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Vol. 19, No. 20

May 15, 2023

UPCOMING EVENTS

May 25,2023

2 p.m.

INCOMPAS and Connectbase Webinar:

How Real Location Truth

is Changing the

Connectivity Industry

October 8-10

The 2023 INCOMPAS Show

Tampa, Fla.

For information about exhibiting, sponsoring or securing meeting space, please email Sky Wang.

MEMBER NEWS


C Spire Launches Multi-Gig Fiber Plans for Residential Customers


C Spire Launches Prepaid Wireless Protection for Customers


CDG Launches PRTC on AWS


CDG Promotes Sally Magsamen to BDS-I Product Support Manager


Wirebelt Company of America Chooses FirstLight to Support its New, Energy Efficient Manufacturing Facility


Granite Named 2022 Spotlight Award Winner By Spectrum Business®


Toyota Racing Development Announces Official Relationship with Segra


Zayo and Fermaca Partner to Deliver the Most Advanced Cross-Border Connectivity Between the U.S. and Mexico

COMMENT

DEADLINES


May 23

Reply Comments Due on Tribal E-Rate NPRM


June 5

Comments Due on Strengthening Caller ID Authentication Framework


June 6

Reply Comments Due in Targeting and Eliminating Unlawful Text Messages FNPRM


July 5

Reply Comments Due on Strengthening Caller ID Authentication Framework

Registration Now Open for

The 2023 INCOMPAS Show

Registration is now open for The 2023 INCOMPAS Show, the industry's premier networking event. Taking place October 8-10 in Tampa, the show offers valuable networking opportunities to build your pipeline and seal important deals – all in the course of just three days.


Register Early and Save!

Early bird savings of $150 per person are available only through August 15. Once you register, you'll be able to:




Group Discounts Available

Want to save even more? Register as a group of five or more and save up to $200 off of each registration. Contact registration@incompas.org for details.

REGISTER EARLY

INCOMPAS's Kronenberg Testifies at Senate Universal Service Hearing

INCOMPAS President Angie Kronenberg testified last week at the Senate Commerce Media, Technology and Broadband Subcommittee hearing on “The State of Universal Service."


After her opening statement, Angie discussed:





Watch the full "State of Universal Service hearing.

Lujan, Thune Announce Bipartisan Working Group

on the Universal Service Fund and Broadband Access

As part of Thursday’s "State of Universal Service" hearing, Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and John Thune (R-SD), Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband, announced a bipartisan Senate working group to evaluate and propose potential reforms to the Universal Service Fund (USF). The goal of this working group is to create a bipartisan forum to guide education, awareness, and policy-making on this topic. Joining Sens. Luján and Thune are Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Jerry Moran (R-KS).


Specifically, the working group will consider the current state of the universal service requirements at the FCC, as well as possible reforms to ensure the Commission is able to achieve its mission to promote and preserve universal service to all people of the United States.

May 25 Webinar

How Real Location Truth is Changing the Connectivity Industry

Connectivity transactions have long been a time-consuming, resource-intensive endeavor. But the industry can no longer afford to operate under the traditional protocols. Business today needs to move with speed and agility or opportunities will be lost. In this webinar, Connectbase CEO Ben Edmond will explain how Location Truth provides the foundation on which all future connectivity business success will be built.


Join INCOMPAS and member company Connectbase on Thursday, May 25 at 2 p.m. ET, for a webinar in which Edmond will answer the following questions:

  • What is broken in the connectivity industry?
  • What is Location Truth and what does it mean for connectivity buyers and sellers?
  • What is the business impact of inaccurate or incomplete Location Truth?
  • What are the aspects of real Location Truth and how can you be sure you’re getting it?
  • How can real Location Truth transform your business?


Advance registration is required. Even if you are unable to attend the live event, please register to receive exclusive access to the view the webinar on-demand.

REGISTER NOW

New NTIA Dashboard Highlights Coordinated Federal

investments in High-Speed Internet Programs

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a new dashboard and two reports highlighting federal investments in high-speed Internet programs. 


