Rural ISP Helps Keep Communities Thriving in Northwestern Minnesota
As states continue to reopen and the COVID-19 environment becomes a part of the norm for the foreseeable future, strong internet connectivity has proven to be critical for businesses, schools, and health services to continue. Nowhere does that ring truer than in some of the country's most rural areas. Dick Sjoberg, the president of Sjoberg's, whose family started the internet, TV, and phone business in the 1940s, shared that business has remained stable for many companies across the ISP's footprint in northwestern Minnesota, thanks to reliable broadband access. Given that some of the towns
40 Years of Black Excellence at BET
In January of 1980, Robert L. Johnson left his position at NCTA and, with his wife Sheila Johnson, launched the first TV network “that allowed Black people to see themselves, their stories, and their culture on television,” according to BET President Scott Mills. In the 40 years since its founding, BET has successfully stood as a leader in elevating Black voices and experiences, and inspiring generations of writers, actors, and creatives to tell their own stories. From awards shows like the BET Awards, to community projects, from nationwide campaigns, to its latest initiative, “Content for
NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell on C-SPAN's The Communicators
Earlier this week, NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell was a guest on C-SPAN's The Communicators, where he discussed how the cable industry has adapted to COVID-19. Powell also talked about other issues including government programs for broadband funding, debate over broadband as a utility, potential government action on social media, race and police violence on TV and the media, and more. To listen to the full discussion, stream the interview below or watch it on C-SPAN tomorrow, June 20, at 6:30pm ET.
2020: A Remarkable Year for Wi-Fi
World Wi-Fi Day is this Saturday, and if there was ever a year when we should celebrate Wi-Fi, it would be 2020. Even prior to the current public health crisis, Wi-Fi was part of our routine and played a growing role not only at home and at the office, but in factories, hospitals, retail stores, and transportation hubs across the country. In fact, more than half of U.S. internet traffic transits a Wi-Fi network, and that share is predicted to grow. During the pandemic, Wi-Fi has become even more important as Americans around the country worked, learned, shopped for essentials, and accessed
A Common Sense Fix to Speed Broadband Deployment to Unserved Communities
The benefits of having a reliable high-speed broadband connection have never been as apparent as they are now during the COVID-19 pandemic. With millions of Americans spending more time at home as we try to limit the spread of the virus, broadband is enabling us to continue our daily lives—from doing our jobs, studying at home, connecting with a doctor, streaming our favorite shows, to staying in touch with friends and family. Over the past two decades, broadband providers have invested nearly $2 trillion in network infrastructure to bring Americans some of the fastest and most widely deployed
How Cable TV Networks Are Helping Kids Get Through the Pandemic
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people went from seeing their friends, classmates, and teachers on a daily basis to quarantining with their parents and guardians. These changes have been particularly challenging for kids, many of whom relied on the adults in their life to help make sense of the situation. Early on, cable TV networks recognized that families would need help during these unprecedented times and started working to support them. From specials to town halls to virtual events, producers and showrunners put their heads together behind the scenes to provide creative
GCI Tackles COVID-19 Challenges to Keep Rural Alaska Connected
NCTA enters its 11th week of tracking network performance nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, and broadband networks continue to provide the vital connections that millions of Americans need to learn and work from home. From large cities to rural villages, in many cases fast and robust internet has allowed for businesses to proceed remotely and for distance learning to take place. But in some areas of the country, just keeping the internet running is a huge undertaking under normal circumstances. Tack on a global health crisis, and the obstacles to establishing and maintaining
The New Customer Experience Amid COVID-19
As Americans have learned to adapt to their new normal during the ongoing pandemic, cable operators have offered alternative ways to meet their customers' needs and demands. Last month, a Midco field technician on the frontlines shared his experience of going into people's homes since the onset of COVID-19, but only when it was absolutely necessary. Midco has a prevention team in place that guides its employees through a series of precautions to take when interacting with customers, and to ensure that all parties are comfortable with any work being done inside the home. But in many situations
Downstream Traffic Still Dominates Our Lives
With so much of daily life changing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, one important aspect about internet traffic has remained largely the same—downstream is still the dominant path that data is traveling. While a greater reliance on applications like home video conferencing has focused more attention on the growth in upstream traffic, our time spent at home has resulted in significant dramatic increases in the delivery of video streaming traffic and general data demands, as people turn to the internet with increasing frequency as a source of information and entertainment. People Consuming
The Fast-Paced Life of a GCI Technician During COVID-19
NCTA continues to report weekly on network performance throughout the pandemic as a large portion of people across the country are still working from home and students close out their school years online. Broadband networks remain strong and steady, but it is cable's frontline technicians who are out in the field partaking in all kinds of ventures to make sure that households and businesses are experiencing the speeds and capacity they need. This week, we'd like to shine a spotlight on another unsung hero out in Anchorage, Alaska, who is doing all of that while also giving those Alaskans