Category Archives: Cable

Update on cable expansion in Minnesota

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NCTA – The Internet & Television Association tracks cable broadband expansion in the Midwest, including Minnesota…

Comcast has expanded its fiber network to more than 600 homes and businesses in Stillwater Township through a public-private partnership funded by the Minnesota Office of Broadband, Washington County and the local community.

Midco is expanding its fiber network across the West Metro area, bringing service to homes and businesses in Long Lake, Maple Plain, Medina, Mound, Orono, Shorewood and St. Bonifacius, following completed construction in Loretto and ongoing work in Independence and Minnetrista.

Mediacom has launched multi-gig and symmetrical speed broadband services to more than 2,400 households in the rural communities of Howard Lake and Winsted, upgrading the region using its existing fiber-rich network.

Comcast has more winning BEAD applications (so far) compared to other large wireline operators

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Fierce Network reports…

The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program process is chugging along, as roughly half of the 56 states and territories have now released deployment plans and grant awards. While fiber remains the preferred technology, it’s a cable operator that’s amassed the most funds so far.

Comcast came out on top of the other large wireline operators, scoring $745 million to cover approximately 127,000 locations across 25 states, per New Street Research’s analysis. The company plans to use a mix of fiber and hybrid-fiber coax (HFC) for its BEAD bids.

Given deploying HFC is cheaper than end-to-end fiber, NSR expects more cable companies to participate in the program. Charter meanwhile received just $160 million for 35,000 locations, though the operator has said it intends to spend less on BEAD than it did for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) projects.

The Minnesota Draft BEAD Proposal include the following for Comcast…

  • Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC
    Number of projects: 3
    BEAD support: $31,849,085.18
    Local Match: $23,892,462.90
    Locations: 2760
    Counties: Scott, Washington, Wright

Recent study on consumer takes on various broadband technologies

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Telecompetitor reports…

A study conducted on behalf of Amdocs finds that consumers value reliability, affordability, and uninterrupted access — and suggests that providers may benefit by offering all three via mixed-technology networks. …

Cable has the highest level of internet access (39%). It is followed by fiber (31%) and FWA (9%). The study found that 3% of consumers do not have a dedicated internet connection at home.

Fully 60% of respondents say their home internet is very reliable, but at the same time cite cost as the biggest issue. Commentary in the press release says that this illustrates the need to balance performance with affordability.

Overall, the priorities are closely divided. An equal percent (38%) of consumers prioritize speed and reliability when choosing a provider. The study commentary suggests that CSPs can put together offerings in their networks that eliminate trade-offs.

FWA and satellite broadband are the new kids on the block. Amdocs says that FWA is emerging as a strong competitor but that more than half of consumers — 47% — have never heard of it.

The broadband satellite sector is even newer. The survey found that 67% of consumers would consider switching if it provides a comparable experience. Concerns about cost, reliability, and speed persist. The study found that 37% of consumers are unfamiliar with satellite Internet. This, Amdocs Research says, points to an education gap about the technology.

League of MN Cities recap on SF2045: Community TV grants and HF1740 Equal access to broadband bill

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League of MN Cities posts information on two bills ( SF 2045 and HF 1740) going through the MN Legislature right now. I have also been following but nice to see what others day…

During the week of March 17, Minnesota lawmakers considered two bills related to telecommunications and broadband access. The House Legacy Finance Committee reviewed a proposal geared toward supporting local public, educational, and governmental television channels, while the Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee examined legislation that would give local governments the authority to franchise internet providers. Both bills received committee support and were laid over for possible inclusion in future omnibus bills.

Check out full article for more details.

MN Senate bill SF2045: Equal Access to Broadband Act provision is held over

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The MN Seante Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development heard SF2045: Equal Access to Broadband Act establishment provision. It was held over.

