The FCC explained bid weights and other decisions on a planned reverse auction of $1.98 billion in Connect America Fund Phase II subsidies over 10 years for fixed broadband services, in an order released Thursday in docket 10-90, a week after approval (see 1702230019). Less bid weight helps in a reverse auction awarding funds to low bids and the order's weights favor higher speeds, higher usage allowances and lower latency: 65 for a "minimum" tier (10/1 Mbps), 45 for "baseline" (25/3 Mbps), 15 for "above baseline" (100/20 Mbps) and zero for "gigabit" (1 Gbps/500 Mbps), with 25 for high-latency and zero for low-latency service. The two lower-speed tiers have monthly usage allowance requirements of at least 150 GB and the two higher-speed tiers have 2 TB minimum allowances. Some parties urged a narrower spread between weights, but the order said: "Bids placed in the higher tiers will not necessarily win because of the generally greater costs of deploying a higher capacity network at higher speeds. Bids placed for lower speeds and usage allowances will still have the opportunity to compete for support, but will have to be particularly cost-effective to compete with higher tier bids." The agency declined to adopt preferences for certain states (where large telcos declined funding offers) or tribal lands, but it prioritized funding for such states in a Remote Areas Fund (RAF) auction to occur one year after the CAF II auction (not yet scheduled). Noting the FCC previously made $170 million available to New York to supplement its own broadband subsidy auction, the order said no other state demonstrated it has a similar program. ITTA emailed that the bid weights "came down to a balancing between two policy goals: maximizing breadth of deployment v. funding 'future-proof' networks," and it expressed disappointment the FCC majority emphasized the latter: "This outcome puts tremendous pressure on the underfunded RAF to ensure that broadband can reach those consumers who will remain unserved under the scheme adopted by the majority.” NTCA Senior Vice President Mike Romano was pleased to see "how seriously the FCC took accountability and apparently intends to examine further how best to confirm that providers can live up to their bids.”
The FCC explained bid weights and other decisions on a planned reverse auction of $1.98 billion in Connect America Fund Phase II subsidies over 10 years for fixed broadband services, in an order released Thursday in docket 10-90, a week after approval (see 1702230019). Less bid weight helps in a reverse auction awarding funds to low bids and the order's weights favor higher speeds, higher usage allowances and lower latency: 65 for a "minimum" tier (10/1 Mbps), 45 for "baseline" (25/3 Mbps), 15 for "above baseline" (100/20 Mbps) and zero for "gigabit" (1 Gbps/500 Mbps), with 25 for high-latency and zero for low-latency service. The two lower-speed tiers have monthly usage allowance requirements of at least 150 GB and the two higher-speed tiers have 2 TB minimum allowances. Some parties urged a narrower spread between weights, but the order said: "Bids placed in the higher tiers will not necessarily win because of the generally greater costs of deploying a higher capacity network at higher speeds. Bids placed for lower speeds and usage allowances will still have the opportunity to compete for support, but will have to be particularly cost-effective to compete with higher tier bids." The agency declined to adopt preferences for certain states (where large telcos declined funding offers) or tribal lands, but it prioritized funding for such states in a Remote Areas Fund (RAF) auction to occur one year after the CAF II auction (not yet scheduled). Noting the FCC previously made $170 million available to New York to supplement its own broadband subsidy auction, the order said no other state demonstrated it has a similar program. ITTA emailed that the bid weights "came down to a balancing between two policy goals: maximizing breadth of deployment v. funding 'future-proof' networks," and it expressed disappointment the FCC majority emphasized the latter: "This outcome puts tremendous pressure on the underfunded RAF to ensure that broadband can reach those consumers who will remain unserved under the scheme adopted by the majority.” NTCA Senior Vice President Mike Romano was pleased to see "how seriously the FCC took accountability and apparently intends to examine further how best to confirm that providers can live up to their bids.”
Distributed antenna systems (DAS) operators aren't utilities requiring state certification under Pennsylvania law, the Public Utility Commission decided in a split vote at the PUC’s meeting Thursday. The PUC voted 3-2 for the motion by Commissioner Robert Powelson in docket M-2016-2517831, with dissents from Chairman Gladys Brown and Commissioner Andrew Place. The Wireless Infrastructure Association condemned the decision and said it’s considering a response.
Ex-FCC Legislative Affairs Deputy Director Sean Conway joins Wilkinson Barker as of counsel ... Starry hires Brian Regan, ex-FCC Wireless Bureau, as senior director-legal, policy and strategy ... Time Warner elevates Matt Hong to chief operating officer, Turner Sports, new position, and promotes Valerie Meraz to senior vice president-content acquisitions and strategy, Turner's entertainment networks ... World Trade Organization members appoint Roberto Azevedo to second four-year term as director-general, effective Sept. 1 ... France Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes adds digital official Cécile Dubarry as director-general, succeeding Benoît Loutrel.
Any grand infrastructure plan should go beyond public-private partnerships and tax credits and find ways to incorporate broadband, senators and witnesses said Wednesday during a Commerce Committee hearing. It followed another call Tuesday from President Donald Trump that Congress act on infrastructure. Senators repeatedly questioned what a broadband component should look like.
