The Verge - The National Broadband Plan: everything you need to know about US broadband reformhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52801/VER_Logomark_32x32..png2013-07-19T15:41:03-04:00http://www.theverge.com/rss/stream/22380692013-07-19T15:41:03-04:002013-07-19T15:41:03-04:00Schools get one step closer to high-speed internet after FCC vote
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<img alt="Cable ethernet" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9mvfpV3aYw4aJtE8W4zwsymRcyM=/0x0:1020x680/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/1135950/network_supremacy.jpg" />
<figcaption>Cable ethernet</figcaption>
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<p>The Federal Communications Commission has been working to beef up internet access across the US, and it's just voted to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/19/statement-president-fcc-vote-modernize-e-rate">move ahead</a> with a proposal that'll help to bring high-speed internet connections into almost every school in the nation. The proposal would overhaul the government's E-Rate program, which was established in 1997 to help connect schools and libraries to the web. <a target="_blank" href="http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/312301-at-obamas-urging-fcc-acts-to-boost-school-internet-speeds?utm_campaign=HilliconValley&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">According to <i>The Hill</i></a>, the program still focuses on dated technologies — such as paging and phone directory tools — but the new plan would prioritize wireless networking equipment that's capable of handling a high number of users at high speeds. The FCC is now <a href="http://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-launches-update-e-rate-broadband-schools-libraries" target="_blank">looking into</a> how it can best alter the E-Rate program to provide those modern tools.</p>
<p>The proposal is...</p>
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https://www.theverge.com/2013/7/19/4538904/fcc-modernizing-schools-high-speed-internet-connected-initiativeJacob Kastrenakes2013-06-06T10:35:04-04:002013-06-06T10:35:04-04:00White House plans sweeping expansion of broadband for schools
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<img alt="school bus (STOCK)" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Aaxc8JwHjLyY-VO5Kbg1SdVqezw=/3x0:1017x676/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/1153501/school-bus-stock_1020.jpg" />
<figcaption>school bus (STOCK)</figcaption>
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<p>Better technology — particularly better connectivity — is seen as one of the linchpins of education reform, and the White House hopes to overhaul school broadband with a new initiative. The ConnectED program, announced today, is meant to get 99 percent of students in schools access to stable Wi-Fi networks and high-speed broadband, defined as no less than 100Mbps with a target of 1Gbps. To do so, it will rely on the E-Rate or Schools and Libraries Program, which subsidizes internet service discounts for schools and libraries. Currently, E-Rate provides 20 to 90 percent discounts to institutions that meet its criteria. But in a <a href="http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-12-90A1.pdf" target="_blank">2012 report </a>on the state of broadband in schools, the FCC noted that 80 percent of E-Rate recipients said their...</p>
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https://www.theverge.com/2013/6/6/4401942/white-house-plans-e-rate-school-broadband-access-expansionAdi Robertson2013-04-24T10:26:55-04:002013-04-24T10:26:55-04:00FCC-backed bill would subsidize broadband for low-income homes
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<img alt="Cable ethernet" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9mvfpV3aYw4aJtE8W4zwsymRcyM=/0x0:1020x680/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/1135950/network_supremacy.jpg" />
<figcaption>Cable ethernet</figcaption>
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<p>New federal legislation is looking to modernize an aging government assistance program aimed at telephones by turning it into a way for low-income consumers to access broadband internet. The Broadband Adoption Act of 2013 was introduced to the House of Representatives yesterday and would update Lifeline, an FCC-run program that offers subsidized phone service to citizens near the poverty line or enrolled in select government programs such as Medicaid. Under the new legislation, Lifeline would offer the option between discounted telephone, mobile, and internet services. The bill is supported by outgoing FCC chairman Julius Genachowski and was introduced by three Democratic representatives of California, Doris Matsui, Henry Waxman, and...</p>
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https://www.theverge.com/2013/4/24/4260530/fcc-lifeline-assistance-program-broadband-internet-discountsJacob Kastrenakes2012-11-07T12:43:14-05:002012-11-07T12:43:14-05:00Is AT&T's plan to end landline phone service crazy, or just crazy enough?