The discussion on SF2045 begins at 2:20. Click to start

Senator Rest on Equal Access to Broadband Act

  • Trying to get sustain able funding for quality community TV
  • Looking to remove “telecommunication” and replace with broadband
  • Wanting to coordination of funds for municipalities
  • Local franchising authority could comply broadband companies to get a franchise agreement
  • Broadband provides must act within rights-of-way regulations
  • MN has been a leader in cable acts
  • We need to refresh cable franchising bill. The idea is simple but technical – testifiers can answer tech questions.

Testifiers

Michael Bradley (reps local governments)

  • Time to refresh the cable laws
  • Broadband is the future of communication
  • The public rights of way is a scare resources we must be good stewards – we need to get paid for access
  • Looking to get everyone equal access
  • The state is getting $650M, and broadband providers are asking for tax cuts – we need to balance those perks
  • We want to work to make broadband affordable to all
  • Franchising should not slow down broadband deployment

Dave Callister (city of Plymouth)

  • This bill will help prevent broadband discrimination
  • Cable franchising should bring cable to all with consumer protections
  • Fiber is underway in Plymouth – only one company provides broadband to everyone
  • Use public right or way is scarce – the value is not declining
  • Local media informs and educates – such as city council meetings and high school sports

Melissa Wolf (MN Cable)

  • This bill would stop progress of broadband
  • Means an 8 percent tax on broadband – and none of those funds would make broadband more affordable. Funding goes to the municipalities general fund and PEG.
  • ACP ceased last year.
  • Cable companies already pay cable franchising fees.
  • This bill violates federal law
  • The House removed this bill last year

Brent Christensen (MTA)

  • Opposing the bill
  • Sad to see PEG funding go – but people are cutting the cable cord, much like cutting landlines
  • This fee will help cities but hurt the state goal of ubiquitous broadband
  • Maybe PEG could work on getting ads
  • We don’t need cable franchising because we have the Office of Broadband Development

Questions

Q: Will this impact BEAD?
No

Q: Will $650M impact franchising?
No

League of MN Cities catching up on current MN bills focused on cable and broadband

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The League of MN Cities reports…

Building on last session’s momentum to update Minnesota’s cable act, lawmakers have reintroduced the Equal Access to Broadband Act in both the House and Senate.

HF 974, sponsored by Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley), and SF 2045, sponsored by Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope), aim to modernize local franchising laws. The bills would allow local franchising authorities to franchise broadband, helping to ensure more equitable broadband deployment across the state.

By granting cities broadband franchising authority, the legislation would:

  • Require broadband providers to meet buildout requirements in underserved areas.
  • Ensure cities receive reasonable compensation for the use of public rights-of-way.
  • Support community media efforts, similar to the authority cities already have under the Minnesota Cable Act.
  • Improve city control over public rights-of-way and help fund access television.

HF 974 is awaiting action in the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee and SF 2045 is awaiting action in the Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee.

Funding bill for PEG stations introduced

In addition to the Equal Access to Broadband Act, HF 1740, authored by Rep. Danny Nadeau (R-Rogers), has been introduced in the House. The bill would provide funding from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to support public, educational, and governmental programming (PEG) in cities.

Under HF 1740, funding would be allocated to a key League partner, the Minnesota Association of Community Telecommunications Administrators to support PEG programming, and community and civic engagement efforts.

HF 1740 awaits action in the House Legacy Finance Committee.

Willmar City Council votes no to Charter Communication’s deal and sticks with Connect Willmar Initiative

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The West Central Tribune reports…

 The Willmar City Council on Monday in a split 4-3 vote approved a motion declining to accept the offer by Charter Communications to end the Connect Willmar Initiative.

Councilor Carl Shuldes made the motion, which was seconded by Councilor Vicki Davis. Both voted in favor of the motion, along with councilors Tom Gilbertson and Justin Ask.

