US: Telecom operators agree to 5G delay in U-turn decision 1/4/22 Two major US telecom operators, AT&T and Verizon, agreed on Monday evening to a further two-week delay to a planned rollout of 5G networks across the country. The decision followed a request by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on behalf of aviation…
The FCC may be facing another nuclear-sized interference problem
The FCC may be facing another nuclear-sized interference problem 12/20/2021 Federal spectrum regulators at the FCC have come under increasing fire over concerns that 5G in C-band spectrum might interfere with aircraft radio altimeters. Indeed, that issue has ballooned into a major national debate, with executives in the airline industry claiming a “catastrophic…
U.S. former officials urge ‘speedy’ resolution of 5G wireless aviation dispute
U.S. former officials urge ‘speedy’ resolution of 5G wireless aviation dispute December 14, 2021 Six former chairs of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Monday urged the Biden administration to quickly resolve a dispute over the planned use of 5G wireless spectrum that the aviation industry says poses an…
U.S. appeals court will not block China Telecom revocation order
U.S. appeals court will not block China Telecom revocation order December 2, 2021 A federal appeals court on Thursday declined China Telecom Corp’s(0728.HK) emergency bid to halt a U.S. Federal Communications Commission order withdrawing its authority to provide services in the United States. Read more
Macronix Becomes Industry’s First to Bring 120MHz 1.2V Serial NOR Flash Memories to Mass Production
Macronix Becomes Industry’s First to Bring 120MHz 1.2V Serial NOR Flash Memories to Mass Production Nov 30, 2021 Macronix International Co., Ltd. (TSE: 2337), a leading integrated device manufacturer in the non-volatile memory (NVM) market, today announced it has become the industry’s first Serial NOR Flash memory manufacturer to bring…
Life without reliable internet remains a daily struggle for millions of Americans
Life without reliable internet remains a daily struggle for millions of Americans November 22, 2021 Three days and one hour into the 2021-22 school year, the internet went out at Owhyhee Combined School in northern Nevada. Read more
Smart city district gets green light from City of Houston
Smart city district gets green light from City of Houston 15 Nov 2021 Following the City of Houston’s approval of a community benefits agreement (CBA), an abandoned Sears department store and 16 midtown acres are set to be transformed into an “accessible, walkable and integrated” urban community. Read more
How the infrastructure bill’s $65 billion in broadband spending will be doled out
How the infrastructure bill’s $65 billion in broadband spending will be doled out Nov. 9, 2021 It took a pandemic to finally drive home what has been discussed for decades: The need for a digital infrastructure plan to connect all Americans. The Biden administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure spending package includes…
RCA aims to help cable operators cut power costs
RCA aims to help cable operators cut power costs 10/21/2021 Robert Cruickshank Associates (RCA), innovators at the intersection of broadband and power networks, today announced a breakthrough that creates energy opportunities for cable broadband operators: the first nationwide availability of standards-based Optimum Load Shaping (OLS) signals that enable operators to…
A China-aligned espionage group is targeting global telecoms, sweeping up call data dating back years
A China-aligned espionage group is targeting global telecoms, sweeping up call data dating back years OCT 19, 2021 An advanced network of digital spies with a nexus to Chinese interests has successfully compromised parts of the global telecommunications network, in some cases allowing access to subscriber information, call metadata, text…
Google targets telcos with new distributed cloud infrastructure
Google targets telcos with new distributed cloud infrastructure Oct 12, 2021 Google unveiled a new suite of Distributed Cloud solutions designed to extend its infrastructure across a variety of locations, targeting telcos with an edge offering capable of running 5G network functions as well as enterprise applications closer to users.…
Montgomery, Botetourt counties seek state grants for broadband projects to reach underserved rural areas
Montgomery, Botetourt counties seek state grants for broadband projects to reach underserved rural areas Oct 2, 2021 Two counties in the Roanoke and New River valleys with a similar mix of suburban and rural communities are separately seeking state funding to help with major broadband internet access expansion projects. Read…
Pelosi vows to pass $1T bill, move ahead on larger measure
