More than half of telecom and IT engineers believe AI will improve network efficiency by 40% or more and 85% think carriers can monetize AI traffic on their networks, according to a Ciena survey released Wednesday. Carriers expect the financial services sector (46%), followed by media and entertainment (43%) and manufacturing (38%), to generate the most AI traffic, Ciena said. Respondents saw “multiple avenues to generate revenue from AI,” the report said: “Specifically, 40% believe it will be from opening their networks to third-party integrations; 37% believe revenue will come from security and privacy services; the same number (37%) believe it will come from new product offerings; 35% believe it will be from the creation of tailored subscription packages; and 34% believe revenue will be from differentiation on quality of service for connectivity.”
Several California bills crossed chambers Tuesday. The Assembly voted 47-15 to pass AB-1826, which updates the state’s 2006 cable law, the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act. The bill would increase fines for service-quality problems and aims at increasing participation of the public and its advocates in the franchise renewal process (see 2404250036). The Assembly voted 71-0 for AB-2765, which would require the California Public Utilities Commission to report on inspections that ensure companies comply with resiliency plans. The body also voted unanimously for AB-2905, expanding the state’s autodialer definition to include calls made with an AI voice. On the privacy front, the Assembly voted 50-14 for AB-2930 to set rules for automated decision-making technology, including requiring impact assessments and disclosures to consumers. The same chamber voted 58-0 for AB-1949 to amend the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to additionally stop businesses from collecting, using, sharing or selling personal data of anyone younger than 18, unless they get consent or if it’s absolutely needed for business purposes. The state’s Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta backed the bill (see 2401300049). In addition, the Assembly voted 50-10 to pass AB-1791, which would require social media platforms to delete personally identifiable information, called provenance data, from uploaded content. In the Senate, the vote was 38-0 in favor of SB-1223, which amends the CCPA to include “neural data” as a type of sensitive personal information. And senators voted 34-0 to pass SB-1504 to tighten a cyberbullying law that requires social platforms to have reporting mechanisms (see 2404230039). Also, the Senate voted 30-9 to approve SB-1460, which would require a group to develop model contract provisions for telecom sector apprenticeships.
WideOpenWest received an unsolicited nonbinding preliminary proposal from DigitalBridge Investments and Crestview Partners to purchase WOW shares that Crestview doesn't already own for $4.80 a share, WOW said Friday. It said its board would set up a special committee of independent directors to evaluate the proposal. Crestview has a 38% stake in WOW, according to WOW's annual report.
Verizon and Comcast took more than two-thirds of the pie as Pennsylvania awarded $204 million in broadband grants Thursday. The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) announced awards using funding from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund. The authority said that the awards for 53 projects in 42 counties will connect 40,000 homes and businesses. Verizon received nearly $78.4 million (38% of available funding), while Comcast took about $61.7 million (30%). Among other private ISP winners, Windstream won nearly $12 million and Frontier Communications received $3.5 million. About $200 million in private spending will match the government cash, the PBDA added. The state required a minimum of 100 Mbps symmetrical download and upload speeds for the projects, which must be completed by Dec. 31, 2026. “These projects will leverage historic federal funding and private investment to connect communities to the internet,” said PBDA Executive Director Brandon Carson.
The connections-based Utah Universal Service Fund (UUSF) surcharge could increase by 27 cents to 98 cents monthly per access line, a 38% increase, the Utah Public Service Commission said in a Monday notice. The increase is needed due to AT&T overcounting access lines subject to the surcharge for nearly two years, from August 2021 to July 2023, the PSC said. After correcting the reporting error, “the actual number of access lines subject to the surcharge have now been reduced by approximately 260,000 per month and thus results in less revenue to meet the costs associated with the UUSF statutory obligations.” Also, UUSF distribution estimates “were significantly underestimated,” the PSC said. “Unless public comment convinces the PSC to alter its plans,” the new rate will take effect July 1. Comments are due June 3.
While the wireless industry has explored georouting calls made to the 988 Lifeline, requiring carriers to implement georouting is necessary to ensure it happens in a reasonable time frame, the FCC said in the draft NPRM on the commissioners' April 25 open meeting agenda (see 2404030051). The 38-page draft item was released Thursday, as was the net neutrality draft order (see 2404040064). The draft asks about potential downsides to mandating use of georouting to connect wireless 988 callers with local crisis centers. The draft NPRM is short on specific policy recommendations, instead asking numerous questions. It seeks comment on "each functional step" needed to route a call from a wireless carrier to a geographically appropriate crisis center, that would perform each function and the facilities and systems needed to perform those functions. It also asks whether georouting steps involve proprietary elements, such as licenses, that would limit whether and how wireless carriers could implement it. The draft NPRM said that while georouting based on cell tower information would best identify a caller's location, it seeks input on alternative methods as well. The draft NPRM doesn't make a recommendation on a time frame for implementation but asks about timelines for deployment.
Direct-to-device (D2D) services enjoy strong demand worldwide, but putting a dollar figure on that potential market is challenging, speakers said Monday at Access Intelligence's Satellite 2024 conference in Washington. Multiple launch providers discussed new rockets coming online. Satellite operators touted the role of satellites closing the digital divide worldwide.
Roberson and Associates said most public safety 4.9 GHz licensees are using the band for mobile connections. The FCC is finalizing its approach on the band (see 2401020050). The firm examined 1,912 licensed entities and found that 98% hold a mobile-location-class license, according to a report filed last week at the FCC in docket 07-100. Meanwhile, 25% hold fixed and 23% hold both mobile and fixed allocations, Roberson said. Only 38 have a fixed without mobile allocation, the report said. It estimated 4.2% of public safety agencies utilize the band.
United Launch Alliance successfully launched its first Vulcan rocket Monday from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. However, one of the two payloads on the flight, Astrobotic's first Peregrine Lunar Lander, suffered a propulsion system failure, the company said in a series of postings on X. As a result, ULA said it was prioritizing capturing as much science and data as possible. ULA said it has sold more than 70 Vulcan launches, including 38 for placing Amazon's Kuiper broadband satellites into space (see 2204050003).
States can achieve universal broadband with a mix of fiber, fixed wireless and satellite technologies, Vernonburg Group CEO Paul Garnett said during a Wireless ISP Association webinar Thursday. Garnett demonstrated his consulting group’s broadband planning tool, which estimates an “optimal” extremely high cost per location threshold for each jurisdiction. “If you make the right decisions, you will be able to achieve your internet-for-all goals,” he said. Deploying broadband becomes increasingly expensive as a state gets closer to reaching all unserved and underserved areas, said Garnett: There are points where it makes sense to consider fiber alternatives, he said. Estimating about $53.6 billion in grant funds available across the entire U.S., including multiple federal and state sources, the tool suggests that 58% of locations should receive fiber, 38% should be served with fixed wireless and 4% should get satellite service, so all unserved and underserved locations are covered. Some states will rely more on wireless than others, Garnett said. With about $270 million in available grant funds, Maryland could serve 46% of locations with fiber, 52% with fixed wireless and 2% with satellite, according to the tool's calculations. For Utah, with about $388.6 million in grants, it estimates a mix of 67% fiber, 27% fixed wireless and 6% satellite. WISPA commissioned Vernonburg to create the tool, a WISPA spokesperson said. “[Vernonburg] did all the modeling work without deep input from us on what the outcome would be.”