2022.04.22 – Open Broadband News

UNH-IOL To Host 2022 “Future of Moving Data Summit”

The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), an independent provider of broad-based testing and standards conformance services for the networking industry will host the Future of Moving Data Summit: Measurement, Performance and Tuning.

The two-day event, to be held 24-25 May 2022 at the University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, provides a unique framework for industry and researchers to brainstorm collaboratively on technology advancements and theories impacting networking today and for the future.

“Having worked several years with industry associations and standards bodies, UNH-IOL is ideally positioned to host a conference tailored specifically for academia and industry gurus that drive the advancement of network performance and operation,” said Jeff Lapak, UNH-IOL Director.

“We encourage all stakeholders in the networking ecosystem to explore the value of participating in the summit and leveraging its unique program based upon collaboration and information sharing that can lead to new discovery and opportunity.”

How USP 1.2 is unlocking the full potential of the connected home market

Since its inception, the Broadband Forum’s User Services Platform (USP/TR-369) is helping service providers manage the complex connected home environment. USP has created an interoperable ecosystem for the connected home and is one of the fastest-growing standards for connected device management and control in the industry.

New business model opportunities can be seized thanks to USP’s ability to enable devices and applications from multiple vendors to deliver the new services and guaranteed network quality that end-users demand. This has also been shown to reduce subscriber churn and increase Average Revenue Per User (ARPU).

It is clear to see the rapid progress and mass adoption of USP. As we’ve seen through the increase in and diversity of Broadband Form participants, especially among new and interesting application and cloud vendors, our work on USP 1.2 is set to capitalize on this growth potential.

Read the full blog post by Jason Walls, QA Cafe, Chair of the Broadband Forum Connected Home Council and BUS Work Area Director here.

prpl Mesh, The World’s First Open-source Wi-Fi Mesh Solution, Adds Features And Quickens Time To Market For ISPs

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will be able to deploy fully open-source Wi-Fi mesh networks, including standardized application programming interface (APIs) enabling new services and features more quickly and with better interoperability than previously possible.

The prpl Foundation and its service providers announced a major acceleration effort to its prplMesh open-source Wi-Fi mesh software stack, which will be made carrier grade by the end of this year.

The Wi-Fi mesh architecture enables robust whole-home Wi-Fi coverage that is self-organizing and easily manageable. By actively harmonizing the community on standardized APIs, plus having all this software available as an open-source commodity, ISPs will benefit from quicker time to market and improved interoperability through common implementations. Third party vendors will be able to add valuable apps and services atop the Wi-Fi stack, while an ecosystem of these apps and services that are portable across different customer-premises equipment (CPE) platforms is enabled.

Senators to Rosenworcel: Communities need clarity on RDOF

In a letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, a bipartisan group of senators expressed concern about ongoing issues surrounding the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and requested answers for their constituents.

As per the senators’ letter, dated March 18 and released on April 15, several communities are still awaiting answers on the authorization status of their RDOF provider’s application and are concerned that the delay and lack of clarity could prevent them from receiving other federal funds.

“Communities in our states need clear and timely guidance from the FCC that help them to understand the federal funding resources available to them and their eligibility to access different federal resources in order to leverage these historic investments in broadband,” reads the letter, signed by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Thune (R-SD), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Jerry Moran (R-KS).

Philippines’ fixed broadband, mobile internet speeds rise in March

Ookla Speedtest Global Index report showed increases in fixed broadband and mobile median download speeds for the Philippines in March. The country’s fixed broadband median speed increased to 52.16Mbps from 49.10Mbps registered the month before.

The latest download speed signifies a 6.23% month-to-month increase in speed for fixed broadband. Average download speed for fixed broadband registered at 83.37Mbps. The latest fixed broadband median speed represents an improvement of 559.42% since the Duterte administration began in July 2016.

The President’s announcement to streamline and speed up the issuance of LGU permits in July 2020 generated a significant increase in permits granted to telcos from July 2020 to February of this year vis-à-vis 2019.

Broadband bill passes Alaska House committee

A bill that would pave the way for improved and equitable high-speed internet in rural Alaska passed out of its final House committee. Next, the bill will head to the House floor for a vote.

Earlier this year, the U.S. passed a federal infrastructure bill that set aside $65 billion for broadband projects in the U.S. It prioritizes unserved and underserved communities. This state bill sets up systems that would make Alaska eligible for that funding.

Two callers from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta called in to provide public testimony on the bill: Chief Mike Williams Sr. of Akiak, from the Kuskokwim Tribal Broadband Consortium, and Mark Springer, a consultant for the same organization. Both advocated for the bill. “We want to allow everyone to have equal access to the funds, especially our tribes,” Williams Sr. said.