Pelosi vows to pass $1T bill, move ahead on larger measure Sept. 28, 2021 With President Joe Biden’s broad domestic agenda at risk of collapse, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday vowed that Democrats will pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill this week and push ahead on the bigger $3.5 trillion social safety…
Anterix scores $30M lease with Evergy for 900 MHz spectrum
Anterix scores $30M lease with Evergy for 900 MHz spectrum Sep 20, 2021 Anterix is building steam with utility companies, notching a third long-term lease for use of its 900 MHz spectrum in a 20-year $30 million agreement with power company Evergy. Evergy gets exclusive access to 6 MHz of…
Why telecoms companies can and should gain better network resilience
Why telecoms companies can and should gain better network resilience Monday 13 September 21 Telecoms operators now face a more diverse, fast changing array of threats than ever. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report found natural disasters, extreme weather, climate change and cyber attacks are among the top threats facing…
GOP pressure to block bipartisan infrastructure bill builds in the House
GOP pressure to block bipartisan infrastructure bill builds in the House September 7, 2021 House Republicans could face increased pressure to vote against a bipartisan infrastructure package when they return to Washington later this month with outside groups and conservatives already ramping up the campaign against a $1.2 trillion package they say…
NTIA Broadband Infrastructure Program Receives More Than $2.5B in Funding Requests
NTIA Broadband Infrastructure Program Receives More Than $2.5B in Funding Requests AUG 30, 2021 The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA) has received over 230 applications, totaling more than $2.5 billion in funding requests for its Broadband Infrastructure Program, Commerce announced August 25. Read more
NM could get billions in new federal funding
NM could get billions in new federal funding August 23, 2021 Congress is gearing up to approve the largest federal investments in infrastructure and social programs since the Great Depression in the 1930s, and New Mexico could reap huge benefits. Read more
Chicago consortium forges smart city agreement with lighting and pole provider
Chicago consortium forges smart city agreement with lighting and pole provider 16 Aug 2021 A consortium of 21 cities throughout suburban Chicago, Illinois, has reached a final 20-year agreement with Viper Networks to build and operate a variety of smart city projects. Read more
US Senate panel advances bill to restrict sale of Chinese telecommunications equipment
US Senate panel advances bill to restrict sale of Chinese telecommunications equipment 5 Aug, 2021 A US Senate panel approved a bill Wednesday to restrict the sale of telecommunications equipment by Chinese companies considered threats to national security. Read more
Broadband in the infrastructure bill: Taking aim at the digital divide
Broadband in the infrastructure bill: Taking aim at the digital divide Aug. 2, 2021 Lawmakers have bemoaned the nation’s nagging digital divide for years, warning that gaps in broadband internet access in red and blue states alike are hurting Americans’ health, education and job prospects. The hulking bipartisan infrastructure package…
Wireless Infrastructure Market Size Forecast to Reach $114.5 Billion by 2026
Wireless Infrastructure Market Size Forecast to Reach $114.5 Billion by 2026 July 27, 2021 Wireless Infrastructure Market size is forecast to reach $114.5 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR 7.4% from 2021 to 2026. Read more
Biden infrastructure deal could create 500,000 manufacturing jobs, business group finds
Biden infrastructure deal could create 500,000 manufacturing jobs, business group finds JULY 27, 2021 A bipartisan infrastructure deal being negotiated in the U.S. Senate could create roughly half a million new manufacturing jobs by 2024, the end of President Biden’s first term, an analysis conducted on behalf of the trade group Association…
Private network underpins smart city plans for Las Vegas
Private network underpins smart city plans for Las Vegas 20 July 2021 The City of Las Vegas has deployed what is claimed to be the largest LTE, 5G-ready private municipal network in the US. The network is part of a broader plan for new tech-enabled services, economic development and digital…
Minimum broadband speeds are likely too low, government watchdog says
Minimum broadband speeds are likely too low, government watchdog says Jul 8, 2021 Since 2015, the Federal Communications Commission has maintained that minimum broadband speed should stay the same: 25 megabits per second for downloading files, and 3 megabits per second for uploading. Read more
New law could expand 5G’s reach in Pa.
