![]() |
||
|
||
The Divide: Internet Society's Mark Buell on what's 'very good' and 'less good' in the broadband billNicole Ferraro, Editor, Light Reading, 11/18/2021
With the Biden administration's $65 billion broadband bill now signed into law, this week on the podcast we hear from Mark Buell, regional vice president for North America at the Internet Society, on the impact it will have on the digital divide. [Ed. note: This conversation was recorded just prior to the bill passing in the House. It was officially signed as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on November 15.]
We discuss some of the "very good" things in the bill, as well as the "less good" elements – like a lack of funding specifically for municipal and community networks. We also get into the need for the FCC to update its "horrendously inaccurate" national broadband map in order for the legislation to succeed – a topic that got a lot of airtime during Jessica Rosenworcel's Senate confirmation hearing for FCC commissioner and chairwoman on Wednesday. While the FCC's data suggests fewer than 18 million Americans are lacking access to broadband services, other estimates put that number closer to 40 million to 60 million. "The fact is good policy is built upon good information. And we don't have good information about who is and who isn't connected," said Buell, adding that the FCC's broadband map should have been fixed years ago. "But now with the prospect of spending, you know, upwards of $65 billion to connect the unconnected, it's become much more urgent." Related episodes:
— Nicole Ferraro, site editor, Broadband World News; senior editor, global broadband coverage, Light Reading. Host of "The Divide" on the Light Reading Podcast |
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.
![]() ARCHIVED
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
1:00 p.m. New York / 6:00 p.m. London When your broadband business adds new services and connected devices, do they also add complexity, slowing customer support teams as they navigate multiple data sources to uncover connectivity issues? We’ve worked with hundreds of support teams to help them implement a subscriber experience management platform that gives greater visibility into subscriber issues. They can proactively troubleshoot amid complexity—improving the subscriber experience and raising customer satisfaction ratings like Net Promoter Scores. Join this webinar with experts from Calix and global research leader Omdia who will share exclusive research about how you can:
|
|
![]() |
Broadband World News
About Us
Advertise With Us
Contact Us
Help
Register
Twitter
Facebook
RSS
Copyright © 2023 Light Reading, part of Informa Tech, a division of Informa PLC. Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms of Use in partnership with
|