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

Fri Jul 27 10:15:26 PDT 2012

Richard:

Just for reference Agave/Cibola is completing a network upgrade here in
Santa Fe, and it will be up and running in early August, we are adding a new
tower, and bringing 150 new mgbs to our network here.  We will have 3.65 GHz
(802.16) AP's and 5.7GHz (802.11) AP's on the new tower.  We anticipate
download speeds of up to 10 mgbs and upload speeds of up to 5 mgbs.  This
coverage will be for the south-southwest quadrants of Santa Fe, and most of
the Eldorado area.  Once the Santa Fe REDI Net fiber backhaul is complete
here later this year, we will do another network upgrade.

Les Matthews

Director

W 505.369.7979 Ext 2408| F 505.242.4289

lmatthews at agavebroadband.com 

609 Broadway Blvd. NE | Suite 202 | Albuquerque, NM 87102

From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org
[mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Richard Lowenberg
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2012 10:15 AM
To: 1st-Mile-NM
Subject: Re: [1st-mile-nm] Almost 8, 000 in Rural NM to Get High-Speed
Internet Access

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 <tel:612-276-3456%20x209> 

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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