New law could expand 5G’s reach in Pa. July 6, 2021 A law that Gov. Tom Wolf signed last week likely will open Pennsylvania to the next generation of wireless internet and cell phone services, lawmakers and industry officials say. Read more
Senators unveil $40B bill aimed at closing the broadband divide
Senators unveil $40B bill aimed at closing the broadband divide June 15, 2021 A bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday unveiled new legislation that aims to close the digital divide by making broadband internet more affordable and accessible. The proposed bill, reported earlier by The Washington Post, would give $40 billion in flexible funding to…
White House expands investment ban on Chinese tech and telecom companies
White House expands investment ban on Chinese tech and telecom companies June 3, 2021 The Biden administration has replaced and expanded Trump-era restrictions on investing in certain Chinese firms deemed supportive of that country’s surveillance and military apparatus. Major tech, space and telecom companies are listed in the initial 59…
County aims to expand broadband internet access
County aims to expand broadband internet access June 1, 2021 A lot of Crawford County is underserved by broadband internet access, but the county is hoping to change that over the next few years. Last week, Crawford County Board of Commissioners accepted the county planning office’s long-term strategy to expand broadband,…
Mobile and Wireless Backhaul Market to Experience Tremendous Growth due to Increasing Number of Smartphone and Data Users Globally
Mobile and Wireless Backhaul Market to Experience Tremendous Growth due to Increasing Number of Smartphone and Data Users Globally May 25, 2021 The global mobile and wireless backhaul market is set to gain significance due to the rising demand for better network. The Asia Pacific market is predicted to dominate…
New program will help some Americans pay for broadband internet
New program will help some Americans pay for broadband internet May 17, 2021 The federal government just launched a new $3 billion program to help offset the cost of broadband internet access. Read more
Broadband usage will keep growing post-pandemic
Broadband usage will keep growing post-pandemic May 4, 2021 Increased broadband usage is a pandemic trend that’s here to say, analysts and telecom executives argue. Read more
Land O’Lakes is rallying young people to return to their hometowns to build better broadband
Land O’Lakes is rallying young people to return to their hometowns to build better broadband BY TALIB VISRAM, April 27, 2021 The number of Americans who don’t have access to broadband internet is likely somewhere between 14 and 42 million. That range, which comes from figures calculated by the government and from…
New Mexico leads US Southwest in broadband needs
April 13, 2021 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has the highest percentage of residents in the U.S. Southwest without adequate broadband internet infrastructure. The Biden administration on Monday released details about each state’s infrastructure needs for everything from internet access to highways, affordable housing and drinking water projects. Read…
AT&T lobbies against nationwide fiber, says 10Mbps uploads are good enough
JON BRODKIN – 3/29/2021 AT&T is lobbying against proposals to subsidize fiber-to-the-home deployment across the US, arguing that rural people don’t need fiber and should be satisfied with Internet service that provides only 10Mbps upload speeds. Read more
Yellowstone National Park Seeks Public Comment On Telecommunications Proposal
By IVY ENGEL • MAR 26, 2021 Yellowstone National Park is seeking public comment on a proposal to improve telecommunications services in the park. The proposed project would install fiber optic cables along existing roadways, and eventually, some microwave radio reflectors on mountaintops that are currently in use will be removed as they…
Facebook grows in Oregon with data center, fiber-optic cable
By ANDREW SELSKY, March 18, 2021 Facebook is growing its footprint in Oregon, announcing Thursday that it will expand its data center in Prineville — already the social media giant’s largest in the United States. The move coincides with the company nearing completion of bringing a fiber-optic cable ashore in…
Verizon Has a Growing Interest in Rural Wireless, Specifically in its LTE in Rural America Partners
Posted on March 15, 2021 by Bernie Arnason Verizon is buying certain wireless assets of Triangle Mobile of Montana, highlighting a growing interest in rural wireless operations. The purchase includes Triangle’s LTE in Rural America (LRA) assets. Read more
