State consumer advocates agreed with concerns by state regulatory commissioners about FCC-proposed changes to the Lifeline program. In a letter last week, NARUC blasted Lifeline proposals to simplify provider participation and bypass state reviews in the FCC's planned expansion of the low-income support program to broadband (see 1603180052). In an ex parte letter posted Friday in docket 11-42, the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates said it “agrees that cutting states out of the eligible telecommunications carrier designation and review process will increase fraud and abuse -- especially by carriers -- in the Lifeline program as it transitions to supporting broadband services.” States should maintain a strong role in the ETC process, said NASUCA. “These state ‘cops’ should not be taken off the beat.”
Delaware, followed by the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Maryland and Rhode Island, enjoy some of the fastest Internet speeds on the planet, with 10 states ranking among the 20 fastest Internet territories around the globe, according to the latest Akamai State of the Internet report, NCTA recounted in a blog post Friday. The Akamai report from Q4 found average U.S. connection speeds were 14.2 Mbps, up 29 percent from a year earlier, and average peak connection was 61.5 Mbps, up 25 percent, NCTA said. It said Delaware, at average peak speed of 88.3 Mbps, was the state with the fastest connections and fourth in Akamai's top-20 list, while D.C. had an 82.5 average, with Massachusetts at 81.2, Maryland at 79.8, Rhode Island at 79.1, Virginia at 77.5, New Jersey at 77.3, Utah at 74.6, Washington at 73.8 and New York at 72.7. Topping the Akamai rankings overall was Singapore with 135.7, while the global average was 32.5, it said.
The FCC should carve out Alaskan wireless carriers from a proposed 3G minimum broadband standard for mobile services in the upcoming Lifeline order (see 1603240052), Alaskan carrier General Communication Inc. said in an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 10-90. GCI met Tuesday with Stephanie Weiner, aide to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “By our best estimate, Remote Alaska contains at least 100 communities with a combined population of more than 40,000 that have access only to a 2G network,” GCI said. “A few years ago, many of those consumers had no wireless service at all. As Alaska wireless providers continue to build out and upgrade service in rural Alaska, the Commission should not make it more difficult for such communities to afford the best service available.” GCI said the simplest option is to exclude all facilities-based Alaska wireless carriers from the 3G minimum requirement. Or, it could apply the minimum standard only where commercial 3G service is offered, it said. “As a last resort,” the FCC could request waivers from carriers that offer 2G service in certain areas, said the cable and telecom provider. “That solution, however, would create uncertainty, cause delay, and unnecessarily tie up Commission and carrier resources.” GCI, a backer of the so-called Alaska Plan for a looming FCC rate-of-return USF overhaul (see 1602250025), also lobbied on that broadband deployment proposal.
The Pacific Northwest has narrowed the digital divide, but much work remains, NTIA wrote Friday on its blog after wrapping up a broadband workshop in Seattle. Agency officials were there last week for a regional broadband summit Monday (see 1603210049), a workshop Tuesday and a webinar Thursday. The workshop was the sixth in a series of regional workshops organized by NTIA as part of its BroadbandUSA program, which provides technical assistance, guidance and resources to communities seeking to expand broadband. The workshop included about 250 people, including local, state and federal officials, tribal leaders, industry representatives and community activists. “From urban centers such as Seattle and Portland, Ore., to rural towns such as Toledo, Wash., civic leaders, industry officials and community activists are making progress in narrowing the digital divide,” NTIA wrote. “But the job is not done.” NTIA estimated 2.5 million people across the states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington didn’t use the Internet in 2015. In Seattle, 15 percent don’t subscribe to the Internet, the agency said. Many rural areas lack adequate broadband, with the problem “particularly acute for many Native American communities,” it said.
Programmers are urging Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) to veto HB-757, a bill to permit pastors to refuse to officiate at same-sex weddings and faith-based organizations to deny renting facilities due to moral objections. Time Warner said Thursday it strongly opposes "the discriminatory language and intent of Georgia's pending religious liberty bill." TW said its HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. "have business interests in Georgia." Viacom Wednesday said it has "enjoyed doing business in Georgia for many years and we urge Governor Deal to continue to resist and reject the patently discriminatory laws.” AMC Networks also opposed discrimination. MPAA said 21 movies -- including Ant-Man, Taken 3 and Magic Mike XXL -- and 52 TV series -- including AMC's The Walking Dead and Halt and Catch Fire -- were filmed in Georgia in 2014. In a statement Thursday, Deal's office said the governor "will assess the legislation during bill review."
