News & Views
Content posted in April 2021
BBWN Bites: FCC's $3.2B Emergency Broadband Benefit launches May 12
Broadband World News  
4/30/2021   Post a comment
Also in this roundup: San Diego passes 'urgency' rule; Comcast reports Q1 subs; Land O' Lakes, LFA launch American Connection Corps; New Mexico to study broadband blimps; Swisscom, Salt team on fiber.
Podcast – The Divide: Stealth's Shrihari Pandit on bringing fiber to underserved business communities
Broadband World News Video  
4/29/2021   Post a comment
This week: Shrihari Pandit, president and CEO, Stealth Communications, on what it takes to get fiber to businesses in underserved areas and why traditional funding methods for ending the digital divide aren't working.
Calix reports 59% revenue growth for Q1, driven by small customers
Broadband World News  
4/28/2021   Post a comment
The communications cloud platform biz attributed its successful quarter to 'robust' demand and supply chain overperformance.
Frontier to exit Chapter 11 on April 30
Jeff Baumgartner  
4/28/2021   Post a comment
Frontier execs also on tap this week to discuss vision for the company as analysts continue to view Frontier as a tale of two markets – its 3 million FTTP homes and its 11 million copper homes.
WISPs fighting to be seen as 'future proof'
Broadband World News  
4/27/2021   Post a comment
With billions for broadband at stake, fixed wireless providers are pushing back against the notion that only fiber is 'future proof.'
Germany broadens broadband funding to 'grey areas'
Broadband World News  
4/27/2021   Post a comment
The new measure will allow the government to support the expansion of fiber to a further 2.8 million premises, according to the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
LTD to FCC: We can do it
Broadband World News  
4/26/2021   Post a comment
LTD Broadband won $1.3 billion in the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction. Now, the company is working to convince regulators it will meet its buildout obligations.
Half of US public thinks local governments should build out broadband – report
Broadband World News  
4/26/2021   Post a comment
But existing state laws still make it impossible in much of the country.
Chipset, workforce shortages could hamstring US fiber bonanza
Broadband World News  
4/23/2021   Post a comment
New estimates indicate up to $44 billion could be spent on fiber networks in the US over the next five years. But will there be enough technicians and components for all that spending?
BBWN Bites: 77% of Americans can access 'low-priced' broadband – report
Broadband World News  
4/23/2021   Post a comment
Also in this roundup: Orange MEA sees big Q1 broadband growth; Fibrehop expands with CityFibre; Talk Straight taps ADTRAN for fixed wireless; Verizon reports Q1 Fios numbers.
Senate Republicans propose $65B for broadband
Broadband World News  
4/22/2021   Post a comment
President Biden wants to spend up to $100 billion to cross the digital divide. Some members of his opposition are proposing an alternative that's not too far off.
The Divide: ConnectMaine's Peggy Schaffer on the 'street-by-street battle' for broadband
Broadband World News Video  
4/22/2021   Post a comment
This week: Peggy Schaffer, executive director, ConnectMaine, on the state of broadband in Maine and why she says we need to stop giving money to the FCC.
Amazon lands rockets for its satellite broadband
Broadband World News  
4/21/2021   Post a comment
The United Launch Alliance will provide Atlas V rockets for nine launches, helping Amazon get its Project Kuiper off the ground.
Stakeholders tell Congress it could cost $150B to get broadband to rural US
Broadband World News  
4/20/2021   Post a comment
But they caution that such estimates are based on bad mapping data, which likely understates the country's broadband gap.
Frontier headed for stability, not stardom
Jeff Baumgartner  
4/19/2021   Post a comment
As it nears a Chapter 11 bankruptcy exit armed with a fiber upgrade plan, Frontier is poised to produce modest, rather than explosive, growth in the coming years, according to a new analyst report.
Rural opportunities key to Altice USA's broadband growth story – analyst
Broadband World News  
4/19/2021   Post a comment
Altice USA will face challenges where it tangles with Verizon Fios, but its underpenetrated, less competitive (and underappreciated) rural markets have 'unusually high potential,' according to a new study.
BBWN Bites: Satellite broadband market to generate $4.1B in 2026 – report
Broadband World News  
4/16/2021   Post a comment
Also in this roundup: a municipal broadband win in Washington state; AT&T touts $2 billion commitment to digital divide; Italy to increase broadband investment.
White House report cards reveal top and bottom of the broadband class
Broadband World News  
4/15/2021   Post a comment
The White House released infrastructure report cards for states outlining weaknesses in specific categories, including broadband.
Nokia, NCTC forge fiber deal as RDOF buildouts loom
Jeff Baumgartner  
4/15/2021   Post a comment
They claim deal provides 'tailored' fiber solutions and access to premier service programs for tech that can support multi-gigabit network, and the potential to add wireless networking to the mix.
Podcast: The Divide – David Gilford on local priorities for federal broadband funds
Broadband World News Video  
4/15/2021   Post a comment
This week, David Gilford, co-founder of the Broadband Equity Partnership, on what local government and nonprofit broadband leaders need from a national broadband stimulus.
