Audacious National Broadband Plan gains momentum

PHILADELPHIA—As the name portends, the National Broadband Plan is a massive undertaking by the Federal Communications Commission, born out of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and unveiled in March 2010.

The idea to bring the internet to 330 million Americans has seen support ebb and flow since its inception, recently gaining steam once again in the Biden administration's American Jobs Plan, otherwise known as "the infrastructure bill."

"Too many lack access to affordable, high-speed internet and to quality housing," the plan states. "The past year has led to job losses and threatened economic security, eroding more than 30 years of progress in women's labor force participation. It has never been more important for us to invest in strengthening our infrastructure and competitiveness.

"And it will bring affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband to every American, including the more than 35 percent of rural Americans who lack access to broadband at minimally acceptable speeds."

The plan has taken on different forms, downsized to include The Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act, which was co-sponsored by Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico.

"My hope is that this will become part of the American Jobs Plan and will break down barriers that have historically reduced access to broadband funding for Tribal communities," Fernandez said in a release from the U.S. Department of Commerce earlier this year. "I am honored ... to discuss how we can work together to bring high-speed internet to unserved and underserved parts of the Navajo Nation."

While there is a critical need to get broadband access to underserved communities, the challenges are many, according to Daniel Corey, deputy national Intelligent Transportation Systems practice leader with AECOM, a Los Angeles-based infrastructure consulting firm. Corey, based in Philadelphia, is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

"What we are seeing is the need to connect people in rural communities," Corey told Rubber & Plastics News. "We need to address how we can use existing infrastructure and the Department of Transportation to build out the necessary infrastructure to connect fiber to the homes. We need to see what is there and what is needed—filling in those gaps is key."

With broadband access critical to so many parts of everyday living—emergency alerts, impact to the environment, jobs, social networking, homeland security and energy efficiency, to name a few—acceptably fast internet access is as fundamental to human life as shelter or food.

"We think that broadband will be part of the (American Jobs Plan) policy," Corey said. "We will hopefully see some movement in a couple weeks. Broadband is so important to so many crucial areas of our lives."

The wire and cable angle

What, exactly, will this plan require from a wire and cable standpoint?

It is clear that many areas will need either a ground-based or telephone pole-type infrastructure, and that is not cheap.

Fiber optic installation can cost anywhere between $130,000 and $300,000 per linear mile.

"The cost for building the infrastructure can vary," Corey said. "Where are you putting it? How are you installing it? Are you plowing the fiber into the ground or stretching lines? Every area is different—there is a lot of rock and geographic constraints in Colorado."

Another solution might be to address the national plan in regional steps, then tie the regions together. Regardless, a set of uniform standards will be necessary "so that everyone is playing from the same rulebook," he said.

"There are a couple flavors to what this might be," Corey said. "What's clear is that all of it will have to go through fiber at some point. In rural areas it might make sense to make the wireless connection regionally, such as at a Tribal Council office, where the hot spot could be utilized. A larger area could be served with such a hotspot."

For wire and cable companies, either those who braid the lines or those who make the cable shields with PVC or flexible thermoplastic elastomers, innovation will be key.

"I think it's a couple things for those companies," Corey said. "How can the industry develop and enhance what we have now to reduce costs? They need to consider different ways of doing things. Those innovations and ways to install things will be key."

Success of the National Broadband Plan also hinges on supply line efforts and avoiding being held in reserve—with what could be considered national security implications—to imports from China or another country.

Another challenge will be obtaining fiber optic infrastructure funding on its own merits, not as an earmark to another project. And wire and cable companies can play an influential role in pushing this narrative, Corey said.

"As part of the legislation (that is) funding broadband, we need funding that stands alone, not as it relates to another, larger infrastructure project," he said. "In areas that don't have internet access, it is expensive for the traditional telecommunication companies to go out there. How do we leverage support to help create that 'middle mile?' "

A final hurdle is identifying the infrastructure that already exists—a surprisingly obvious notion but one that too often can be an unknown quantity.

"One of our problems is that we don't have a good idea of what infrastructure we have," Corey said. "How do we understand what we don't have? Accuracy suffers when we do not have a national standard of what we are looking for."

Collaboration with local and state governments and private industry, especially with wire and cable companies, will be key.

"We need to understand where the gaps are," Corey said, adding that redundancy is important for safety and resiliency, but not when it manifests as inefficiency and bureaucracy.

The digital divide

Two other industry experts and engineers authored a working paper to the broadband.gov website on a gap of a different sort.

In the introduction to their Dec. 30, 2020, paper, Judith Dempsey and Patrick Sun note that "high-speed internet access, or broadband, is critical to economic opportunity, job creation, education and civic engagement. Yet, there is a digital divide between people who have access to high-speed internet/advanced telecommunications, and those who do not."

The two concluded that the mobile digital divide does exist across certain dimensions.

"Rural areas are somewhat more dependent on non-Wi-Fi mobile technology and experience slower speeds on their mobile connections. We also find that counties with higher minority populations are more likely to use older mobile technologies and experience slower speeds," they wrote.

In addition, counties with older populations are more likely to use mobile technologies and are more likely to have slower speeds. Counties with larger households are more likely to use Wi-Fi and have faster Wi-Fi.

Whether pressure to install fiber optic networks and additional infrastructure for a National Broadband Plan comes from individuals, local governments or a collective of wire and cable companies, it will be essential "to getting out in front of local representatives," Corey said.

"I think the biggest thing is the user group," he said. "Some urban areas have 30 percent of people who do not want broadband ability. Often it's a 'big brother' issue. We need to make sure people understand the opportunities that this can bring, again because it is key to so many important, essential parts of life."

Broadband carries a divide that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated, as online schooling in rural areas and Tribal communities fell by the wayside for more than a year.

"Everyone should have access to wireless broadband internet, but for generations, a lack of investment in infrastructure in Indian Country has left Tribes further behind in the digital divide than most areas of the country," Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in the Department of Commerce release. "No kid should have to bear the burdens of poverty, and no community should be left behind in the digital world. We have a responsibility as a country to build infrastructure that will fuel economic development, provide public safety, and ensure everyone has opportunities to succeed. We'll be working in partnership with the Commerce Department to expand broadband access for all communities."