Administration Boosting Broadband as Senate Commerce Hears About Infrastructure

Donald Trump's administration released its American Broadband Initiative milestones report Wednesday, outlining a strategy for spurring wireless and wireline broadband using federal lands. It includes opening Department of Interior (DOI) towers for communications use and streamlining other buildout. The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on ways to ensure U.S. infrastructure keeps up with economic growth.

Access to federal lands has been an industry and FCC focus. In January 2018, the FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee approved a report on “challenges and solutions” for making federal lands more readily available for commercial use.

The Agriculture Department is getting set to deploy a $600 million rural e-connectivity pilot (ReConnect) to "catalyze increased private-sector investment in broadband infrastructure,” the administration said. The department plans to start taking applications in spring, with grants and loans in the second half of the year, the report said. A decade ago, Congress allocated $4 billion to the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, run by NTIA, and another $2.5 billion to the Agriculture's Broadband Initiative Program.

The administration also is focused on opening access to federal lands. DOI has “inventoried and mapped” more than 7,000 tower locations and plans to make information available through a geographical information system mapping tool, the administration said: “These towers, primarily located in rural areas, will be available to service providers looking to locate equipment on Federal property as they expand wireless and wireline broadband networks.”

The General Services Administration is supporting DOI and sought input on priority markets and assets needed to expand mobile access in underserved markets, the study said. “GSA will pair that input with new and existing data sources, such as the map of DOI-managed land and towers, to identify and visualize Federal assets which can be leveraged by service providers to expand build-outs in these markets.” NTIA, meanwhile, will provide an access point for information on federal permitting of broadband infrastructure.

GSA will work with other federal agencies to use its existing statutory authority “to streamline commercial access to assets in these markets,” the report said. The FCC has committed to completing an evaluation of broadband coverage in Indian country and on land held by a native corporation pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the administration said. By spring, the commission plans a report to Congress on promoting broadband internet access for veterans.

Elevating the discussion “is really important,” NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield said in an interview. “We’ve seen fits and starts of these kinds of efforts in the past. I would be excited if they actually really carry through. … There’s a lot of real value when you look at what each of these agencies bring to the table to truly do some coordination.”

Wireless Infrastructure Association President Jonathan Adelstein, who chaired the BDAC working group that wrote the federal lands report, said the report picked up on a number of its recommendations. “The ABI hits the nail on the head,” he said.

Senate Hearing

The Senate Commerce hearing focused more broadly on infrastructure, including broadband, ports, roads and railways. American Cable Association President Matt Polka was the lone communications industry representative. Questions also were raised on positive train control.

Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said the committee will have a series of hearings on infrastructure. “Our committee has broad jurisdiction over issues affecting ports, rail, trucking, aviation and telecommunications,” he said.

Ranking member Maria Cantwell, R-Wash., mentioned 5G and the underserved, rural and tribal communities that lack broadband access. The U.S. needs a secure supply chain backing up 5G infrastructure and a “serious conversation” about what foreign components be might allowed into U.S. 5G networks,” she said.

“We all agree that we need a heavy investment in infrastructure,” Cantwell said. Trump’s infrastructure plan would spend $200 billion, with a heavy reliance on public-private partnership and tolls, she said: “I think this has been received with a great deal of skepticism across the country.”

Broadband “provides new opportunities and efficiencies in a variety of sectors,” said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. Federal broadband programs, whether from the FCC or the Rural Utilities Service, “play an essential role,” he said. “To close that digital divide, it’s important that these programs complement each other, not conflict with ongoing efforts.”

Barriers to investment continue include attaching facilities to utility poles to working with local governments, Polka said. Broadband needs to be “here in the room” as infrastructure is discussed, Polka said. Federal mapping and data need to be improved, he said. “We don’t know what homes are served and what homes aren’t served,” he said. “It is a hard task to solve if we want to identify all homes in America and determine whether they’re receiving broadband.”

The two most important broadband technologies today are 5G and fiber, Polka said: “They complement each other.” Polka said his members are dedicated to providing broadband: “I still sort of call myself a cable guy, but let me be honest, we’re broadband guys.”

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., questioned the outlook for autonomous vehicles. “Everybody says that in 20 years we’re going to have self-driving trucks and all that,” he said. “I look forward to seeing that, but I don’t believe it.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., questioned Association of American Railroads President Ian Jefferies on the outlook for PTC. “The deadline was extended a number of times, would you agree that the final deadline must be met?” Blumenthal asked. The nation’s largest railroads will be “fully installed and implemented” by 2020, Jefferies said. “There are no plans in place to extend beyond that.”

Industry Reacts

Industry welcomed the administration's plan.

“As the report highlights, broadband deployment can be hindered by regulatory obstacles, would benefit from better access to federal facilities, and needs coordinated funding to maximize the use of federal dollars,” said Telecommunications Industry Association Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Cinnamon Rogers. “Streamlining federal permitting processes, leveraging federal assets to expand infrastructure and maximizing federal funding are critical steps to closing the digital divide,” said Steve Berry, Competitive Carriers Association president.

“Closing the digital divide is an urgent national mission,” said USTelecom President Jonathan Spalter. “We welcome all initiatives such as those announced today that help pave the way to nationwide connectivity.”

Carriers will keep working with "federal partners to ensure our nation’s siting processes can enable private industry to leverage key federal assets to support broadband deployment,” emailed Scott Bergmann, CTIA senior vice president-regulatory affairs.

ACA's testimony and that from others is here.