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vertical-align: middle; margin: -5px 0 0 0; } </style>  <div style="width:300px;float:right;margin: 0;padding: 0;"> <div class="gcse-searchbox-only"></div> </div>  <div class="clear"></div> </div> </div> <div id="headerSub">  <div id="headerProfile">  <div class='memPhoto'> <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383"><img src="/images/member_photos/photo_8383.jpg" width="80" border="0" alt="Doug Dawson" /></a> </div>  <div class="memInfo"> <h3>Doug Dawson</h3> <p> <strong>President at CCG Consulting</strong><br /> Joined on May 20, 2019<br/> Total Post Views: 2,639,837 </p> <table class="btn-container"><tr><td class="btl"></td><td class="btr"></td></tr><tr><td class="bbl"></td><td class="bbr"><a href="#" class="toggle-show" id="clickToggle">About</a></td></tr></table> </div>  <div class="buttons">  <table class="btn-container"> <tr><td class="btl"></td><td class="btr"></td></tr> <tr><td class="bbl"></td><td class="bbr"><a href="https://circleid.com/account/email_console/8383/" class="email">Send Message</a></td></tr> </table>  <table class="btn-container"> <tr><td class="btl"></td><td class="btr"></td></tr> <tr><td class="bbl"></td><td class="bbr"><a href="https://circleid.com/rss/members/8383" class="rss">RSS</a></td></tr> </table> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div>  <div id="headerSubProfile" class="showHideBox"> <div id="bio"> <p>Dawson has worked in the telecom industry since 1978 and has both a consulting and operational background. He and CCG specialize in helping clients launch new broadband markets, develop new products, and finance new ventures. CCG, the largest telecom consulting firm in the country in terms of clients, has a varied telecommunications practice and helps clients with engineering, regulatory, operation and planning issues.</p> </div> <div id="links" class="pipedLinks"> <ul> <li><a href="https://potsandpansbyccg.com" title="New window will open - https://potsandpansbyccg.com" target="_blank">Blog</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.ccgcomm.com/" title="New window will open - http://www.ccgcomm.com/" target="_blank">Company</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-dawson-6b23238/" title="New window will open - https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-dawson-6b23238/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li> </ul> </div> <p id="cc"> Except where otherwise noted, all postings by Doug Dawson on CircleID are licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ /2.5/" class="blue">Creative Commons License</a>. </p> </div>  <div id="headerSubNav"> <ul> <li id="current"><a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383">Featured Blogs (297)</a></li> <li ><a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383/comments/">Comments (0)</a></li> </ul> <div class="clear"></div> </div> </div>  <div class="container2c"> <div class="colWrapper"> <div class="colA"> <div class="colPad"> <h2>Featured Blogs</h2> <div class="postList" style="padding-bottom:30px;"> <h3 style="padding-top:0;margin-top:0;border:none;"><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/speed-isnt-everything-the-other-metrics-that-matter-in-broadband">Speed Isn’t Everything: The Other Metrics That Matter in Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> The marketing area of the broadband industry spends a lot of time convincing folks that the most important part of a broadband product is download speed. This makes sense if fiber and cable are competing in a market against slower technologies. But it seems like most advertising about speed is to convince existing customers to upgrade to faster speeds. While download speed is performance, the industry doesn't spend much time talking about the other important attributes of broadband. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/speed-isnt-everything-the-other-metrics-that-matter-in-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 27, 2025</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 2,588</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/ai-in-telecom">AI in Telecom</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/artificial-intelligence" class="red">Artificial Intelligence</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> NVIDIA recently issued its third annual State of AI in Telecommunications report. The company manufactures many of the cards used in AI data centers, so the company is clearly focused on AI adoption. NVIDIA issues similar reports for other industries. The 2025 report is the result of a survey that NVIDIA administered to 450 telecom professionals across the globe. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/ai-in-telecom" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 04, 2025</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,061</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/constraints-on-satellite-broadband-starlink">Constraints on Satellite Broadband: Starlink Alone Unable to Meet Rural Broadband Demand</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> In a 2024 end-of-year memo, Gary Bolton of the Fiber Broadband Association said that FBA had partnered with the consulting firm Cartesian to look at the pros and cons of Starlink in the U.S. FBA says that report shows that Starlink currently has 1.4 million customers in the U.S., and with the current satellite constellation has the capacity to serve 1.7 million customers. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/constraints-on-satellite-broadband-starlink" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 18, 2025</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,913</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/fiber-in-the-water-pipes">Fiber in the Water Pipes</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Fiber networks are getting a surprising new route: water pipes. An innovative technology promises faster, cheaper installations while avoiding traditional construction hurdles. However, concerns about water utility cooperation and repair challenges remain. This approach could revolutionize fiber deployment in municipal and greenfield communities, but its adoption hinges on proving its reliability and safety. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/fiber-in-the-water-pipes" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 28, 2025</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 5,432</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/starlink-vs-kuiper-the-satellite-broadband-race-for-space-and-subscribers">Starlink vs. Kuiper: The Satellite Broadband Race for Space and Subscribers</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> Strand Consult published an article on its website that makes numerous predictions for broadband and related industries in 2025 and compares them to the company's 2024 predictions. It's fascinating and well worth reading. There is one prediction in particular that got me thinking. In its 2024 predictions, Strand Consult compared Elon Musk's Starlink to Jeff Bezos' Kuiper and said that Bezos had opened a burger bar while Musk runs an interstellar McDonald's. The 2025 observation agrees with that assessment. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/starlink-vs-kuiper-the-satellite-broadband-race-for-space-and-subscribers" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 21, 2025</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,800</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/how-decades-old-decisions-left-u.s-networks-vulnerable-to-chinese-cyberintrusion">How Decades-Old Decisions Left U.S. Networks Vulnerable to Chinese Cyberintrusion</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/cyberattack" class="red">Cyberattack</a>,  <a href="/topics/cybersecurity" class="red">Cybersecurity</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> It seems like there is more disturbing news every day about Chinese infiltration of our telecommunications networks. A recent headline said that nine large ISPs have now been infiltrated. Tom Wheeler, a previous Chairman of the FCC, recently wrote an article for the Brookings Institute that speculates that the ability of the Chinese to infiltrate our networks stems back to decisions made decades ago that have never been updated for the modern world of sophisticated hacking. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/how-decades-old-decisions-left-u.s-networks-vulnerable-to-chinese-cyberintrusion" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 13, 2025</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,035</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/is-your-router-spying-on-you">Is Your Router Spying on You?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/cybersecurity" class="red">Cybersecurity</a>,</div> <p> If you've followed the telecom industry at all, you've heard of the effort to rip-and-replace Chinese network gear used mostly in cellular networks and in some fiber networks. The U.S. government ordered that such equipment be replaced, although it has funded the replacement in dribs and drabs. There has been heightened scrutiny of Chinese electronics since the recently discovered Beijing-sponsored cyberattacks that have been reported to have infiltrated the networks of major U.S. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/is-your-router-spying-on-you" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 07, 2025</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,067</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/starlink-in-the-spotlight-growth-challenges-and-future-ambitions">Starlink in the Spotlight: Growth, Challenges, and Future Ambitions</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> There is a lot of speculation that Starlink is positioned to get a lot more federal subsidy from the BEAD grant program. There are a few things that have to happen for that to come to pass, but that is not the only news about Starlink these days. Starlink announced in September that it reached four million customers worldwide. What is most impressive about that announcement is the rate of growth, with the company just hitting the three million customer mark in May of 2024. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/starlink-in-the-spotlight-growth-challenges-and-future-ambitions" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 12, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,794</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/the-high-price-of-copper-theft-a-growing-problem-with-costly-consequences">Copper Theft Costs $1.5 to $2 Billion Annually: A Growing Crisis with Severe Consequences</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> I recently saw that AT&T is offering a $10,000 reward to anybody who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of people stealing copper wiring. The particular announcement is related to a recent theft of copper in South Dallas, Texas, but there have been numerous other thefts. This is not a small problem, and the estimated value of stolen telephone copper is between $1.5 and $2 billion annually. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/the-high-price-of-copper-theft-a-growing-problem-with-costly-consequences" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 26, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,996</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/copyright-infringement-a-new-worry-for-isps">Copyright Infringement: a New Worry for ISPs</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/law" class="red">Law</a>,</div> <p> Recent court rulings hold ISPs accountable for failing to disconnect users accused of copyright infringement, sparking alarm across the industry. As record labels push for harsh penalties and ISPs warn of the potential for mass disconnections, the debate highlights the flaws of outdated copyright laws and raises critical questions about fairness, enforcement, and the future of internet access. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/copyright-infringement-a-new-worry-for-isps" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 19, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 3</li> <li>Views: 10,225</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/global-satellite-surge-intensifies-competition-for-low-orbit-broadband">Global Satellite Surge Intensifies Competition for Low-Orbit Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> The City of Shanghai entered the low-orbit broadband satellite market. Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST) launched 18 satellites in August and a second batch of 18 satellites in October. The satellites are being branded as Qianfan, or 'Thousand Sails.' SSST satellites are being launched by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) using the Long March 6A rocket. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/global-satellite-surge-intensifies-competition-for-low-orbit-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 13, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,934</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/why-satellite-cellular-wont-replace-traditional-cell-networks">Why Satellite Cellular Won’t Replace Traditional Cell Networks Anytime Soon</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> There was a burst of recent press about cellular service provided from satellites. This was probably prompted by the two recent hurricanes that have disabled terrestrial cellular and broadband networks in the southeast. I've seen speculation and discussion on Reddit and other forums where people have been wondering if satellite is the future of cell service and if the ubiquitous giant cell towers will eventually become obsolete. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/why-satellite-cellular-wont-replace-traditional-cell-networks" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 21, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 18,374</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/broadband-labels-are-here">Broadband Labels are Here</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> On October 10, all ISPs in the United States were supposed to have implemented and posted broadband labels. The labels were required as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Large ISPs had to post labels six months ago, and now the requirement is for all ISPs. I looked at the ISPs in a few counties I'm very familiar with, and I found a few ISPs in each county that have not posted labels that I can find on their website. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/broadband-labels-are-here" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 15, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,722</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/isp-attacks-concern-over-ai-hacking">Has Your ISP Been Hacked? (Growing Concern Over AI-Driven Hacking)</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/artificial-intelligence" class="red">Artificial Intelligence</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/cyberattack" class="red">Cyberattack</a>,  <a href="/topics/cybersecurity" class="red">Cybersecurity</a>,</div> <p> As if we didn't have a long enough list of problems to worry about, Lumen researchers at its Black Lotus Labs recently released a blog that said that it knows of three U.S. ISPs and one in India was hacked this summer. Lumen said the hackers took advantage of flaws in software provided by Versa Networks being used to manage wide-area networks. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/isp-attacks-concern-over-ai-hacking" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 30, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,873</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/are-light-poles-telecom-infrastructure">Are Light Poles Telecom Infrastructure?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> A long-running issue resurfaced recently asking if light poles should be made available for telecommunications. This idea that light poles might be telecom infrastructure comes from language included in Section 224 of the United States Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) code that says that a "utility shall provide a cable television system or any telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to any pole, duct, conduit, or right-of-way owned or controlled by it." <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/are-light-poles-telecom-infrastructure" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 19, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 8,381</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240909-wireless-technology-and-vehicle-safety">Wireless Technology and Vehicle Safety</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Five years ago, any discussion of 5G included a vision that we'd end up with smart cars that were all connected with a ubiquitous 5G network that was going to be built everywhere. We're still waiting to see a real 5G network anywhere instead of the 4G LTE networks that are still being touted by every cellular company as 5G. The idea of a ubiquitous network capable of supporting smart cars died, but there is still an effort underway to use wireless technology to make car travel safer. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240909-wireless-technology-and-vehicle-safety" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 09, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 12,392</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240816-will-starlink-harm-the-ozone-layer">Will Starlink Harm the Ozone Layer?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> There was a paper published in June in the peer-reviewed Geophysical Research Letters titled Potential Ozone Depletion from Satellite Demise During Atmospheric Reentry in the Era of Mega-Constellations. As can be deduced by the lengthy title, scientists have uncovered a new risk coming from the reentry of low-orbit satellites through the atmosphere. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240816-will-starlink-harm-the-ozone-layer" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 16, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,588</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240813-is-5g-faster-than-4g">Is 5G Faster than 4G?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Ookla recently tackled this question in one of its research articles. Ookla compared the time it takes to load pages for Facebook, Google, and YouTube on cellphones using 4G LTE networks versus 5G networks. Ookla thinks that page load speed is a great way to measure cellphone experience. The time needed to load a web page is directly impacted by latency, which measures the lag between the time a phone requests a website and that website responds. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240813-is-5g-faster-than-4g" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 13, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,162</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240731-broadband-anywhere-the-new-trend-bringing-connectivity-to-campers-and-remote-locations">Broadband Anywhere: The New Trend Bringing Connectivity to Campers and Remote Locations</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> A new broadband trend has quietly entered the market. Both Starlink and T-Mobile are advertising broadband that can be used practically anywhere and are aiming new products at campers, hikers, and others that go to remote locations. According to T-Mobile, this is a huge market, with 15 million households taking RV trips yearly and 59 million people camping. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240731-broadband-anywhere-the-new-trend-bringing-connectivity-to-campers-and-remote-locations" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 31, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,852</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240731-can-cellphones-capture-the-broadband-market">Can Cellphones Capture the Broadband Market?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,</div> <p> Linda Hardesty wrote an interesting article in FierceNetwork that asks the question, "What if, in ten years, young people don't subscribe to fixed broadband at all?" Her story is based on a U.K. research group that predicts that within ten years, there will be a lot of young people who will never have subscribed to a landline broadband product. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240731-can-cellphones-capture-the-broadband-market" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 31, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,918</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240723-future-of-ai-in-broadband">The Future of AI in Broadband: Impacts on Network Demand and Power Consumption</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/artificial-intelligence" class="red">Artificial Intelligence</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/web" class="red">Web</a>,</div> <p> AI technology seems to be a hot topic in every industry, and broadband is no exception. It seems inevitable that AI will be used to help monitor and control complex broadband networks. It looks like the biggest ISPs are already phasing AI into the customer service process. Nobody seems to be able to answer the big question of whether AI will change the amount of broadband the average household uses. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240723-future-of-ai-in-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 23, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,567</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240712-loving-and-hating-starlink">Loving and Hating Starlink</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I'm such an industry nerd that I sometimes read customer reviews of large ISPs just to see how the public perceives them. Most ISPs have more negative reviews than positive ones, and that's to be expected since people are more likely to complain when things go wrong than give praise when things are working as promised. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240712-loving-and-hating-starlink" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 12, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,505</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240701-will-we-ever-end-legacy-telephone-networks">Will We Ever End Legacy Telephone Networks?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Anybody not involved in the telephone business will probably be surprised to find that the old TDM telephone networks are still very much alive and in place. The old technologies were supposed to be phased out and replaced by digital technologies. The FCC started talking about this before 2010. In 2013, Tom Wheeler, the FCC Chairman at the time, announced an effort to force the needed changes, which was dubbed the IP Transition. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240701-will-we-ever-end-legacy-telephone-networks" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 01, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 9,306</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240624-a-mature-broadband-market-implications-and-industry-shifts">A Mature Broadband Market? (Implications and Industry Shifts)</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> It is becoming clear that the broadband market is reaching maturity. This is already causing havoc in the industry for ISPs that relied on year-over-year customer growth to prop up stock prices. Earlier this year, the New Street Research, a company that specializes in research in the telecommunications and technology sectors, said that it estimated that new broadband customers would grow by about 1 million this year. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240624-a-mature-broadband-market-implications-and-industry-shifts" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 24, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,525</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240603-satellites-directly-to-cellphones">Satellites Directly to Cellphones</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> AT&T and satellite company AST SpaceMobile announced a partnership to provide satellite cellular service directly from satellites to cellphones. This will provide a service that is much needed for the billions of remote users who are not in the range of a cell tower. This is an emerging industry that is still being referred to by different acronyms. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240603-satellites-directly-to-cellphones" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 03, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,114</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240522-solar-storms-threaten-broadband-and-power-grids">Solar Storms Threaten Broadband and Power Grids: Understanding the Impacts and Preparations</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Many readers will have seen recent news that the aurora borealis, or northern lights, were visible deep into the South for several days. This phenomenon is caused by a geomagnetic storm that is caused by strong solar flares. Solar flares can cause problems on Earth by emitting clouds of magnetized particles and hot plasma. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240522-solar-storms-threaten-broadband-and-power-grids" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 22, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,248</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240515-building-resilient-broadband-networks">Building Resilient Broadband Networks: Lessons from the Power Industry’s Transformation</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> It's almost impossible to talk about broadband at the community level without talking about resiliency and redundancy. It's hard to find rural communities that haven't experienced a broadband outage due to a fiber being cut somewhere. The issue hits the news when there are reports of regional or national broadband outages. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240515-building-resilient-broadband-networks" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 15, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,099</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240508-isps-and-ai-enhancing-customer-experience-and-network-efficiency">ISPs and AI: Enhancing Customer Experience and Network Efficiency</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/artificial-intelligence" class="red">Artificial Intelligence</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> One of the most common questions I've been asked lately is what I think the impact AI will have on the broadband industry. All of the big ISPs in the industry have actively been pursuing the use of AI. For example, AT&T Labs says it is investigating the use of AI to optimize the customer experience and auto-heal the network. Comcast says that it is using AI to help process petabytes of data every day. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240508-isps-and-ai-enhancing-customer-experience-and-network-efficiency" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 08, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,430</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240503-the-state-of-the-internet-2024">The State of the Internet - 2024</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/web" class="red">Web</a>,</div> <p> It’s been a while since I took a look at the worldwide Internet. The statistics cited below come from Datareportal. The world population in January 2024 was 8.08 billion, up 74 million from a year earlier, a growth rate of 0.9%. There were 5.61 billion unique mobile subscribers in January, up 138 million (2.5%) over a year earlier. 5.35 billion people used the Internet at the end of 2023, up 97 million (1.8%) from a year earlier. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240503-the-state-of-the-internet-2024" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 03, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,302</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240430-how-the-pandemic-changed-broadband">How the Pandemic Changed Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> The Washington Post recently published an article with a series of graphs showing the impact of the pandemic on various economic indicators, including unemployment, wages, air travel, grocery prices, home prices, and consumer sentiment. The article got me thinking about the impact of the pandemic on the broadband industry, and several important changes emerged from our collective pandemic experience. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240430-how-the-pandemic-changed-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 30, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 13,187</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240426-us-cable-tv-industrys-rapid-decline-continues">U.S. Cable TV Industry’s Rapid Decline Continues: Over 6.9 Million Customers Cut the Cord in 2023</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> at the end of 2023. LRG compiles most of these numbers from the statistics provided to stockholders, except for Cox and Mediacom - they now combine an estimate for both companies. Leichtman says this group of companies represents 96% of all traditional U.S. cable customers. I suspect there are regular blog readers who wonder why I post these statistics every quarter. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240426-us-cable-tv-industrys-rapid-decline-continues" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 26, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,306</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240415-the-rise-of-wifi-sensing-and-its-implications-for-home-security-and-surveillance">The Rise of WiFi Sensing and Its Implications for Home Security and Surveillance</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/privacy" class="red">Privacy</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> It's incredibly hard to keep things private in the new digital age. There are far too many stories circulating about people who talked to a friend on the phone or texted about something and almost instantly got hit with ads for the subject of the conversation. And that happens without malware - no telling what information you're giving out if your devices have been infected with malicious software that is spying on you. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240415-the-rise-of-wifi-sensing-and-its-implications-for-home-security-and-surveillance" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 15, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,245</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240410-another-g-generation-the-promise-of-5.5g">Another G Generation: The Promise of 5.5G</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I've read several articles coming out of the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain, and one of the common threads is that there was a lot of talk about 5.5G (or 5G Advanced) - the next iteration of 5G. My first question on reading about this was to ask what new features are being discussed that were not part of the original announced promises of 5G. I went back and read a few of my blogs and other articles that were written when 5G was first announced. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240410-another-g-generation-the-promise-of-5.5g" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 10, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,454</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240403-carrier-hotels-the-unsung-critical-part-of-broadband-connectivity">Carrier Hotels: The Unsung Critical Part of Broadband Connectivity</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Today's blog talks about a critical part of the broadband network that most people don't know about -- carrier hotels. These are locations that have been created for the specific purpose of allowing carriers to connect to each other. The need for carrier hotels became apparent in the year after the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. That new law allowed local competition for telephone service. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240403-carrier-hotels-the-unsung-critical-part-of-broadband-connectivity" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 03, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,056</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240328-massive-african-internet-outage-and-the-fragility-of-undersea-cables">Massive African Internet Outage and the Fragility of Undersea Cables</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Eight countries in West Africa reported Internet outages after damage was reported to four different undersea fiber cables. The most affected countries are Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Benin, with additional problems caused in Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Lesser impact was felt in South Africa, Senegal, and Portugal. There has been no official word on what caused the problem, but it's likely due to the shifting of the seabed due to seismic activity. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240328-massive-african-internet-outage-and-the-fragility-of-undersea-cables" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 28, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,891</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240322-remote-learning-and-preschoolers">Remote Learning and Preschoolers</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> A recent article in the MIT Technology Review described the benefits that remote learning can bring to preschoolers. The article described a study by the MacArthur Foundation that has not yet been peer-reviewed. The research described the results of bringing preschool to Syrian refugees. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240322-remote-learning-and-preschoolers" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 22, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,522</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240206-the-end-of-rural-landlines">The End of Rural Landlines?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Recent coverage by CBS News on Channel 13 in Sacramento, California documented how AT&T had cut off landline telephone from 80-year-old Patricia Pereira in Camp Seco. She called at the beginning of 2023 to ask if landline service could be transferred from a neighboring home to hers. Instead of transferring the service, AT&T cut the copper lines dead on both properties. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240206-the-end-of-rural-landlines" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 06, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,494</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240125-supporting-rural-cell-towers">Supporting Rural Cell Towers</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I work with a lot of ISPs that own rural fiber. Some rural network owners have been successful in providing fiber to cell sites near their networks over the last decade. A few sell directly to a cellular carrier, but most of these connections are sold to an intermediate carrier that bundles together cellular connections across a large geographic area. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20240125-supporting-rural-cell-towers" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 25, 2024</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,386</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231227-an-update-on-satellite-broadband">An Update on Satellite Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Ookla recently published a blog that looks at the speed performance of satellite broadband, focusing mostly on Starlink. I haven't looked at this broadband sector for a while and thought it was time for an update. Starlink has had a busy year. At the end of November, the company had 5,500 satellites in orbit, up from over 3,200 at the end of 2022. The first constellation is still slated to reach almost 12,000 satellites, and the company has tentative permission from the FCC to extend to 42,000. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231227-an-update-on-satellite-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 27, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,262</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231213-the-trajectory-of-the-broadband-industry">The Trajectory of the Broadband Industry</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> For well over a decade, it was fairly easy to understand the trajectory of the broadband industry. In the residential market, cable companies snagged all the growth while telcos shrank as customers abandoned DSL. Other technologies like fiber or fixed wireless gained customers but were a blip on the national scale. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231213-the-trajectory-of-the-broadband-industry" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 13, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,338</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231207-is-broadband-essential">Is Broadband Essential?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> For many years, I've heard people say that broadband is essential. I read it in articles. I hear it on broadband panels and webcasts. I see it said in comments on social media. It's obvious that a whole lot of people think broadband is essential. But what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that broadband is important in a lot of people's lives, or does it mean that broadband is something that society can't live without? <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231207-is-broadband-essential" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 07, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,942</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231115-a-peek-inside-the-fcc">A Peek Inside the FCC</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> I write a lot about the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but I imagine a lot of folks don't realize the many functions the agency handles. Like any regulatory agency, the FCC staff and Commissioners have been tasked by Congress with a wide range of responsibilities. The public gets to hear from the FCC formally once each month ... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231115-a-peek-inside-the-fcc" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 15, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,186</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231106-from-loon-to-taara-googles-moonshot-delivering-wireless-backhaul">From Loon to Taara: Google’s Moonshot Delivering Wireless Backhaul</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> You may recall a number of years ago when Google experimented with delivering broadband from balloons in an effort labeled Project Loon. The project was eventually dropped, but a remnant of the project has now resurfaced as Taara - broadband delivered terrestrially by lasers. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231106-from-loon-to-taara-googles-moonshot-delivering-wireless-backhaul" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 06, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 12,529</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231026-the-new-privacy-law-in-california">The New Privacy Law in California</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/internet_governance" class="red">Internet Governance</a>,  <a href="/topics/law" class="red">Law</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/privacy" class="red">Privacy</a>,</div> <p> The State of California often leads the country in addressing regulatory issues. This makes sense since the State has a population of nearly 40 million and an economy that would be the fifth largest in the world if California were a separate country. A new law was enacted on the last day of the California Legislature that was signed by Governor Gavin Newson this month. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231026-the-new-privacy-law-in-california" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 26, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,457</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231020-starlink-promising-satellite-cellular-service">Starlink Promising Satellite Cellular Service: A Possible Game-Changer for Remote Areas and Outdoor Enthusiasts</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Starlink recently launched a new webpage that advertises the future ability to deliver text, voice, and data to 4G cell phones via satellite. The texting service is supposed to be available in 2024, with voice and data coming in 2025. The service will require a user to have a view of the open sky. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231020-starlink-promising-satellite-cellular-service" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 20, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,770</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231009-satellite-broadband-rivals-beyond-starlinks-dominance">Satellite Broadband Rivals: Beyond Starlink’s Dominance</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Starlink gets almost all of the satellite press in the U.S., which is fair since the company now serves many homes and RVs with broadband. The company currently has over 4,600 active satellites in orbit, and if it sticks with its original business plan, it will eventually have 30,000. But there are a few other satellite companies working in the broadband space that don't get the press. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231009-satellite-broadband-rivals-beyond-starlinks-dominance" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 09, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,922</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231004-fcc-gives-final-approval-to-broadband-label-requirements">FCC Gives Final Approval to Broadband Label Requirements, with Minor Modifications to 2022 Rules</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> At the end of August, the FCC gave final approval to the requirement that ISPs must provide broadband labels. The FCC had originally approved the broadband labels in November 2022 but then received three petitions to further modify the rules. The recent order makes a few minor changes to the original order but largely leaves the original broadband label rules intact. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20231004-fcc-gives-final-approval-to-broadband-label-requirements" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 04, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,232</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230927-in-search-of-the-killer-5g-app">In Search of the Killer 5G App</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> AT&T and Comcast recently joined forces and joined the 5G Open Innovation Lab. This is a venture that has been funding start-ups and others working in 5G research. Along with looking to improve 5G edge technology, a primary goal of the OAI Lab is to search for killer apps for 5G. The two big companies join the other founding members of the effort, which includes Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Deloitte, and Nokia. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230927-in-search-of-the-killer-5g-app" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 27, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,386</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230913-what-happened-to-quantum-networks">What Happened to Quantum Networks?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,</div> <p> A few years ago, there were a lot of predictions that we'd see broadband networks converting to quantum technology because of the enhanced security. As happens with many new technologies, quantum computing is advancing at a slower pace than the wild predictions that accompanied the launch of the new technology. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230913-what-happened-to-quantum-networks" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 13, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,407</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230906-the-causes-of-network-outages">The Causes of Network Outages: Underlying Causes, Growing Threats and Industry Implications</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/cyberattack" class="red">Cyberattack</a>,  <a href="/topics/data_center" class="red">Data Center</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,</div> <p> The Uptime Institute (UI) is an IT industry research firm best known for certifying that data centers meet industry standards. UI issues an annual report that analyzes the cause of data center outages. The causes for data center outages are relevant to the broadband industry because the same kinds of issues shut down switching hubs and Network Operations Centers. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230906-the-causes-of-network-outages" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 06, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 20,711</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230811-cybersecurity-for-schools">Cybersecurity for Schools</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/cybersecurity" class="red">Cybersecurity</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel recently asked the other FCC Commissioners to support a proposal to spend $200 million over three years to bolster school cybersecurity. Rosenworcel plans to issue a Notice for Proposed Rulemaking (NRPM) soon for her proposal. The NPRM will set off a round of public comments and then a ruling if a majority of the Commissioners agree with the final set of rule changes. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230811-cybersecurity-for-schools" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 11, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 11,459</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230802-unveiling-the-lead-legacy-addressing-the-challenges-of-abandoned-telephone-cables">Unveiling the Lead Legacy: Addressing the Challenges of Abandoned Telephone Cables</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discusses the possible contamination of copper telephone cables with outer lead sheathing. I'm not linking to the article because it is behind a paywall, but this is not a new topic, and it's been written about periodically for decades. The authors looked at locations around the country where lead cables are still present around bus stops, schools, and parks. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230802-unveiling-the-lead-legacy-addressing-the-challenges-of-abandoned-telephone-cables" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 02, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,308</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230727-unintended-consequences-of-satellite-constellations">Unintended Consequences of Satellite Constellations</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> Astronomy & Astrophysics published a research paper recently that looked at "Unintended Electromagnetic Radiation from Starlink Satellites." The study was done in conjunction with the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope in the Netherlands. The LOFAR telescope is a network of over forty radio antennas spread across the Netherlands, Germany, and the rest of Europe. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230727-unintended-consequences-of-satellite-constellations" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 27, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,124</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230723-telehealth-successes-american-medical-association-presents-impactful-case-studies">Telehealth Successes: American Medical Association Presents Impactful Case Studies</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> The American Medical Association fully supports telehealth. The group now has gathered enough evidence of the effectiveness of telehealth and touts the advantages of telehealth to its member physicians. There are still a few ongoing issues involving compensation, privacy, liability, and of course, rural patients without broadband access. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230723-telehealth-successes-american-medical-association-presents-impactful-case-studies" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 23, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,310</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230719-using-42-ghz-spectrum-for-broadband">Using 42 GHz Spectrum for Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> The U.S. Federal Communications Commission circulated draft rules to govern the lower 42 GHz spectrum (between 42-42.5 GHz). This is within the range of spectrum referred to as millimeter wave spectrum. This is one of the more unusual FCC spectrum deliberations because this spectrum is totally empty -- there is nobody currently authorized by the FCC to use the spectrum band. The FCC is starting this deliberation with a clean slate. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230719-using-42-ghz-spectrum-for-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 19, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,037</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230713-the-fiber-land-grab">The Fiber Land Grab</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> It's becoming clear that we are now deep into a fiber land grab. By that, I mean that companies that overbuild fiber in the United States are moving into markets to build fiber as quickly as possible. The biggest ISPs have publicly discussed their plans for building a lot of fiber in 2023. Following are some of the latest projections for 2023: <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230713-the-fiber-land-grab" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 13, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,951</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230705-revisiting-the-impact-of-killing-net-neutrality">Revisiting the Impact of Killing Net Neutrality</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/net_neutrality" class="red">Net Neutrality</a>,</div> <p> Ajit Pai recently wrote an article in the National Review where he talks about how his decision as head of the FCC to repeal net neutrality was the right one. He goes on to claim that repealing net neutrality was the driver behind the current boom in building fiber and upgrading other broadband technologies. He contrasts the progress of broadband in the U.S. with Europe and says that the FCC's action is the primary reason we are seeing a fiber boom in the U.S. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230705-revisiting-the-impact-of-killing-net-neutrality" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 05, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,255</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230619-the-benefits-of-thinner-fiber">The Benefits of Thinner Fiber</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Fiber manufacturers are always trying to make it easier to deploy fiber. One of the most interesting trends is the increasing migration from 250-micron fiber to 200-micron fiber. For those not familiar with the metric system, a micron is one-thousands of a millimeter. A 250-micron fiber has a diameter of 0.25 millimeters, while a 200-micron fiber has a diameter of 0.2 millimeters. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230619-the-benefits-of-thinner-fiber" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 19, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 3,586</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230608-50-years-of-ethernet">50 Years of Ethernet</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/internet_protocol" class="red">Internet Protocol</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,</div> <p> The idea for Ethernet was born fifty years ago in May 1973 when Robert Metcalf coined the word Ethernet. He had been studying ALOHAnet, developed at the University of Hawaii in 1971 and was the first public demonstration of a wireless packet data network. Metcalf used the work Ethernet as a reference to luminiferous aether, a concept postulated in the 17<sup>th</sup> century to explain how light could be transmitted through a vacuum. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230608-50-years-of-ethernet" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 08, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,853</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230606-are-you-ready-for-wifi-7">Are You Ready for WiFi 7?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> It wasn't that long ago that we saw a major update to WiFi standards with the release of WiFi 6 in 2019 and WiFi 6E in 2020. But we're on the verge of the next generation of WiFi with the official launch of the new WiFi 7 standard in November 2022. There has already been a soft release of WiFi 7 routers in China, and we'll start seeing the new routers in the market here sometime this year. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230606-are-you-ready-for-wifi-7" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 06, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,324</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230531-fcc-touts-6g">FCC Touts 6G</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has seemingly joined forces with the marketing arm of the cellular industry in declaring that the spectrum between 7-16 GHz is now considered to be 6G. Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel recently announced that the agency would soon begin looking at the uses for this spectrum for mobile broadband.  <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230531-fcc-touts-6g" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 31, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,848</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230525-starlinks-new-business-broadband">Starlink’s New Business Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Starlink has quietly updated its business broadband offerings. The original plan for businesses was $500 per month with a two-terabyte data cap. If a customer exceeded the data cap, the speed reduced to 1 Mbps for the remainder of the month unless a customer bought additional broadband at $1 per gigabyte. Starlink business comes with a premium antenna from HP at a one-time cost of $2,500. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230525-starlinks-new-business-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 25, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,364</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230502-matter-the-new-iot-standard">Matter - The New IoT Standard</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/internet_of_things" class="red">Internet of Things</a>,</div> <p> Anybody that uses more than one brand of Internet of Things (IoT) device in the home understands that there is no standard way to connect to these devices. Each manufacturer chooses from a range of different protocols to communicate with and control its devices, such as BLE, LoRa, LTE-M, NB-IoT, SigFox, ZigBee, and others. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230502-matter-the-new-iot-standard" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 02, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,376</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230428-the-trade-war-for-undersea-fiber">The Trade War for Undersea Fiber</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> A recent article by Joe Brock for Reuters describes a new geopolitical battle over undersea fibers. There are about 400 undersea fiber routes that cross oceans and that connect the world with fiber. This is a huge business, and about 95% of all international broadband traffic passes through the undersea fibers. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230428-the-trade-war-for-undersea-fiber" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 28, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,664</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230421-amazons-huge-iot-network">Amazon’s Huge IoT Network</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/internet_of_things" class="red">Internet of Things</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,</div> <p> In a recent blog post, Amazon invited developers to test drive its gigantic IoT network. This network has been labeled 'Sidewalk' and was created by tying together all of Amazon's wireless devices like Amazon Echos and Ring cameras. Amazon claims this huge wireless network now covers 90% of U.S. households. Amazon created the network by transmitting Bluetooth and 900 MHz LoRa signals from its various devices. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230421-amazons-huge-iot-network" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 21, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,704</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230411-return-of-net-neutrality-discussion-of-european-net-neutrality-proposal-relevant-for-u.s-broadband-market">Return of Net Neutrality: Discussion of European Net Neutrality Proposal Relevant for U.S. Broadband Market</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/net_neutrality" class="red">Net Neutrality</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> There is an interesting recent discussion in Europe about net neutrality that has relevance to the U.S. broadband market. The European Commission that oversees telecom and broadband has started taking comments on a proposal to force content generators like Netflix to pay fees to ISPs for using the Internet. I've seen this same idea circulating here from time to time, and in fact, this was one of the issues that convinced the FCC first to implement net neutrality. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230411-return-of-net-neutrality-discussion-of-european-net-neutrality-proposal-relevant-for-u.s-broadband-market" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 11, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,261</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230327-is-the-broadband-industry-reaching-maturity">Is the Broadband Industry Reaching Maturity?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Craig Moffett, of MoffettNathanson, was recently quoted in FierceTelecom asking if the broadband industry is reaching maturity. Other than in rural areas, where many homes are still hungry for better broadband, the broadband penetration rate in cities is approaching 90%. It's a fair question to ask if there is room for much more growth in the industry. This is a question that has bounced around for the last five years. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230327-is-the-broadband-industry-reaching-maturity" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 27, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 3,872</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230320-expect-big-changes-from-streaming-video">Expect Big Changes from Streaming Video</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/iptv" class="red">IPTV</a>,</div> <p> One of the biggest uses of bandwidth continues to be streaming video from the many online vendors like Netflix, Disney, Hulu, and many others. Final 2022 earnings reports show that this is an industry segment in crisis. Altogether, the losses for just these four video platforms were almost $11 billion in 2022. There are other big platforms like Apple, Google (YouTube), and Amazon that don't specifically report on the performance of the video streaming segment. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230320-expect-big-changes-from-streaming-video" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 20, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,403</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230313-quantifying-the-benefits-of-telemedicine">Quantifying the Benefits of Telemedicine</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> There was a recent article in JAMA Network Open, part of the monthly journals of the American Medical Association, that reported on a large study to quantify the benefits of using telemedicine with cancer patients. The study was conducted at National Cancer Institute - Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Florida from April 2020 through June 2021. The study wanted to quantify the cost savings for patients that were able to conduct visits via telehealth rather than drive to the cancer center. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230313-quantifying-the-benefits-of-telemedicine" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 13, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,702</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230308-new-york-citys-broadband-reversal">New York City’s Broadband Reversal</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> New York City has done a 180-degree turnaround on the concept of the City providing broadband to low-income households. In 2020, then-May Bill de Blasio announced a plan to bring affordable broadband to low-income households. That Master Plan said that the City would make a $157 million infrastructure investment to provide broadband to around 600,000 homes that includes 200,000 residents of public housing. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230308-new-york-citys-broadband-reversal" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 08, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 3,772</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230228-fixed-wireless-in-cities">Fixed Wireless in Cities</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I am often asked by cities about the option of building a municipal fixed wireless broadband network. As a reminder, fixed wireless, in this case, is not a cellular system but is the point-to-multipoint technology used by wireless Internet service providers (WISPs). My response has been that it's possible but that the resulting network is probably not going to satisfy the performance goals most cities have in mind. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230228-fixed-wireless-in-cities" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 28, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 6,742</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230222-is-fiber-growth-slowing">Is Fiber Growth Slowing?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> In a recent article in LightReading, Mike Dano cites data from industry analyst Cowan that shows that some of the largest fiber builders in the United States have already trimmed back their construction plans for 2023. AT&T has the largest retrenchment and is trimming 2023 plans from 3.5 to 4 million passings back to 2 to 2.5 million. The company says that it is not changing its long-term goal to reach 30 million passings with fiber, but a cutback of this size means it won't likely reach that target in 2025. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230222-is-fiber-growth-slowing" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 22, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,316</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230209-poor-rural-connectivity-costs-lives">Poor Rural Connectivity Costs Lives</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> The Washington Post wrote an article recently that talked about how poor rural connectivity cost lives during a tornado in Louisiana. Around the country, there are now elaborate alert systems in areas subject to tornados and other dangerous weather events. These alerts have been shown to save lives since they give folks enough time to seek shelter or get out of the path of a storm. