Vol 4 | Issue 5 | June 2019

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Cutting the Cord: NTIA Data Show Shift to Streaming Video as Consumers Drop Pay-TV
Summary of blog by Edward Carlson, Policy Analyst, Office of Policy Analysis and Development

Americans increasingly are moving away from cable and satellite pay-TV services and opting to stream online video offerings, data from NTIA’s latest Internet Use Survey show. While most households still subscribe to cable or satellite television services, the survey shows the proportion of Internet users watching videos online has grown from 45 percent in 2013 to 70 percent in 2017. Internet-based video services typically provide on-demand streaming from a large content library, and are not dependent on the offerings made available by any particular cable or satellite provider. The shift away from pay-TV services crosses all age groups, but younger Internet users have consistently been much more likely to watch video online than their older counterparts. See complete blog here.

NTIA Releases Comprehensive Guide to Federal Broadband Funding

NTIA is announcing a new searchable database of 50 federal broadband programs, spanning a dozen federal agencies with billions of dollars for broadband grants, loans and other resources. The database, created with help of participating federal agencies, fulfills a goal set out in the American Broadband Initiative announced in February to make it easier for community leaders to find federal funding and permitting information. “Consolidating these critical resources into a one-stop, easy-to-use resource provides an important tool in spurring efforts to expand our nation’s broadband infrastructure projects,” said Diane Rinaldo, Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information. See complete news release here.

Broadband News and Updates

Federal News

• Top White House Telecom Adviser David Redl Resigns

• Walden Statement on Resignation of NTIA Administrator David Redl

• Rep. Clyburn Forms Rural Broadband Task Force

• Cutting the Cord: NTIA Data Show Shift to Streaming Video as Consumers Drop Pay-TV

• How NTIA Research Powered a Groundbreaking Spectrum Sharing Effort

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Partners with Microsoft to Improve How Rural Veterans Access VA’s Online Services and Benefits

• FCC's 'One Touch' Pole Attachment Rules Take Effect

• USDA Releases Report on Rural Broadband and Benefits of Next Generation Precision Agriculture

• FCC Released 2019 Broadband Deployment Report

• ITU Adopts NTIA Software as Global Standard for Coordinating Spectrum Sharing

State News

• Alabama: State Sen. Clay Scofield: Survival of rural Alabama depends on broadband expansion

• Alaska: MTA Officials Say New High-speed Internet Project Will Expand Connectivity, Increase Internet Speeds Across Alaska

• Arizona: Remote Indian Reservation Near the Grand Canyon gets Broadband Boost

• Arkansas: Governor sets '22 Goal for Broadband in State

• Colorado: Colorado Gov. Touts Increase in Rural Broadband Access

• Delaware: Freshly Inked Deal to Provide Rural Delaware with Broadband

• Georgia: Georgia Legislature Passes Law To Address Broadband Needs In Rural Georgia

• Maine: Efficient Expansion of Broadband Requires Responsible, Targeted Investment

• Minnesota: Our View: Relaunch Chase for Rural Broadband

• North Carolina: North Carolina Pumps $9.8 Million into Rural Broadband Expansion

• Oregon: Walden: Rural Oregon Needs More Broadband

• South Dakota: South Dakota Delegation Pushes for Better Broadband Maps

• Texas: ‘We Do Not Have Coverage Here:’ Texans Take On Federal Broadband Maps

• Vermont: Carolyn Partridge: Broadband is No Longer a Luxury for Rural Vermont

• Virginia: Grayson County Poised for a Broadband Expansion Via New State Law

• West Virginia: Still in the Weeds on Broadband: State Stuck Waiting for Federal Action

Public Safety/FirstNet

• AT&T Prepared to Keep Communities Connected During Hurricane Season

• Annual Report Details FirstNet Progress on Public Safety’s Network

• Tribal Leaders Voice Broadband Needs for FirstNet Authority Roadmap

• FirstNet Crosses Half-a-Million Connections, Expands Coverage Nationwide

• FirstNet Surpasses 600K Connections; Used By Over 7,250 Public Safety Agencies Nationwide

