About six years ago, rural operators were told to rip out and replace non-compliant, Chinese-made equipment from communication networks. However, the mandate is underfunded, operators need assistance and solutions are stalled in Congress. In this episode of All Day Digital, telecom policy expert and Rural Wireless Association general counsel Carri Bennet shares what’s happening behind the scenes in Washington.

Federal programs are helping bridge the digital divide, but what then? Maintaining, sustaining and keeping networks affordable is the next objective, says Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association. In this episode of All Day Digital, Bloomfield shares NTCA’s creative approaches to current rural broadband challenges.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the FCC’s Universal Service Fund is unconstitutional, a split from two circuit courts’ previous decisions. In this episode of All Day Digital, the former executive director of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, Blair Levin, discusses what this means for rural telecom operators who rely on USF support and why he thinks the Supreme Court will take the case. 

Competition, growth opportunities and the race to get broadband service to the un- and underserved is forcing some providers to think more creatively about funding their capital budgets. CoBank’s Mike Harder explains how banks are innovating their lending to this market as borrowers look to increase their leverage and risk. 

From Virginia to Alaska, the U.S. government is boosting national security investments, creating new opportunities and challenges for rural broadband operators. Telecom investor and Army veteran Chad Crank warns that as world geopolitics become increasing unstable, the U.S. government should work with the private sector to reduce risks from bad actors.

 Over the last two years, more data has been created than in all of human history combined, and it’s not slowing down.
The “compute” phase of generative artificial intelligence — when computers are learning from other computers — doesn’t need to be near where the application is used. But it does take a lot of energy. In this episode of All Day Digital, data center investor Alexey Teplukhin explains why rural markets are ideal for this function.

Despite the uncertainties around BEAD implementation, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity rural operators should consider. In this episode of All Day Digital, Solarus CEO Justin Huebner outlines how his Wisconsin co-op is doing its homework, from collaborating with other operators to outsourcing assets to other participants in the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program.

Whether rural or national, the growth opportunity for all wireless operators is in fixed wireless, says expert Tim Courtney with Further Enterprise Solutions. In this episode of All Day Digital, he points rural operators to BEAD funding as a strategy to offer fixed wireless where fiber does not make sense. 

Thanks to the emergence of artificial intelligence, demand for data centers is red hot. Data centers run on power-hungry chips, so they are locating to rural America – where the electricity is. In this episode of All Day Digital, Alan Bezoza, a managing director at DigitalBridge Investment Management, explains how the main requirement for cloud computing switched from adequate building space to power. 

The Universal Service Fund, an FCC program that ensures connectivity in rural America, is being challenged in U.S. federal circuit court. The outcome could be disruptive for rural telecom operators who rely on USF support. In this episode of All Day Digital, the former executive director of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, Blair Levin, explains the situation and urges rural communities to be informed.