from the run-a-speedtest-and-call-your-congressman dept.
Frontier, amid bankruptcy, is suspected of lying about broadband expansion:
Small Internet providers have asked for a government investigation into Frontier Communications' claim that it recently deployed broadband to nearly 17,000 census blocks, saying the expansion seems unlikely given Frontier's bankruptcy and its historical failure to upgrade networks in rural areas.
The accuracy of Frontier's claimed expansion matters to other telcos because the Federal Communications Commission is planning to distribute up to $16 billion to ISPs that commit to deploying broadband in census blocks where there isn't already home Internet service with speeds of at least 25Mbps downstream and 3Mbps upstream. An entire census block can be ruled ineligible for the $16 billion distribution under the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) even if only one or a few homes in the block have access to 25/3Mbps broadband.
Frontier's recent FCC filing lists about 17,000 census blocks in which it has deployed 25/3Mbps broadband since June 2019, and tells the FCC that these census blocks should thus be "removed" from the list of blocks where ISPs can get funding. Frontier reported more new broadband deployments than any other provider that submitted filings in the FCC proceeding. The 17,000 blocks are home to an estimated 400,000 Americans.
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, which represents about 850 small ISPs, is skeptical of Frontier's reported deployment. "It may be possible that Frontier did precisely what was necessary to meet the standards for reporting significant increased deployment during this eight-month period in the face of years of historical inaction in these areas, admitted shortcomings on interim universal service buildout obligations, and increasing financial struggles," NTCA told the FCC in a filing on Wednesday. "However, such a remarkable achievement warrants validation and verification given the implications. NTCA therefore urges the commission to immediately investigate the claims of coverage made in the Frontier [filing]."
NTCA further said that its members "serve rural areas in the same states as Frontier and, indeed, they frequently field pleas from consumers living in the latter's service area in need of access to robust broadband service. This experience—and their decades of experience in serving sparsely populated rural areas of the nation more generally—have caused NTCA members to question whether the filing accurately reflects conditions on the ground changing so quickly in so many places in such a short time."
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday May 05 2020, @06:19PM (2 children)
And I suspect the sun will rise in the east tomorrow.
“I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
(Score: 2) by Hartree on Tuesday May 05 2020, @06:55PM
So, you're saying water is wet?
On the other hand, I switched to Frontier ADSL from Comcast cablemodem several months back. The improvement in service and pricing was large. I'm not sure how much this is due to Frontier doing a good job, but I am convinced a lot of it was Comcast doing a poor one.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 05 2020, @07:19PM
Real news would be "After intense investigation $isp has been found to NOT be lying about rural broadband deployment."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Tuesday May 05 2020, @06:53PM
I think that sums up the entirety of the US Telecom experience.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Grishnakh on Tuesday May 05 2020, @07:10PM (1 child)
Will there be any consequences for Frontier lying and committing what appears to be outright fraud? Somehow I doubt it.
(Score: 3, Touché) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday May 05 2020, @11:39PM
Consequences? No. That's why these corporations continue to break the law. Why wouldn't they?
See: Wells Fargo. (For example).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 05 2020, @07:12PM
> Liars, Amid Bankruptcy, Suspected of Broadband Expansion
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Thexalon on Tuesday May 05 2020, @08:48PM (2 children)
My understanding is that many major telecoms in the US have gotten government grants to expand broadband access to the same areas for something like 20 years running. And of course they never do, because it's cheaper not to and they own the regulators who could call them on it (e.g. FCC Chair Ajit Pai). This system is one of many reasons why telecom in the US is an absolute joke compared to what's available in most other rich countries such as Germany and Japan.
This is one factor behind Bernie Sanders' public broadband plans, which quite intentionally bypass the telecoms as much as possible. Of course, I'm sure that made the TV networks owned by the same conglomerates as several of the major telecoms very happy to give completely fair coverage to his campaigns. /sarcasm
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday May 06 2020, @12:17AM (1 child)
Would be great if congress were to identify the dozen most underserved areas in the US, spaced around the nation geographically. Assign one of those areas to a telecom, and tell them to install fiber. When the job is done, we pay you.
Doing so would incidentally put fiber within a boatload of other communities, all of which could be server.
Upon completion, identify the next dozen most underserved, and do the same.
About four rounds of this, and there really wouldn't be a lot of poorly served communities left.
Before a telco can claim to have satisfied the requirements of the "contract" or mandate, everyone in the county, parish, or boro MUST HAVE REAL ACCESS to 100 MB or faster internet. Not some stupid claim that "the fiber passes with twenty miles of their home, so they have access".
“I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Wednesday May 06 2020, @12:53PM
We know that will never happen, though, because AT&T, Comcast, Spectrum (formerly Time Warner), etc have all thoroughly bought and paid for the vast majority of congresscritters on both sides of the aisle. So they're perfectly happy with the "government pays up front, telecom never delivers" system.
I suspect there are more than a couple hundred underserved areas left, though, because it's not profitable for them to run fiber to Rural Route 317, Nowhere in Particular, Kansas, and there are entire states mostly made up of people who live in those kinds of places.
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin