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England turns to the church to help fix rural internet
Though our cities now teem with fiber optic cables and 4G signals, it's still common for rural areas to struggle with even basic connectivity. In the UK, a new pact between church and state could help local religious hubs become bastions of faster broadband. The National Church Institutions (NCIs) of the Church of England and the government will work together to promote the use of churches and other church-owned properties as sites for digital infrastructure, improving broadband, mobile and WiFi access for rural communities.
President Trump signs order to promote broadband in rural areas
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will make it easier for companies to install high-speed broadband networks in rural areas. The move is designed to tackle the economic challenges of integrating broadband infrastructure in these communities -- where 39 percent of people don't have access to broadband -- which the Obama administration highlighted two years ago.
AT&T's rural wireless internet is now available in 18 states
If you've been waiting for AT&T's rural wireless internet to show up in your state, there's now a good chance you can sign up. The telecom has launched the service in nine more states, or twice as many as it had just a few months ago. And this includes some of the most populous states in the country -- California and Texas are included along with Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. AT&T says about 160,000 locations are covered (more than double what it could manage in June), and it's reportedly still on track to serve 400,000 locations before 2017 is over.
Verizon will give rural customers more time to find new providers
Recently, Verizon sent letters to around 8,500 customers living in rural areas that informed them their service would be cut off as of October 17th. Verizon claimed that those customers were using enough data while roaming outside of the Verizon network that the company's costs exceeded the fees being paid by the users. Well, there was, understandably, quite a bit of backlash over the letters and Verizon has now walked back both its deadline and its hard cutoff.
FCC offers 'reverse-auction' to expand rural broadband access
The FCC got the go ahead for its rural broadband subsidy plan, Connect America Fund, in 2014. The fund -- intended to bring high-speed internet access to the least served communities in the US -- has since directed $170 million to New York, and AT&T has already added more access, too, starting in Georgia. The FCC just took the next step in the process with a "reverse-auction" that will allocate close to $2 billion over 10 years for telecommunication companies to provide to expand broadband internet access to more rural areas.
AT&T's rural wireless internet push starts with Georgia
AT&T is making good on an FCC Connect America Fund promise to bring reasonably fast internet to rural dwellers and those who'd otherwise have to settle for pokey service. The carrier has completed its first batch of fixed wireless internet rollouts in Georgia, sending LTE cellular data to the home through a static antenna system. AT&T's version offers speeds of "at least" 10Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream. That's not the 25Mbps/3Mbps that the FCC currently defines as broadband, but it's enough to use many modern services -- and unlike satellite internet, it's not prone to high latency or interference from the weather. As you might guess from the cell connection, though, you won't have unlimited access.
22 Massachusetts towns will build their own gigabit internet service
The FCC made it clear that towns should have the freedom to build their own broadband services, and one cooperative group is determined to take advantage of that liberty. WiredWest has gained the support of 22 Massachusetts towns for a municipal broadband effort that will give them all fiber optic service. It won't be the cheapest option, but it'll be much faster than the pokey DSL, fixed wireless and satellite data that residents have had to settle for in the past. It'll start at $49 per month for 25Mbps speeds and no caps, with 100Mbps and a lightning-quick 1Gbps respectively available for $79 and $109 per month.
EE banks on small-antenna networks to fix its rural black spots
Mobile phone coverage in some of the UK's most rural areas is often patchy and unreliable. While the major networks are quick to promote the latest 4G speeds in densely populated cities, their ability to cater for people in the countryside is no less important. Today, EE unveiled a new "micro networks" initiative that uses small, linked antennas to improve coverage in remote areas. Instead of waiting for traditional masts to be built, local residents can use these discreet base stations to amplify the signal from EE's nearest available tower.
FCC gets approval for plan to subsidize fast rural internet access
At long last, the FCC can move forward with reforming its rural connection subsidies for the broadband era. A federal appeals court has upheld the agency's Connect America Fund after challenges from smaller carriers, which were worried that the shift from subsidizing phone calls to fast internet access would hurt their bottom line. Their arguments were either "unpersuasive" or were blocked from legal consideration in the first place, the court says.
US phone companies to explore replacing all phone numbers with IP addresses
Voice-over-IP (VoIP) is nothing new, of course, but so far it's been regarded merely as an add-on to America's regular, analog-based copper and cellular voice networks -- networks that are currently maintained as a matter of legal requirement. The FCC isn't necessarily such a stickler for tradition, however, as it is now encouraging phone networks to explore what would happen if VoIP replaced everything else. In other words, how would the system cope if the only phone numbers were Internet Protocol addresses; if even emergency calls were transmitted over the web; and if remote rural communities became dependent on VoIP, with no other type of network as a backup? Companies that want to participate in the experiment have until late February to submit their ideas, with approvals expected to be granted as early as March -- but don't fear, the tests will only be permitted in "discrete geographic areas or situations," which is the FCC's way of politely reminding telecom providers not to get ahead of themselves.
FCC rubber-stamps use of select AT&T LTE bands by smaller US carriers
Last month, AT&T agreed to let smaller US carriers use its 700MHz LTE spectrum, and now the Federal Communications Commission has rubber stamped the company's interoperability plan. With the approval in place, the way is paved for punier providers -- often in rural areas -- to support 4G devices built for Big Blue's network, and potentially leverage roaming over the particular waves. However, there's no word on how quickly other outfits will be able to take advantage of the fresh frequencies, even with the agency's blessing. Regardless, Uncle Sam is pretty optimistic about the deal, as the FCC says it will "improve wireless availability and competition, spur investment in and build out of the networks in the Lower 700MHz band, and result in significant savings to the consumer." Sure, congress still hasn't confirmed Tom Wheeler as the commission's head honcho, but acting chairwoman Mignon Clyburn seems to be warming his chair quite nicely.
UK regulator names Microsoft, Google and others for white space wireless trials
Though rural dwellers are often broadband-poor, there seems to be plenty of companies lining up to serve them in the UK. Regulator Ofcom just announced participants for its "white space" or unused spectrum trials, including Microsoft, Google, Click4Internet and British Telecom. Redmond's going to test WiFi-like services to underserved Glasgow, while Click4internet will assess rural broadband in remote or tricky locations. Google has signed on as a potential database provider, and other use cases like traffic management will be tested by BT and others. Ofcom wants to launch such services by next year and released a blueprint detailing how existing mobile and digital terrestrial TV spectrums could be divvied up. To see all the companies and what each plans to do, check the source.
AT&T agrees to LTE interoperability with smaller US carriers
Numerous regional US carriers have called for AT&T to support their 700MHz bands, which would give them the LTE devices and roaming coverage they need to compete with national rivals. These networks may soon get their wish: as part of an FCC-led deal, AT&T has agreed to support LTE on the 700MHz A Block frequencies held by smaller providers. While AT&T is short on details, it's already modifying its network to support the additional bands. Compatible devices will arrive in a "reasonable time frame," the telecom giant says. The commitment doesn't address LTE interoperability problems with Verizon and other major US networks, but it should help at least a few tiny carriers stand a fighting chance in the 4G era.
UK watchdog warns of rural broadband delay, blames BT monopoly
Despite receiving hundreds of millions of pounds in government subsidies, the effort to bring high-speed internet to rural parts of the UK seems to be running seriously behind schedule. The National Audit Office (NAO) says the original goal of providing 90 percent of Brits with access to at least a 25Mbps connection by May 2015 will likely be pushed back to the end of 2016 -- and at a cost that's £207 million ($312 million) more than first anticipated. A big part of the problem, according to the NAO, is a lack of competition among those bidding to help with the project. BT has already been awarded more than half of the local contracts and no other company is in the running to scoop up what's left. As well as slowing things down, this effective monopoly may also be adding to the financial pain; whereas before the government expected BT to foot 36 percent of the bill, that's now dropped to just 23 percent. Microsoft's whitespace idea could avoid all these issues, but in terms of schedules it seems just as remote.