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<img alt="FCC TEC" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3tgp2AtZfVWNdpxopk8MPs7txzo=/0x0:1021x681/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/808254/fcc-tec.jpg" />
<figcaption>FCC TEC</figcaption>
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<p>POTS, the loving acronym for "plain old telephone service," is the single oldest continuously operating network in existence. It predates even the earliest vestiges of the internet by three-quarters of a century. It's so ubiquitous and so reliable that the notion of eliminating it is quite literally banned by law — it's written into Section 214 of <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2007-title47-vol1/content-detail.html" target="_blank">Title 47</a>, the portion of the US Code established largely by the Communications Act of 1934:</p>
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<p>No carrier shall discontinue, reduce, or impair service to a community, or part of a community, unless and until there shall first have been obtained from the Commission a certificate that neither the present nor future public convenience and necessity will be adversely affected thereby...</p>
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<p><q class="right">Weaning...</q></p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/7/3613198/att-project-velocity-ip-rural-fcc">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/7/3613198/att-project-velocity-ip-rural-fccChris Ziegler2012-07-27T18:07:06-04:002012-07-27T18:07:06-04:00Connect America Fund bringing broadband to 400,000 underserved Americans by 2015
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<img alt="FCC broadband map" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1aGtBsonyKGi8ZWXdukpoR4C9i4=/88x0:1011x615/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/771201/fcc-broadband-map.jpg" />
<figcaption>FCC broadband map</figcaption>
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<p>Yesterday, the FCC announced the finalized details of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Service_Fund" target="_blank">Universal Service Fund's</a> replacement, the <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2011/10/31/2526667/fcc-usf-connect-america-fund-mobility-fund/in/2238069">Connect America Fund</a>. The $115 million plan will bring high speed internet to nearly 400,000 underserved residents across 37 states within three years time, the first step in the agency's $4.5 billion<a href="http://www.theverge.com/2011/10/6/2473686/fcc-chairman-lays-out-plan-for-universal-broadband-by-2020/in/2238069"> National Broadband Plan</a>.</p>
<p>The FCC plans to bring broadband to 400,000 citizens in three years, seven million in six years, and as many of the 19 million residents that the FCC estimates lack access to broadband by 2020. The organization is calling this an "unprecedented broadband expansion," and says that this news marks the beginning of one of the largest public and private efforts to improve national broadband in American history.</p>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/7/27/3194431/fcc-connect-america-fund-rural-broadbandEvan Rodgers2012-02-17T12:07:04-05:002012-02-17T12:07:04-05:00Voluntary TV spectrum auction on tap with approval locked in Congress
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<figcaption>Congress</figcaption>
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<p>The House passed an extension of the payroll tax cut this morning after representatives from both sides of the chamber hammered out a deal earlier this week; a Senate vote is planned for this afternoon, and early indications are that it'll pass. That may not seem like an interesting development for members of the wireless community, but approval of the voluntary auction of spectrum currently reserved for television broadcasts — a contentious issue over the past couple years — is attached to the bill, and virtually every stakeholder in the wireless community (including the FCC) is in favor of the auction. The National Association of Broadcasters, which represents television stations that currently own the licenses, had been a key...</p>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/17/2804829/voluntary-tv-spectrum-auction-on-tap-with-approval-nearly-locked-inChris Ziegler2012-02-11T11:49:01-05:002012-02-11T11:49:01-05:00FCC plans $300 million reverse auction for rural mobile access, releases map of 3G dead zones
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<img alt="FCC rural 3g map" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hPEC4o8DkjpucBL-OIXPWoY6oZc=/58x0:621x375/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/946144/fcc-map.png" />
<figcaption>FCC rural 3g map</figcaption>
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<p>In a statement on Friday, the FCC reiterated its commitment to extending rural broadband access by reminding everybody it is planning a reverse auction, the winner of which will receive a one-time payment of $300 million in order to fund the buildout of wireless data in rural areas. It's all a part of the FCC's revamped <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2011/10/31/2526667/fcc-usf-connect-america-fund-mobility-fund">Universal Service Fund</a>, which was originally designed to bring landlines to the far corners of the US but has been re-purposed for broadband access. Along with the reminder, the FCC took advantage of the <a href="http://mapbox.com/">MapBox</a> online mapmaker and data from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.americanroamer.com/">American Roamer</a> to release a new <a target="_blank" href="http://tiles.mapbox.com/fcc/map/mobility-fund-phase-1-potentially-eligible-areas">interactive map</a> showing the areas where it believes 3G coverage is lacking (which is to say, nonexistent). FCC Chair Julius Genachowski's statement...</p>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/11/2790841/fcc-300-million-reverse-auction-rural-mobile-accessDieter Bohn2012-02-01T02:01:42-05:002012-02-01T02:01:42-05:00FCC revises Lifeline subsidy program, savings to fund low-income broadband pilot test
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<img alt="FCC broadband map" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1aGtBsonyKGi8ZWXdukpoR4C9i4=/88x0:1011x615/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/771201/fcc-broadband-map.jpg" />
<figcaption>FCC broadband map</figcaption>
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<p>Under Chairman Julius Genachowski, the FCC has been driving hard for the <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2011/10/6/2473686/fcc-chairman-lays-out-plan-for-universal-broadband-by-2020/in/2238069">expansion of broadband into rural America</a>. Today it announced cost-saving changes to its Lifeline subsidy program that will help fund a new test program to bring broadband to low-income households. They're aimed primarily at cutting out waste and abuse of the 25-year-old Lifeline program, which helps subsidize the cost of basic telephone service for those who can't otherwise afford it. A new National Lifeline Accountability Database will be created to prevent subsidies from being funneled to multiple phone carriers on behalf of the same individual, while a secondary database will provide a streamlined way to determine any given customer's eligibility. Also changing...</p>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/1/2762871/fcc-lifeline-subsidy-changes-broadband-adoption-pilot-programBryan Bishop