The reports, “The 2022 Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth Annual Report” and “The 2022 Federal Broadband Funding Report,” were developed in accordance with the ACCESS BROADBAND Act, which requires NTIA to submit an annual report to Congress. The reports highlight how government agencies are coordinating to align on policy and implementation of the various high-speed Internet programs.  


Together these reports include a description of the activities of NTIA’s Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, a description of how many households were provided broadband by universal service program or federal broadband support, and a framework to guide future estimates of the economic impact of broadband deployment efforts. 


As an enhancement from the previous year’s report, NTIA developed a dashboard to accompany the Federal Broadband Funding Report. The data in the Investing in Internet for All Dashboard serves as a benchmark of recent federal investments into high-speed Internet funding programs, beginning in Fiscal Year 21 (October 2020-September 2021). Federal broadband spending from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other federal initiatives passed after FY21 will be included in future iterations of the dashboard. 


This dashboard includes:

  • Spending data from 13 agencies across 98 federal high-speed Internet programs. 
  • Reports of Tribal broadband funding for the first time.  
  • Data by federal program at the state level.  
  • Break outs of funding by appropriated (budgeted by Congress), obligated (awarded for spending by the program) and outlayed (spent by the program). 

Administration Launches First Tech Hubs Funding Opportunity

The Biden-Harris administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), launched the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs competition. This program will create Tech Hubs in regions across the country by bringing together industry, higher education institutions, state and local governments, economic development organizations, and labor and workforce partners to supercharge ecosystems of innovation for technologies that are essential to our economic and national security. The program was authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act and is a key part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, stimulating private sector investment, creating good-paying jobs, revitalizing American manufacturing, and ensuring no community is left behind by America’s economic progress.


This first Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) launched will open applications for planning grants and Tech Hubs Designations. It details the application process and outlines how the Commerce Department will evaluate those applications through a three-month window. Successful proposals will demonstrate a region’s capabilities in, and focus on, its primary technological strength and the potential for Tech Hubs investments to enable a region’s primary innovative industry to become a global leader in that critical technology area within a decade. Regions are not bound by specific borders, but rather focus on identifying sections of the country with the assets, resources, capacity, and potential to become globally competitive in critical technologies and industries. Applicants will select a technology industry to focus on that fits under the umbrella of a list of 10 Key Focus Areas identified within the Tech Hubs statute.


Later this year, the Department of Commerce will launch a second NOFO for applicants designated as a Tech Hub to apply for implementation funding.


Learn more about Tech Hubs and the first funding opportunity at TechHubs.gov.

House Holds Hearing on Closing the Digital Divide

The House Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing last Wednesday entitled “Hearing on Closing the Digital Divide: Overseeing Federal Funds for Broadband Deployment.” The hearing provided an opportunity for Members to learn more about the broadband programs across the federal government and identify opportunities to maximize the value and effectiveness of federal broadband spending.

 

Re-watch this hearing on demand.

Looking for Fiber in America?

Know Your Sources—FiberLocator Can Help!

We still haven’t quite figured out how to accurately and completely represent fiber and broadband coverage in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been trying to do so since 2000, when it first launched its public filing requirements to identify underserved areas with the Fixed Broadband Deployment Data Form 477. 


This data collection standard attempted to gather required broadband deployment data such as served speeds by Census block. While form revisions in 2013 and 2020’s Broadband DATA Act attempted to make this reporting more granular, the FCC Form 477 framework still underrepresented rural areas and was often inaccurate. The FCC’s newest standard, the Broadband Data Collection Effort (BDC) aims to make more effort in this area. The second BDC was just completed on March 1, after a sort of trial run of the system between September - December 2022.  


Under the BDC, all facilities-based broadband providers are required to specifically identify and report where services are offered to residential and business locations. It requires biannual submission of subscription, availability and supporting data.  


The biggest difference between Form 477 and BDC? The level of detail required in the reporting, and therefore the level of complexity of the filing.


Read more here.

INCOMPAS | www.incompas.org
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