Dish and nTelos start testing fixed LTE broadband in rural Virginia (video)
The test run supplies 2.5GHz wireless internet access to a handful of homes near Afton and Waynesboro, with speeds hovering at a respectable 20Mbps to 50Mbps.
UK regulator wants white space wireless service in 2014, starts trials this fall
While there have been white space test runs in the UK, these were private trials that weren't going to get the ball rolling without government help. Thankfully, local regulator Ofcom is of a like mind. It now plans a trial for data on the in-between frequencies this fall, with full-fledged service going live as soon as 2014. The agency expects to settle on the final locations for the pilot after it chooses partners. No, Ofcom can't guarantee that all the stars will align for rural broadband or other long-range wireless projects -- but its involvement at least means those stars are within reach.
Verizon wraps up 700MHz spectrum sales to three rural telecom firms
While Verizon wasn't quick to start selling 700MHz blocks to live up to the terms of its AWS purchase, it's clearly willing to up the tempo. The carrier says it just finished deals this week to sell lower B-block 700MHz airwaves in Texas to already announced customer Nortex Communications as well as Oklahoma's Panhandle Telecommunication Systems. We're also learning that Verizon quietly signed off on a deal in mid-January that transfers A-block spectrum in Houston to Colorado Valley Communications. The agreements might not provide the interoperability with Verizon's C-block that some crave, but they could still help level the playing field for smaller telecom outlets.
Hughes updates its HughesNet satellite broadband with Gen4 service
On the same day that Dish's new satellite broadband service kicks off, partner Hughes is upgrading its own offering with even faster speeds. HughesNet Gen4 offers downloads of up to 15 Mbps to the 19 million (or so) Americans who can't get high-speed fixed-line broadband services. $50 a month will get customers 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload with a 20GB data cap, while $80 a month offers a 30GB limit and 2 Mbps upload -- but for high-rolling hermits, $100 a month gets you the full 15 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up and a 40GB allowance. Current users wanting in on the action aren't excluded from the program, and can register their interest at our More Coverage link.
CenturyLink gets $35 million FCC grant to connect 45,000 rural homes to the internet (updated)
CenturyLink has announced that it's getting $35 million from the FCC's Connect America Fund to hook 45,000 homes in rural areas up to the internet. The company isn't hiding its disappointment at the donation, since it was originally angling for closer to $90 million. However, the conditions attached to the extra cash made further deployment "uneconomic," so the company will have to settle at this first target to begin with. There is some hope for countryside folk: CenturyLink mavens have filed a waiver application which, if granted, would let the company connect a further 60,000 homes where service is currently too expensive to install. Update: The FCC has made its own announcement, pledging that it'll connect up to 400,000 unconnected citizens in the next three years and up to seven million in six. The full text is after the jump.
McGill University student plan provides healthcare to rural areas with Windows Phone and Win 8
Those of us living in metropolitan areas don't think twice about our ease of access to medical care, but those in rural areas don't enjoy such easy access to a doctor. Abhijeet Kalyan and Shravan Narayan from McGill University in Canada are aware of this problem, and came up with a way for doctors to diagnose and treat patients from afar. Called Project Neem, it's got a hub and spoke organizational structure that puts a healthcare worker in every village and leverages the power of Windows Phone to connect them with medical staff in distant cities. Participating healthcare workers are given basic medical training and a handheld loaded up with a custom app that identifies patients by scanning their national ID card and stores their pertinent medical info -- from temperature and blood pressure readings to a variety of symptoms. The app has a virtual human body on board that lets users tap parts of the anatomy to bring up a series of symptoms that can be selected to provide treating physicians with the info they need. That information is stored in the cloud and accessed by doctors through a Windows 8 app, who then can relay appropriate treatments to the local healthcare worker. Now all we need is someone to make a real-world tricorder, and we'll truly be able to bring medical care to the masses, wherever they may be.