They include a little background (of a story I have also been following)…

This decision comes after Charter, which does business in the city under the name Spectrum and is the city’s largest provider of internet and cable television services, on Feb. 7 sent a city to the Willmar mayor and council stating that Charter would build out a fiber-optic network in the Willmar Industrial Park at no cost to the city, but only if the city stopped its plan to construct a city-owned, open-access fiber-optic network throughout the whole city.

Charter also promised to upgrade its existing network to provide better, faster and more reliable service to Willmar businesses and residents.

After sending out a request for proposals to build out fiber-optic services in the industrial park, the city accepted Hometown Fiber’s proposal to build the citywide network; Charter did not submit a proposal. The city of Willmar, with the assistance of the Willmar Broadband Committee and Hometown Fiber, has been researching and planning the Connect Willmar Initiative for two years and has invested approximately $650,000 and countless human resource and volunteer hours on the initiative.

MN House introduces HF1740 a bill appropriating money for community cable television programming

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This bill is tangential to broadband but could relate directly to cable franchising, which does connect it to broadband.

Minnesota House reports…

Nadeau, Norris and Carroll introduced:

HF. 1740,A bill for an act relating to arts and cultural heritage; appropriating money for community cable television programming.

The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Legacy Finance

Bill as introduced…

A bill for an act
relating to arts and cultural heritage; appropriating money for community cable
television programming.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. APPROPRIATION; COMMUNITY CABLE TELEVISION.

$…… in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the arts and cultural heritage fund to the
commissioner of administration for a grant to the Minnesota Association of Community
Telecommunications Administrators for distribution to Minnesota public, educational, or
governmental cable television channels to provide programming that supports community
and civic engagement.

Willmar City Council asks staff to work with Charter Communication on plan for fiber to the Industrial Park and some service to residents

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The West Central Tribune reports …

The Willmar City Council on Tuesday unanimously directed city staff to work with Charter Communications on a commitment — by March 3 — to offer fiber-optic services in the Willmar Industrial Park and establish a timeline for increased residential services in the rest of the city.

A nearly hour-long discussion took place during the meeting regarding what Charter is offering versus the Connect Willmar Initiative, an open-access, fiber-optic network the city has been researching and planning for two years.

“One of the underlying goals of the Connect Willmar Initiative was to bring a desired level of internet service to all the residents and businesses,” said City Operations Director Kyle Box.

I have mentioned the situation in Willmar before. Connect Willmar, as mentioned above, has been working with Hometown Fiber on a community broadband plan. Charter Communications recently sent a letter to the City Council countering…

The meeting came in response to a letter the city received from Charter on Feb. 7, promising that if the city discontinues the Connect Willmar Initiative, Charter would install fiber-optic lines in the Willmar Industrial Park at no cost to the city.

Kyle Box from the City of Willmar spoke…

Box explained that a high-split network, which is what Charter is proposing for residential neighborhoods, utilizes the same coaxial infrastructure that Charter currently has in place in Willmar, but engineering would take place and electronic amplifiers would be installed in order to put data out at a higher frequency range to expand the bandwidth available for faster download and upload speeds.

He added that there are limitations on the distance at which that high-split models can increase speeds and bandwidth, especially with multiple users.

He noted that for long-term performance and future scalability, fiber networks have a 30- to 40-year lifespan and are the preferred option, with limited interference or degradation to the amount of bandwidth or data being transferred over the line.

Spectrum to launch Gigabit service in Dakota County

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From Charter Communications…

Spectrum, the #1 rural internet provider in the nation*, today announced the launch of Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to just under 100  homes and businesses in portions of Dakota County, Minnesota.

Spectrum’s multi-year Rural Construction Initiative is an investment of approximately $9 billion – a portion of which we will offset with over $2 billion in government support funding – that will ultimately connect approximately 1.75 million new homes and small businesses across the country.

“Spectrum is bringing gigabit broadband to unserved communities in Minnesota and across America,” said Terry Manselle, Director of Field Engineering, Field Operations, Spectrum. “Our investment is making it possible to deliver the high-value broadband, mobile, TV and voice services now available in  Dakota County. We are providing residents and small businesses superior connectivity at highly competitive prices, backed by a team of skilled local technicians and 100% U.S.-based customer service.”

Spectrum Internet delivers speeds up to 1 Gbps and Advanced WiFi for residential and small business customers, featuring starting speeds of 500 Mbps, with no modem fees, data caps or contracts. Spectrum Business Internet offers customers 1 Gbps download speeds, with 400 Mbps and 600 Mbps options. The company has also begun a network evolution that will provide gigabit upstream speeds and multiple gigabit download speeds across its entire 41-state service area.

FTTH is more sustainable than cable broadband

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The Fiber Broadband Association looks at the sustainability of fiber versus cable broadband and finds that “Fiber Broadband Deployment is Paramount To Achieving Zero Carbon Footprint”…

Fiber networks offer significant carbon footprint advantages over HFC [Hybrid Fiber Coaxial] networks, from manufacturing of the components, through installation and operation of the network. In the manufacturing of its components, an FTTH PON network reduces carbon footprint by 60% compared to an HFC network, due to lighter cables and fewer active network components. The carbon footprint associated with installation of a fiber network is 7% less than in an HFC network. \Operationally, an FTTH XGS PON network reduces carbon footprint by 93% to 96% versus a comparable DOCSIS 4.0 HFC network, through the elimination or reduction of field powered devices. At the customer premises, an FTTH ONT cable modem reduces carbon footprint by 18% versus a DOCSIS 4.0 cable modem. Overall, this analysis demonstrates that a fiber network is the more sustainable choice for broadband infrastructure deployment than a DOCSIS network.

To evaluate the Carbon Footprint, Return On Investment (ROI) of an HFC to FTTH conversion, consider an FTTH overbuild and 4-year conversion of 500 homes passed (300 homes connected, assuming 60% take rates) HFC network vs. a “Do Nothing” scenario where we continue to operate the HFC network for another 10 years.

The one-time investment to overlay fiber results in an incremental carbon footprint for Year 1.

  • This incremental carbon footprint comes from the manufacturing and installation of new components necessary to pass 500 homes.

  • It is projected to take a span of three years to transition all 300 HFC subscribers over to the fiber network.

  • In order to factor in subscriber turnover, the embodied carbon involved with installing new drops and ONTs accounts for the remaining 40% of addressable customers at a conservative estimate churn rate of 10% annually.

  • By the end of the third year, the conversion of all 500 customers is anticipated to be completed, and within the subsequent four years all 500 homes have drops and ONTs placed because of churn.

  • At the conclusion of the third year, the assumption is to shut down the HFC network, whereby only the operational carbon footprint persists. This simple analysis excludes any carbon footprint associated with maintenance truck rolls for either network types.

  • In year 6, total carbon footprint of the “Do Nothing” scenario is expected to surpass those from the FTTH overbuild, positioning fiber as the definitive choice for long-term sustainability

Rochester cable to debut multimedia digital box

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The Post Bulletin reports…

Charter Communications has picked its Rochester cable systems for the commercial debut of a TV set control box that can record and store programs, as well as images from a home computer.

St. Louis-based Charter is buying 100,000 units of the Motorola Broadband Media Center for its systems nationwide, with plans to offer the service this fall.

“Rochester has been chosen as the first market within Charter to launch this service and this platform,” said Bill Haarstead, director of marketing for Charter’s Minnesota Group.

Why Rochester MN?

The local systems were chosen as Charter’s premiere market because digital service has a comparatively large following here. More than 15 percent of customers order the digital tier, which delivers premium services including music channels and pay-per-view programming.

“We think it will appeal to the existing digital base (of customers) and bring new customers into that category,” Haarstead said. The roll-out is planned for November or December.

