2023.04.14- Open Broadband News

Broadband Forum Member calls for greater collaboration between broadband service providers and video content providers during the Q1 Town Hall Innovation Series

As broadcasters, such as the BBC, voice their intentions to switch-off terrestrial television and radio signals in the years ahead to focus on Internet content streaming only, the global debate on the future dismissal of television broadcasters’ transmission legacy infrastructures continues.

Viewers are already embracing the broadband network as their preferred way to access TV – which means television broadcasters must be present on the Internet. But this also means running two separate platforms to deliver the same service. By dropping one of them, they can save money and resources.

Fabrizio Guidotti delivered a presentation on this topic as part of Broadband Forum’s Town Hall Innovation Series during its Q1 meeting. Going forward, these Town Hall sessions will take place at each quarterly meeting, and we are inviting speakers to get involved. Broadband Forum plans to focus on different topics each quarter, with the focus in its Q2 meeting being energy and sustainability.

Read the full blog from Fabrizio Guidotti, OutSys and Broadband Forum member here.

28% of Internet homes have at least three smart devices says report

The percentage of homes that own smart devices is growing, and the growth is in the segments that own one device, two devices or three or more devices, according to a report from Parks Associates.

Currently, 41% of homes have at least one smart device. That percentage is likely to rise if Parks’ assessment that the portion of U.S. households with fixed or mobile broadband connectivity will reach about 93% by 2024.

The firm found that in the fourth quarter of 2016, 7% of households with smart devices had three or more. That segment increased to 14% in the fourth quarter of 2018, 23% during the fourth quarter of 2020 and 28% during the fourth quarter of last year.

“The smart home market is starting to reach a more mass-market consumer who is not necessarily an early adopter of technology. The strategies that attract early adopters may not be sufficient to reach new customers,” said Jennifer Kent, the Vice President of Research, Parks Associates. “There is enormous opportunity in serving new households with intelligent, affordable, and secure solutions that solve practical needs.”

FCC focuses on low-income housing for two ACP pilot programs

Even though plenty of people are worried about the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) running out of funds by the end of this year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving forward with two new pilot programs to help people sign up for ACP.

ACP is an FCC program that provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward Internet service for eligible households. And those households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer or tablet from participating providers.

The Wireline Competition Bureau of the FCC announced 34 entities selected for the ACP pilot programs, which are aimed at providing outreach and application assistance to ACP-eligible households.

The two ACP pilot programs are:

• The Your Home, Your Internet program, which is focused on ACP outreach and application support to recipients of federal housing assistance;
• The ACP Navigator program, which provides selected entities access to the National Verifier to help low-income households complete and submit their ACP application.

Madagascar’s DECIM to receive $400 million credit from World Bank

Following announcements regarding funding in Kenya and Senegal, the World Bank has approved a US$400 million credit facility for DECIM (Digital and Energy Connectivity for Inclusion in Madagascar Project).

The project has wide-reaching goals, including deploying infrastructure across Madagascar to provide Internet access to a further 3.4 million people and boosting access to energy and digital services in remote regions. The World Bank claims that the project will deliver electricity to over 150 villages, encompassing 10 million people, while more than 2,000 schools and health facilities will gain access to renewable energy and digital services.

The country ranks fairly poorly for access to broadband connectivity despite some advancements. At the end of 2021, ARTEC (Autorite de Regulation des Technologies de Communications) placed the fixed broadband penetration rate at just 0.4%, while mobile broadband was still relatively low at 54.7%.

“Access to energy and telecommunications are top priorities for our government. This project is fully aligned with our vision for the development of Madagascar,” said Andry Rajoelina, President of Madagascar.

February chip sales down 21% globally

Chip sales tanked by 21% globally in February compared to a year earlier, the sixth consecutive month for a drop, according to the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization.

Total February sales were $39.7 billion, down from $50 billion in February 2022. Sales were down 4% compared to January 2023, which reached $41.3 billion.

Despite the decline, Semiconductor Industry Association CEO John Neuffer said the long-term prospects for chip sales remain “bright thanks to growing demand across a range of end markets.” SIA reported in March that chip sales for all of 2022 actually increased for automotive and industrial as well as for broad category of consumer products despite a downturn for chips for PCs and computers.