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230209-poor-rural-connectivity-costs-lives" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 09, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,418</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230202-getting-serious-about-satellite-texting">Getting Serious About Satellite Texting</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> One of the more interesting telecom announcements at the CES electronics show in Vegas was the announcement from the partnership of Qualcomm and Iridium of plans to bring satellite texting capability to many more cell phones and other devices. We've already seen a few other announcements recently of the ability to make emergency text calls when out of reach of cell coverage. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230202-getting-serious-about-satellite-texting" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 02, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,047</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230127-the-disappointment-of-5g">The Disappointment of 5G</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Karl Bode recently wrote an excellent article highlighting the overhyping of wireless technologies. He's right, and for the last twenty years, we've been told that a world-changing wireless technology is coming soon, but none ever materialized. No wireless technology has been a bigger flop than 5G when comparing the hype to the eventual reality. The hype for 5G was amazingly over-the-top. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230127-the-disappointment-of-5g" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 27, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 2</li> <li>Views: 48,866</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230123-competing-against-big-cable-companies">Competing Against Big Cable Companies</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,</div> <p> I'm asked at least twenty times a year how a small ISP can compete against the big cable companies. The question comes from several sources - a newly-formed ISP that is nervous about competing against a giant company, a rural ISP that is entering a larger market to compete, or investors thinking of funding a new ISP. These folks are rightfully nervous about competing against the big cable companies. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230123-competing-against-big-cable-companies" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 23, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,010</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230113-are-we-facing-the-splinternet">Are We Facing the Splinternet?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/internet_governance" class="red">Internet Governance</a>,  <a href="/topics/web" class="red">Web</a>,</div> <p> One of the consequences of the war between Russia and Ukraine is that Russia has largely stopped participating in many large worldwide web applications. Russia has blocked Facebook and Twitter. Other applications like Apple, Microsoft, TikTok, Netflix, and others have withdrawn from Russia. The European Union is in the process of trying to block Russian-generated content, such as the state-owned news outlets of RT (formerly Russia Today) and Sputnik. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230113-are-we-facing-the-splinternet" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 13, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,236</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221227-isps-and-the-digital-divide">ISPs and the Digital Divide</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> It seems almost monthly that I am asked about the role that ISPs should take in making sure that we solve the digital divide. I think that people are somewhat shocked every time when I tell them this is not a role for ISPs. In explaining my answer, let me start by parsing what is meant by the question. We are about to see a lot of grant funding for getting computers into homes and training folks on how to use them. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221227-isps-and-the-digital-divide" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 27, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,790</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221220-space-weather-and-broadband">Space Weather and Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> There was an interesting phenomenon that happened in September when Starlink launched 49 new satellites. The satellites were successfully deployed by the rocket, but as the satellites were being maneuvered to reach the final orbital slots, there was a geomagnetic storm that caused 38 of the satellites to fall back to earth. Space storms happen when radiation affects the magnetosphere that surrounds the earth.  <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221220-space-weather-and-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 20, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,870</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221215-a-new-definition-of-6g">A New Definition of 6G</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> We now know how wireless carriers are going to continue the string of new G generations of cellular technology. 5G was originally defined to include spectrum up to 90 GHz or 100 GHz. In the last few years, international standards bodies have been developing new 6G standards in what is called the terahertz wavelengths between 100 GHz and 1 THz. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221215-a-new-definition-of-6g" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 15, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 11,270</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221209-a-repeat-performance-for-cable-tv-3q22">A Repeat Performance for Cable TV 3Q22</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/iptv" class="red">IPTV</a>,</div> <p> Traditional cable providers in the United States continue to lose cable TV customers at the same fast pace as the second quarter of the year. In the third quarter, the cable companies list 1.68 million customers after losing over 1.65 million customers in the second quarter. These numbers come from Leichtman Research Group, which compiles most of these numbers from the statistics provided to stockholders, except for Cox, which is privately held and estimated. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221209-a-repeat-performance-for-cable-tv-3q22" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 09, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,594</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221206-fcc-implements-broadband-labels">FCC Implements Broadband Labels</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> The FCC voted recently to implement consumer broadband labels. This was required by section 60504 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The new rules will become effective after the Office of Management, and Budget approves the new rules and after the final notice is published in the federal register. ISPs will then generally have six months to implement the labels. The labels look a lot like the nutrition labels that accompany food. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221206-fcc-implements-broadband-labels" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 06, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 6,617</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221130-my-2023-broadband-predictions">My 2023 Broadband Predictions</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> This is my annual stab at predicting the major trends in the broadband industry in the coming year... This might be the least brave prediction I think I've ever made. The first iteration of the new map just came out, and there is a lot to like and hate about the new maps. Early reports, like from the State of Vermont, are that the new maps are pretty far off in identifying the locations that can buy broadband. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221130-my-2023-broadband-predictions" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 30, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,647</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221123-businesses-are-ready-for-the-metaverse">Businesses Are Ready for the Metaverse</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The latest technology on the horizon is the metaverse, which, stated simply, is the creation of online environments. While the primary focus of the metaverse is to create alternate realities, an application with a possible immediate big uptake is vertical presence for business meetings. Ciena, a manufacturer of fiber optic transmission equipment, recently did a survey worldwide of 15,000 business people to understand the interests and expectations of the metaverse. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221123-businesses-are-ready-for-the-metaverse" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 23, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,464</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221116-the-price-for-faster-upload-speeds">The Price for Faster Upload Speeds</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> I've always been impressed by the marketing folks at the big cable companies. They are masters of extracting money from customers willing to pay for better broadband. The latest example comes from Comcast. The company is introducing a new product in the Northeast that offers faster upload speeds -- for a price. Comcast knows that its biggest weakness is upload speeds. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221116-the-price-for-faster-upload-speeds" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 16, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,443</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221110-update-on-satellite-broadband">Update on Satellite Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> The first announcement came from OneWeb. The company successfully launched 36 new satellites with rockets supplied by NewSpace India Limited. This new rocket company was formed in 2019 and is a public-sector undertaking sponsored by the Indian Government and an arm of the India Space Research Organization. This launch is a reminder that many parts of the world are now interested in the space business. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221110-update-on-satellite-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 10, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 6,267</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221106-cloud-gaming">Cloud Gaming</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/cloud_computing" class="red">Cloud Computing</a>,</div> <p> Gaming is a huge business. In 2021, gaming generated $214 billion in revenues worldwide. That represents over 6% of all spending on entertainment. Gaming market experts are predicting that this will grow to over 10% during this decade. The pandemic triggered a growth spurt in gaming, with revenues almost tripling since 2019. During that time, there was also a big change in the dynamics of the industry, where many games are offered for free. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221106-cloud-gaming" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 06, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 16,436</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221103-how-are-you-solving-the-digital-divide">How Are You Solving the Digital Divide</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,</div> <p> One of the most common questions I'm being asked these days is from local politicians and economic development folks who want examples of other communities that are tackling and solving the digital divide. I'm able to trot out the big-picture stories because they come to my attention in reading about the industry. As an example, just before I wrote this blog, I read an article that says that the State of Maryland will be providing 150,000 laptops to homes... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221103-how-are-you-solving-the-digital-divide" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 03, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,422</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221031-using-am-radio-towers-in-designing-wireless-networks">Using AM Radio Towers in Designing Wireless Networks</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> One existing resource that is often overlooked in designing wireless networks is AM radio towers. For the most part, companies deploying fixed wireless and microwave antenna have avoided these towers. This is due to the nature of AM radio, which transmits at such a low frequency that the entire tower is effectively used as the transmitting antenna. The entire tower is energized with the AM signal, and the typical AM tower sits on a base insulator that blocks the tower from being grounded.  <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221031-using-am-radio-towers-in-designing-wireless-networks" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 31, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,218</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221024-economy-of-scale-for-isps">Economy-of-Scale for ISPs</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,</div> <p> I've worked with a number of small communities that want to explore the idea of having a community-owned ISP. My advice to small communities is the same as with all clients - economy-of-scale really matters for ISPs. Economy-of-scale is the economic term for describing how businesses get more efficient as they get larger. It's fairly easy to understand, and the classic example is to look at the impact of the salary and costs of the general manager of an ISP.  <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221024-economy-of-scale-for-isps" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 24, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,583</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221021-rural-america-is-losing-patience">Rural America is Losing Patience</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> From all across the country, I'm hearing that communities without broadband are tired of waiting for a broadband solution. Local broadband advocates and politicians tell me that folks with little or no broadband are hounding them about when they are going to see a broadband solution. A large part of the frustration is that folks have heard that broadband is coming to rural America but aren't seeing any local progress or improvement. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221021-rural-america-is-losing-patience" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 21, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,929</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221012-pinpointing-urban-broadband-gaps">Pinpointing Urban Broadband Gaps</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> The City of Chicago asked some researchers at the University of Chicago for help to identify the neighborhoods and the number of households that are not connected to broadband. It's been well known that large numbers of people in cities don't have broadband, but there have been no easy ways to pinpoint where solutions are needed. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221012-pinpointing-urban-broadband-gaps" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 12, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,357</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221007-broadband-satellite-issues">Broadband Satellite Issues</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> One of the most interesting aspects of serving broadband from low-orbit satellites is that it brings issues related to space into broadband discussion. Space issues were less important for high earth orbit satellites that sit 20,000 miles above the earth. Other than an occasional impact from sunspots, there wasn't much of note. But there are two recent events that highlight our new focus on low-earth orbit satellites. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221007-broadband-satellite-issues" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 07, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,734</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221005-google-fiber-to-push-speed-limits-again">Google Fiber to Push Speed Limits Again</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Dinni Jain, the CEO of Google Fiber, posted a blog last week that talks about dramatically increasing the top speeds available on fiber. He says the specific announcement will come in the coming months to dramatically expand Google Fiber's gigabit offerings. The blog gives a hint at what might be coming. Included in the blog is a speed test from the home of a Google Fiber employee in Kansas City who is receiving 20.2 Gbps. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20221005-google-fiber-to-push-speed-limits-again" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 05, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,825</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220926-broadband-deserts">Broadband Deserts</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Perhaps it's because the death of Queen Elizabeth has been everywhere in the news, but somebody sent me an article from the BBC from 2008 where then Prince Charles warned that the lack of rural broadband in the UK was going to eventually result in broadband deserts. The now King Charles III was quoted as saying that lack of broadband puts too much pressure on the people who live without broadband and that if a solution wasn't found... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220926-broadband-deserts" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 26, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,439</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220926-the-data-divide">The Data Divide</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/data_center" class="red">Data Center</a>,</div> <p> A report from the Center for Data Innovation warns of a new broadband gap they call the data divide, which is when some parts of society are not sharing in the big societal advantages that come from using and understanding the huge amounts of data that are being generated today. The report includes examples of the data divide that make the concept easier to understand. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220926-the-data-divide" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 26, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,622</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220918-the-12-ghz-battle">The 12 GHz Battle</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> A big piece of what the FCC does is to weigh competing claims to use spectrum. It seems like there have been non-stop industry fights over the last decade on who gets to use various bands of spectrum. One of the latest fights, which is the continuation of a battle going on since 2018, is for the use of the 12 GHz spectrum. The big wrestling match is between Starlink's desire to use the spectrum to communicate with its low-orbit satellites and cellular carriers and WISPs... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220918-the-12-ghz-battle" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 18, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,439</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220915-satellite-cell-service-whats-coming">Satellite Cell Service: What’s Coming</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> T-Mobile and Starlink made a joint announcement recently about an arrangement where Starlink will enable voice and texting capabilities to T-Mobile cellphones by the end of 2023. This is a service that would work with existing cell phones and would supposedly kick in when a phone can't find a signal from a cell tower. Starlink said the technology would be enabled by new satellites that have significantly larger antennae than the current satellites in the constellation. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220915-satellite-cell-service-whats-coming" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 15, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,052</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220913-cable-companies-tout-speed-increases">Cable Companies Tout Speed Increases</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Last month, NCTA -- The Internet and Television Association -- posted an article on its website touting the big increases in broadband speeds since the start of the pandemic. NCTA is the industry trade and lobbying association for medium-sized and large cable companies. The article touts that the average U.S. download speed has grown from 138 Mbps in March 2020, the first month of the pandemic, to 226 Mbps in June 2022. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220913-cable-companies-tout-speed-increases" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 13, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,278</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220908-streaming-video-continues-to-grow">Streaming Video Continues to Grow</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,  <a href="/topics/iptv" class="red">IPTV</a>,</div> <p> I saw recent headlines that claim that the time people watch streaming content is now greater than all of the time spent watching content from cable companies. A deeper look at the underlying statistics shows that this isn't entirely true, but it makes for a great headline. But it's still news that the percentage of viewing done through streaming continues to grow while the number of traditional cable customers continues to plunge. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220908-streaming-video-continues-to-grow" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 08, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,172</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220829-the-birth-of-the-digital-divide">The Birth of the Digital Divide</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> A lot of the money being spent on broadband infrastructure today is trying to solve the digital divide, which I define as a technology gap where good broadband is available in some places but not everywhere. The technology divide can be as large as an entire county that doesn't have broadband or as small as a pocket of homes or apartment buildings in cities that got bypassed. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220829-the-birth-of-the-digital-divide" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 29, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,866</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220822-traditional-big-isps-stagnate">Traditional Big ISPs Stagnate</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> In the first quarter of this year, the big cable companies added 482,000 customers, while telcos added over 50,000 customers. In what is a surprise to the industry, that growth has disappeared, and all of the big ISPs collectively lost almost 150,000 customers. That's a loss of 60,000 customers for the cable companies and 88,000 for the big telcos. The following statistics have been compiled by the Leichtman Research Group, which tracks the broadband performance of the largest ISPs in the country. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220822-traditional-big-isps-stagnate" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 22, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,395</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220812-fcc-nixes-starlink-and-ltd-broadband">FCC Nixes Starlink and LTD Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> On August 10, the FCC issued a press release denying the long-form applications of Starlink and LTD Broadband in the RDOF reverse auction. This is big news because these are two of the biggest winners of the reverse auction. LTD Broadband was the largest winner of the auctions at $1.32 billion, while Starlink had claimed over $885 million in the auction. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220812-fcc-nixes-starlink-and-ltd-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 12, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,871</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220808-how-safe-is-your-fiber-network">How Safe is Your Fiber Network?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> There was a major attack launched against long-haul fiber networks outside of Paris, France, on April 27 of this year. It appears that there was a coordinated attack by vandals to cut three long-haul fiber routes simultaneously. Fibers were cut with what seemed like a circular saw, and sections of fiber were removed to make it hard to make repairs. These were backbone fibers that were shared by multiple ISPs. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220808-how-safe-is-your-fiber-network" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 08, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,491</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220801-building-new-fiber-networks-reusing-existing-easements">Reusing Existing Easements for Building New Fiber Networks</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,  <a href="/topics/law" class="red">Law</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Casey Lide and Thomas B. Magee of Keller & Heckman highlight an issue that anybody building fiber on utility poles should be aware of. A recent article on their website notes that in some cases, an easement obtained for using private land to bring electric service might not automatically allow an easement for bringing fiber. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220801-building-new-fiber-networks-reusing-existing-easements" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 01, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,558</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220725-the-proliferation-of-microtrenching">The Proliferation of Microtrenching</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,</div> <p> There is an interesting new trend in fiber construction. Some relatively large cities are getting fiber networks using microtrenching. Just in the last week, I've seen announcements of plans to use microtrenching in cities like Mesa, Arizona, and Sarasota Springs, New York. In the past, the technology was used for new fiber networks in Austin, Texas, San Antonia, Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220725-the-proliferation-of-microtrenching" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 25, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,294</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220719-a-new-definition-of-broadband">A New Definition of Broadband?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel has circulated a draft Notice of Inquiry inside the FCC to kick off the required annual report to Congress on the state of U.S. broadband. As part of preparing that report, she is recommending that the FCC adopt a new definition of broadband of 100/20 Mbps and establish gigabit broadband as a longer-term goal. I have a lot of different reactions to the idea. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220719-a-new-definition-of-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 19, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,370</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220708-no-love-for-the-big-isps">No Love for the Big ISPs</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> It's the time of the year when the results come out for the American Customer Satisfaction Index that asks customers to rate their satisfaction with a wide range of industries and the larger companies within those industries. This is a huge nationwide poll that ranks the public's satisfaction with 400 large companies in 45 sectors. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220708-no-love-for-the-big-isps" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 08, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,400</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220705-how-fast-is-starlink-broadband">How Fast is Starlink Broadband?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> We got a recent analysis of Starlink broadband speeds from Ookla, which gathers huge numbers of speed tests from across the country. The U.S. average download speeds on Starlink have improved over the last year, from an average of 65.72 Mbps in 1Q 2021 to 90.55 Mbps in 1Q 2022. But during that same timeframe, upload speeds got worse, dropping from an average of 16.29 Mbps in 1Q 2021 to 10.70 Mbps in 1Q 2022. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220705-how-fast-is-starlink-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 05, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 4</li> <li>Views: 13,835</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220627-is-cable-broadband-equal-to-fiber">Is Cable Broadband Equal to Fiber?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> As I have blogged over the years, I have to give kudos to the folks at the big ISPs who have steadily provided controversial quotes that are worth writing about. The latest comes in an article by Linda Hardest at FierceTelecom. She quotes Charter's CEO Tom Rutledge talking about comparing cable broadband to fiber. She quotes Rutledge as saying... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220627-is-cable-broadband-equal-to-fiber" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 27, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,548</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220622-bringing-broadband-to-the-arctic">Bringing Broadband to the Arctic</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> The Arctic region has largely been left out of the broadband arena in the past due to the high cost of building last-mile broadband infrastructure. The primary broadband available in the region has been provided for decades by Iridium Communications, which provided only low-bandwidth connections capable of supporting satellite phones and low-bandwidth monitoring devices. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220622-bringing-broadband-to-the-arctic" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 22, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,545</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220614-smart-highways-or-smart-cars">Smart Highways or Smart Cars?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> It wasn't too many years ago when you couldn't read an article about broadband infrastructure without hearing about the need for smart highway infrastructure that was going to enable self-driving cars. There were various versions of how this would happen, but the predominant concept was that 5G networks along roads would communicate with cars and would enable efficient and safe travel by eliminating driver error by taking the driver out of the equation. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220614-smart-highways-or-smart-cars" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 14, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,365</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220607-getting-ready-for-the-metaverse">Getting Ready for the Metaverse</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> In a recent article in LightReading, Mike Dano quotes Dan Rampton of Meta as saying that the immersive metaverse experience is going to require a customer latency between 10 and 20 milliseconds. The quote came from a Wireless Infrastructure Association Connect (WIAC) trade show presentation. Dano says the presentation was aimed at big players like American Tower and DigitalBridge, which are investing heavily in major data centers. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220607-getting-ready-for-the-metaverse" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 07, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,113</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220524-broadband-for-communities">Broadband for Communities</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> When talking about the benefits of broadband, it's easy to overlook how broadband has become the glue that brings people and communities together. This is becoming particularly important for rural communities but matters to people everywhere. Rural communities have been rapidly losing other forms of media that were the focal point in the past. 2004 was the peak of the newspaper business in terms of readership and revenues. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220524-broadband-for-communities" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 24, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,247</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220519-a-disturbing-view-of-future-cable-broadband">A Disturbing View of Future Cable Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> There was a recent article in FierceTelecom that quotes a leading cable company consultant as saying that cable companies are not likely to universally upgrade broadband networks in the future. The consultant is Sean McDevitt, a partner at Arthur D. Little, a consulting firm that largely works for the giant ISPs. In the past, when a cable company migrated from DOCSIS 1.0 to 2.0 and to 3.0, everybody in a community was upgraded to the latest technology. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220519-a-disturbing-view-of-future-cable-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 19, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 9,063</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220509-home-broadband-and-the-cloud">Home Broadband and the Cloud</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/cloud_computing" class="red">Cloud Computing</a>,  <a href="/topics/web" class="red">Web</a>,</div> <p> I'm not sure that most people understand the extent to which our online experience has moved to the cloud -- and this movement to the cloud means we're using a lot more bandwidth than in the recent past. A huge number of online functions now reside in the cloud, when only a few years ago, a lot of processing was done on our computers. Take the example of Twitter, where I keep an account to upload a copy of my blog every day. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220509-home-broadband-and-the-cloud" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 09, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,844</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220502-the-history-of-broadband-price-competition">The History of Broadband Price Competition</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> It's sometimes easy to forget that the broadband business is just over twenty-five years old. The telephone companies had a monopoly on copper-based technologies until Congress passed the Telecommunication Act of 1996, which forced the big telephone companies to allow competition for copper-based broadband services. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220502-the-history-of-broadband-price-competition" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 02, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,553</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220425-broadband-now-or-later">Broadband Now or Later?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> I just heard about a U.S. County that is using its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to build fixed wireless broadband. This is a traditional fixed wireless broadband technology that will probably deliver speeds of 100 Mbps to those close to the towers, slower speeds to homes further away, and which will not reach all homes in the County. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220425-broadband-now-or-later" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 25, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,040</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220420-an-easier-way-to-define-broadband">An Easier Way to Define Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Our broadband policies always seem to lag the market. If and when the FCC seats the fifth Commissioner, it's expected that the agency will raise the definition of broadband from 25/3 Mbps to 100/20 Mbps. That change will have big repercussions in the market because it will mean that anybody that can't buy broadband speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps would not have broadband. That's how an official broadband definition works -- you either have broadband, or you don't. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220420-an-easier-way-to-define-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 20, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 6,544</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220411-the-death-of-millimeter-wave-cellular">The Death of Millimeter-Wave Cellular?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Apple recently announced that it is not building millimeter-wave spectrum antennas into the next generation SE iPhone. Interestingly, this is a phone sold by Verizon, which spent a year advertising on TV and showing us speed tests on cellphones that were receiving gigabit speeds. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220411-the-death-of-millimeter-wave-cellular" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 11, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,535</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220331-what-duopoly">What Duopoly?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> For the last twenty years, the industry has talked about broadband in cities as a duopoly, meaning there was competition between cable companies and telcos -- competition between cable modem broadband and DSL broadband. Twenty years ago, there was a true duopoly when the speeds on DSL and cable modem were close in capability. The market at that time demonstrated real duopoly behavior. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220331-what-duopoly" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 31, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 11,217</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220317-national-broadband-growth-is-slowing">National Broadband Growth is Slowing</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Leichtman Research recently released the U.S. broadband customer statistics for the end of the fourth quarter of 2021. The numbers show that broadband growth has slowed significantly for the sixteen largest ISPs tracked by the company. LRG compiles these statistics from customer counts provided to stockholders, except for Cox, which is privately owned. Net customer additions sank each quarter during the year. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220317-national-broadband-growth-is-slowing" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 17, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,608</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220312-network-requirements-for-the-metaverse">Network Requirements for the Metaverse</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,</div> <p> I've often joked that I don't play computer games because I'm holding out for a holodeck. While that may sound ridiculously far-future, we're on the verge of seeing the web-based virtual reality that will be a major step towards a holodeck. There is already some awesome virtual reality software and games where a person can get immersed in another world using a headset. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220312-network-requirements-for-the-metaverse" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 12, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 12,685</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220310-big-future-for-telemedicine">Big Future for Telemedicine?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> According to a report just released by McKinsey & Company, we are on the verge of seeing a major shift to health care from home. The report says that as much as $265 billion in annual fees to Medicare and Medicare Advantage could shift to homes by 2025. We've already seen the start of the trend towards telemedicine. The spending on telemedicine was 38 times higher in 2021 compared to 2020. Most of that shift is obviously due to the pandemic. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220310-big-future-for-telemedicine" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 10, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,784</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220306-what-weve-learned-about-upload-bandwidth">What We’ve Learned About Upload Bandwidth</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/brand_protection" class="red">Brand Protection</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> Until the pandemic hit, I rarely thought about upload bandwidth. I mostly used upload bandwidth to send files to people, and I rarely cared if they received the files immediately -- I was happy as long as files got sent. But the pandemic changed everything for millions of people. All of a sudden, homes were unable to function well due to problems with uploading. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220306-what-weve-learned-about-upload-bandwidth" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 06, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 36,284</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220302-truth-in-broadband-advertising">Truth in Broadband Advertising</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> We're all used to crazy advertising about telecom products that make industry folks shake their heads -- many of the ads about 5G come to mind. Most people don't realize that carriers in the industry routinely challenge the claims made by competitors to force them to modify or drop deceptive ads. Most of the largest corporations in the country belong to the National Advertising Division (NAD), which is part of the Better Business Bureau and arbitrates disputes about advertising between participants in the plan. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220302-truth-in-broadband-advertising" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 02, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,247</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220221-the-explosive-growth-of-worldwide-broadband-usage">The Explosive Growth of Worldwide Broadband Usage</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/web" class="red">Web</a>,</div> <p> Sandvine gathers data from the 160 largest fixed and wireless ISPs on the planet to understand Internet usage trends. The statistics discussed below come from the Sandvine January 2022 Global Internet Phenomena Report. Sandvine identifies several current industry trends... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220221-the-explosive-growth-of-worldwide-broadband-usage" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 21, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 8,319</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220216-can-satellite-broadband-be-affordable">Can Satellite Broadband Be Affordable?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> When we first heard of the possibility of broadband from low-orbit satellites, there was a lot of speculation that the technology could bring affordable broadband to the masses around the globe. The latest announcement from Starlink shows that affordable broadband is probably not coming in the immediate future. Starlink announced a premium tier of service with a $500 monthly fee for 150-500 Mbps. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220216-can-satellite-broadband-be-affordable" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 16, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,428</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220209-video-continues-to-drive-broadband-usage">Video Continues to Drive Broadband Usage</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/iptv" class="red">IPTV</a>,</div> <p> Nielsen recently published some statistics about how we watch videos that show a continuing trend of migration from traditional video to watching video online. One of the most striking statistics is the total volume of online videos. December 2021 saw an aggregate of 183 billion minutes of online video viewing. And even that, the number is likely small since there are many uses of video on the web that are not likely counted in the total. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220209-video-continues-to-drive-broadband-usage" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 09, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,117</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220201-the-battle-for-iot">The Battle for IoT</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/internet_of_things" class="red">Internet of Things</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> There is an interesting battle going on to be the technology that monetizes the control of Internet of Things devices. Like a lot of tech hype, IoT has developed a lot slower than initially predicted -- but it's now finally becoming a big business. I think back to a decade ago when tech prognosticators said we'd soon be living in a virtual cloud of small monitors that would monitor everything in our life. According to those early predictions, our farm fields should already be fully automated, and we should all be living in the smart home envisioned by the <em>Jetsons</em>. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220201-the-battle-for-iot" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 01, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,429</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220124-top-broadband-stories-of-2021">Top Broadband Stories of 2021</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Every year I write a blog talking about the trends that I think we're likely to see in the coming year. But 2021 was such an unusual year for all of us that I thought it would also be useful to talk about what we accomplished in the industry over the last year while fending off a pandemic. All in all, it was quite a year. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220124-top-broadband-stories-of-2021" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 24, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,065</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220120-when-will-we-see-real-5g">When Will We See Real 5G?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> The non-stop wireless industry claims that we've moved from 4G to 5G finally slowed to the point that I stopped paying attention to it during the last year. There is an interesting article in PC Magazine that explains why 5G has dropped off the front burner. The article cites interviews with Art Pouttu of Finland's University of Oulu about the current state and the future of 5G. That university has been at the forefront of the development of 5G technology and is already looking at 6G technology. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220120-when-will-we-see-real-5g" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 20, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,925</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220113-fixed-cellular-broadband-performance">Fixed Cellular Broadband Performance</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> One of the first in-depth reviews I’ve found for T-Mobile’s fixed cellular broadband was published in the Verve. It’s not particularly flattering to T-Mobile, and this particular customer found the performance to be unreliable – fast sometimes and barely functioning at other times. But I’ve seen other T-Mobile customers raving about the speeds they are receiving. We obviously can’t draw any conclusions based upon a single review by one customer... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220113-fixed-cellular-broadband-performance" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 13, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,524</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220107-the-future-of-data-storage">The Future of Data Storage</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/cloud_computing" class="red">Cloud Computing</a>,  <a href="/topics/data_center" class="red">Data Center</a>,</div> <p> One of the consequences of our increased use of broadband is a big increase in the amount the data that we store outside our homes and businesses. The numbers are becoming staggering. There are currently about 3.7 billion people using the Internet, and together we generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of online data every day. The trends are that by 2025 we'll be storing 160 zettabytes of data per year - a zettabyte is one trillion gigabytes. I store a lot more data online than I used to. I now store things in the cloud all day long. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220107-the-future-of-data-storage" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 07, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 18,015</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211229-the-25-3-mbps-broadband-connection-myth">The 25/3 Mbps Broadband Connection Myth</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> There is no such thing as a 25/3 Mbps broadband connection, or a 100/20 Mbps broadband connection, or even a symmetrical gigabit broadband connection on fiber. For a long list of reasons, the broadband speeds that make it to customers vary widely by the day, the hour, and the minute. And yet, we've developed an entire regulatory system built around the concept that broadband connections can be neatly categorized by speed. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211229-the-25-3-mbps-broadband-connection-myth" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 29, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,508</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211222-my-broadband-predictions-for-2022">My Broadband Predictions for 2022</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> It's that time of the year for me to get out the crystal ball and peer into 2022... I have no idea why it took a year for the administration to tee up a new Chairman and recommend a fifth FCC Commissioner. But once a new Commissioner is seated, the new FCC will tackle reinstating some version of Title II regulation, accompanied by net neutrality regulations. For yet another year, this won't come from Congress, which is the only permanent solution. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211222-my-broadband-predictions-for-2022" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 22, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,680</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211203-incumbents-fight-broadband-improvement">Incumbents Fight Broadband Improvement</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> There was a recent article in the Bangor Daily News about Charter Communications fighting a move by small towns in Maine to bring fiber broadband. To anybody who has been in the business for a while, this is nothing new. The big cable companies and telcos have fought municipal broadband for decades. The article highlights a recent public meeting in the small town of Leeds, a town of under 2,300. The town was hoping to partner with Axiom Technologies, a nearby ISP, to provide fiber broadband. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211203-incumbents-fight-broadband-improvement" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 03, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,991</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211121-the-fight-over-12-ghz-spectrum">The Fight Over 12 GHz Spectrum</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> For an agency that has tried to wash its hands from regulating broadband, the FCC finds itself again trying to decide an issue that is all about broadband. There is a heavyweight battle going on at the FCC over how to use the 12 GHz spectrum, and while this may seem like a spectrum issue, it's all about broadband. 12 GHz spectrum is key to several broadband technologies. First, this is the spectrum that is best suited for transmitting data between the earth and satellite constellations. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211121-the-fight-over-12-ghz-spectrum" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 21, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 11,454</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211116-big-internet-outages-there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-routine-software-upgrade">Big Internet Outages - There Is No Such Thing as a Routine Software Upgrade</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,  <a href="/topics/web" class="red">Web</a>,</div> <p> Last year I wrote about big disruptive outages on the T-Mobile and the CenturyLink networks. Those outages demonstrate how a single circuit failure on a transport route or a single software error in a data center can spread quickly and cause big outages. I join a lot of the industry in blaming the spread of these outages on the concentration and centralization of networks where the nationwide routing of big networks is now controlled by only a handful of technicians in a few locations. In early October, we saw the granddaddy of all network outages... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211116-big-internet-outages-there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-routine-software-upgrade" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 16, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,845</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211108-predicting-future-broadband-prices">Predicting Future Broadband Prices</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> I've been giving a lot of thought lately to the long-term trajectory of broadband prices. This is something that should be considered by anybody who is thinking about competing in a market against a big cable company. It's not an easy question to get your hands around since many factors might affect future rates. The following are some of the major trends that I think must be considered. First is pressure on the big ISPs from Wall Street. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211108-predicting-future-broadband-prices" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 08, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,779</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211102-meet-the-metaverse">Meet the Metaverse</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> I had already written this blog before Facebook announced it would be hiring at least 10,000 programmers to start moving the company towards the metaverse. I see the metaverse as one of the next big drivers of increased bandwidth usage. Wikipedia defines the metaverse as a collective virtual shared space created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual reality worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet. In the most basic sense, the metaverse consists of online worlds where people interact through avatars. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211102-meet-the-metaverse" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 02, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 8,932</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211025-fixing-the-supply-chain">Fixing the Supply Chain</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Almost everybody in the broadband industry is now aware that the industry is suffering supply chain issues. ISPs are having problems obtaining many of the components needed to build a fiber network in a timely manner, which is causing havoc with fiber construction projects. I've been doing a lot of investigation into supply chain issues, and it turns out the supply chain is a lot more complex than I ever suspected, which means it's not going to be easy to get the supply chain back to normal. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211025-fixing-the-supply-chain" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 25, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,678</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211022-the-future-of-satellite-broadband">The Future of Satellite Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> People ask me a lot about what Starlink means for somebody building a rural broadband network. That set me to contemplate the long-term prospects for LEO satellite broadband. Today, the broadband provided by Starlink is a boon to rural subscribers who have had no alternatives. Hundreds of thousands of prospective customers have gotten onto the Starlink waiting list. It's not hard to understand why when the rural broadband alternatives are extraordinarily slow rural DSL, high orbit satellite broadband, or cellular hotspots. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211022-the-future-of-satellite-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 22, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,705</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211018-5g-for-cars-an-idea-that-wont-die">5G for Cars – an Idea That Won’t Die</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> An industry group calling itself 5G Americas has published a whitepaper that touts the advantages of a smart auto grid powered by 5G and the C-V2X technology. This technology is the car connectivity standard that much of the industry has gelled around, replacing the older DSRC standard. Over a decade ago, the FCC became so enamored over the idea of self-driving cars that the agency dedicated the 5.9 GHz spectrum band for the sole use of smart cars. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211018-5g-for-cars-an-idea-that-wont-die" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 18, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 6,864</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211013-explaining-growth-in-broadband-demand">Explaining Growth in Broadband Demand</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> I haven't talked about the growth of broadband usage for a while. However, I was explaining the exponential growth of broadband usage to somebody recently, and I suddenly realized an easy way for putting broadband growth into context. The amount of data used by the average broadband user has been doubling roughly every three years since the advent of the Internet. This exponential growth has been chugging along since the earliest dial-up days, and we're still seeing it today. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211013-explaining-growth-in-broadband-demand" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 13, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,328</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211007-is-defining-broadband-by-speed-a-good-policy">Is Defining Broadband by Speed a Good Policy?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> I’ve lately been looking at broadband policies that have shaped broadband, and I don’t think there has been any more disastrous FCC policy than the one that defines broadband by speed. This one policy has led to a misallocation of funding and getting broadband to communities that need it. The FCC established the definition of broadband as 25/3 Mbps in 2015, and before then, the definition of broadband was 4/1 Mbps, set a decade earlier. The FCC defines broadband to meet a legal requirement established by Congress and codified in Section 706 of the FCC governing rules. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211007-is-defining-broadband-by-speed-a-good-policy" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 07, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 2</li> <li>Views: 8,611</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211001-improvements-in-undersea-fiber">Improvements in Undersea Fiber</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> We often forget that a lot of things we do on the web rely on broadband traffic that passes through undersea cables. Any web traffic from overseas gets to the US through one of the many underwater fiber routes. Like with all fiber technologies, the engineers and vendors have regularly been making improvements. The technology involved in undersea cables is quite different than what is used for terrestrial fibers. A long fiber route includes repeater sites where the light signal is refreshed. Without repeaters, the average fiber light signal will die within about sixty miles. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211001-improvements-in-undersea-fiber" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 01, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,068</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211001-the-beginnings-of-8k-video">The Beginnings of 8K Video</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> In 2014 I wrote a blog asking if 4K video was going to become mainstream. At that time, 4K TVs were just hitting the market and cost $3,000 and higher. There was virtually no 4K video content on the web other than a few experimental videos on YouTube. But in seven short years, 4K has become a standard technology. Netflix and Amazon Prime have been shooting all original content in 4K for several years, and the rest of the industry has followed. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20211001-the-beginnings-of-8k-video" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 01, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,423</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210929-pew-research-center-on-the-pandemic-and-the-internet">Pew Research Center on the Pandemic and the Internet – 90% of Americans Say Internet Has Been Important to Them Personally</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Pew Research Center conducted several polls asking people about the importance of the Internet during the pandemic. The Pew survey report is seven pages filled with interesting statistics and a recommended read. This blog covers a few of the highlights... 58% of adults said that the Internet was essential during the pandemic - that’s up from 52% in April of 2020. Another 33% of adults say the Internet was important but not essential. Only 9% of adults said the Internet wasn’t important to them. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210929-pew-research-center-on-the-pandemic-and-the-internet" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 29, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,096</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210922-better-protection-of-essential-power-and-communication-grids-from-storm-damage">Better Protection of Essential Power and Communication Grids From Storm Damage</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> After every major hurricane, like the category 4 Ida that recently hit Louisiana, there is talk in the telecom and power industries about better protecting our essential power and communication grids. There was major damage to grids and networks in Louisiana from hurricane winds and storm surges and massive flooding in the mid-Atlantic from Western Maryland to New York City. One thing that we've learned over time is that there is no way to stop storm damage. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210922-better-protection-of-essential-power-and-communication-grids-from-storm-damage" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 22, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,821</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210920-satellite-companies-fighting-over-rdof">Satellite Companies Fighting Over RDOF</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> There has been an interesting public fight going on at the FCC as Viasat has been telling the FCC that Elon Musk's Starlink should not be eligible for funding from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). At stake is the $886 million that Starlink won in December's RDOF auction that is still under review at the FCC. Viasat had originally filed comments at the FCC stating that the company did not believe that Starlink could fulfill the RDOF requirements in some of the grant award areas. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210920-satellite-companies-fighting-over-rdof" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 20, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,641</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210914-demystifying-isp-oversubscription">Demystifying ISP Oversubscription</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> I think the concept that I have to explain the most as a consultant is oversubscription, which is how ISPs share bandwidth between customers in a network. Most broadband technologies distribute bandwidth to customers in nodes. ISPs using passive optical networks, cable DOCSIS systems, fixed wireless technology, and DSL all distribute bandwidth to a neighborhood device of some sort that then distributes the bandwidth to all of the customers in that neighborhood node. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210914-demystifying-isp-oversubscription" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 14, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,984</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210910-an-update-on-telemedicine">An Update on Telemedicine</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> I’ve been keeping tabs on the news about telemedicine since it was touted throughout the industry as one of the big benefits of having good broadband. One piece of news comes from a survey conducted by Nemours Children’s Health. This is a large pediatric health system with 95 locations in Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The company treats almost half a million children annually. Nemours released a report on Telehealth in July. The report was based on a survey of 2,056 parents/guardians of children. The survey had some interesting results, <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210910-an-update-on-telemedicine" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 10, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,248</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210909-a-chance-to-tackle-the-urban-digital-divide">A Chance to Tackle the Urban Digital Divide</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> For the first time in my career, we face the possibility of some big changes for broadband in low-income neighborhoods in cities. The recent American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) gave cities significant funding that can be used for various kinds of infrastructure, including broadband. Cities have been handed a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fix some of the broadband deserts that have grown in poor neighborhoods. I'm already working with several cities that are taking this opportunity seriously. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210909-a-chance-to-tackle-the-urban-digital-divide" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 09, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,154</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210902-are-we-ready-for-big-bandwidth-applications">Are We Ready for Big Bandwidth Applications?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> There is a recent industry phenomenon that could have major impacts on ISP networks in the relatively near future. There has been an explosion of households that subscribe to gigabit data plans. At the end of 2018, only 1.8% of US homes subscribed to a gigabit plan. This grew to 2.8% by the end of 2019. With the pandemic, millions of homes upgraded to gigabit plans in an attempt to find a service that would support working from home. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210902-are-we-ready-for-big-bandwidth-applications" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 02, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 25,811</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210825-holding-times-phenomenon-happening-with-isp-networks-no-one-seems-to-talk-about">Holding Times – A Phenomenon Happening With ISP Networks That No One Seems to Talk About</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,</div> <p> During the last year, we saw a big change in the nature of our broadband usage in that many of us are connecting to remote work or school servers, or we are connecting to long Zoom calls. We already can see that these changes have accelerated the average home usage of broadband. OpenSignal reports that the average broadband usage per home grew from 274 gigabytes per month just before the pandemic up to 462 gigabytes per month measured at the end of the first quarter of this year. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210825-holding-times-phenomenon-happening-with-isp-networks-no-one-seems-to-talk-about" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 25, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,539</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210817-the-big-questions-facing-the-telecom-industry">The Big Questions Facing the Telecom Industry</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> I took a pause the other day to think about the big issues facing the telecom industry. When I've done that in past years, I always came up with a few major issues and more smaller ones. But we are in such turmoil right now that I rattled off the following list quickly. I can't remember a time when our industry was wrangling with so many major issues at the same time. The industry's performance over the next decade is going to depend upon how we handle these issues. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210817-the-big-questions-facing-the-telecom-industry" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 17, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 4,835</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210810-irelands-solution-to-the-rural-divide">Ireland’s Solution to the Rural Divide</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The pandemic has given the whole world a pause to consider if we should return to business as usual when the pandemic is behind us. Ireland has a unique reaction and is something that could make sense here. Ireland plans to provide incentives to lure people from cities back to smaller rural towns. Like much of the world, Ireland has seen decades of young people moving to cities to find work, leaving behind shrinking and aging rural towns. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210810-irelands-solution-to-the-rural-divide" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 10, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 3,398</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210802-lets-not-forget-the-lobbyists">Let’s Not Forget the Lobbyists</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Common Cause recently released a report, Broadband Gatekeepers, that describes the influence that lobbyists have on broadband policies. The numbers are staggering -- the ISP industry spent $234 million lobbying the 116th Congress (2019 and 2020). That number is likely understated since the rules on reporting lobbying are lax, and enforcement is almost nonexistent. That number doesn't include the huge amounts of lobbying efforts at State legislatures. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210802-lets-not-forget-the-lobbyists" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 02, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 3,310</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210724-beavers-kill-fiber-route">Beavers Kill Fiber Route</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> An article from CBC earlier this year reported that beavers had chewed through an underground fiber and had knocked 900 customers in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia off broadband for 36 hours. The beavers had chewed through a 4.5-inch conduit that was buried three feet underground. This was an unusual fiber cut because it was due to beavers, but animals damaging fiber is a common occurrence. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210724-beavers-kill-fiber-route" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 24, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,998</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210721-satellites-and-cellular-backhaul">Satellites and Cellular Backhaul</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Elon Musk recently announced that he was going to be providing cellular backhaul from the Starlink constellation of satellites. This makes a lot of sense from a financial perspective in that it avoids the costly wired fiber networks needed to reach rural cell sites. This is clearly a shot across the bow for companies that currently bring fiber connectivity to rural cell sites. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210721-satellites-and-cellular-backhaul" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 21, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,237</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210720-the-growing-rate-of-standalone-broadband-adoption">The Growing Rate of Standalone Broadband Adoption</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Parks Associates recently announced its Home Services Dashboard release, a for-pay service that tracks consumer adoption of telecom services like Internet, pay-TV, and cellphones. As part of the announcement, the company released a blog that shows that at the end of the first quarter of 2021 that 41% of US homes are buying standalone broadband - meaning broadband that's not bundled with cable TV or a home telephone. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210720-the-growing-rate-of-standalone-broadband-adoption" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 20, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,065</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210714-the-dumb-pipe-question">The Dumb Pipe Question</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Every few years, I read something that resurrects the old question of whether ISPs should be dumb pipe providers or something more. Some ISPs have fought against the idea of being dumb pipe providers and want to believe they are far more than that. The latest event that raises this question anew is AT&T's debacle with ditching DirecTV and WarnerMedia. AT&T was clearly not content with being considered as only a dumb pipe provider. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210714-the-dumb-pipe-question" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 14, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 11,897</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210709-where-are-the-gigabit-applications">Where are the Gigabit Applications?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> I remember that soon after the City of Chattanooga launched its citywide fiber network, the company held a competition seeking web applications that would benefit from gigabit speeds. I don't recall if anything useful came out of that effort, but I know that there are still today almost no big bandwidth applications on the web online aimed at the average household. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210709-where-are-the-gigabit-applications" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 09, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 12,833</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210705-new-innovations-in-free-space-optics">New Innovations in Free Space Optics</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I read an article on the Finley Engineering blog that talks about new research with free-space optics. For those not familiar with the term, this means communication gear that communicates directly using light without any wires. The article talks about a Chinese team of scientists who have used light to transmit ultrahigh-definition video signals between high-rise buildings. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210705-new-innovations-in-free-space-optics" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 05, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 12,440</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210630-the-infrastructure-guessing-game">The Infrastructure Guessing Game</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> As U.S. Congress inches closer to an infrastructure bill, the industry is feverously speculating how a broadband infrastructure plan might work. There is still a lot of compromise and wheeling and dealing to be done, so nobody knows how a final broadband program might work, or even definitively if there will be one. But since this is the billion-dollar question for the industry, it's worth a review of the possibilities. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210630-the-infrastructure-guessing-game" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 30, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,362</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210622-ntia-new-broadband-map">NTIA’s New Broadband Map</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The National Telecommunications and Information Administration surprised the broadband industry by issuing a new broadband map for the whole U.S. The map differs in dramatic ways from the FCC's broadband map, which is derived from broadband speeds that are reported by the ISPs in the country. It's commonly understood that the FCC broadband map overstates broadband coverage significantly. The NTIA map draws upon varied sources in an attempt to create a more accurate picture of the availability of broadband. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210622-ntia-new-broadband-map" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 22, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 2</li> <li>Views: 15,008</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210618-whats-the-right-definition-of-upload-speed">What’s the Right Definition of Upload Speed?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> I read a blog on the WISPA website written by Mark Radabaugh that suggests that the best policy for broadband speeds would be met by asymmetrical architecture (meaning that upload speeds don't need to be as fast as download speeds). I can buy that argument to some extent because there is no doubt that most homes download far more data than we upload. But then the blog loses me when Mr. Radabaugh suggests that an adequate definition of speed might be 50/5 Mbps or 100/10 Mbps. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210618-whats-the-right-definition-of-upload-speed" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 18, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 13,058</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210616-an-attack-on-wifi-spectrum">An Attack on WiFi Spectrum</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> A little over a year ago, the FCC approved the use of 1,200 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for public use -- for new WiFi. WiFi is already the most successful deployment of spectrum ever. A year ago, Cisco predicted that by 2022 that WiFi will be carrying more than 50% of global IP traffic. These are amazing statistics when you consider that WiFi has been limited to using 70 MHz of spectrum in the 2.4 GHz spectrum band and 500 MHz in the 5 GHz spectrum band. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210616-an-attack-on-wifi-spectrum" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 16, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 13,330</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210611-big-cable-cos-touting-10g-really">Big Cable Co’s Touting 10G – Really?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Earlier this year, at the CES show in January, the big cable companies discussed their vision for the future. They introduced the concept that cable networks would be able to deliver 10-gigabit broadband in the future. They labeled the promotion at the show as 10G. I didn't write about it at the time because I assumed this was a gimmick to give some buzz to this show in the middle of the pandemic. But lately, I've seen that they are still talking about the 10G initiative. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210611-big-cable-cos-touting-10g-really" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 11, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 11,556</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210602-the-us-fiber-expansion-craze">The U.S. Fiber Expansion Craze</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> I've written several times recently in blogs that there is a growing backlog in buying fiber cable. Some of the backlog is due to the general supply chain malaise that seems to be affecting almost everything we buy. During the recent gas shortages in North Carolina, I found out that there is a shortage of truck drivers. Apparently, many truck drivers found something else to do during the pandemic, and now there is a shortage of drivers to deliver the many goods that are shipped by truck. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210602-the-us-fiber-expansion-craze" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 02, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 13,579</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210531-hair-like-plastic-polymer-cable-ten-times-faster-than-copper">New Hair-Like Plastic Polymer Cable Can Transmit Data Ten Times Faster Than Copper</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Scientists and engineers are always looking for ways to speed up and more efficiently configure computing devices to maximize data flow. There are a lot of applications today that require the exchange of huge volumes of data in real-time. MIT scientists have created a hair-like plastic polymer cable that can transmit data ten times faster than copper USB cables. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210531-hair-like-plastic-polymer-cable-ten-times-faster-than-copper" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 31, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 13,670</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210528-are-broadband-stats-we-are-seeing-somehow-overinflated-pandemic">Are the Broadband Stats We Are Seeing Somehow Overinflated? What Did the Pandemic Hide?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> The growth of broadband customers has looked spectacular over the past year during the pandemic. It's easy to chalk up higher broadband customers nationwide to the need for households to be connected during the pandemic. But as I look back on what's happened during the last year, I can't help but wonder if the broadband stats we are seeing are somehow overinflated. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210528-are-broadband-stats-we-are-seeing-somehow-overinflated-pandemic" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 28, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 17,783</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210519-the-satellite-broadband-is-heating-up">The Satellite Broadband is Heating Up</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> There is a lot of news recently about low-orbit satellite broadband. There is recent news concerning the three primary companies that will be vying in the space. First is Jeff Bezos Project Kuiper, which is still likely to get a brand name at some point. Project Kuiper has contracted with United Launch Alliance, a joint Boeing-Lockheed Martin venture, for the first nine broadband rocket launches. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210519-the-satellite-broadband-is-heating-up" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 19, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 14,106</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210513-a-look-back-at-the-pandemic-broadband-performance-isp-reports">A Look Back at the Pandemic and What Was Missed in the ISPs’ Broadband Performance Reports</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> I was looking back at industry reporting a year ago after the impact of the pandemic first hit our broadband networks. Almost every big ISP issued press releases talking about how well it had weathered the pandemic and bragged about the resiliency of its networks. It turns out that these ISP press releases largely missed the point. They are right that their networks didn't crash, but once we understood the nature of the changes in broadband traffic due to the pandemic, that wasn't a big surprise. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210513-a-look-back-at-the-pandemic-broadband-performance-isp-reports" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 13, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 14,135</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210510-to-55g-and-beyond">To 5.5G and Beyond</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I recently saw an article in FierceWireless that reports that Huawei thinks we are going to need an intermediate step between 5G and 6G, something like 5.5G. To me, this raises the more immediate question about why we are not talking about the steps between 4G and 5G? The wireless industry used to tell the truth about cellular technology. You don't need to take my word for it... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210510-to-55g-and-beyond" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 10, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 13,308</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210506-still-waiting-for-ipv6">Still Waiting for IPv6</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/ipv6-transition" class="red">IPv6 Transition</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> It's now been a decade since the world officially ran out of blocks of IP addresses. In early 2011 the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) announced that it had allocated the last block of IPv4 addresses and warned ISPs to start using the new IPv6 addresses. But here we are a decade later and not one of my clients has converted to IPv6. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210506-still-waiting-for-ipv6" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 06, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 3</li> <li>Views: 18,349</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210504-the-slow-death-of-satellite-tv">The Slow Death of Satellite TV?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/iptv" class="red">IPTV</a>,</div> <p> There have been rumors for years about merging Dish Networks and Direct TV to try to gain as much market synergy as possible for the two sinking businesses. It's hard to label these companies as failures just yet because between two companies collectively still had 21.8 million customers at the end of 2020 (DirectTV 13.0 million, Dish 8.8 million). This makes the two companies collectively the largest cable TV providers, with Comcast at 19.8 million and Charter at 16.2 million. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210504-the-slow-death-of-satellite-tv" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 04, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 17,462</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210422-investing-in-rural-broadband">Investing in Rural Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> There was a headline in a recent FierceTelecom article that I thought I'd never see - Jeffries analyst says the rural broadband market is ripe for investment. In the article, analyst George Notter is quoted talking about how hot rural broadband is as an investment. He cites the large companies that have been making noise about investing in rural broadband. Of course, that investment relies on getting significant rural grants. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210422-investing-in-rural-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 22, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,924</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210419-the-6g-hype-is-already-starting">The 6G Hype is Already Starting</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Even though 5G hasn't yet made it onto any cellphone, the wireless vendor industry is already off and running looking at the next generation of wireless technology that has been dubbed as 6G. This recent article describes the European Union Hexa-X project that started in January to look at developing specifications for next-generation wireless technology using terahertz spectrum. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210419-the-6g-hype-is-already-starting" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 19, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 11,402</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210415-telling-the-truth-about-5g">Telling the Truth About 5G</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I still run across articles that extol the supposed wonders of 5G. The most recent, published in Gizmodo asks "How 5G Could Replace Your Home Broadband Connection". I was surprised to see an article like this in a tech-oriented site because the article gets most of the facts wrong about 5G - facts that are not hard to verify. This article talks about 5G having "faster download speeds, faster upload speeds, more bandwidth, and lower latency" than landline broadband. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210415-telling-the-truth-about-5g" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 15, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 12,712</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210409-4g-on-the-moon">4G on the Moon</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> This post is a little more lighthearted than my normal blog posts. An article in FierceWireless caught my eye talking about how Nokia plans to establish a 4G network on the Moon. The primary purpose of the wireless technology will be to communicate between a base station and lunar rovers. 4G LTE is a mature and stable technology that can handle data transmission with ease... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210409-4g-on-the-moon" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 09, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,872</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210405-the-white-house-broadband-plan">The White House Broadband Plan</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Reading the White House $100 billion broadband plan was a bit eerie because it felt like I could have written it. The plan espouses the same policies that I've been recommending. This plan is 180 degrees different than the Congress plan that would fund broadband using a giant federal, and a series of state reverse auctions. The plan starts by citing the 1936 Rural Electrification Act, which brought electricity to nearly every home and farm in America. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210405-the-white-house-broadband-plan" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 05, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 3</li> <li>Views: 12,167</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210329-cord-cutting-in-the-us-continues-in-4q-2020">Cord Cutting in the US Continues in 4Q 2020</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The largest traditional cable providers collectively lost over 1.3 million customers in the fourth quarter of 2020 -- an overall loss of 1.7% of customers. To put the quarter's loss into perspective, the big cable providers lost 14,158 cable customers per day throughout the quarter. The numbers below come from Leichtman Research Group, which compiles these numbers from reports made to investors, except for Cox, which is estimated. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210329-cord-cutting-in-the-us-continues-in-4q-2020" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 29, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,558</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210317-the-wifi-6-revolution">The WiFi 6 Revolution</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/internet_protocol" class="red">Internet Protocol</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> We're edging closer every day to seeing WiFi 6 in our homes. WiFi 6 will be bolstered by the newly approved 6 GHz frequency, and the combination of WiFi 6 and 6 GHz spectrum is going to revolutionize home broadband. I don't think many people understand how many of our home broadband woes are caused by current WiFi technology. WiFi has been an awesome technology that freed our homes from long category 5 wires everywhere, but WiFi has a basic flaw that became apparent when homeowners started to buy hordes of WiFi-enabled devices.  <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210317-the-wifi-6-revolution" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 17, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,659</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210313-is-fiber-a-hundred-year-investment">Is Fiber a Hundred Year Investment?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> I think every client who is considering building a fiber network asks me how long the fiber will last. Their fear is having to spend the money at some future point to rebuild the network. Recently, my response has been that fiber is a hundred-year investment -- and let me explain why I say that. We're now seeing fiber built in the 1980s becoming opaque or developing enough microscopic cracks that impede the flow of light. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210313-is-fiber-a-hundred-year-investment" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 13, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,316</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210308-quantifying-the-benefits-of-fiber">Quantifying the Benefits of Fiber</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Dr. Bento J. Lobo, an economist at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undertook a study to quantify the benefits of the municipally-owned fiber network in Chattanooga. Any citywide fiber network brings economic development to a community, but a municipally-owned system brings additional benefits because of the way that the business is more deeply integrated into the community. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210308-quantifying-the-benefits-of-fiber" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 08, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 8,142</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210305-why-do-we-assume-cable-broadband-is-always-good">Why Do We Assume Cable Broadband is Always Good?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> One of the oddest aspects of FCC monitoring of broadband is that the agency has accepted the premise that any broadband product faster than 25/3 Mbps is adequate broadband. This means that the FCC has completely accepted that broadband provided by cable companies is adequate and is something the agency doesn't have to be concerned with. The FCC makes the automatic assumption that broadband from cable companies is good broadband... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210305-why-do-we-assume-cable-broadband-is-always-good" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 05, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,220</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210302-the-state-of-the-internet">The State of the Internet</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/artificial-intelligence" class="red">Artificial Intelligence</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/internet_governance" class="red">Internet Governance</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/web" class="red">Web</a>,</div> <p> The Mozilla Internet Health Report is packed with interesting statistics about the state of the Internet. Reports like this one remind us that broadband is a worldwide issue that is much larger than the US broadband industry I write about every day. The report contains a lot of interesting facts: A little more than half of the planet is still not connected to the Internet. As a planet, we still have a long way to go. While the largest percentage of a region still not online is in Africa, by sheer numbers, most of those still not connected are in Asia... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210302-the-state-of-the-internet" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 02, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 15,430</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210301-why-we-need-broadband-regulation">Why We Need Broadband Regulation</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> Anybody that reads my blog posts knows that I am in favor of broadband regulation. I'm sure ISPs read this and wonder why -- because who doesn't like being unregulated? My feelings on this go back to basic economics - monopolies must either be regulated or split up. By definition, monopolies always end up taking advantage of consumers - unregulated monopolies really can't help this behavior because employees and management of monopolies will inevitably take advantage of monopoly market power. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210301-why-we-need-broadband-regulation" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 01, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,956</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210222-lets-bring-telecom-manufacturing-back-to-the-us">Let’s Bring Telecom Manufacturing Back to the US</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> President Biden recently signed an executive order that will require that the federal government buys more goods produced in the United States. This was done to promote American jobs and to keep profits at home. It's a great idea, but it suffers from one big flaw -- we don't manufacture a lot of things in the US anymore. Statistics are hard to pin down, but something like 40,000 US factories have shut down over the last decade. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210222-lets-bring-telecom-manufacturing-back-to-the-us" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 22, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,713</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210213-why-fiber">Why Fiber?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> As much as I've written about broadband and broadband technology, it struck me that I have never written a concise response to the question, "Why Fiber?". Somebody asked me the question recently, and I immediately knew I had never answered the question. If you're going to build broadband and have a choice of technologies, why is fiber the best choice? <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210213-why-fiber" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 13, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,023</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210210-5g-a-fizzle-with-consumers">5G a Fizzle With Consumers</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> The cellular companies have made an unprecedented push to get customers interested in 5G. Back in November, I recorded a college football game that enabled me to go back and count the twelve 5G commercials during the game. Advertising during sports events is relatively expensive, so these ads were not purchased at bargain-basement prices. The amount of money being spent on advertising 5G must be gigantic. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210210-5g-a-fizzle-with-consumers" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 10, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,437</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210208-lets-not-forget-about-solar-flares">Let’s Not Forget About Solar Flares</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/cloud_computing" class="red">Cloud Computing</a>,  <a href="/topics/cybersecurity" class="red">Cybersecurity</a>,  <a href="/topics/data_center" class="red">Data Center</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/threat-intelligence" class="red">Threat Intelligence</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> As the world becomes more and more reliant on electronics, it's worth a periodic reminder that a large solar flare could knock out much of the electronics on earth. Such an event would be devastating to the Internet, satellite broadband, and the many electronics we use in daily life. A solar flare is the result of periodic ejections of matter from the sun into space. Scientists still aren't entirely sure what causes solar flares, but they know that it's somehow related to shifts in the sun's magnetic field. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210208-lets-not-forget-about-solar-flares" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 08, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 22,255</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210207-taking-the-long-view-will-isps-rethink-their-business-plans">Taking the Long View: Will This Be the Year ISPs Rethink Their Business Plans</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> I have to wonder if this year is making the big ISPs rethink their business plans. For years, many big ISPs have foregone making long-term investments in broadband and instead chased the quick return. A good example is CenturyLink. Before the merger with Level 3, the company had started a program to replace the copper plant in urban markets with fiber aggressively. At the peak, the company built fiber to pass 700,000 homes a year. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210207-taking-the-long-view-will-isps-rethink-their-business-plans" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 07, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,463</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210122-looking-back-at-the-broadband-industry-in-2020">Looking Back at the Broadband Industry in 2020</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I periodically take a look at broadband trends into the future. But as I was thinking about how unique 2020 was for everybody, I realized that there were some events during the year that we're going to look back on a decade from now as important to the broadband industry. Interestingly, most of these events were not on anybody's radar at the beginning of the year. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210122-looking-back-at-the-broadband-industry-in-2020" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 22, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,881</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210122-the-legacy-of-the-pai-fcc">The Legacy of the Pai FCC</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> As is normal with a change of administration, there are articles in the press discussing the likely legacy of the outgoing administration. Leading the pack in singing his own praises is former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who recently published this document listing a huge list of accomplishments of the FCC under his Chairmanship. Maybe it's just me, but it feels unseemly for a public servant to publish an official self-praise document. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210122-the-legacy-of-the-pai-fcc" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 22, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,983</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210107-technology-trends-for-2021">Technology Trends for 2021</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> The following are the most important current trends that will be affecting the telecom industry in 2021. Fiber Construction Will Continue Fast and Furious in 2021. Carriers of all shapes and sizes are still building fiber. There is a bidding war going on to get the best construction crews and fiber labor rates are rising in some markets. The Supply Chain Still has Issues. The huge demand for building new fiber had already put stress on the supply chain at the beginning of 2020... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210107-technology-trends-for-2021" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 07, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,874</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201229-my-telecom-predictions-for-2021">My Telecom Predictions for 2021</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> It's that time of the year for me to get out the crystal ball and peer into 2021... The FCC Will Have Egg on its Face from the RDOF Grants. The reverse auction was a disaster in many ways, with a lot of the money going to companies that can't possibly do what they promised or companies that largely intend to make a profit by pocketing a lot of the grants. The FCC will have a chance to rectify some of the problems during the review of the long forms... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201229-my-telecom-predictions-for-2021" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 29, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,089</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201224-video-and-broadband-demand">Video and Broadband Demand</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/iptv" class="red">IPTV</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> One of the obvious drivers of broadband usage is online video, and a study earlier this year by the Leichtman Research Group provides insight into the continuing role of video growth in broadband usage. The company conducted a nationwide poll in the US looking at how people watch video, and the results show that Americans have embraced online for-pay video services. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201224-video-and-broadband-demand" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 24, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 12,419</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201215-understanding-broadband-oversubscription">Understanding Broadband Oversubscription</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> It's common to hear that oversubscription is the cause of slow broadband -- but what does that mean? Oversubscription comes into play in any network when the aggregate subscribed customer demand is greater than the available bandwidth. The easiest way to understand the concept is with an example. Consider a passive optical fiber network where up to 32 homes share the same neighborhood fiber. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201215-understanding-broadband-oversubscription" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 15, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 16,097</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201209-are-there-any-cable-companies-left">Are There any Cable Companies Left?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Are there any companies left that we can still call cable companies? Everything in the business press still refers to Comcast and Charter as cable companies and AT&T and Verizon as telephone companies. It's getting harder to justify using these traditional labels, and maybe the time is finally here to just start calling them all ISPs. After all, these four companies collectively have 80 million broadband customers... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201209-are-there-any-cable-companies-left" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 09, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,130</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201201-a-look-at-the-big-guys-putting-telecom-sector-into-perspective">A Look at the Big Guys - Putting the Telecom Sector Into Perspective</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> You can't put the telecom sector into perspective without looking at the performance of the biggest players in the industry. The pandemic has been an interesting year for both big ISPs and telecom vendors. Smaller ISPs should care about big ISP performance for many reasons. For many smaller companies, the big companies are the competition, and the big providers' strength or weakness can foretell stiffened competition or increased opportunity. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201201-a-look-at-the-big-guys-putting-telecom-sector-into-perspective" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 01, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,662</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201117-what-does-an-administration-change-mean-for-the-fcc">What Does an Administration Change Mean for the FCC?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/net_neutrality" class="red">Net Neutrality</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Just as the last change in administration changed the course of the FCC, so will the swing back to a Democratic administration. If you've been reading me for a few years, you know I am a big believer in the regulatory pendulum. Inevitably, when a regulatory agency like the FCC swings too far in any direction, it's inevitable that it will eventually swing back the other way. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201117-what-does-an-administration-change-mean-for-the-fcc" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 17, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,513</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201113-network-outages-go-global">Network Outages Go Global</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,</div> <p> On August 30, CenturyLink experienced a major network outage that lasted for over five hours and disrupted CenturyLink customers nationwide as well as many other networks. What was unique about the outage was the scope of the disruptions as the outage affected video streaming services, game platforms, and even webcasts of European soccer. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201113-network-outages-go-global" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 13, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,870</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201104-the-upload-speed-lie">The Upload Speed Lie</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> In the 2020 Broadband Deployment Report, the FCC made the following claim. "The vast majority of Americans -- surpassing 85% -- now have access to fixed terrestrial broadband service at 250/25 Mbps". The FCC makes this claim based upon the data provided to it by the country's ISPs on Form 477. We know the data reported by the ISPs is badly flawed in the over-reporting of download speeds. Still, we've paid little attention to the second number. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201104-the-upload-speed-lie" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 04, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 7,890</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201029-is-5g-a-race-we-want-to-win">Is 5G a Race We Want to Win?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> There is an interesting article recently published in the English version of a South Korean newspaper, the ChosunILBO, that talks about 5G in China. According to the article, the Chinese 5G rollout is an expensive bust. There are a number of interesting facts disclosed about the Chinese 5G rollout. First, it's clear that the rollout is using millimeter wave spectrum. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201029-is-5g-a-race-we-want-to-win" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 29, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,152</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201027-reaching-critical-mass-for-gigabit-connections">Reaching Critical Mass for Gigabit Connections</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The statistics concerning the number of gigabit fiber customers in the US is eye-opening. OpenVault tracks the percentage of customers provisioned at various broadband speeds. At the end of 2019, the company reported that 2.81% of all households in the US were subscribed to gigabit service. By the end of the first quarter of 2020, just after the onset of the pandemic, the percentage of gigabit subscriptions had climbed to 3.75% of total broadband subscribers. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201027-reaching-critical-mass-for-gigabit-connections" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 27, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,706</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201020-apple-buys-into-5g">Apple Buys Into 5G</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Apple is coming out with a full range of new 5G iPhones. The phones have been designed to use the full range of new frequencies that the various cellular companies are touting as 5G, up to and including the millimeter wave spectrum offered in center cities by Verizon. In addition to 5G, the phones have new features like a better camera, better ease at using wireless charging, and a lidar scanner. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201020-apple-buys-into-5g" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 20, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,786</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201019-the-magnitude-of-the-urban-digital-divide">The Magnitude of the Urban Digital Divide</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The web is full of stories of rural areas with no broadband options, and I've spent a lot of time in the last few decades helping rural areas get better broadband. There has not been nearly as much coverage of the huge broadband gap in urban areas. There are a lot of urban homes that can't afford broadband and, in many cases, got bypassed when the telcos and/or cable companies built their networks. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201019-the-magnitude-of-the-urban-digital-divide" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 19, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,721</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201014-the-race-to-bury-net-neutrality">The Race to Bury Net Neutrality</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/net_neutrality" class="red">Net Neutrality</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The Internet is currently full of news articles describing how the FCC will soon be putting to bed the last vestiges of its order a few years ago to eliminate net neutrality rules. The order that is widely being called the net neutrality ruling was a far-reaching change at the FCC that essentially wrote the FCC out of any role in regulating broadband. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201014-the-race-to-bury-net-neutrality" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 14, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,849</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201013-who-should-solve-the-digital-divide">Who Should Solve the Digital Divide?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Adjit Walia, a Global Technology Strategist at Deutsche Bank, suggested in a recent paper that it's in the best interest of U.S. tech companies to tackle the digital divide. He says that those companies rely on a computer-literate public and workforce and that they ought to take a small sliver of their earnings and invest in students today before they fall on the wrong side of the digital divide. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201013-who-should-solve-the-digital-divide" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 13, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,900</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201006-are-cable-companies-a-broadband-monopoly">Are Cable Companies a Broadband Monopoly?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> One of the products my consulting firm offers are statistically valid surveys and conducting surveys has let us get a close look in many communities at the mix between cable broadband and telco DSL. In the last few years, the percentage of DSL subscribers in towns with a good cable company network has plummeted. It's not unusual to see DSL market penetration in bigger towns of 10% or less, meaning in most cases that the cable company has essentially won the competitive battle. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20201006-are-cable-companies-a-broadband-monopoly" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 06, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 9,496</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200929-update-on-the-5g-race-in-the-us">Update on the 5G Race in the US</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> It's been a while since I checked in to see how the U.S. is doing in the 5G race. I haven't been following the issue since before the pandemic when the U.S. government was tossing around the idea of buying a controlling interest in Nokia or Ericsson. That idea went nowhere but led to a lot of articles in the business press. I decided to look anew after seeing recently that the FCC is estimating that it would cost U.S. carriers about $1.8 billion to replace Huawei and ZTE gear in U.S. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200929-update-on-the-5g-race-in-the-us" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 29, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,257</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200927-loving-to-hate-our-big-isps">Loving to Hate Our Big ISPs</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The American Customer Satisfaction Survey (ACSI) was released earlier this summer that ranks hundreds of companies that provide services for consumers. Historically cable companies and ISPs have fared poorly in these rankings compared to other businesses in the country. The running joke reported in numerous articles about this survey is that people like the IRS more than they like their cable company (and that is still true this year). <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200927-loving-to-hate-our-big-isps" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 27, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,126</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200918-the-reverse-donut">The Reverse Donut</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> A lot of rural areas are going to get fiber over the next five years. This is due to the various large federal grant programs like ReConnect and RDOF. New rural broadband is also coming from the numerous electric cooperatives that have decided to build broadband in the areas where they serve rural electric customers. This is all great news because once a rural area has fiber it ought to be ready for the rest of this century. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200918-the-reverse-donut" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 18, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,234</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200910-a-new-fiber-optic-speed-record">A New Fiber Optic Speed Record</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Researchers at University College London (UCL) have set a new bandwidth record for fiber optic bandwidth transmission. They've been able to communicate through a fiber optic cable at over 178 terabits per second, or 178,000 gigabits per second. The research was done in collaboration with fiber optic firms Xtera and KDDI Research. The press release of the achieved speed claims this is 20% faster than the previously highest achieved speed. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200910-a-new-fiber-optic-speed-record" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 10, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 14,617</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200901-is-telemedicine-here-to-stay">Is Telemedicine Here to Stay?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> It's going to be interesting to see if telemedicine stays after the end of the pandemic. In the past months, telemedicine visits have skyrocketed. During March and April, telemedicine billings were almost $4 billion, compared to only $60 million for the same months a year earlier. As soon as Medicare and other insurance plans agreed to cover telemedicine, a lot of doctors insisted on remote visits during the first few months of the pandemic. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200901-is-telemedicine-here-to-stay" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 01, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,635</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200827-gaming-and-broadband-demand">Gaming and Broadband Demand</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> Broadband usage has spiked across the US this year as students and employees suddenly found themselves working from home and needing broadband to connect to school and work servers. But there is another quickly growing demand for broadband coming from gaming. We've had online gaming of some sort over the last decade, but gaming has not been a data-intensive activity for ISPs. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200827-gaming-and-broadband-demand" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 27, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,613</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200819-keeping-track-of-satellites">Keeping Track of Satellites</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,</div> <p> The topic of satellite broadband has been heating up lately. Elon Musk's StarLink now has over 540 broadband satellites in the sky and is talking about starting a few beta tests of the technology with customers. OneWeb went into bankruptcy, but it is being bought out by a team consisting of the British government and Bharti Airtel, the largest cellular company in India. Jeff Bezos has continued to move forward with Project Kuiper, and the FCC recently gave the nod for the company to move ahead. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200819-keeping-track-of-satellites" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 19, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,681</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200818-the-impact-of-a-work-at-home-economy">The Impact of a Work-at-Home Economy</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Analysts at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta looked at the long-term impact of working from home on the economy and ranked different parts of the economy on two factors related to working at home – the likelihood that an area will generate a lot of work-at-home opportunities, and the ability of an area to support a work-at-home economy. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200818-the-impact-of-a-work-at-home-economy" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 18, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,917</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200811-time-to-stop-talking-about-unserved-and-underserved">Time to Stop Talking About Unserved and Underserved</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> I work with communities all of the time that want to know if they are unserved or underserved by broadband. I've started to tell them to toss away those two terms, which is not a good way to think about broadband today. The first time I remember the use of these two terms was as part of the 2009 grant program created by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. The language that created those grants included language from Congress that defined the two terms. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200811-time-to-stop-talking-about-unserved-and-underserved" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 11, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 3</li> <li>Views: 9,409</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200806-an-update-on-leo-satellites">An Update on LEO Satellites</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> A lot of rural America continues to hope that low orbit satellite (LEO) service will provide a broadband alternative. It's been a while since I've covered the status of the companies proposing to deploy constellations of satellites for providing broadband. In March, OneWeb filed for Chapter 11 restructuring when it was clear that the company could not raise enough cash to continue the research and development of the satellite product. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200806-an-update-on-leo-satellites" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 06, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 7,927</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200803-bandwidth-needed-to-work-from-home">Bandwidth Needed to Work from Home</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> The pandemic made it clear that the millions of homes with no broadband or poor broadband were cut off from taking the office or the school home. But the pandemic also showed many additional millions of homes that their current ISP connection isn't up to snuff for working or doing schoolwork from home. Families often found that multiple adults and students couldn't share the bandwidth at the same time. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200803-bandwidth-needed-to-work-from-home" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 03, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 9,733</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200723-5g-carriers-hoping-for-handouts">5G Carriers Hoping for Handouts</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) published a recent report that looks at "5G policy Principles and 5G Essentials for Global Policymakers." For those who don't know ITI, they are a DC-based lobbying group that represents most of heavy-hitter tech firms, and which works to help shape policy on tax, trade, talent, security, access, and sustainability issues. I don't think I've seen another document that so clearly outlines the hopes of the big US cellular companies. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200723-5g-carriers-hoping-for-handouts" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 24, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,995</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200721-can-5g-compete-with-cable-broadband">Can 5G Compete with Cable Broadband?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> One of the recurring themes used to promote 5G is that wireless broadband is going to become a serious competitor to wireline broadband. There are two primary types of broadband competition - competition by price or performance. Cable companies have largely won the broadband battle in cities and suburbs, and I've been thinking about the competition that cable companies might see from 5G. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200721-can-5g-compete-with-cable-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 21, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,494</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200711-did-broadband-deregulation-save-the-internet">Did Broadband Deregulation Save the Internet?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/net_neutrality" class="red">Net Neutrality</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> Something has been bothering me for several months, and that usually manifests in a blog at some point. During the COVID-19 crisis, the FCC and big ISPs have repeatedly said that the only reason our networks weathered the increased traffic during the pandemic was due to the FCC's repeal of net neutrality and deregulation of the broadband industry. Nothing could be further from the truth. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200711-did-broadband-deregulation-save-the-internet" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 11, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 11,019</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200706-where-is-net-neutrality-when-we-need-it">Where Is Net Neutrality When We Need It?