Only seven business days after it began, the FCC’s 24 GHz spectrum auction “blow past the $1 billion mark Friday (March 22).” The FCC is auctioning the spectrum “to free up more bandwidth for 5G wireless broadband, to help close the rural digital divide, and to make wireless a stronger competitor to wired broadband. New York and L.A. continue to lead, with bids on licenses there of $28,080,000 and $21,606,000, respectively, with Chicago in distant third with $10,436,000.”
T-Mobile has 5G towers in most top U.S. markets, handsets arriving in 2019
During T-Mobile’s fourth-quarter 2018 results call, executives maintained that they’re "ready and excited for the launch of the company’s nationwide 5G network." T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray said the company is adding "thousands upon thousands of new sites with 600Mh...
USDA e-connectivity toolkit offers rural broadband resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a new "e-connectivity" toolkit to support the deployment of high-speed Internet service in rural communities. The toolkit features 27 USDA programs meant to facilitate the expansion of broadband, including grants, loans and technical ass...
Trump preparing plan to boost AI, 5G technology
President Trump is preparing an ambitious plan to ramp up the government's role in speeding next-generation technologies such as 5G wireless and artificial intelligence. In a statement, top White House technology policy aide Michael Kratsios said it "will ensure … that the ...
Huawei likely faces 5G ban in Canada, security experts say
Security experts say that Canada will "probably ban Huawei Technologies Co. from its 5G network…though Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may delay the decision as long as possible to avoid jeopardizing three Canadians detained in China." Canada would join countries including th...
We need a national rural broadband plan
Assistant professor at the University of Virginia Christopher Ali wrote an op-ed in the New York Times calling for a national rural broadband plan. Ali highlighted that the lack of a national rural broadband policy is causing the United States to lose the global competition in com...
Powell may ‘start small’ with fiber-optics deal
Powell, OH, is "considering an agreement that would give the city its first fiber connection." The city’s operations committee reviewed a proposal from Consolidated Electric Cooperative "that would see Powell spending $81,650 to connect to an existing fiber-optic network for...