FCC urges public to test broadband speeds for mapping effort
Broadband World News  
4/13/2021   Post a comment
Promoting the Speed Test app is another move by the agency to go directly to the public for information on their Internet service.
Former AT&T exec joins Frontier as chief network officer
Jeff Baumgartner  
4/13/2021   Post a comment
Veronica Bloodworth tapped to oversee company's network operations, including elements tied to Frontier's 'modernization plan.'
Biden's broadband plan signals end of 'hands-off' regulation era
Broadband World News  
4/12/2021   Post a comment
Big telecom has driven the industry, with light-touch regulation – not just in the US but across the OECD and much of the developing world. Until now.
BBWN Bites: NY mandates $15 monthly broadband for low-income households
Broadband World News  
4/9/2021   Post a comment
Also in this roundup: 'Connect New Mexico Act' becomes law; Altice USA and Morris Broadband become one; C-Spire releases rural broadband report; T-Mobile teams with Open Dutch Fibre.
The billion dollar fight to cross the digital divide gets dirty
Broadband World News  
4/8/2021   Post a comment
Some of the companies that won money in the FCC's RDOF program are facing a growing, noisy chorus of critics that argue they won't be able to meet their obligations.
netElastic stretches reach to Brazil and beyond
Alan Breznick  
4/8/2021   Post a comment
Silicon Valley startup signs up several small Brazilian ISPs for its virtual Broadband Network Gateway (vBNG), which helps service providers deliver speeds up to 1 gig.
Podcast: The Divide – Scott Willis and Bruce Garrison on the 'collective ecosystem' required to reach the underserved
Broadband World News Video  
4/8/2021   Post a comment
This week, Scott Willis, CEO of DartPoints; and Bruce Garrison, chief revenue officer of Bluebird Network, on their connectivity work in rural Iowa and the collaboration required to tackle the digital divide.
Starlink's speed performance erratic of late
Jeff Baumgartner  
4/7/2021   Post a comment
According to a new batch of Ookla Speedtest data, median speeds for the satellite broadband service temporarily dipped then climbed again. Meanwhile, the service's burst speeds appear to be on the rise.
Cable Next-Gen Tech returns digitally
Broadband World News  
4/7/2021   Post a comment
For the second straight year, Light Reading will stage the Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies conference as a free digital event over two half days in late April.
Cable's low-latency story opens a new chapter
Broadband World News  
4/6/2021   Post a comment
Minim is the first supplier to get the green light from CableLabs for a DOCSIS 3.1 gateway that supports a new set of low-latency capabilities.
WideOpenWest picks Chicago for first data cap market
Broadband World News  
4/6/2021   Post a comment
New policy for market will charge an extra $10 per 50GB of data when customers exceed their monthly limit. WOW is also offering a $30 unlimited option for 1-Gig packages.
Wired ISPs won't need to sweat the Starlink threat, analyst says
Broadband World News  
4/5/2021   Post a comment
Capacity constraints are likely to limit Starlink's focus to relatively uncompetitive, rural markets, according to MoffettNathanson's Craig Moffett.
BBWN Bites: 300-plus providers to participate in Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
Broadband World News  
4/2/2021   Post a comment
Also in this roundup: Trussville, Alabama, gets gigabit; Maryland commits $300 million to broadband; Texas senate bill would create broadband department; industry groups respond to Biden's $100 billion fund for broadband.
Canada plots Quebec broadband stimulus
Alan Breznick  
4/2/2021   Post a comment
Federal and provincial governments plan to spend C$826.3 million to extend broadband to nearly 150,000 unserved Quebec households by September 2022.
Upstream consumption rocketed 63% in 2020 – study
Jeff Baumgartner  
4/2/2021   Post a comment
Upstream consumption climbed 63% last year as peak usage shifted to business hours and away from a pre-pandemic surge typically seen during prime time. The nature of upstream usage has likely changed forever, OpenVault says.
The Divide: Fiber Broadband Association's Gary Bolton on the 'good news, good news' for fiber
Broadband World News Video  
4/1/2021   Post a comment
This week, Gary Bolton, CEO, Fiber Broadband Association, joins the show to discuss why the US needs to put fiber first, why satellite broadband could be a 'disaster' for communities and more.




Latest Articles
Here's where you can find episode links for 'The Divide,' Light Reading's podcast series featuring conversations with broadband providers and policymakers working to close the digital divide.
As we have for the past two years, Light Reading will present our Cable Next-Gen Europe conference as a free digital symposium on June 21.
Charter has sparked RDOF work in all 24 states where it won bids. The cable op booked about $19 million in RDOF revenues in Q1, and expects to have about $9 million per month come in over the next ten years.
As we have for the past two years, Light Reading will stage the Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies conference as a free digital event over two half-days in mid-March.
Launch of 2-Gig and 5-Gig FTTP tiers in 70-plus markets puts more pressure on cable ops to enhance their existing DOCSIS 3.1 network or accelerate their upgrade activity centered on the new DOCSIS 4.0 specs.
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