public policy

What we've seen is what we'll be getting from the FCC

1 July 2017 by Steve Blum
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All the seats on the Federal Communications Commission are filled, or at least will be once the U.S. senate confirms two pending nominations. President Donald Trump said he’s appointing Brendan Carr to the last open – and nominally republican – slot on the commission. He’ll be paired up with democrat Jessica Rosenworcel as the senate grinds through its confirmation process.

Carr is an FCC insider. He’s currently general counsel and was a legal aide to current chairman Ajit Pai.… More

San Bernardino FTTH decision delayed again

30 June 2017 by Steve Blum
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The California Public Utilities Commission couldn’t come to a decision yesterday on a $28 million grant from the for a fiber to the home project in the San Bernardino County community of Phelan. Despite false starts and nearly two years of review, commissioners put off a vote on Race Telecommunications’ Gigafy Phelan proposal until at least their next meeting.

They were responding to a stream of late protests from Frontier Communications, which is getting federal subsidies to upgrade service to some of the same homes.… More

California telcos, cable double down on greedy with broadband subsidy grab

29 June 2017 by Steve Blum
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If you’re going to scam taxpayer money, why not go all the way? That seems to be the rationale of telephone and cable company lobbyists as they, once again, rewrite a proposed law that would effectively funnel $300 million to incumbent cable and telcos, for little or nothing in return.

Assembly bill 1665 began as an attempt to put more money into the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), which provides partial grants – usually 60% to 70% of capital costs – for broadband infrastructure projects in areas where service is either completely lacking or doesn’t meet the California Public Utilities Commission’s minimum 6 Mbps download and 1.5 Mbps upload standard.… More

Frontier's broadband claims can't be trusted, says Race's reply to grant protest

28 June 2017 by Steve Blum
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“Frontier is attempting to subvert the [California Public Utilities] Commission’s [California Advanced Services Fund] rules and processes to block a sorely needed project for a disadvantaged community”. That’s the bottom line of Race Telecommunications’ reply to Frontier Communications’ last minute trashing of a $28 million grant for an FTTH system in Phelan and other, nearby high desert communities in San Bernardino County.

The key issue is whether Frontier provides service in the area at the CPUC’s minimum 6 Mbps download and 1.5 Mbps upload speed level.… More

Case against San Bernardino FTTH embraces low federal expectations

A proposed $28 million grant for a fiber to the home project in the Phelan area of San Bernardino County has drawn two formal challenges. One, from Frontier Communications, was completely predictable, but the other, from the California Public Utilities Commission’s office of ratepayer advocates (ORA), was somewhat unexpected.

Only somewhat, because ORA has a track record of sporadically opposing grants for FTTH systems from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF). However, its objections usually second guess design or budget decisions.… More

Bill preempting local control of cell permits, light poles amended in California assembly

26 June 2017 by Steve Blum
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The language has been tweaked and a new formula added for setting rental rates, but the basic principle remains: California senate bill 649 would give mobile carriers and other wireless broadband providers – licensed or not – on-demand access to city and county owned vertical assets in the public right of way at below-market rates, and take away much of the discretion local governments have over where and how wireless telecoms facilities are built.

Although the bill generally applies to "small cells", the definition it uses – 27 cubic feet of stuff on a pole plus 35 cubic feet of gear on the ground, plus electric meters and switches – is big enough to include most modern wireless installations.… More

CPUC tells FCC not to confuse copper networks with telecoms service

25 June 2017 by Steve Blum
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Don’t confuse copper wireline infrastructure with the services it supports. That’s the message from the California Public Utilities Commission to the Federal Communications Commission. In comments regarding possible changes to federal wireless and wireline telecoms regulations, the CPUC said that the "FCC’s assumption that copper has outlived its usefulness is overstated"…

Copper technology is not inherently obsolete. Copper was originally used for telecommunications because it could serve as the backbone of a universal voice network: it was cheap to install, easy to use, and readily available.

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Trump touts broadband lipstick in Iowa, but will he put it on a pig?

24 June 2017 by Steve Blum
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Broadband is now explicitly included in president Donald Trump’s planned trillion dollar infrastructure program. Up until now, his focus has been on big civil engineering projects, like roads, bridges and dams. But Trump made it clear in a speech in Iowa earlier this week that telecoms infrastructure will be included…

If we continue to train our workers in these new technologies, then we will usher in a new era of prosperity for American agriculture and for the American farming family.

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California cities meet wave of mobile carrier land grabs

23 June 2017 by Steve Blum
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I’ve been involved in several meetings between mobile infrastructure companies and staff from various California cities over the past couple of months. There’s a new gold rush going on now. And mobile carriers – Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint – are running around trying to do deals with cities ahead of 5G and pre-5G network upgrades. They want to put “small cells” on street lights and other city-owned vertical assets. Deals which might be preempted in their favor by SB 649 anyway.… More

Charter moves fast where fiber competition looms

22 June 2017 by Steve Blum
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But is it fast enough?

If you want to steer telco and cable company capital investment toward your community, apply competitive pressure, preferably with a full scale fiber to the home project. Once again, that lesson has been learned as the simple and reliable mechanics of microeconomic theory have pushed a major cable company to accelerate spending in an area it has long ignored.

Charter Communications is required to upgrade the antique analog cable systems it has long maintained in redlined communities.… More