digital divide

The Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which provides subsidies of $50-$75 per month for internet service, has enrolled more than one million U.S. households in the first week of the program being available, according to the Federal Communications Commission. “The high …

What impact will the Emergency Broadband Benefit have on broadband affordability? A pair of recent surveys shed some light on how much the program, which provides direct payments to broadband providers to help defray the costs of broadband service, could …

The Federal Communications Commission this week officially launched two pandemic relief programs designed to improve access to and affordability of broadband services. Families across the U.S. can now apply for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, which will make available up …

Deloitte provides three reasons that the U.S. digital divide remains Following the digital divide wake-up call prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the reveal of President Joe Biden’s sweeping infrastructure plan, RCR Wireless News spoke with Deloitte Consulting’s Chief Cloud …

Verizon offers LTE Home Internet in 189 primarily rural markets in 48 states As part of its Citizen Verizon business plan, Verizon announced last week a $1 billion investment in the expansion of rural broadband, as well as new programs and initiatives to …

Based on a national survey conducted between Jan. 25 and Feb. 8 of this year, the Pew Research Center found that approximately 7% of U.S. adults don’t use the internet. According to Pew, age is the biggest determinant of internet …

In the past 5 to 10 years, there have been several novel if not downright quirky communication solutions trying to address the needs of rural connectivity, especially in emerging markets. These have ranged from tethered and free-floating balloons to circling …

It is rare for a technology or service to evoke extreme opinions as LEO satellite constellations do. On the one hand, some would say that no constellation has managed to avoid bankruptcy. On the other hand, some believe that LEO …

RCR Wireless News · Will 5G Change the World? Dean Brenner and Alice Tornquist, Qualcomm (Bonus Episode) In this episode, Dean Brenner and Alice Tornquist of Qualcomm Technologies Inc., come back to provide an update on how U.S. policymakers are …

Canadian satellite operator Telesat is joining the battle for low-earth-orbit-based broadband services, announcing today that it has selected a vendor to manufacture the nearly 300 LEO satellites that will form the initial basis for its new Lightspeed LEO network. Thales …

World Economic Forum launches EDISON Alliance focused on digital inclusion, digital divide Expanding access to reliable broadband–bridging the digital divide as its commonly referred to–isn’t a new concept; in fact, it’s been at least a talking point if not a …

Without accurate maps, it’s impossible to know what communities lack wireless  services or how much it will cost to reach them One thing that the COVID-19 global health crisis has taught us is that wireless connectivity is not  a luxury …

Nokia’s President of Fixed Networks Sandy Motley discusses the role that fixed access broadband has played during the COVID-19 pandemic and how Nokia and other industry leaders have responded to the crisis. She also shares what her favorite piece of …

Verizon has pledged to provide high-speed internet service to 500,000 additional NYC households A lawsuit involving Verizon and the city of New York, which originated in 2017, was quietly settled over the Thanksgiving holiday, resulting in the operator pledging to …

The Federal Communications Commission has formally established rules for its 5G Fund for Rural America, which will disburse up to $9 billion over the next decade. However, the minimum speeds that the agency is requiring of these future rural 5G …

COVID-19 has caused a seismic shift in demand for internet capacity with millions of students suddenly shifting to various levels of remote learning – from primary schools to universities – at the same time that many of their parents are …

Closing the urban/rural digital divide and expanding broadband access has been a federal policy goal for decades, and there are multiple new and existing programs underway that attempt to address disparities in broadband access across the United States. The United …

Closing the urban/rural digital divide has been a telecom policy focus for years, and it has been part of the conversation around everything from Congressional funding to the merger of T-Mobile US and Sprint. So what is the state of …

Nex-Tech Wireless will also be implementing Ericsson Spectrum Sharing technology Kansas-based wireless carrier Nex-Tech Wireless will be deploying 5G using equipment from Ericsson. Specifically, the vendor will deliver its 5G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and Radio Access Network (RAN) supporting …

Qualcomm’s Dean Brenner and Alice Tornquist discuss funding connectivity and devices for students The developing COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to the global economy and upended day-to-day life as we all become accustomed to the new normal–widespread working …

The Federal Communications Commission has officially laid out the conditions which the New T-Mobile US must meet as part of its approval of the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile US, with the three commissioners who voted to support the merger …

Alaska rural users had the highest latency among the 50 states, followed by Montana rural users Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are being allocated toward improving rural connectivity, with the Federal Communications Commission last week announcing a sixth wave …

Carriers commit to building out a 5G network that will cover nearly all rural Americans T-Mobile US and Sprint have committed to building out a nationwide 5G network that will cover the vast majority of the U.S. population, divest Boost …

Amazon emphasizes importance of spectrum access Online retail and cloud computing giant Amazon has joined the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance as a charter member, adding its backing to the group which advocates for opportunistic spectrum sharing, including unlicensed access, and supports …

The TC3 Summit, hosted by by the Telecom Council of Silicon Valley, is one of the more interesting industry events we cover each year, and the 10th anniversary show, held in November at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, …