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/blockchain" class="red">Blockchain</a>,  <a href="/topics/net_neutrality" class="red">Net Neutrality</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Just in the last two weeks, two stories in the United States hit the press that highlight behavior from ISPs that would have likely have violated the Net Neutrality rules that were killed by Ajit Pai's FCC. The big ISPs have been surprisingly quiet and have not loudly violated those rules, even though they are no longer in effect. The industry speculation is that the big ISPs are treading lightly because they don't want to trigger a regulatory overreaction should there be a change of party in the administration or Congress. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200706-where-is-net-neutrality-when-we-need-it" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 06, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,227</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200702-many-libraries-still-have-slow-broadband">Many Libraries Still Have Slow Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> During the recent pandemic, many homes came face-to-face with the realization that their home broadband connection is inadequate. Many students trying to finish the school year and people trying to work from home found that their broadband connection would not allow them to connect and maintain connections to school and work servers. Even families who thought they had good broadband found they were unable to maintain multiple connections for these purposes. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200702-many-libraries-still-have-slow-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 02, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 7,422</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200624-big-regional-network-outages">Big Regional Network Outages</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: </div> <p> T-Mobile had a major network outage last week that cut off some voice calls and most texting for nearly a whole day. The company's explanation of the outage was provided by Neville Ray, the president of technology... In plain English, the electronics failed on a leased circuit, and then the backup circuit also failed. This then caused a cascade that brought down a large part of the T-Mobile network. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200624-big-regional-network-outages" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 24, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,595</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200620-isps-covid-19-and-the-coming-year-of-confusion">ISPs, COVID-19 and the Coming Year of Confusion</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> I've had a number of people ask me about how I think COVID-19 will impact the ISP industry over the next six months. It's an interesting question to consider because there are both positive and negative trends that ISPs need to be concerned about. The chances are that these various trends will affect markets and ISPs differently - making it that much harder for an individual ISP to understand what they are going to see over the next six months. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200620-isps-covid-19-and-the-coming-year-of-confusion" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 20, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,503</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200615-putting-covid-19-traffic-growth-into-perspective">Putting COVID-19 Traffic Growth Into Perspective</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/ddos_attack" class="red">DDoS Attack</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,</div> <p> Nokia Deepfield is another company that works in the background on the web, and that analyzes data traffic patterns for the big ISPs. Their June 4 report on web traffic reports about the same thing we're hearing from most large ISPs -- the volume of web traffic suddenly shot up since the onset of the pandemic. Nokia Deepfield says that the increase in traffic has settled in at about a 25% increase over pre-COVID levels. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200615-putting-covid-19-traffic-growth-into-perspective" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 15, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 27,306</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200613-what-is-light-touch-regulation">What is Light-Touch Regulation?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/net_neutrality" class="red">Net Neutrality</a>,</div> <p> One thing I've noticed recently is that a lot of people are climbing on board the idea of building better broadband to rural America. Many people seem to think that the FCC can somehow act to fix a lot of the shortcomings of rural broadband - but in doing so, they have missed the entire point of what the FCC calls 'light-touch' regulation - because, from a practical perspective, broadband is not regulated at all. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200613-what-is-light-touch-regulation" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 13, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 14,338</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200603-privacy-in-the-age-of-covid-19">Privacy in the Age of COVID-19</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/internet_governance" class="red">Internet Governance</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/privacy" class="red">Privacy</a>,</div> <p> The Washington Post reports that a recent poll conducted shows that 3 out of 5 Americans are unable or unwilling to use an infection-alerting app developed by Google and Apple. About 1 in 6 adults can't use the app because they don't own a smartphone -- with the lowest ownership levels for those 65 and older. People with smartphones evenly split between those willing versus unwilling to use such an app. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200603-privacy-in-the-age-of-covid-19" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 04, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,414</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200529-a-new-us-national-broadband-plan">A New U.S. National Broadband Plan?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> United States Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass) introduced a bill that would require that the FCC create a new National Broadband Plan by July 2021. This plan would lay out the national goals needed for broadband going forward and also provide an update on how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted Internet access. I am not a big fan of the concept of a national plan for many reasons. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200529-a-new-us-national-broadband-plan" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 29, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,477</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200527-who-owns-your-connected-device">Who Owns Your Connected Device?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/internet_of_things" class="red">Internet of Things</a>,</div> <p> It's been clear for years that IoT companies gather a large amount of data from customers. Everything from a smart thermometer to your new car gathers and reports data back to the cloud. California has tried to tackle customer data privacy through the California Consumer Privacy Act that went into effect on January 1. Web companies must provide California consumers the ability to opt-out from having their personal information sold to others. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200527-who-owns-your-connected-device" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 27, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,444</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200522-is-teleworking-here-to-stay">Is Teleworking Here to Stay?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Broadband networks are stretched thin today due to the large numbers of adults and students working from home. There are many stories on the web that indicate that a lot of employees are not going to be going back to the office when the pandemic is over. Here are two stories about a trend towards more teleworking from the dozens that a Google search uncovered. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200522-is-teleworking-here-to-stay" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 22, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 8,753</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200513-the-upload-crisis">The Upload Crisis</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> Carriers continue to report on the impact of COVID-19 on their networks. One of the more interesting statistics that caught my eye was when Comcast reported that upload traffic on their network was up 33% since March 1. Comcast joins the rest of big ISPs in saying that their networks are handling the increased traffic volumes. By 'handling' the volumes, they mean that their networks are not crashing and shutting down. But I think there is a whole lot more to these headlines than what they are telling the public. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200513-the-upload-crisis" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 13, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,197</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200506-the-evolution-of-5g">The Evolution of 5G</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Technology always evolves, and I've been reading about where scientists envision the evolution of 5G. The first generation of 5G, which will be rolled out over the next 3-5 years, is mostly aimed at increasing the throughput of cellular networks. According to Cisco, North American cellular data volumes are growing at a torrid 36% per year, and even faster than that in some urban markets where the volumes of data are doubling every two years. The main goal of the first-generation 5G is to increase network capacity to handle that growth. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200506-the-evolution-of-5g" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 06, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,701</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200430-the-resurgence-of-voice">The Resurgence of Voice</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> One of the most interesting outcomes of the COVID-19 crisis has been a huge resurgence of telephone calls. While broadband usage is up 40% or more in some markets, the volumes of traditional voice calls have skyrocketed. Verizon says it's now seeing an average of 800 million calls per day, which is double the number of calls made on the last Mother's Day. Verizon also says the average length of calls has increased by one-third over recent averages. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200430-the-resurgence-of-voice" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 30, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,882</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200424-a-bad-year-for-the-cable-industry">A Bad Year for the Cable Industry</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> The traditional cable TV industry had a miserable 2019. Collectively the biggest cable TV providers in U.S. lost over 5.9 million subscribers during the year, almost 7% of the total customer base. The impacts of COVID-19, along with the already existing trends in the industry, spell bad news for the industry in 2020. I expect that customer losses will accelerate over 2019 levels. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200424-a-bad-year-for-the-cable-industry" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 24, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,403</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200420-predictions-for-a-post-covid-19-world">Predictions for a Post-COVID-19 World</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/cybersecurity" class="red">Cybersecurity</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> While it might still be too early to make predictions, there are dozens of articles on the web predicting how the COVID-19 pandemic might change our long-term behavior. Here are some of the more interesting predictions I've seen that involve broadband and telecom... Millions of people were sent home for work or school to homes that didn't have good broadband. These folks have been telling the world for years that they don't have good broadband... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200420-predictions-for-a-post-covid-19-world" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 20, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,616</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200417-cable-customers-plummet-in-2019">Cable Customers Plummet in 2019</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/iptv" class="red">IPTV</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The final numbers are in for 2019 and the largest cable providers collectively lost over 5.9 million customers for the year - a loss of almost 7% of customers. The numbers below come from Leichtman Research Group which compiles these numbers from reports made to investors, except for Cox which is estimated. The numbers reported are for the largest cable providers, and Leichtman estimates that these companies represent 95% of all cable customers in the country. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200417-cable-customers-plummet-in-2019" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 17, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,182</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200411-an-end-to-data-caps">An End to Data Caps?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> All of the major ISPs that were enforcing data caps have lifted those caps in response to the COVID-19 crisis. This includes AT&T, Comcast, Cox, Mediacom, and CenturyLink. All of these companies justified data caps as a network management tool that was in place to discourage overuse of the network. That argument no longer holds water if these ISPs eliminate them during a crisis that is overtaxing networks more than we are likely to ever see again. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200411-an-end-to-data-caps" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 12, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,079</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200407-free-the-fiber-now">Free the Fiber Now</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> In a previous blog post I mentioned that the FCC had taken away restrictions to allow broadband supplied by E-Rate funding to be used to provide free WiFi for the public. That's a good idea that will provide some relief for areas with little or no other broadband. But the announcement raises a more fundamental question - why was such a restriction in place to begin with? <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200407-free-the-fiber-now" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 07, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,065</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200406-the-government-needs-to-address-the-homework-gap">The Government Needs to Address the Homework Gap</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/internet_governance" class="red">Internet Governance</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> I've been at a bit of a loss over the last few days on what to write about, because suddenly newspapers, blogs, and social media are full of stories of how impossible it is for some students to work at home during the COVID-19 shutdowns. I've been writing this topic for years, and there doesn't seem to be a lot I can add right now - because the endless testimonials from students and families struggling with the issue speak louder than anything I can say. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200406-the-government-needs-to-address-the-homework-gap" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Apr 06, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,584</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200331-will-covid-19-traffic-kill-the-internet">Will COVID-19 Traffic Kill the Internet?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> This is the question being asked all across the industry as the volume of data traffic has leaped upward due to students and employees working from their homes. We got our first glimpse of the impact of the crisis when Verizon announced a week into the crisis that they were seeing a 22% increase in data traffic in their network. More recently, AT&T announced a 27% increase in network traffic. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200331-will-covid-19-traffic-kill-the-internet" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 31, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,476</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200329-using-bigger-bandwidth-applications">Using Bigger Bandwidth Applications</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> The recent Cisco <em>Annual Internet Report for 2018–2023</em> had one chart that I found intriguing. The purpose of Cisco's report is to look at the future of broadband usage, and the report included a chart showing the amount of bandwidth needed for various web functions. To me, this list was reminiscent of the list that the FCC made in 2015 when they set the definition of broadband at 25/3 Mbps -- except that all of the items on this list require more bandwidth than the functions the FCC foresaw just five years ago. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200329-using-bigger-bandwidth-applications" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 29, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,081</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/quantifying-the-homework-gap-finally-a-definitive-study">Quantifying the Homework Gap – Finally a Definitive Study</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,</div> <p> The Quello Center that is part of the Department of Media and Information at Michigan State University just released a definitive study that looks at the impact of lack of broadband on students. The study was done in conjunction with Merit Networks, the organization that acts as the ISP for schools in Michigan. I describe the study as definitive because it used study techniques that isolate the impact of broadband from other factors such as sex, race, and family income. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/quantifying-the-homework-gap-finally-a-definitive-study" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 26, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,344</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/a-new-busy-hour-one-of-the-many-consequences-of-the-covid-19-pandemic">A New Busy Hour – One of the Many Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/networks" class="red">Networks</a>,</div> <p> One of the many consequences of the coronavirus is that networks are going to see a shift in busy hour traffic. Busy hour traffic is just what it sounds like -- it's the time of the day when a network is busiest, and network engineers design networks to accommodate the expected peak amount of bandwidth usage. Verizon reported on March 18 that in the week since people started moving to work from home that they've seen a 20% overall increase in broadband traffic. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/a-new-busy-hour-one-of-the-many-consequences-of-the-covid-19-pandemic" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 24, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 2</li> <li>Views: 5,406</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200319-low-orbit-satellite-security">Low-Orbit Satellite Security</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I've been watching the progress of the low-orbit satellite providers, which are promising to bring broadband solutions across the planet. There has been some serious movement since the last time I discussed their status. On January 29, Starlink launched its latest round of low-orbit satellites, bringing the number in space to 242. Not all of these will be delivering broadband. The first half dozen satellites were test units to try out various concepts. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200319-low-orbit-satellite-security" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 19, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,290</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200314-apple-satellites">Apple Satellites?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Word has leaked out that Apple is working on a satellite project. The company is at the beginning of the research project, so there is no way to know exactly what they have in mind. For example, is the company considering launching satellites, or would they lease capacity from one of the other planned satellite networks? The fact that Apple is working on the concept is a good segue to discuss the many ways that satellite connectivity could be useful to Apple or other companies. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200314-apple-satellites" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 14, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,069</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200312-most-employees-in-rural-america-cannot-work-from-home-broadband">Most Employees in Rural America Can’t Work From Home Due to Lack of Required Broadband Speeds</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/coronavirus" class="red">Coronavirus</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> One of the hottest topics in the news related to coronavirus is working from home. Companies of all sizes are telling employees to work from home as a way to help curb the spread of the virus. Companies without work-at-home policies are scrambling to define how to make this work to minimize disruption to their business. Allowing employees to work at home is not a new phenomenon. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200312-most-employees-in-rural-america-cannot-work-from-home-broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 12, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,227</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200304_the_growth_rate_of_broadband_speeds">The Growth Rate of Broadband Speeds</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Cisco has changed the name of its periodic predictions of broadband usage from the <em>Visual Networking Index</em> to the <em>Annual Broadband Report</em>, and recently issued a report that covers the period from 2018 to predictions made through 2023. Cisco is one of the few industry players that projects future broadband usage. Their past reports have been spot on in terms of predicting future broadband usage. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200304_the_growth_rate_of_broadband_speeds" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Mar 04, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,289</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200229_why_are_the_us_broadband_prices_so_high">Why Are the U.S. Broadband Prices So High?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,</div> <p> I've wondered for years about why broadband prices are higher in the U.S. than the rest of the world. The average price in other industrial counties is significantly lower. In France, broadband averages $31, Germany is $35, Japan is $35, South Korea is $33, and the U.K. is $35. The average price of broadband in the U.S. is approaching $70, so we're at twice the price as other countries. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200229_why_are_the_us_broadband_prices_so_high" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 29, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 7,558</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200224_there_is_no_artificial_intelligence">There Is No Artificial Intelligence</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/artificial-intelligence" class="red">Artificial Intelligence</a>,  <a href="/topics/blockchain" class="red">Blockchain</a>,  <a href="/topics/internet_of_things" class="red">Internet of Things</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/web" class="red">Web</a>,</div> <p> It seems like most new technology today comes with a lot of hype. Just a few years ago, the press was full of predictions that we'd be awash with Internet of Thing sensors that would transform the way we live. We've heard similar claims for technologies like virtual reality, blockchain, and self-driving cars. I've written a lot about the massive hype surrounding 5G -- in my way of measuring things, there isn't any 5G in the world yet, but the cellular carriers are loudly proclaiming its everywhere. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200224_there_is_no_artificial_intelligence" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 24, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 11,620</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200220_broadband_consumption_continues_explosive_growth">Broadband Consumption Continues Explosive Growth</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> OpenVault Just released its <em>Broadband Industry Report for 4Q 2019</em> that tracks the way that the US consumes data. The results of the reports are as eye-opening as OpenVault reports for the last few years. OpenVault has been collecting broadband usage for more than ten years. As usual, the OpenVault statistics are a wake-up cry for the industry. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200220_broadband_consumption_continues_explosive_growth" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 20, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,679</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200218_broadband_in_china">Broadband in China</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> For years I've been hearing how we are losing the broadband battle with China, so I decided to take a look at the current state of broadband in the country. The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) publishes statistics about the state of broadband in the country, and I used the <em>Statistical Report on Internet Development in China</em> from August 2019 in writing this blog. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200218_broadband_in_china" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 18, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 7,937</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200213_can_5g_replace_wifi">Can 5G Replace WiFi?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Verizon recently posted a webcast with investors where Ronan Dunne, EVP and CEO of the Verizon Consumer Group said that he believed that 5G hotspots using millimeter wave spectrum would eventually displace WiFi in homes. He cites major benefits of 5G over WiFi. He believes that a 5G network will be more reliable and more secure. He thinks that people will value the safety that comes from having traffic inside their home being encrypted... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200213_can_5g_replace_wifi" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 13, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 8,944</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200204_a_reality_check_on_5g_in_rural_america">A Reality Check on 5G in Rural America</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> FCC Chairman Ajit Pai recently told the crowd at CES that 5G would be a huge benefit to rural America and would help to close the rural broadband divide. I have to imagine he's saying this to keep rural legislators on board to support that FCC's emphasis on promoting 5G. I've thought hard about the topic, and I have a hard time seeing how 5G will make much difference in rural America – particularly with broadband. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200204_a_reality_check_on_5g_in_rural_america" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Feb 04, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,007</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200125_is_5g_radiation_safe">Is 5G Radiation Safe?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> There is a lot of public sentiment against placing small cell sites on residential streets. There is a particular fear of broadcasting higher millimeter wave frequencies near to homes since these frequencies have never been in widespread use before. In the public's mind, higher frequencies mean a greater danger of health problems related to exposure to radiofrequency emissions. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200125_is_5g_radiation_safe" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 25, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,592</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200123_killing_3g">Killing 3G</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I have bad news for anybody still clinging to their flip phones. All of the big cellular carriers have announced plans to end 3G cellular service, and each has a different timeline in mind... The amount of usage on 3G networks is still significant. GSMA reported that at the end of 2018 that as many as 17% of US cellular customers still made 3G connections, which accounted for as much as 19% of all cellular connections. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200123_killing_3g" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 23, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,716</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200121_broadband_and_presidential_politics">Broadband and Presidential Politics</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> For the first time in my memory, broadband has entered into U.S. presidential politics. This is an important milestone for rural broadband – not because of the proposals being made by candidates, but because it indicates that the voices of those without rural broadband have reached upward to the top of the political system. I'm sure that when the presidential candidates go to rural areas, they are asked if they can help find a solution for the lack of broadband in many rural counties. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200121_broadband_and_presidential_politics" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 21, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,147</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200115_us_has_poor_cellular_video">U.S. Has Poor Cellular Video</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Opensignal recently published a report that looks around the world at the quality of cellular video. Video has become a key part of the cellular experience as people are using cellphones for entertainment, and since social media and advertising have migrated to video. The use of cellular video is exploding. Netflix reports that 25% of its total streaming worldwide is sent to mobile devices. The new Disney+ app that was just launched got over 3 million downloads of their cellular app in just the first 24 hours. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200115_us_has_poor_cellular_video" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 15, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,159</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200102_spectrum_and_weather_forecasting">Spectrum and Weather Forecasting</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> There is currently a brewing controversy over the allocation of various radio frequencies for 5G that could have a negative impact on weather forecasting. Weather forecasting has become extremely sophisticated and relies on masses of data gathered from weather satellites and other data-gathering devices. The masses of data, along with modern supercomputers and data center computing, have significantly improved the ability to predict future weather. