#rural-broadband

#rural-broadband

NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association's "2025 Broadband/Internet Availability Survey Report," shows that more than 9-in-10 (92%) of respondents have service with download speeds of at least 100 Mbps available to them, up from 89% in 2024. Additionally, nearly 8-in-10 (79%) customers have 1 Gbps service available to them, up from 76% in the previous annual report. Other report highlights include: Three-quarters of respondents subscribe to 100 Mbps or more downstream broadband - an increase form 67% last year and less than half (48%) in 2024.

Also: The new plan provides unlimited data and download speeds of up to 25 Mbps (the company says it's usually 10-25 Mbps), which isn't exactly fast but should be enough for most basic online tasks, including streaming. After the first 150 GB of data usage each month, though, Verizon warns, your speeds will slow to 10 Mbps. Verizon says you'll get a free router when you sign up for "simple, out-of-the-box self-setup."

The broadband capital expenditure (capex) report provides a chronological overview of the amount invested: 2020-2024 ($90.4 billion on average per year); 2014-2019 ($78 billion); 2009-2013 ($69.2 billion); 2002-2008 ($65.8 billion); and 1996-2001 ($85.6 billion). The drivers of the investment were not monolithic. The broadband capex report points to five phases of investment: 1996-2001: Light-touch regulation and dot-com boom 2002-2008: Stabilization, early broadband and mobility advancement 2009-2013: Start of the streaming era and smartphone surge 2014-2019: Fiber and wireless densification 2020-2024: Remote connectivity, 5G and AI era

The awards, which were announced by the Indiana Broadband Office (IBO), will support 149 homes and seven businesses. Broadband service providers in Indiana are matching the grants in the amount of $1,116,469, which brings the total investment to $1,771,145. Projects must be completed within nine months of the contract date, according to the press release. The program has allocated more than $14 million and helped to provide service to 3,000 homes, businesses and anchor institutions across the Hoosier State.

Many of you know that I have a creed in leadership, that we all have a finite time to leave our world better than we found it. And part of that recognition is knowing when the time has come for an organization to have fresh leadership, perspective, vision, and a longer runway to get the job done.

There are four main categories: network management, maintenance/repairs, customer service, and cybersecurity. AI platforms are extremely flexible and offer benefits in a variety of broad categories. For instance, AI can troubleshoot basic issues and/or schedule repairs, find malware, isolate infected systems, trigger the appropriate remediation process, manage network performance, analyze data for customer and prospect personalization, track customer sentiments, and identify upsell opportunities.

This upgrade marks a major milestone for us, enabling us to expand our service offerings, better serve our growing customer base, and support future technologies, said Andrew Kalkbrenner, IT Manager at Vibrant Broadband.

Federal and state programs have rightly prioritized reaching remote areas, building towers, and upgrading last-mile delivery. But access doesn't guarantee uptake.

In order to reduce the latency for AI, this type of equipment for networks dedicated to facilitating this interconnection is essential, and it's being required.