Topic: Broadband Expansion

Sec. Pritzker and Powell Talk Jobs, Security, Broadband Growth

Closing out the final INTX 2015 General Session, NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell sat down for a conversation with Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. On top of mind for both was the role of the Department of Commerce and it’s programs in both expanding broadband access and protecting businesses and individuals from inherent Internet threats. Secretary Pritzker started by emphasizing both her and President Obama’s commitment to expanding broadband access. She also affirmed the leadership role the private sector has taken in expanding broadband access. Secretary Pritzker noted

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