America — not just for traditional wireless service but also for home broadband.”
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guest · Jul 9, 2020

Frontier misled subscribers about Internet speeds and prices, AG finds
July 9, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...rs-about-internet-speeds-and-prices-ag-finds/

Frontier Communications misled thousands of customers about the prices it charges and about the speeds its broadband network can provide, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office has found.

The findings are described in a settlement that will force Frontier Communications to pay a $900,000 fine and force the new owner of Frontier's network in Washington state to change its business practices. Among other things, the settlement requires Frontier's current owner in Washington to stop charging the $3.99-per-month Internet Infrastructure Surcharge.

The settlement document refers to the company as both "Frontier Communications" and "Frontier Northwest." The company has about 165,000 Internet customers in Washington state, mostly in rural areas.
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Customers who were overcharged need to wait a bit before getting refunds, as Ferguson's office said it "will announce details of the claims process when they are finalized."
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ronjor · Jul 10, 2020

Charter’s hidden “Broadcast TV” fee now adds $197 a year to cable bills

Jon Brodkin - 7/10/2020
Hidden fee not included in Spectrum’s advertised prices raised yet again.
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guest · Jul 18, 2020

FCC approves a more accurate broadband data collection method
July 17, 2020
https://statescoop.com/fcc-approves-more-accurate-broadband-data-collection-method/

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to approve a new, more accurate broadband data collection method, nearly one year after first voting to improve the data collection process.

FCC will use the new method, called the Digital Opportunity Data Collection, to disperse an estimated $4.4 billion to telecommunications companies to improve rural broadband over the next 10 years. The new methodology relies on telecommunications companies submitting polygonal, granular maps of their coverage areas that detail the download speed, upload speed and service-providing technology in each area.
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Thursday’s vote also ensured that the FCC will develop a broadband coverage feedback portal, where state, local and tribal groups will be able to contribute their broadband availability data and offer input on the maps submitted by telecommunications companies.

“While today’s item is a significant step forward that sets many of the standards for the next generation of broadband maps, Congress has yet to provide the funding we need for implementing the necessary systems for collecting and processing providers’ coverage data [...]” Pai said.
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