[ad_1] Reliable internet access is critical during this pandemic, but Verizon (Engadget’s parent company) is a little late to step up. Spectrum is offering free internet installation and service to students and their families. Comcast is making its Internet Essentials program free for new, qualifying customers for 60 days, and it is boosting broadband speeds […]
Category: digital divide
After Math: That's something at least
[ad_1] This week has been a real kick in the teeth. The UK actually stepped off the Brexit precipice while the US Congress barely went through the motions of Trump's impeachment trial. Worst of all Elon Musk released a truly cringeworthy EDM track because s… [ad_2] Source link
FCC commits $20.4 billion to help close the rural digital divide
[ad_1] In the first phase, beginning later this year, the FCC will make up to $16 billion available to areas that are “wholly unserved.” It will demand broadband speeds of at least 25 Mbps, and the funding will be made available through reverse-auction, a practice meant to drive competition. An estimated six million rural homes […]
Bernie Sanders proposes $150 billion for public broadband improvements
[ad_1] The candidate also vows to “dramatically” lower the cost of service. He would require basic internet plans, up the FCC’s minimum definition of broadband from 10Mbps to 100Mbps, regulate rates and fully subsidize entry-level plans for low-income households. This would involve protecting and expanding the Lifeline program. He would outright ban data caps and […]
FCC rolls out a $9 billion fund for rural 5G connectivity
[ad_1] “We must ensure that 5G narrows rather than widens the digital divide and that rural Americans receive the benefits that come from wireless innovation,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. The 5G Fund will be available through “reverse auction,” and it will replace the $4.5 billion Mobility Fund Phase II, which was […]
FCC formally approves the T-Mobile-Sprint merger
[ad_1] The FCC believes the deal will close the digital divide and advance 5G in the US. T-Mobile and Sprint have committed to deploying 5G service to cover 97 percent of Americans within three years. They’ve also pledged to provide 90 percent of Americans with access to mobile service with speeds of at least 100 […]
Microsoft plans to bring internet access to 40 million people by 2022
[ad_1] Moving forward, the company plans to connect 40 million people across the world to the internet by 2022. Initially, Microsoft will focus on rural and remote communities in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, with other regions to follow. The company adds that it plans to employ a four-part approach that will focus on working […]
Microsoft plans to bring broadband to 9 million more Americans
[ad_1] The measure is part of the Microsoft Airband Initiative, which aims to narrow the digital divide by expanding rural broadband access to more than 3 million people by mid-2022. The Federal Communications Commission estimates upwards of 21 million Americans don’t have broadband access, Microsoft, meanwhile, believes around 29 million people in the aforementioned states […]
FCC chairman Ajit Pai endorses T-Mobile / Sprint merger
[ad_1] Today, I circulated an order that would approve, subject to conditions, the proposed merger of T-Mobile and Sprint. The deal would advance fast #5G across the country, help close #digitaldivide, and put critical mid-band spectrum to use. My full statement: https://t.co/fBKvLnPgmm pic.twitter.com/21r3Us9cUG — Ajit Pai (@AjitPaiFCC) August 14, 2019 He added that, under the […]
Elizabeth Warren reveals $85 billion rural broadband plan
[ad_1] She plans to earmark $85 billion in federal funding to expand broadband networks in rural areas. Currently, the Federal Communications Commission offers $4.6 billion/year to fund rural broadband infrastructure, while the Rural Utilities Service doles out $800 million/year in grants and loans. Under Warren’s plan, the $5 billion funding for expanded broadband on Native […]