Any grand infrastructure plan should go beyond public-private partnerships and tax credits and find ways to incorporate broadband, senators and witnesses said Wednesday during a Commerce Committee hearing. It followed another call Tuesday from President Donald Trump that Congress act on infrastructure. Senators repeatedly questioned what a broadband component should look like.
Waimana Enterprises, parent of Sandwich Isles Communications (SIC), disagreed with the Hawaii Department of Hawaiian Home Lands' request for FCC guidance on whether a license granted to Waimana violates a federal mandate to remove barriers to competitive telecom entry (see 1702070049). More than 20 years after the license was granted in 1995, "DHHL has allegedly sought 'guidance' on whether the License violates Section 253(a) of the Communications Act," Waimana said in a reply posted Tuesday in docket 10-90. "During that entire period, DHHL has accepted the benefits of the License without objection and without asking anyone for 'guidance.' Because of the License, each and all of DHHL's homesteaders in SIC's study area are able to receive modern telecommunications service regardless of how remote their residence," Waimana said. "DHHL and the FCC know quite well that the License does not exclude competition." Waimana said it was open to allowing competitors to use SIC's lines installed under the license, but "it's speculative at this point since no one has ever even asked; perhaps because there has never been any interest from any telecommunications company in serving all of the HHL [Hawaiian Home Lands]." Albert Hee, founder of Waimana, submitted separate comments that supplemented the company's arguments.
Intelsat and OneWeb joining likely would need only FCC International Bureau, not commissioner, approval, although that process still could take months, satellite lawyer and former LightSquared General Counsel Jeff Carlisle told us. He said the deal, announced Tuesday, shouldn't draw a lot of controversial comments. He said the deal doesn't seem to pose horizontal or vertical concentration issues because the two companies operate in different markets. Instead, the combination points to a breaking down of traditional telecom silos of terrestrial/low earth orbit (LEO)/geosynchronous orbit (GEO), much like AT&T/DirecTV did. "You're going to see a lot of these age-old distinctions becoming maybe a little less distinct," Carlisle said. Intelsat said it expects to deal to close in Q3, contingent on regulatory and bondholder approvals. Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler said in an analyst call Tuesday that the combined company, with Intelsat's GEO system and OneWeb's planned LEO system, opens the door to their together taking a larger satellite broadband market share and doing more work in backhaul carriage, as well as new applications like connected vehicles and over-the-top video distribution. Northern Sky Research analyst Lluc Palerm told us the deal opens the door to opportunities like the joined companies working low-latency markets such as 5G and also would let startup OneWeb piggyback off the international landing rights Intelsat already has.
Intelsat and OneWeb joining likely would need only FCC International Bureau, not commissioner, approval, although that process still could take months, satellite lawyer and former LightSquared General Counsel Jeff Carlisle told us. He said the deal, announced Tuesday, shouldn't draw a lot of controversial comments. He said the deal doesn't seem to pose horizontal or vertical concentration issues because the two companies operate in different markets. Instead, the combination points to a breaking down of traditional telecom silos of terrestrial/low earth orbit (LEO)/geosynchronous orbit (GEO), much like AT&T/DirecTV did. "You're going to see a lot of these age-old distinctions becoming maybe a little less distinct," Carlisle said. Intelsat said it expects to deal to close in Q3, contingent on regulatory and bondholder approvals. Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler said in an analyst call Tuesday that the combined company, with Intelsat's GEO system and OneWeb's planned LEO system, opens the door to their together taking a larger satellite broadband market share and doing more work in backhaul carriage, as well as new applications like connected vehicles and over-the-top video distribution. Northern Sky Research analyst Lluc Palerm told us the deal opens the door to opportunities like the joined companies working low-latency markets such as 5G and also would let startup OneWeb piggyback off the international landing rights Intelsat already has.
Intelsat and OneWeb joining likely would need only FCC International Bureau, not commissioner, approval, although that process still could take months, satellite lawyer and former LightSquared General Counsel Jeff Carlisle told us. He said the deal, announced Tuesday, shouldn't draw a lot of controversial comments. He said the deal doesn't seem to pose horizontal or vertical concentration issues because the two companies operate in different markets. Instead, the combination points to a breaking down of traditional telecom silos of terrestrial/low earth orbit (LEO)/geosynchronous orbit (GEO), much like AT&T/DirecTV did. "You're going to see a lot of these age-old distinctions becoming maybe a little less distinct," Carlisle said. Intelsat said it expects to deal to close in Q3, contingent on regulatory and bondholder approvals. Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler said in an analyst call Tuesday that the combined company, with Intelsat's GEO system and OneWeb's planned LEO system, opens the door to their together taking a larger satellite broadband market share and doing more work in backhaul carriage, as well as new applications like connected vehicles and over-the-top video distribution. Northern Sky Research analyst Lluc Palerm told us the deal opens the door to opportunities like the joined companies working low-latency markets such as 5G and also would let startup OneWeb piggyback off the international landing rights Intelsat already has.