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No Government Funded Overbuilds – #Summit2023
No government-funded overbuilds is the message that Patricia (Patty) Jo Boyers has for policymakers and regulators. She explains that it is critical that the tens of billions of dollars of federal funding, such as the $42.5B BEAD program, finance the building of broadband networks for the unserved and underserved; not to locations that already have…
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Finding Common Ground from Common Ground
Neighbors helping neighbors is a necessity in rural America. Simply, there are not enough resources (e.g., the necessity of volunteer fire departments), and it requires a robust community to survive. That’s been one of the lessons from Viodi’s visits to the broadband providers who serve areas where others wouldn’t. Speaking at the ACA Connects Summit,…
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The “S” in USF Could Mean Sustainable
A recurring message at NTCA’s 2023 RTIME was the importance of educating policymakers that the current unprecedented capital expenditures in broadband will be for naught if sustainability is not part of the plan. Sustainability, in this context, means the ability to operate and maintain a given network on an ongoing basis. Even though new networks…
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Broadband Bogged Down by a Beetle
How do you move a beetle without harming it? According to Eric Rajchel of Vantage Point, a piece of raw chicken does the trick. In the above video, Rajchel, an engineer at this well-known broadband engineering firm, describes one of the more subtle challenges he and his clients face as they deploy broadband in rural…
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Navigating Rural Broadband Funding in a Sea of Uncertainty – #TIS22
“We actually saw a pretty sizable, almost 30% increase in prices for all of our equipment,” says Ross Petrick, GM & CEO of Garretson, South Dakota-based, Alliance Communications. Speaking at the 2022 Independent Show, Petrick explains some of the financial challenges of expanding broadband to unserved households in rural South Dakota. At almost $7,700 per…
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An Updated Perspective on Public-Private Broadband Partnerships
Public-private broadband partnerships can be a win-win for under and unserved communities and for incumbent providers wishing to extend their service beyond their existing footprint. This is one of the conclusions from the above interview with Dave Fridley of FARR Technologies. This conversation builds on his recent presentation at the MTA’s 2022 Convention and Conference,…
