[1st-mile-nm] Almost 8, 000 in Rural NM to Get High-Speed Internet Access

[Richard Lowenberg]

This issue highlights my concern that we are almost all on the wrong side 
of the 'digital divide', not just the rural, poor and under-educated, in this country.
The CAF side-steps meeting the bottom-line access bandwidth recommended in 
the National Broadband Plan, promising 3Mb/768Kb up/down by three years from now.    
I'm in the state capitol city of Santa Fe, where I have under 1.3mb/.580Kb up/down at best,
in a location that is not designated as underserved.    A troubling future.
RL


On Jul 27, 2012, at 9:04 AM, Masha Zager wrote:

> I believe the 3Mbps/768Kbps is what they use to define unserved areas, rather than being the target for new builds. Agree with Christopher & others that either goal is pitifully low.
>  
> Masha Zager
> Editor, Broadband Communities
> masha at bbcmag.com
> 518-943-0374
> www.bbcmag.com
> www.twitter.com/bbcmag
> From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org [mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Christopher Mitchell
> Sent: Friday, July 27, 2012 10:46 AM
> To: Cummins, Kevin (Tom Udall)
> Cc: Richard Lowenberg; Tom Johnson; 1st-Mile-NM
> Subject: Re: [1st-mile-nm] Almost 8, 000 in Rural NM to Get High-Speed Internet Access
>  
> Kevin, thank you for the link but I think you may be mistaken.
>  
> I may be reading it wrong (and this is getting into the hair-splitting realm) but I believe this is the relevant explanation - page 2 of the Executive Summary of the order (http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-310692A1.pdf ):
>  
> --------------------
> Phase I.  To spur immediate broadband buildout, we will provide additional funding 
> for price cap carriers to extend robust, scalable broadband to hundreds of thousands of unserved 
> Americans beginning in early 2012.  To enable this deployment, all existing legacy high-cost 
> support to price cap carriers will be frozen, and an additional $300 million in CAF funding will 
> be made available.  Frozen support will be immediately subject to the goal of achieving universal 
> availability of voice and broadband, and subject to obligations to build and operate broadbandcapable networks in areas unserved by an unsubsidized competitor over time.  Any carrier 
> electing to receive the additional support will be required to deploy broadband and offer service 
> that satisfies our new public interest obligations to an unserved location for every $775 in 
> incremental support.  Specifically, carriers that elect to receive this additional support must 
> provide broadband with actual speeds of at least 4 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream,
> with latency suitable for real-time applications and services such as VoIP, and with monthly usage 
> capacity reasonably comparable to that of residential terrestrial fixed broadband offerings in 
> urban areas.  In addition, to ensure fairness for consumers across the country who pay into USF, 
> we reduce existing support levels in any areas where a price cap company charges artificially low 
> end-user voice rates.  
> -------------------
>  
> I am heartened to see that it requires _actual_ speeds but I am in strong agreement with John Brown that this entire program reflects the lobbying power of a few corporations rather than what is best for the nation or unserved communities.
> 
> Christopher Mitchell
> Director, Telecommunications as Commons Initiative
> Institute for Local Self-Reliance
> 
> http://www.muninetworks.org
> @communitynets
> 612-276-3456 x209
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 9:31 AM, Cummins, Kevin (Tom Udall) <Kevin_Cummins at tomudall.senate.gov> wrote:
> Christopher, Tom,
>  
> My understanding is that the FCC requirement is download/upload speeds of 3Mbps/768kbps.  There’s more information available through the FCC website and this map, http://www.fcc.gov/maps/connect-america-fund-caf-phase-i .
>  
> Regards,
>  
> Kevin
>  
> Kevin Cummins
> Office of Sen. Tom Udall
>  
> From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org [mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Christopher Mitchell
> Sent: Friday, July 27, 2012 8:57 AM
> To: Tom Johnson
> Cc: Richard Lowenberg; 1st-Mile-NM
> Subject: Re: [1st-mile-nm] Almost 8, 000 in Rural NM to Get High-Speed Internet Access
>  
> I believe they have to do 4 down, 1 up.  But who knows if that means they just have to advertise that it is available.  The frustration from me is simply that we are pouring federal money into obsolete technology delivered by corporations that have proven they cannot be trusted and have a poor track record of serving these communities.
> 
> Christopher Mitchell
> Director, Telecommunications as Commons Initiative
> Institute for Local Self-Reliance
> 
> http://www.muninetworks.org
> @communitynets
> 612-276-3456 x209
>  
> 
> On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 10:52 PM, Tom Johnson <tom at jtjohnson.com> wrote:
> And the definition of "high-speed internet" is ........
> 
> -tj
> 
> On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 6:37 PM, Richard Lowenberg <lowenberg at designnine.com> wrote:
>  
> From: Tom Udall Press Office 
> Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2012 6:11 PM
> To: Tom Udall Press Office
> Subject: Udall: Almost 8,000 in Rural NM to Get High-Speed Internet Access
>  
>  
>  
> For Immediate Release
> July 26, 2012
>  
>  
> Udall: Almost 8,000 in Rural NM to Get High-Speed Internet Access
>  
>  
> WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) announced that almost 8,000 rural New Mexico residents will gain high-speed internet access within the next three years as a part of the first phase of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “Connect America Fund.” Udall is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees telecommunications issues.  
>  
> Broadband and telecommunications companies CenturyLink and Windstream will receive $2.3 million to build broadband infrastructure for New Mexico homes and businesses that currently lack high-speed internet access, connecting them to the $8 trillion global internet economy. 
>  
> “Broadband is a platform for economic growth,” said Udall. “High-speed internet should be available to all, so that everyone in New Mexico can take advantage of new technologies to grow their businesses and improve access to healthcare and education.” 
>  
> Currently, nearly 47 percent of New Mexico’s rural population, or approximately 220,000 people, lack access to high speed internet.
>  
> In its first phase, the “Connect America Fund” will implement projects to expand the broadband infrastructure to rural areas in 37 states, which will provide nearly 400,000 homes and business with high-speed internet access. 
>  
> The “Connect America Fund” aims to connect all 19 million unserved rural Americans by 2020. 
>  
> ######
>  
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> Richard Lowenberg
> P. O. Box 8001,  Santa Fe, NM  87504
> 505-989-9110 off.; 505-603-5200 cell
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>  
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