How VoIP changed telecommunications
BY AISTE KRYZANOVSKE, MARCH 8, 2021 Ever since VoIP disrupted the telecom sector, things have never been the same. In today’s fast track world everyone is familiar with this technology. Maybe not by name, but certainly with the use of it. By using VoIP with a capable Internet connection, you can call anyone, anywhere…
Alabama Power hailed as national model for innovative broadband partnerships, expansion efforts
Sean Ross, March 2, 2021 Alabama Power Company in recent days was the focus of a joint webinar organized by the Edison Electric Institute and the National League of Cities (NLC), as the kick-off to NLC’s Emerging Tech Webinar Series. The webinar featured a remote panel discussion moderated by John Smola,…
TDS Telecom says it will double its fiber footprint in 2021
by Sue Marek | Feb 22, 2021 TDS Telecom is ramping up its fiber expansion efforts. During its fourth quarter 2020 earnings call with investors, TDS executives said that in 2020 the company spent about $130 million to deploy fiber in existing and new markets. Read more
Bates wants PSC to regulate broadband
By Jessica Farrish THE REGISTER-HERALD, Feb 6, 2021 With West Virginia set to receive $362 million in federal funds for rural broadband expansion, Del. Mick Bates of Raleigh County is pushing for the state to begin regulating internet service. Bates said Friday that Suddenlink (Altice), which provides internet service in southern…
Telecom players urge Biden, Congress to boost workforce development
By Kelly Hill on FEBRUARY 1, 2021 With the Biden administration having given cues that it is interested in pursuing a major infrastructure and clean energy investment this year, a group of telecom associations joined together to urge the president and Congress to make support for broadband workforce development part of any infrastructure legislation that…
Verizon Accelerating America Broadband Plan: Congress Should Fund Access, Affordability, Adoption
January 25, 2021 by Joan Engebretson Congress should provide funding for broadband, argues Verizon in a 28-page proposal titled Accelerating America: Affordability, Adoption, Access. Among other things, Verizon recommends lifting restrictions on municipal networks in unserved areas and providing $20 to $50 monthly on an electronic benefit transfer card for low-income users…
BlackRock sells $200 million China Telecom stake after U.S. ban
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Jan. 15, 2021 BlackRock has sold almost all its stake in China Telecom, a company subject to a new ban on U.S. investment, a stock market filing on Friday showed. The move comes as U.S. investors scramble to exit stocks subject to the sanctions, which ban…
NYSE bans Chinese telecom stocks in second about-face of the week
By Julia Horowitz, CNN Business, January 6, 2021 The New York Stock Exchange will delist three Chinese telecommunications stocks to comply with an executive order from the Trump administration — its second about-face on the issue this week. The exchange said Wednesday that it would end trading of shares in China Mobile (CHL), China Telecom (CHA) and China…
Dominion Energy to test private LTE in Virginia
By Kelly Hill on JANUARY 5, 2021 Dominion Energy’s Virginia subsidiary has received permission from the Federal Communications Commission to test a private LTE network at 900 MHz. Read more
Nashville blast targeted infrastructure, mayor says
By David Cohen, 12/27/2020 Nashville’s mayor on Sunday characterized the baffling Christmas morning explosion that extensively damaged downtown Nashville as an infrastructure attack. “Those of us in Nashville realize that on Second Avenue there is a big AT&T facility and the truck was parked adjacent to this large, historic AT&T facility,”…
Ameren signs first long-term broadband lease with Anterix for Missouri customers
By Madison Parry St. Louis-based Ameren has signed a 30-year 900 MHz broadband spectrum lease agreement with licensed spectrum holder, Anterix. The deal covers customers in Missouri and Illinois and will help Ameren with its digital transformation and delivery of benefits to regional customers. Read more
SpaceX gets almost $900 million in federal subsidies to deliver broadband to rural America
By Jackie Wattles, CNN Business The US government plans to give SpaceX nearly a billion dollars to beam internet from space to people across rural America, where three out of five people say access to broadband is still a pressing issue. The company will receive a total of $856 million, one of the…