• Capito: New Wireless Communication Project to Benefit Many in Preston County

• Red Cliff Cell Service Expansion Part Of Multibillion-Dollar Public Safety Network

• DHS Awards Phase 2 LMR/LTE Interworking Contract to Catalyst

• Florida Police Department Joins FirstNet

Federal Funding

• NTIA Releases Comprehensive Guide to Federal Broadband Funding

• Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC): A Grant Initiative for the Appalachian and Delta Regions

• USDA ReConnect Application Deadline: June 21 for 50/50 loan/grant combinations

• USDA ReConnect Application Deadline: July 12 for low-interest loans

Digital Equity

• Salt Lake City Issues Digital Equity Policy

• One Way or Another, Schools are Connecting Their Students to Broadband

• Digital Inclusion Design Jam — Part 2: TheResults

General News

• School Districts Chosen to Pilot Michigan Moonshot Data Collection Project

• Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corp. and Microsoft to Build the SOVA Innovation Hub in Southern Virginia

• Answering the Call for Rural Broadband: Time-tested Programs Should Serve as a Model for New Initiatives

• ALA releases new Libraries' Guide to the 2020 Census

• Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) Releases Cost Calculators for K-12 Interoperability Projects

• Pew to Launch Broadband Access and State Policy Explorer

• Broadband Infrastructure Should be a National Priority for Policymakers

• State Actions to Facilitate Broadband Deployment

• Rural America Still Struggling for Access to High-speed Internet Service

• 2018 Farm Bill Primer: Rural Development Programs

• Benton Foundation: AnUpdate on Broadband Bills in the 116th Congress

• 19 Million People Don’t Have Internet Access. Will Congress Spend Billions to Fix That?

• Tech Faces Tough Choices on Rural Broadband

Events

NTIA Events

June 19, 2019
BroadbandUSA Practical Broadband Conversations Webinar Series
Topic: Building Smart Cities and Communities at the Regional Level
Time: 2:00 PM Eastern
Regional teams that span jurisdictions and disciplines are working together on projects to address issues that impact an entire region such as economic development, resiliency, health, public safety, connectivity, agriculture, mobility, and more. Join BroadbandUSA to learn about these efforts and others that cross jurisdictional boundaries to create efficiencies, improve sustainability, and increase the quality of life for all residents.
Speakers:

• Maci Morin, Program Coordinator, National Association of Regional Councils

• Danielle Hughes, Capital Program Manager, Tahoe Transportation District

• Karl D. Darin, VP & Program Lead, Smart Region Movement, Greater Washington Board of Trade

• Moderator:Jean Rice, Senior Broadband Program Analyst, BroadbandUSA, NTIA

Click here to register

Events of Interest

June 4, 2019
Digital Southeast: A Regional Broadband Convening Hosted by Next Century Cities (NCC), Roanoke, VA

June 5-6, 2019
National Association of Towns and Townships (NATaT) Annual Legislative Fly-in, Washington, DC. BroadbandUSA Speaker: Don Williams.

June 9-12, 2019
National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) 53nd Annual Conference & Exhibition, Omaha, NE. BroadbandUSA Speaker: Jean Rice

June 10, 2019
Missouri Broadband Summit, Camdenton, MO

June 21 - 25, 2019
Georgia Municipal Association 2019 Annual Convention, Savanna, GA

June 27, 2019
Agriculture Broadband Summit on Thursday, June 27th, hosted by the Oregon Broadband Advisory Council

June 28-July 1, 2019
United States Conference of Mayors’ 87th Annual Meeting, Honolulu, HI

July 8, 2019
Digital Equity Summit, Richmond, VA

July 10-12, 2019
Smart and Secure Cities and Communities Challenge (GCTC-SC3) Expo, Co-hosted by NIST and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T), Washington, DC

July 10, 2019
Smart Cities and Communities Leadership Forum, Washington, DC. Hosted by NTIA, NIST, NSF and DHS S&T.

July 10-12, 2019
BroadbandUSA State Broadband Leadership Network Summer Meeting, hosted by the Kansas City Federal Reserve, Kansas City, MO.