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FCC’s Rosenworcel reignites rural 5G plan with added Open RAN focus

According to the FCC's new broadband coverage map, more than 14 million homes and businesses lack mobile 5G coverage This week, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urged the agency to “relaunch” the 5G Fund for Rural America, which earmarked up to $9 billion for...

Well, technically… Fixed Wireless Access is a key sustainability tool: Qualcomm’s Angela Baker (Ep. 101)

Qualcomm's Chief Sustainability Officer Angela Baker discusses the role that Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) will play in helping rural environments leverage advancements in sustainability. She also shares details about Qualcomm's approach to FWA and how policy and technology work together to address sustainability issues. https://soundcloud.com/rcrwirelessnews/well-technically-fixed-wireless-access-is-a-key-sustainability-tool-ep-101/s-Ewq4G8YouS4?si=5c9110fa540042e0b69ece045fea29be&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

How CBRS and federal funding are enabling tribes to achieve connectivity, today (Reader Forum)

Huge swaths of the U.S. population still struggle to work, study, or even communicate without access to reliable or affordable high-speed connectivity. This situation, given greater attention as our working and learning routines have shifted over the past few years, disproportionally affects tribal communities...

GigFire buys Rural Comm, expanding to 10th state

Formerly LTD Broadband, GigFire continues to expand its operations ISP Gigfire, formerly LTD Broadband, has acquired Illinois-based Rural Comm and now serves 10 states. Rural Comm is based in Farina, Illinois, and GigFire said that the acquisition adds thousands of customers to its subscriber base....

Telstra, Starlink partner on rural connectivity in Australia

Telstra said it expects the new Starlink service options to be available for customers and businesses towards the end of 2023 Australian operator Telstra said Monday that it will tap into Starlink, the satellite internet constellation operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to provide fixed broadband...

Will BEAD be enough to close the digital divide? Probably not.

The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program has taken a step closer to becoming reality, with state and territory funding allocations having been announced. Now, states and territories must submit their five-year plans to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to describe...

Is broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) the right approach?

The digital divide between urban and rural households in the U.S. is growing. At a time when access to the internet is becoming increasingly vital for education, remote working, and accessing certain government services, almost 10% of rural households still have no access to...

Rosenworcel seeks 100/20 Mbps speeds in remote areas

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has proposed a program that would require operators serving the most remote parts of the United States to provide network speeds of at least 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream. The proposed order would create a new...

USDA announces $714 million in rural broadband grants, loans

USDA awards $420 million in grants, $294 in loans for fiber deployments The U.S. Department of Agriculture is awarding more than $700 million in broadband funding for projects in 19 states as part of its ongoing ReConnect program focused on rural connectivity and development across...

Charter says rural market growth ‘on track’ following Q1 results

Rural customers are 'purchasing products beyond Internet,' says Charter CFO While Charter Communications reported $6.65 EPS for the Q1 2023 quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates by $0.56 per share, it still managed to post a revenue of $13.65 billion for the same period, a 3.4%...

UK selects LEO satellite company for rural broadband trials

OneWeb currently has a constellation of 618 LEO satellites Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb has been selected for two broadband trials in the U.K. as part of the government’s Very Hard to Reach Premises connectivity program, which aims to deliver connectivity to...

‘Bienvenido Starlink’ — Ecuador welcomes commercial satellite broadband

Starlink services are now available on Ecuador's Galapagos Islands Ecuador welcomed SpaceX’s Starlink broadband services this weekend, with operations going live in the Galapagos Islands. “Bienvenido Starlink,” tweeted the country’s President Guillermo Lasso, adding his appreciation for Telecom Ecuador, the government’s telecommunications ministry, which is...

Alaska to see fiber expansion

Alaska Communications debuted fiber service in 2022 Alaska Communications says that after a successful pilot of fiber-to-the-home service last year, it plans to extend its fiber network to another 14,000 homes over the course of 2023. Alaska Communications' fiber network already serves some neighborhoods in...

Editorial Webinar: Getting to ubiquity: the urban and rural digital divide

Will the billions of federal dollars being poured into closing the digital divide actually close the gap? RCR Wireless News looks at the status of fixed and mobile broadband deployments to extend access in rural environments as well as urban settings, and examines the...

AST SpaceMobile strikes deals in Saudi Arabia and Brazil

AST SpaceMobile CEO has said goal is to 'close the connectivity gaps that negatively impact billions of lives' AST SpaceMobile, a satellite operator which is based in the U.S., has entered two new partnerships: One with Kuwaiti operator Zain, and another with Brazil’s TIM. In the...

How are rural broadband efforts impacting the telecom workforce?

With the broadband sector now flush with cash, another challenge has emerged: finding the fiber techs to do the job The Covid-19 pandemic put the need for more ubiquitous broadband front and center as those lacking adequate connectivity struggled to make the necessary shift to...

First maps, then challenges, then funding: FCC, NTIA announce broadband timeline

'The next eight weeks are critical for our federal efforts to connect the unconnected,' says assistant secretary of commerce The Federal Communications Commission plans to release newly updated broadband maps on November 18, and the Biden administration has announced that once those maps undergo an...

Wesco uses Corning, Nokia solutions to support rural broadband

The passive optical components in the Corning solution complements the active components in the Nokia solution, said the companies Wesco International, which provides business-to-business distribution, logistics services and supply chain solutions, says that it will be the first to launch a new fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) kit featuring components provided...

CCA panel: The when and how of rural 5G

Rural carriers are weighing the "when" and "how" of the transition to 5G, both in terms of technical issues and business cases. During a carrier panel at the Competitive Carriers annual convention this week, representatives from US Cellular, Alaska's GCI and Wisconsin's Cellcom discussed...

Fastwyre expands to Alabama with purchase of Moundville

The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022 United States broadband provider Fastwyre has acquired Moundville Communications, a telecommunications provider in central Alabama, marking the former’s entry into the southern state. American Broadband Holding Company, under the trade name Fastwyre Broadband, provides...

Starlink appeals RDOF denial

FCC had denied Starlink nearly $900 million in government funds Starlink is appealing the Federal Communications Commission's decision to deny the company nearly $900 million in funding that it won through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to connect unserved areas across the United States. In...

FCC awards additional $81 million in emergency education funding

The FCC education funding will support more than 300 schools, 25 libraries and two consortia Roughly 170,000 students across the U.S. will benefit from the more than $81 million in emergency connectivity funding announced this week by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The funding,...

Carr criticizes FCC denial of Starlink RDOF funds

Carr, the senior Republican on the FCC, claims that the agency exceeded its authority in denying RDOF funds to Starlink FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr is criticizing the Federal Communications Commission's action earlier this month that quashed nearly $900 million in Rural Digital Opportunities Fund (RDOF)...

FCC clears $7.5B Lumen/Brightspeed ILEC deal

Brightspeed plans a five-year, $2 billion fiber buildout in 20 states to help meet rural and suburban needs The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved Lumen Technologies’ sale of its incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) business to Brightspeed, Lumen announced Monday. Now that the deal...