Broadband firm Viasat called on the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday to stay a license modification allowing for Starlink s expansion in low orbit.
May 26, 2021
S. Derek Turner The Trump FCC awarded Charter millions to build fiber in towns that by then were either fully wired with municipal fiber or nearly at that point. Flickr user Tony Webster
Note: This is part six in an ongoing series. Be sure to check out the previous posts:
Part 1: Fiber to the Clubhouse: Pai Subsidizes Broadband for the Rich
Part 2: Broadband Boondoggle: Ajit Pai’s $886M Gift to Elon Musk
Part 3: Space-X Broadband: Coming to an Empty Traffic Island Near You
Part 4: Ajit Pai’s Broadband Legacy: Haste and Waste
Part 5: Plan Fail: How Pai Imperiled a Rural Town’s Fiber Network
In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, a coalition of organizations noted widespread concerns about the accuracy of the FCC’s broadband maps and called the FCC’s attention to newly released information [2] from the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) that questions thousands of locations where significant Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (“RDOF”) funding is set to be awarded to subsidize areas that are served today. CCA found that subsidies are targeted for:
Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Fisherman’s Wharf, the popular urban center and tourist destination in San Francisco
Can new funds transform Mississippi’s digital desert into a broadband mecca? Llewellyn Jones
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Mississippi could see more than $700 million in federal funding for broadband over the next few years, thanks to the CARES Act, FCC grants and a possible infrastructure bill.
That doesn’t include indirect funding sources such as PPP loans for broadband-related businesses, subsidies for ratepayers, grants for 5G development and older grant opportunities like the FCC’s Connect America Fund.
The large influx of investment is likely to dramatically alter the digital landscape of Mississippi, which has long been a broadband desert, ranking last in the nation for internet connectivity. According to U.S. Census data, Mississippi has the lowest rate of broadband subscribers per capita.