Local governments committed to supporting their citizens most adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic should be encouraging the broadband providers serving their communities to take the necessary steps in the next several weeks to establish eligibility to participate in the $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. This Program is administered by the Federal Communications
Nearing a Tipping Point on USF Contribution Reform?
The 31.8% Universal Service Fund (USF) contribution factor for 1st Quarter 2021 and the ascendency of broadband to that of an essential service for our Nation’s citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic may prove to be the tipping point on USF contribution reform. The multi-year funding commitments under several USF-funded programs underscore the need for
A Lawyer’s Guide to Enterprise Telecommunications Services Agreements—Part 2
This is the second entry in our series on enterprise telecommunications services agreements, providing a framework for addressing the customer’s interests and risks in enterprise telecommunications services agreements.
While each carrier’s standard agreement is different, these agreements have three core components:
- The carrier’s standard policies and rules applicable to its services
- The legal terms and
A Lawyer’s Guide to Enterprise Telecommunications Services Agreements—Part 1
This is the first entry of a two-part series on the services agreements that major enterprises enter into with telecommunications carriers to meet company-wide telecommunications requirements, providing connectivity between enterprise locations, and to cloud resources, suppliers and customers, public voice networks, and the World Wide Web. These agreements may encompass domestic services, services between the
A New White House, a New FCC
The transition to the Biden Administration will impact all agencies and departments in the Federal Government. This entry provides insights into the ongoing work at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) during its transition to a new, yet unnamed, Democratic Chair and a majority of Democratic Commissioners.
Most headline actions by the FCC are taken at
A Fresh Look at Enterprise Telecom (and Broadband) Procurements in 2020
Trends Impacting Wireline Procurements
The preeminence of cloud computing warrants a “fresh look” at wide-area network design, particularly for enterprises considering wide-area network procurements. Enterprises have an important network design choice: either (i) maintain the current MPLS-based design with its uniform security policies, substantial traffic backhaul, and site-based defined routing, or (ii) migrate to one
The Essential 21st Century MDU Amenity—Highspeed Broadband Service
MDU developers and owners know they are on the frontline of the broadband revolution. During the pandemic, working from home with expansive use of online conferencing is the new normal. With school starting across the country, online learning will place more demands on local broadband networks. E-commerce is booming as owners can attest by virtue
Covid-19 and Enterprise Telecommunications Management: Different Challenges
Covid-19 is driving an unplanned, hopefully temporary, shift in enterprise telecommunications management. Plans to install Gig Ethernet access and MPLS ports at major locations can wait. The pressing matters are establishing and maintaining connectivity and network security for hundreds or thousands of new full-time teleworkers. Basically, it’s time to play defense rather than offense. Telecom/IT
RDOF Phase 1 Auction (Auction 904): A Once in a Decade Opportunity
Introduction
On February 7, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Report and Order which established the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) under which up to $20.4 billion will be made available at auction to help bring high-speed broadband to the Nation’s unserved rural areas. $16 billion will be made available through the Phase
FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, Better Broadband Mapping – Two More Reverse Auctions
In a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) released on July 11, 2019 (scheduled to be adopted at the FCC’s August 1, 2019 Open Meeting), the FCC proposes to make $20.4 billion available under the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) through two multi-round, descending clock auctions, largely following the bidding rules of the CAF II