The 2019 INCOMPAS Show, Day 1

« 6 » THE INCOMPAS SHOW I NOVEMBER 4 – 6, 2019 www.bekapublishing.com to weight bids that can deliver up to 1 Gigabit speeds more favorably in the reverse auction.” INCOMPAS has met with the FCC about the reverse auction and has proposed the agency promote the availability of reasonably compa- rable services for consumers and businesses in rural, insular and high-cost areas, noting to regulators that broadband demand is growing, and rural communities need service comparable to urban and suburban areas. On Wednesday morning, Carol Mattey, principal of Mattey Consulting, will be discussing the opportunities that the RDOF presents providers, among other funding opportunities.  Likewise, INCOMPAS is working to end most exclusive monopoly arrangements in apartments, condos and commercial properties with multiple tenants that prevent competitors from offering service in these buildings. “We believe increased competition in these build- ings will create a deployment boom and spur even more fiber and wireless network growth,” said Pickering. INCOMPAS members have indicated that they are regularly turned away from multiple tenant environments (MTEs) by management groups, which have exclusive agreements in place with large incumbent providers, said Pickering. “Competition from multiple providers is the only true driver for building new networks with faster speeds and lower prices,” he continued. “As such, it’s long past time to ask regulators to unlock the front door of the condo to competition.” INCOMPAS has encouraged the FCC to take meaningful action on MTEs that would enable more fixed broadband deployment and competi- tion for consumers that live and work in these buildings, and in July, the FCC initiated a rule- making that will examine the exclusive commer- cial arrangements that have denied competitive providers access to MTEs, explained Pickering.  “By addressing these practices, the FCC can ensure that customers in MTEs – whether they be millennials on a starter budget, a retired American on a fixed budget or a small business on a start-up budget in a commercial property – are able to exercise their choice for broadband service and will help them reap the benefits of competition, including lower prices and higher speeds, while encouraging more broadband deployment overall,” said Pickering.  The good news is that the current adminis- tration has made bridging the digital divide and increasing broadband access in underserved and rural areas a priority. However, as Pickering points out, it’s difficult to provide digital opportu- nity without a genuine understanding of where the need for broadband service exists.  “Regulators and our industry have known for some time that the current broadband maps do not paint an accurate picture of where and how broadband service is being delivered,” he said. “Rather than ask whether or not service providers are actually providing service to a specific census block, the FCC’s current broad- band data collection methodology asks providers whether they could provide service to these areas. This has, in turn, led to over reporting of availability and renewed questions about the Commission’s management of universal service funds intended to address this issue.”  Both on the Hill and at the FCC, there are concerted efforts underway to identify gaps in broadband coverage and to improve network- mapping capabilities. The Commission is already moving forward on a mapping reform effort known as the Digital Opportunity Data Collection. And Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) has introduced the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technolog- ical Availability (DATA) Act in an attempt to improve broadband data maps, with the companion bill in the House introduced by Rep. Loebsack (D-Iowa) expected to be marked up soon. Attendees of The 2019 INCOMPAS Show have an opportunity to learn more about this important issue, said Pickering. On Wednesday, there will be a panel discussion on the best way to map a better broadband future, featuring Preston Wise, Rural Broadband Advisor to FCC Chairman Pai, and Paula Boyd, senior director, Government and Regulatory Affairs of Microsoft. They will discuss these and other efforts to find the gap in unserved and underserved areas.  “We’ll talk about how INCOMPAS has been working with its members to propose changes to the FCC’s Digital Opportunity Data Collection, and then we’ll hear from panelists on how to serve and fund those areas that lack next-generation networks,” said Pickering. p (INCOMPAS, continued from page 1) Mammoth Networks to Operate Colorado’s Project THOR Broadband Access Project T he Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG) has selected Mammoth Networks as the network operator of its regional fiber network known as Project THOR. Funded in part by grants from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and local government contributions, the network will connect approximately 400 miles of existing public and private fiber and has the potential to provide more than 230,000 residents access to greater bandwidth at more competitive pricing, said NWCCOG. Serving the region for 38 years, NWCCOG represents 26 jurisdictions in a five-county region of northwest Colorado covering 7,000 square miles. It provides the critical mass needed to take advantage of state and local programs. Through Project THOR, NWCCOG is delivering abundant, reliable and lower cost broadband access to local internet service providers, participating state and local govern- ments, schools, libraries, and healthcare and public safety facilities through 12 meet-me centers or landing points dispersed throughout the region. “Whenever there’s a fiber cut, it impacts not only consumers in our towns, but cellphone carriers, public safety centers, schools, hospitals and other critical services,” said Nate Walowitz, regional broadband director for NWCCOG. “By leveraging the fantastic technical and engi- neering support, we can offer carrier-grade services, have a real-time view into our network, as well as the ability to reroute traffic in the event of an outage.” The stated goals of Project THOR are to lower the costs of broadband access and improve the reliability of the network, which is currently prone to mass failures when a fiber line is cut. Roughly 85 percent of the needed fiber for the project is already in place, taking advantage of existing fiber networks, such as those built by the Colorado Department of Transportation. “Mammoth is working closely with project partners to create a robust and flexible network architecture that brings open, secure and redun- dant broadband at a lower cost to NWCCOG members,” said Evan Biagi, vice president of business development at Mammoth Networks “A lack of reliable broadband limits economic devel- opment. We hope that this brings new applica- tions and services to Colorado.” p