National Cable Association lauds Lakewood Township Project offers advice for BEAD

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Governing posts an opinion piece from Michael Powell, president of NCTA-the Internet and Television Association, which represents America’s cable industry…

The real work takes place on the ground. Expanding broadband networks to the unserved, hardest-to-reach parts of the country is a daunting task fraught with logistical, financial and technical challenges. Across hundreds of broadband deployment projects nationwide, ISPs must tackle physical hardship, uncompromising terrain and weather, and countless other unexpected trials to bring this critical infrastructure to unconnected communities.

Take, for example, a recent build in the northern Minnesota community of Lakewood Township. Nestled on the shores of Lake Superior, harsh winter conditions with an average annual snowfall of 86 inches shut down construction for several weeks before the Mediacom Communications crews could push through the shale rock that defines this Northwoods terrain. But now more than 1,100 homes and businesses can enjoy the benefits of life-changing gigabit-speed Internet service.

Some recommendations…

On the federal level, policymakers should focus on removing regulatory barriers rather than erecting new ones. Adding more complexity and cost to a project that is already economically and physically challenging is a path to failure. Policymakers have an obligation to be good stewards of billions of taxpayer dollars and should avoid actions that would cause the experienced providers that are essential to success to sit out the program.

On the state level, policymakers should focus on making wise decisions with the influx of federal BEAD grants they will receive. They must ensure these funds are targeted for their intended use of connecting unserved areas. There will be ample temptation to stray from that focus and waste funds on unrelated objectives.

Partnerships with private broadband providers with a track record of experience, innovation and excellence have proven to be a potent recipe for states to maximize broadband funds and expand connectivity. Established private-sector ISPs understand the unique demands of rural deployments and have developed innovative engineering solutions to overcome any climate or geography.

National efforts to allow local governments to charge broadband franchising fees to cable companies

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Last legislative session, there was a bill (the MN Equal Access Bill) that set out to allow local governments to charge cable companies a franchising fee for their broadband services. The bill got support from a number of local governments, but not from providers. In the end it did not pass. Broadband Breakfast reports on national efforts to open the door to local government fees from cable providers…

Cities across the country want to impose new fees on cable operators, claiming a federal rule standing in the way has distorted the market and frustrated efforts to close the digital divide.

For decades, local governments have been able to collect 5% of a cable operator’s video programming revenue. But the Federal Communications Commission has barred imposing the same fee on cable’s broadband revenue, saving the industry billions a year.

Local governments continue to pressure the FCC to abolish its Mixed-Use Rule, which the FCC reaffirmed in 2019 as walling off cable’s broadband revenue from the traditional video fee regime.

The latest salvo in this struggle came in a June 5 letter to the FCC from the Northern Dakota County Cable Communications Commission (NDC4), which was formed by seven small Minnesota cities with about 91,000 residents combined.

“The Mixed-Use Rule frustrates FCC and local efforts to ensure equitable access to quality, affordable broadband,” the NDC4 said in the letter. “We urge the Commission to repeal it.”

NDC4 includes Inver Grove Heights, Lilydale, Mendota, Mendota Heights, South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake, and West St. Paul, Minn.

Comcast to partner with Starlink to provider satellite to businesses with remote locations.

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Business Wire reports…

Comcast Business today announced a strategic agreement with Starlink, a leader in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technology, to provide connectivity solutions to Comcast Business enterprise customers. The collaboration enables advanced satellite capabilities in Comcast Business’ Managed Connectivity portfolio to deliver fast and reliable connectivity that supports a range of business applications for enterprise customers, including those with locations in underserved regions.

Enterprises operating multiple, disparate locations are faced with unique connectivity challenges, particularly those with locations where traditional networks do not reach. From geographic limitations to scalability concerns and reliability issues, these companies face challenges less commonly encountered by their counterparts in more densely populated areas. Comcast Business’ collaboration with Starlink will address the demand for reliable, managed connectivity for these enterprise customers, as well as offer an innovative solution for enterprises looking to enhance network redundancy.