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200102_spectrum_and_weather_forecasting" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jan 02, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 2</li> <li>Views: 7,248</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191231_my_telecom_predictions_for_2020">My Telecom Predictions for 2020</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> There is already a growing shortage of fiber resources that includes engineers, construction companies, and fiber consultants. The upcoming $16.4 billion RDOF program will create a resource shortage in 2020 for those who can help companies seek grant funding. Once the grants are awarded, the size of the program will add stress to the resources needed to build networks. Companies that don't line up their experts early might find themselves without help. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191231_my_telecom_predictions_for_2020" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 31, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,729</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191226_fiber_resource_shortages">Fiber Resource Shortages</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The fiber industry is as busy as I have ever seen it, and it's about to get even busier. The cellular carriers, particularly Verizon are actively building fiber to reach small cell sites. The cable companies are building a significant amount of fiber, particularly Altice which is upgrading to FTTP. The FCC is going to award $9 billion in 2020 for the 5G Fund grant program, much which will go for fiber to reach rural cell sites. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191226_fiber_resource_shortages" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 26, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,909</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191226_a_tale_of_tackling_the_digital_divide">A Tale of Tackling the Digital Divide</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,</div> <p> A new book came out in November that tells about one of the first attempts to solve the digital divide on a large scale. The book is 'The Charisma Machine: The Life, Death, and Legacy of One Laptop per Child' published by MIT Press and available on Amazon and other places online. In 2005, Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of MIT Media Lab, created a program that he hoped would solve the digital divide in the third world. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191226_a_tale_of_tackling_the_digital_divide" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 26, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,860</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191216_the_upcoming_5g_confusion">The Upcoming 5G Confusion</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Until now, the 5G industry has spread a lot of hype, but it hasn't affected customers. That's all starting to change as the cellular carriers are starting to offer 5G phones. Many customers who spend extra for 5G phones are going to quickly be frustrated and disappointed as they try to participate in the new 5G world. Consider both AT&T and T-Mobile. Both companies are introducing both a low-band and a high-band 5G phone, and customers who want 5G will have to choose... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191216_the_upcoming_5g_confusion" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 16, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,792</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191211_counting_gigabit_households">Counting Gigabit Households</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> I ran across a website called the Gigabit Monitor that is tracking the population worldwide that has access to gigabit broadband. The website is sponsored by VIAVI Solutions, a manufacturer of network test equipment. The website claims that in the US, over 68.5 million people have access to gigabit broadband or 21% of the population. That number gets sketchy when you look at the details. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191211_counting_gigabit_households" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 11, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,385</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191203_our_digital_illiteracy">Our Digital Illiteracy</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/internet_governance" class="red">Internet Governance</a>,  <a href="/topics/web" class="red">Web</a>,</div> <p> Pew Research Center recently surveyed 4,272 adults and tested their knowledge of basic computer topics. The results showed that there was a lack of general knowledge about a few of the terms that are important for how people use the Internet. For example, the survey showed that only 30% of survey takers knew that website starting with https:// means that the information provided over that site is encrypted. Only 28% of respondents understood the concept of two-factor authentication... <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191203_our_digital_illiteracy" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Dec 03, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,295</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191126_starlink_making_a_space_grab">Starlink Making a Space Grab</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> SpaceNews recently reported that Elon Musk and his low-orbit space venture Starlink have filed with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to launch an additional 30,000 broadband satellites in addition to the 11,927 now in the planning stages. This looks like a land grab and Musk is hoping to grab valuable orbital satellite paths to keep them away from competitors. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191126_starlink_making_a_space_grab" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 26, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,097</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191119_nielsens_law_of_internet_bandwidth">Nielsen’s Law of Internet Bandwidth</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> One of the more interesting rules-of-thumb in the industry is Nielsen's Law of Internet bandwidth, which states that: A high-end user's connection speed grows by 50% per year. This 'law' was postulated by Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group in 1998 and subsequently updated in 2008 and 2019. Nielsen started by looking at usage for himself and other big data users, going back to a 300 bps (bits per second) modem used in 1984. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191119_nielsens_law_of_internet_bandwidth" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 19, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 14,398</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191108_do_cable_companies_have_a_wireless_advantage">Do Cable Companies Have a Wireless Advantage?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> The big wireless companies have been wrangling for years with the issues associated with placing small cells on poles. Even with new FCC rules in their favor, they are still getting a lot of resistance from communities. Maybe the future of urban/suburban wireless lies with the big cable companies. Cable companies have a few major cost advantages over the wireless companies, including the ability to bypass the pole issue. The first advantage is the ability to deploy mid-span cellular small cells. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191108_do_cable_companies_have_a_wireless_advantage" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Nov 08, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,542</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191025_be_wary_of_5g_hardware">Be Wary of 5G Hardware</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> We've now entered the period of 5G competition where the wireless carriers are trying to outdo each other in announcing 5G rollouts. If you believe the announcements, you'd think 5G is soon going to be everywhere. Device manufacturers are joining the fray and are advertising devices that can be used with the early carrier 5G products. Buyers beware -- because most of what the cellular companies and the manufacturers are hyping as 5G is not yet 5G. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191025_be_wary_of_5g_hardware" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 25, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,679</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191023_farm_access_to_broadband">Farm Access to Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been measuring computer usage on farms and publishes the results every two years in its Farm Computer Usage and Ownership report. The most recently released report for 2019 was compiled by asking questions to 20,000 farmers. This is a large sample from the more than 2 million farms in the country. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191023_farm_access_to_broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 23, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,349</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191018_shame_on_the_regulators">Shame on the Regulators</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> It's clear that even before the turn of this century that the big telcos largely walked away from maintaining and improving residential service. The evidence for this is the huge numbers of neighborhoods that are stuck with older copper technologies that haven't been upgraded. The telcos made huge profits over the decades in these neighborhoods and ideally should not have been allowed to walk away from their customers. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191018_shame_on_the_regulators" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 18, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,984</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191014_the_myth_of_5g_and_driverless_cars">The Myth of 5G and Driverless Cars</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> A colleague sent me an article that had been published earlier this year in MachineDesign magazine that predicts that driverless cars can't be realized until we have a ubiquitous 5G network. When looking for the original article on the web I noticed numerous similar articles like this one in Forbes that have the same opinion. These articles and other similar articles predict that high-bandwidth, low-latency 5G networks are only a few years away. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191014_the_myth_of_5g_and_driverless_cars" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 15, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,954</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191007_us_court_upholds_repeal_of_net_neutrality">US Court Upholds Repeal of Net Neutrality</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/net_neutrality" class="red">Net Neutrality</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the last day of September that the FCC had the authority to kill Title II regulation and to repeal net neutrality. However, the ruling wasn't entirely in the FCC's favor. The agency was ordered to look again at how the repeal of Title II regulation affects public safety. In a more important ruling, the courts said that the FCC didn't have the authority to stop states and municipalities from establishing their own rules for net neutrality. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20191007_us_court_upholds_repeal_of_net_neutrality" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Oct 07, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,399</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190930_happy_birthday_wi_fi">Happy Birthday Wi-Fi</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> This year is the twentieth anniversary of the formation of the Wi-Fi Alliance and the launch of commercial Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi has become so ubiquitous in our lives that it's hard to believe that it's only been twenty years since all broadband connections came with wires. In 1999 most people were still using dial-up, and that's the year when early adapters started buying DSL. I remember having incredibly long phone cords so that I could use my laptop at different places around the house. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190930_happy_birthday_wi_fi" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 30, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 9,302</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190925_the_hidden_world_of_undersea_fiber">The Hidden World of Undersea Fiber</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Since the first undersea cable was completed in 1858 to deliver telegraph messages between the US and England, we've had an extensive network of undersea cable networks that enable communications between continents. Earlier this year there were 378 undersea fiber cables in place that stretch over 745,000 miles. Here's an interactive map that shows all of the cables... What's most intriguing about the map is that there are a few cities around the world where numerous cables terminate. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190925_the_hidden_world_of_undersea_fiber" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 25, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 17,368</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190918_unlicensed_millimeter_wave_spectrum">Unlicensed Millimeter Wave Spectrum</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I haven't seen it talked about a lot, but the FCC has set aside millimeter wave spectrum that can be used by anybody to provide broadband. That means that entities will be able to use the spectrum in rural America in areas that the big cellphone companies are likely to ignore. The FCC set aside the V band (60 GHz) as unlicensed spectrum. This band provides 14 GHz of contiguous spectrum available for anybody to use. This is an interesting spectrum because it has a few drawbacks. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190918_unlicensed_millimeter_wave_spectrum" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 18, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,696</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190911_weighing_downside_of_launching_huge_numbers_of_satellites">Busy Skies: Weighing the Downside of Launching Huge Numbers of Satellites for Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> I was looking over the stated goals of the broadband satellite companies and was struck by the sheer numbers of satellites that are being planned. The table further down in the blog shows plans for nearly 15,000 new satellites. To put this into perspective, consider the number of satellites ever shot into space. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (NOOSA) has been tracking space launches for decades. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190911_weighing_downside_of_launching_huge_numbers_of_satellites" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 11, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,548</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190904_is_there_a_business_case_for_fast_cellular">Is There a Business Case for Fast Cellular?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,</div> <p> We've gotten a glimpse of the challenges of marketing faster cellular usage since the two major cellular providers in South Korea made a big push in offering ultrafast cellular broadband. South Korea has two primary cellular carriers – SK Telecom and KT – and both have implemented cellular products using millimeter wave spectrum in Seoul and other dense urban areas. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190904_is_there_a_business_case_for_fast_cellular" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Sep 04, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,355</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190828_a_new_cellular_carrier">A New Cellular Carrier?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> One of the most interesting aspects of the proposed merger of Sprint and T-Mobile is that the agreement now includes selling some of Sprint's spectrum to Dish Networks to enable them to become a 5G cellular provider. This arrangement is part of the compromise required by the Department of Justice to preserve industry competition when the major wireless carriers shrink from four to three. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190828_a_new_cellular_carrier" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 28, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,873</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190821_global_broadband_trends_as_the_world_wide_web_turns_30">Worldwide Broadband Trends as the World Wide Web Turns 30</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/web" class="red">Web</a>,</div> <p> Hootsuite is the premier tracker of social media usage around the world. They publish numerous reports annually that track broadband statistics and social media statistic from around the world. They report the following statistics for the end of 2018. The world has been seeing one million new users online every day since January 2018. That means there are 11 new users on the web every second. There are now 5.11 billion mobile subscribers in the world, 67% of the world's population. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190821_global_broadband_trends_as_the_world_wide_web_turns_30" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 21, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 10,285</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190809_broadband_and_the_census_why_decision_to_go_online_premature">Broadband and the Census: Why Decision to Go Online Is Probably Ten Years Premature</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> The US government is gearing up to begin the 2020 census which will be administered starting next April 20. For the first time, the census is going to rely heavily on people answering the census questions online. Live census takers will then follow-up with those that don't submit the online response. This seems like an odd decision since there are still many people who don't have home broadband. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190809_broadband_and_the_census_why_decision_to_go_online_premature" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 09, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,775</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190805_terahertz_wifi">Terahertz WiFi</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> While labs across the world are busy figuring out how to implement the 5G standards, there are scientists already working in the higher frequency spectrum looking to achieve even faster speeds. The frequencies that are just now being explored are labeled as the terahertz range and are at 300 GHz and higher spectrum. This spectrum is the upper ranges of radio spectrum and lies just below ultraviolet light. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190805_terahertz_wifi" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Aug 05, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,370</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190729_are_you_ready_for_10_gbps">Are You Ready for 10 Gbps?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> Around the world, we're seeing some migration to 10 Gbps residential broadband. During the last year, the broadband providers in South Korea, Japan, and China began upgrading to the next-generation PON and are offering the blazingly fast broadband products to consumers. South Korea is leading the pack and expects to have the 10 Gbps speed to about 50% of subscribers by the end of 2022. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190729_are_you_ready_for_10_gbps" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 29, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 1</li> <li>Views: 10,763</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190725_open_access_for_apartment_buildings">Open Access for Apartment Buildings</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> San Francisco recently passed an interesting ordinance that requires that landlords of apartments and multi-tenant business buildings allow access to multiple ISPs to bring broadband. This ordinance raises all sorts of regulatory and legal questions. At the most recent FCC monthly meeting, the FCC jumped into the fray and voted on language that is intended to kill or weaken the ordinance. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190725_open_access_for_apartment_buildings" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 25, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 6,109</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190719_we_need_public_5g_spectrum">We Need Public 5G Spectrum</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/policy_regulation" class="red">Policy & Regulation</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Last October the FCC issued a Notice for Proposed Rulemaking that proposed expanding WiFi into the 6 GHz band of spectrum (5.925 to 7.125 GHz). WiFi has been a huge economic boon to the country, and the FCC recognizes that providing more free public spectrum is a vital piece of the spectrum puzzle. Entrepreneurs have found a myriad of inventive ways to use WiFi that go far beyond what carriers have provided with licensed spectrum. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190719_we_need_public_5g_spectrum" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 19, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,515</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190712_will_broadband_go_wireless">Will Broadband Go Wireless?</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> For years it's been impossible to go to any industry forum without meeting a few folks who predict that residential broadband will go wireless. This buzz has accelerated with the exaggerated claims that fast 5G broadband is right around the corner. I've seen even more talk about this due to a recent Pew poll that shows that the number of people that only use their cellphones for data has climbed significantly over the last few years – I'm going to discuss that poll in another upcoming blog. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190712_will_broadband_go_wireless" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 12, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,168</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190709_why_5g_wont_be_here_tomorrow">Why 5G Won’t Be Here Tomorrow</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/mobile_internet" class="red">Mobile Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> I just saw another article yesterday written by a major-city newspaper telling the public that 5G is coming in 2020. I hate to see reporters who have accepted the nonsense being peddled by the carriers without digging a little deeper to find the truth. At some point in the near future, the public will finally realize that the 5G talk has mostly been hype. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190709_why_5g_wont_be_here_tomorrow" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jul 09, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 8,365</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190628_looking_at_correlation_between_broadband_speeds_and_unemployment">Looking at the Correlation Between Broadband Speeds and Unemployment</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> Economists at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Oklahoma State University conducted a study that correlates broadband speeds to unemployment. They concluded that unemployment rates are 0.26% lower in counties with faster broadband. They further concluded that broadband has a bigger impact on jobs in rural areas than in metropolitan ones. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190628_looking_at_correlation_between_broadband_speeds_and_unemployment" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 28, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,462</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190606_squirrels_number_one_culprit_for_animal_damage_to_aerial_fiber">Squirrels Are the Number One Culprit for Animal Damage to Aerial Fiber</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/telecom" class="red">Telecom</a>,</div> <p> These cute rodents are the number one culprit for animal damage to aerial fiber. To a lesser degree, fiber owners report similar damage by rats and mice. Squirrels mainly chew on cables as a way to sharpen their teeth. Squirrel teeth grow up to 8 inches per year and if squirrels aren't wearing their teeth down from their diet, they look for other things to chew. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190606_squirrels_number_one_culprit_for_animal_damage_to_aerial_fiber" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>Jun 06, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 29,769</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190524_the_impact_of_satellite_broadband">The Impact of Satellite Broadband</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/access_providers" class="red">Access Providers</a>,  <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,  <a href="/topics/satellite-internet" class="red">Satellite Internet</a>,  <a href="/topics/wireless" class="red">Wireless</a>,</div> <p> Recently I've had several people ask me about the expected impact of low-orbit satellite broadband. While significant competition from satellites is probably a number of years away, there are several major initiatives like StarLink (Elon Musk), Project Kuiper (Amazon), and OneWeb that have announced plans to launch swarms of satellites to provide broadband. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190524_the_impact_of_satellite_broadband" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 24, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 7,466</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190520_broadband_and_food_safety">Broadband and Food Safety</a></h3> <div class="byLine">Related Topics: <a href="/topics/broadband" class="red">Broadband</a>,</div> <p> I recently saw a presentation that showed how food safety is starting to rely on good rural broadband. I've already witnessed many other ways that farmers use broadband like precision farming, herd monitoring, and drone surveillance, but food safety was a new concept for me. The presentation centered around the romaine lettuce scare of a few months ago. The food industry was unable to quickly identify the source of the contaminated produce and the result was a recall of all romaine nationwide. <a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190520_broadband_and_food_safety" class="red"><span class="readmore">more</span></a> </p> <div class="postInfo pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>By <a href="https://circleid.com/members/8383" class="blue">Doug Dawson</a></li> <li>May 20, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 5,210</li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="colB"> <div class="colPad">  <h2 style="margin-bottom:10px;">Topic Interests</h2> <div style="padding:0 0 30px 0;line-height:20px;"> <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsbroadband"><strong>Broadband</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicswireless"><strong>Wireless</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsaccess_providers"><strong>Access Providers</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicssatellite-internet"><strong>Satellite Internet</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicstelecom"><strong>Telecom</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicspolicy_regulation"><strong>Policy & Regulation</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicscoronavirus"><strong>Coronavirus</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsmobile_internet"><strong>Mobile Internet</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsweb"><strong>Web</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsnet_neutrality"><strong>Net Neutrality</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsinternet_governance"><strong>Internet Governance</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsinternet_of_things"><strong>Internet of Things</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsblockchain"><strong>Blockchain</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsartificial-intelligence"><strong>Artificial Intelligence</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsnetworks"><strong>Networks</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsiptv"><strong>IPTV</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicscybersecurity"><strong>Cybersecurity</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsprivacy"><strong>Privacy</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsddos_attack"><strong>DDoS Attack</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicscloud_computing"><strong>Cloud Computing</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsdata_center"><strong>Data Center</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsthreat-intelligence"><strong>Threat Intelligence</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsinternet_protocol"><strong>Internet Protocol</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsipv6-transition"><strong>IPv6 Transition</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicsbrand_protection"><strong>Brand Protection</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicslaw"><strong>Law</strong></a>,  <a href="https://circleid.com/topicscyberattack"><strong>Cyberattack</strong></a> </div>  <h2>Recent Comments</h2> <div class="postListMini" style="padding:0 0 15px 0;"> </div>   <h2>Popular Posts</h2> <div class="postListMini" style="padding:0 0 30px 0;"> <h3 style="padding-top:0;margin-top:0;border:none;"><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20230127-the-disappointment-of-5g">The Disappointment of 5G</a></h3> <div class="byLine pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>Jan 27, 2023</li> <li>Comments: 2</li> <li>Views: 48,866</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20220306-what-weve-learned-about-upload-bandwidth">What We’ve Learned About Upload Bandwidth</a></h3> <div class="byLine pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>Mar 06, 2022</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 36,284</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20190606_squirrels_number_one_culprit_for_animal_damage_to_aerial_fiber">Squirrels Are the Number One Culprit for Animal Damage to Aerial Fiber</a></h3> <div class="byLine pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>Jun 06, 2019</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 29,769</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20200615-putting-covid-19-traffic-growth-into-perspective">Putting COVID-19 Traffic Growth Into Perspective</a></h3> <div class="byLine pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>Jun 15, 2020</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 27,306</li> </ul> </div> <h3><a href="https://circleid.com/posts/20210902-are-we-ready-for-big-bandwidth-applications">Are We Ready for Big Bandwidth Applications?</a></h3> <div class="byLine pipedLinks"> <ul> <li>Sep 02, 2021</li> <li>Comments: 0</li> <li>Views: 25,811</li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <div id="footer"> <div id="footerContent"> <div style="float:left;"> <a href="/"><img src="/images/circleid.svg" border="0" style="width:140px;opacity: 0.9;" /></a><br /> <p style="font-size:14px;padding:11px 0 15px 0;margin:0;">A World-Renowned Source for Internet Developments. 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