Verizon looks forward to defending its copper before the New York Public Service Commission, a company spokesman said. The PSC launched an investigation this week of the quality of Verizon’s legacy copper services and the telco’s willingness to make upgrades to copper in areas where it hasn’t rolled out fiber (see 1603230044). “We will work cooperatively with the Commission and its Staff in this proceeding and we look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate that we continue to provide excellent service to our customers in New York state,” the Verizon spokesman emailed Thursday. He said New York is highly competitive. The representative defended Verizon’s network spending: “We invest over a billion dollars annually in our home state of New York to deliver the best possible service to our customers, whether that’s over fiber or copper. In fact, despite the continued decline in landline phone customers, Verizon spends more, per copper-based phone line in New York today, than it has in any year dating back to 2008. We make these substantial investments because New Yorkers have more competitive choices than ever when it comes to their communications services.” The Communications Workers of America Wednesday called service quality problems in New York "fairly catastrophic."
Alaskan telco officials pledged to assist FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on his plan to consider next quarter their "consensus proposal for an Alaska Infrastructure Fund (AIF)" supporting broadband in their state (see 1603110073). The Alaska Telephone Association "is committed to ensuring the Commission has the information it needs to act" on the group's Alaska Plan, said ATA filings in docket 10-90 on meetings it and its members had with FCC Wireline Bureau Chief Matt DelNero and other staffers. "We discussed performance obligations for both fixed and mobile broadband service and how achievement of those obligations would be reported," one filing said. "We provided a schedule detailing the levels of support which would be distributed under the AIF for both rate-of-return and, assuming all mobile [competitive eligible telecom carriers] other than MTA Wireless received support, for mobile voice and broadband service. The schedule also showed the projected amount that would be available to support wireless voice and broadband deployments to unserved areas. We discussed draft rules to ensure the AIF is effective in supporting broadband networks in rural Alaska, particularly underserved and unserved locations." Detailed proposed rules were included in the filing.
The FCC shouldn't simply award subsidies to the lowest bid in a reverse auction for broadband-oriented Connect America Fund Phase II support, said nine southwestern Michigan state legislators in a letter Tuesday in docket 10-90. The commission should encourage "prudent investments that stand the test of time" not "investments in substandard technologies with a short shelf life," they said. A "tiered or weighted auction" is needed to help ensure the best technologies are advanced, they said. "By focusing on future proof technologies, the FCC could advance beyond ongoing subsidies and instead invest once in scalable networks. This would free up capital for projects across America that ensure speeds and capabilities that stretch far beyond the modest rural standard of 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload." The legislators said CAF II could stimulate competition from rural electric cooperatives and other nontraditional providers, which are deploying gigabit-capable networks. Officials from Midwest Energy Cooperative, Ozarks Electric Cooperative and the Utilities Telecom Council suggested the FCC adopt certain auction criteria, according to a UTC filing on a meeting they had with an aide to Commissioner Mike O'Rielly. "We explained that we support minimum eligibility requirements and that the criteria for the reverse auction should set the bar high so that the Commission is funding future-proof broadband networks that would promote economic growth, better education and improved health care in rural unserved communities," said the filing. It also urged the FCC to fund broadband networks that promote E-rate school and library support, mobile wireless and other commission priorities. UTC, joined by the National Rural Electric Cooperative and NTCA, recently urged the FCC to adopt a minimum initial speed requirement of 25/3 Mbps (down/up), with networks capable of providing 100/25 Mbps, having no more than 100 milliseconds of latency and at least a 100 GB monthly usage allowance. They said they were concerned that criteria proposed by Hughes Network Systems and others "would water down the minimum requirements," leaving rural consumers with broadband access that's not reasonably comparable to urban broadband, a statutory mandate.
A glut of definitions for “rural” can complicate the process of applying for broadband grants and loans, federal officials acknowledged Monday. "The government doesn't make it easy by having some sort of universal definition," said NTIA External Affairs Director Aimee Meacham, moderating a panel on broadband financing at NTIA’s Digital Northwest regional broadband summit in Seattle (see 1603210049). Carol Mattey, deputy chief of the FCC Wireline Bureau, said: "There's more than 20 definitions of rural in federal funding programs. Even within the universal service funding programs themselves, we have different definitions for one program versus another, and it's very arcane." Keith Adams, Rural Utilities Service assistant administrator, noted differences in the definition of rural among programs at RUS. While “traditional” RUS programs define rural as communities with 5,000 or fewer people, the Farm Bill Broadband Loan Program defines rural as communities with 20,000 people or fewer, he said.
The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) gave Verizon a $150 million contract to help with digital government initiatives, said the telco in a news release Wednesday. Departments and agencies throughout state government, plus county and local governments, K-12 schools, public and private colleges and universities, and public safety organizations can buy services via the VITAnet contract, it said. Verizon said it will deliver a wide range of network-centric services under the VITAnet contract, including the company’s networking portfolio, plus managed services, unified communications and collaboration systems, Internet protocol-based voice services and customer-premises equipment.