INCOMPAS News -- September 12, 2022

Vol. 18, No. 38

September 12, 2022

Avoid FOMO - Register for

The 2022 INCOMPAS Show

Registration for The 2022 INCOMPAS Show is in high demand and there's a good chance that your competitors and partners are already planning to attend.

Plan to join us October 24-26 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown for jam-packed days of networking, deal-making and informative discussions that will give your business an advantage in today's competitive marketplace.

Once Registered, You've Got an IN

We are making it easy to connect with other INCOMPAS Show attendees as soon as you register. In your confirmation email, you'll find:

A link that gives you access to the attendee list
An invite to join ConnectIN, our LinkedIn networking group that is designed for you to start making those valuable connections right away, instead of waiting until October when you travel to Denver.

Broadband Industry Unites to Launch State Broadband Office Educational Webinar Series

Last week, the nation’s leading broadband trade associations announced they will deliver a monthly educational webinar series to support the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and State Broadband Offices with the implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access and Development (BEAD) Program that will provide over $42 billion to state and territory broadband projects.

INCOMPAS joined 10 associations presenting the webinar series that represent broadband providers of every size and technology across the U.S., including ACA Connects, Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), CTIA, the Fiber Broadband Association, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC), NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, USTelecom - The Broadband Association and the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA).

The webinar series will educate state broadband leaders, the NTIA, community leaders and potential BEAD participants on the opportunities, challenges and mitigation strategies related to the BEAD program and broadband deployment. Starting on September 14, the 30-minute webinars will be held the second Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. ET.

INCOMPAS will join the Fiber Broadband Association and NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association this Wednesday, September 14, at 1pm ET to host the first webinar on Supply Chain issues and the Buy America provision.

Future webinar dates and topics include:

October 12 - Workforce Development
November 9 - Affordability
December 14 - Permitting/Rights of Way
January 11 - Cyber Security

The associations issued the following group statement about the webinar series: “Our primary goal is to make it as easy and efficient as possible to navigate through the BEAD program’s requirements and potential deployment challenges. These webinars are designed to help state broadband leaders, broadband providers, key stakeholders, and the BEAD program itself become highly successful. Congress, via the NTIA, has presented our industry with a monumental opportunity to close the digital equity gap for good. The leading industry associations have aligned to present this monthly webinar series and attendees will be able to leverage our united expertise and bring back proven broadband deployment tips and best practices to their own communities.”

Future webinar topics may include Ask Me Anything (AMA) with all participating associations, best practices in setting up successful grant programs, maximizing participating from qualified providers, and other subjects of high interest to NTIA and state broadband leadership. For more information on the BEAD webinar series, visit the registration page here. Please also visit the official Internet for All website hosted by the NTIA and the Department of Commerce that outlines the key broadband infrastructure programs from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

INCOMPAS and Tarana to Host September 22 Webinar on

Accelerating Broadband Deployment with Next-Gen Fixed Wireless

The race is on to improve internet access across the globe, as millions of people remain unconnected or underserved. While fiber is usually the optimal choice for broadband deployments, there are circumstances where it’s not economically viable. In those cases, next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) and hybrid networks are able to deliver fiber-class broadband at a fraction of the time and cost. ngFWA creates enormous value in both rural areas with little or no broadband, as well as urban and residential areas where the introduction of healthy competition can improve affordability and subscriber experiences.

Join Tarana CEO Basil Alwan on Thursday, September 22, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m PT to learn how providers around the world, including some of the largest U.S. broadband grant recipients, are leveraging ngFWA in unlicensed or licensed spectrum to deliver reliable, high-speed internet service. He and INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering, will dive into how hybrid networks are helping close the digital divide sooner than anyone thought possible.

Advance registration is required.

NTIA to Hold Middle Mile Application Office Hours This Week

NTIA is continuing to host “Office Hours” for the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program Application process. At these office hour sessions, NTIA staff and subject matter experts will answer questions from all prospective applicants with the intent to prepare them to write high-quality applications.

All are welcome to attend and general questions will be answered. As this grant is competitive, NTIA will not comment on specific application questions or provide direction. Office hours will be hosted via NTIA’s virtual platform and conducted as live Question and Answer sessions:

Tuesday, September 13, 2 p.m.-3 p.m. ET (register by Noon ET, September 12)
Thursday, September 15, 2 p.m.-3 p.m. ET (register by Noon ET, September 14)

FCC Issues Agenda for September 29 Open Meeting

At its Open Meeting scheduled for September 29, the FCC will consider:

Space Innovation: Mitigation of Orbital Debris in the New Space Age – A Second Report and Order that would adopt rules requiring low-Earth orbit space station operators planning disposal through uncontrolled atmospheric re-entry to complete disposal as soon as practicable, and no more than five years following the end of their mission. The Report and Order would also adopt a grandfathering period of two years and address the potential for waivers for certain types of research and scientific missions.
Calling Services for Incarcerated People – A Report and Order and FNPRM to improve access to communications for incarcerated people with disabilities and reduce the financial burdens created by certain calling service charges and practices.
Improving Accessibility and Clarity of Emergency Alerts – A Report and Order to improve the clarity and accessibility of Emergency Alert System (EAS) visual messages to the public, including persons who are deaf or hard of hearing as well as others who are unable to access the audio message.
Removing Obsolete Analog TV Rules – An NPRM that would amend Part 73 of its rules for television and Class A television broadcast stations to remove obsolete rules for analog TV operations.

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