The median U.S. internet speed was 60 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream as of December 31, 2017, according to a report released this month from the FCC. More than two-thirds of internet customers (69%) subscribe to service at speeds…
DSL
Better DSL Options Present a Loop Length – Performance Trade Off for Telcos to Evaluate
While a significant percentage of service providers have migrated their broadband services to be delivered via Fiber -to-the-Home (FTTH), a good majority still rely on copper-based technology, namely DSL, to deliver broadband in challenging rural environments. Among other challenges, DSL…
FCC Gets Set to Relax Telecom Unbundling Regulations
The FCC took the first steps toward relaxing telecom unbundling regulations on voice services last week when FCC Chairman Ajit Pai circulated a draft order that would eliminate certain requirements for incumbent carriers. If the order is adopted, incumbents would…
Broadband Affordability Report: Nearly Half of U.S. Population Lacks Access to a Low-Price Offering
Nearly half of the U.S. population (45%) lacks access to a low-price wired broadband offering, according to a new broadband affordability report from BroadbandNow, the organization that maintains a detailed database of broadband offerings throughout the U.S. The research also…
Windstream Broadband Sees Twelfth Month of Subscriber Growth
Windstream broadband saw an increase in subscribers for the twelfth consecutive month – an accomplishment that the company attributes to the investment it has made in upgrading the speeds that its broadband network can support. The company noted in a…
Consolidated Broadband Upgrades Brings 60 – 80 Mbps Service to 500K Locations in New England
Consolidated Communications, Inc., has gone over the half-million threshold in terms of broadband upgrades the company has completed across northern New England, the company announced yesterday. These latest Consolidated broadband upgrades will make speeds of 60 Mbps to 80 Mbps…
CFO on Windstream Sustained Broadband Growth: More “Relevant” Speeds Are Growth Engine
Windstream saw its ninth month of broadband growth in November, said CFO Bob Gunderman at a financial conference yesterday. Gunderman attributed the Windstream broadband growth to “the investment we made back into the consumer broadband network.” As of a couple…
$91 Million in USDA Rural Broadband Funding Awarded in 12 States
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $91 million in e-Connectivity initiatives in 12 states. The USDA rural broadband funding will go toward networks in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and…
Comcast Sees Xfinity Broadband Metrics Surge, Sees Best Broadband Quarter in 10 Years
Comcast delivered quarterly results today, and Xfinity broadband metrics indicate that growth in broadband for the cable conglomerate are far from over. Comcast added 334K residential broadband subscribers in 3Q 2018, nearly doubling the company’s broadband net adds from a…
Report: Global Broadband Subscriptions Hit 1 Billion
Global broadband subscriptions hit one billion in the second half of the year, with a subscriber in mainland China most likely the one that was the billionth subscriber, according to a new report from Point Topic. That means continued growth…
A Deeper Dive on CAF II Winners: The New Carriers of Last Resort
Just over 100 Connect America Fund II auction winners are getting set to deploy broadband service to unserved rural areas for which they won funding. We reported on the key results when the auction completed in late August. Today we…
ILSR Offers Harsh Connect America Fund Critique, Says Large Carriers Not Investing in Rural Broadband
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance, an advocacy group for local community economic development, has issued a harsh critique of the Connect America Fund program, which pays some or all of a carrier’s costs of deploying broadband in rural areas. Despite…
