Commentary
2021 is well underway and the new leadership at the FCC is taking shape. While we don’t yet know who will fill the Chair on a permanent basis, the FCC under Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel is proceeding without delay. On the Universal Service front, the principal activity surprisingly has as much to do with
non-USF programs as with the USF itself. Yes, the $9 billion per year fund with its four primary programs continues to serve broadband needs in the country. And it is true that the FCC has extended many COVID-19 waivers and is considering additional waivers such as a proposal to allow E-rate funds to be used for off-campus purposes. But the big news of 2021 is turning out to be the
Johnny Kampis
As government officials discuss the affordability of broadband, some regulators are helping contribute to the problem by implementing sky-high pole attachment fees, the cost of which tend to be passed onto the end consumer.
What are pole attachment fees? When an internet provider wants to access a pole owned by someone else – such as AT&T wanting to put its equipment on a pole owned by the local power provider – it has to pay a fee to gain that access. This has been standard operating procedure for many years.
A recent piece in the New Yorker discussing how the Biden administration can expand rural broadband noted the woes of Slic Network Solutions, a small broadband provider in New York State. Two years ago, shortly after that company received a $32 million grant from the state to service 9,200 residences in Adirondack Pack and surrounding areas, the state changed a rule on usage of utility poles. Suddenly, Slic had to pay a contractor to survey the poles and th
Parts of Washington County currently connected to broadband will once again be without internet service after Bouncelinx Internet announced it will cease operations beginning Tuesday.
News of the companyâs closure came via a Dec. 16 email, catching those who rely on the line-of-sight-internet provider by surprise and scrambling to find alternative options at a time when students are engaged in remote learning and many are working from home.
âBouncelinx is ceasing internet operation as of Dec. 22, 2020,â the email reads. âBouncelinx will transition to provide free internet where available until Dec. 31, 2020.â
The company started in 2012 as a way to help bridge the internet divide in the rural county. Instead of running cables, the company bounces internet signals off towers, allowing anyone in between the ability to connect.