Correcting the FCC's Puzzling Comments on Pole Attachments
The adoption of the Open Internet Order has triggered much discussion about one of our favorite topics – pole attachments. As this is one of the most arcane topics within the FCC’s jurisdiction, it is not surprising that the public discourse is not always entirely accurate. We want to set the record straight. Cable has advocated for low pole attachments rates for decades because it is essential to speed and lower the cost of broadband deployments, particularly in less dense, rural areas. We don’t own utility poles ourselves. Instead, we have long supported and depend upon the Communications
Will the FCC Play Games with the National Broadband Map?
This week’s release of the final version of the National Broadband Map is a milestone. Beginning with funding from the 2009 stimulus bill, NTIA – a part of the Commerce Department – has supervised the collection of state broadband data and published the results twice a year. NTIA deserves credit for successfully managing this first-of-its-kind project, which generally has proven to be a reliable source of data for companies, government agencies and the public. NTIA is now turning over this important data collection effort to the FCC. We hope that the FCC will be able to pick up the mantle but