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How to save BEAD? Remove 13 words (Reader Forum)

Much has been made over the glacial pace at which the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is rolling out its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. To date, not a dollar of the $42.5 billion program has been put...

NTIA has approved all BEAD state plans

With all BEAD state plans approved, vendor selection is starting As of this week, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories which are participating in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program have had their plans for connecting all...

The Sunday Brief: Who’s got momentum? (Part 2)

November greetings from Cedar Rapids and Kansas City.  The picture will be a familiar sight for those in the fiber industry.  Yes, we are getting a second fiber to the home (FTTH) provider for our 28-home community.  The market is getting crowded in some places (the...

‘The market is turning’: Top takeaways from Nokia’s Q3 2024

Nokia reported mixed results for the third quarter of 2024 but is optimistic about signs of a slow recovery from the telecom industry's pull-back on network-related investments. CEO Pekka Lundmark said during the quarterly call: "The market is turning, but it's turning slowly. We see...

As more BEAD plans get approval, Ookla asks: Where do the states stand on broadband speeds?

As $42.5 billion in federal funding makes it way to the states to be translated into infrastructure deployment projects, Ookla recently assessed how the 50 U.S. states stand in terms of delivery of broadband speeds. Ookla examined its Speedtest data for broadband services in terms...

FCC moves forward on Rural 5G Fund

The Federal Communications Commission plans to "reignite" the $9 billion Rural 5G Fund, moving forward with new rules for the program, which has been languishing since 2020. According to the FCC's National Broadband Map, more than 14 million homes and businesses nationwide lack access...

New York, Wyoming BEAD plans approved

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved the initial plans of the states of New York and Wyoming, for how they expect to use their respective portions of federal funding to expand broadband services. New York was allocated more than $664 million...

BEAD progress: VA, NM plans approved; First middle-mile project breaks ground

The states of New Mexico and Virginia recently had their "Internet for All" plans for the implementation of the federal Broadband Access, Equity and Deployment (BEAD) program accepted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is overseeing the BEAD program. This means that New...

Nokia sees profits slide 32%, eyes second-half sales jump

Nokia saw its (“comparable”) operating profit slide by 32 percent in the second quarter of 2024, finishing at €423 million, versus €619 million a year ago. Sales fell alongside, down 18 percent at €4.466 billion in the quarter, from €5.438 billion. It put the...

Fixed wireless access can help bridge the digital divide

Samsung sees BEAD funding as a potential catalyst for more fixed wireless access deployments There are two major and complementary trends playing out in the U.S. mobile network operator market. First, 5G-enabled fixed wireless access (FWA) has emerged as the primary growth driver for the...

Key takeaways from UScellular’s results

Regional operator is continuing a strategic review of its options UScellular reported operating revenues that were slightly down compared to last year's fourth quarter, but narrowed its losses from $28 million in the year-ago period to a loss of $14 million in 2023's fourth quarer....

The Sunday Brief: Six key events of 2023 (Part 2)

Holiday greetings from the Midwest, where we recently finished up a very productive trip through St Louis and several other towns.  Pictured are a few folks from the LB Networks team celebrating a terrific 2023 while Jim was in St Louis last Thursday.  This is...

NTIA proposes ‘limited and targeted’ waiver on US-made products for BEAD

NTIA holds firm that 'close to 90%' of materials involved in BEAD projects should be made in the United States With more than $42 billion poised to pour out in support of broadband deployment projects across the United States, the federal government is sticking closely...

Nokia expands ‘network-in-a-box’ program, targeting BEAD participants

Nokia said the expanded program allows BEAD participants to more quickly and cost effectively bring broadband services to US communities Nokia has expanded its “network-in-a-box” program to simplify broadband network builds for Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program participants as they focus on bridging...

Nokia to manufacture optical modules in US for BEAD program

Nokia will manufacture multi-rate optical modules for Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) at Fabrinet’s facility in Santa Clara, California Following on a recent announcement that it would manufacture fiber electronics in the U.S., Nokia has now revealed additional plans to manufacture fiber broadband optical modules in...

The unwavering promise of America’s wireless future (Reader Forum)

If the White House’s $42.5B investment in Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) signals anything, it’s this: While the 5G journey may — at the moment — appear to be slowing, our nation’s digital expansion is not. Estimations of the global market potential remain robust:...

Nokia onshoring fiber electronics for BEAD projects

One of the telecom industry's concerns about the massive amount of federal Infrastructure Act dollars that are poised to pour into the market to close the digital divide over the next few years, has been associated requirements on buying American-made products for use in...

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...

BEAD state-level allocations announced

Texas to receive the largest amount: $3.3 billion in federal funds to close the digital divide The Biden administration has announced how it will divvy up $42.5 billion in federal funding for broadband among the U.S. states and territories; now it's on the states to...

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...

Here comes the funding: Key takeaways from NTIA’s latest assessment of federal broadband spending

As the U.S. federal government pours billions of dollars into broadband deployment and adoption, it is also trying to get a better handle on coordination and tracking of those efforts across disparate agencies with different funding mechanisms and program requirements. A new report from...

At CCA’s show this week, teeing up discussions on spectrum, BEAD and rip-and-replace

CCA's Donovan: 'It's a pretty wild time in wireless' The Competitive Carriers Association meets this week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for its Mobile Carriers Show, amid a policy environment in a fair amount of turmoil, particularly from the spectrum point of view. "We have a full...

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...