Another ISP Hit With DMCA Copyright Infringement Lawsuit: UMG vs. RCN

August 27, 2019 – A group of record companies has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Internet service provider RCN Telecom Services, LLC and its subsidiaries. Patriot Media Consulting, LLC, a provider of management services to RCN, has also been named as a defendant in the lawsuit. In the complaint, the plaintiff record companies allege that RCN subscribers use RCN’s high-speed Internet service to access BitTorrent networks, giving them the ability to upload and download copyrighted works. The record companies claim RCN is secondarily liable for the copyright infringement occurring over RCN’s network. Further, the record companies claim that RCN is not eligible for Digital Millennium Copyright Act safe harbor immunity because RCN failed to terminate the accounts of repeat infringers or take any other meaningful action to curb subscribers’ copyright infringement. The record companies’ complaint alleges two causes of action: (1) RCN is liable as a contributory copyright infringer for the infringing acts of its subscribers; and (2) RCN is vicariously liable for the infringing acts of its subscribers because RCN has the right and ability to supervise and control the infringing activities that occur through the use of its service, and has derived a direct financial benefit from the infringement. The plaintiff record companies are seeking statutory damages. The civil action lawsuit (UMG Recordings Inc. et al. v. RCN Telecom Services LLC et al.) was filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, and has been given case number 19-17272.

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FCC Ready To Authorize CAF II Auction Support For 375 Winning Bids

August 26, 2019 – The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has announced it is ready to authorize Connect America Fund Phase II auction support for 375 winning bids. A list of the winning bids that are ready to be authorized is available as Attachment A to the Bureau’s Public Notice. Before the long-form applicants receive the total 10-year support amounts associated with their winning bids, the applicants must submit acceptable irrevocable stand-by letters of credit and Bankruptcy Code opinion letters for each state where they have winning bids that are ready to be authorized prior to 6:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 10, 2019. In a future public notice, the Bureau will authorize support for specific winning bids for which all requirements have been met.

Additionally, the Bureau has announced it has waived the requirement that CAF II auction long-form applicants certify that they are eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) on or before February 25, 2019, for Oklahoma Fiber, LLC in Oklahoma. The FCC previously explained that it would presume an auction long-form applicant has undertaken good faith efforts to obtain ETC designation if that applicant submitted an ETC petition to the relevant authority within 30 days of the release of the Auction 903 Closing Public Notice. Because Oklahoma Fiber, LLC filed its petition with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission within the 30-day time frame, the Bureau concluded Oklahoma Fiber, LLC demonstrated due diligence and acted in good faith.

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171 Rate-Of-Return Companies Choose A-CAM II Support

August 22, 2019 – The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has announced that 171 rate-of-return companies have elected 184 offers of Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) II support. Each company will receive A-CAM II support for a ten-year period, from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2028. Total annual support A-CAM II support for the 171 companies amounts to $491,442,714, with the 10-year total standing at $4.9 billion. A total of 35 rate-of-return companies will receive transition payments because their annual A-CAM II support amounts are less than the legacy support they received in 2018. The Bureau has released Authorization Report 6.0, showing the amount of model-based universal service support each company is authorized to receive, as well as the number of funded locations and the broadband service obligation. In total, the 171 companies “are committing to provide at least 25/3 Mbps service to over 363,000 locations, including over 37,000 locations on Tribal lands.” Each A-CAM II carrier is subject to defined broadband deployment obligations that must be met over the 10-year support period, and must make annual progress reports.

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Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Releases Strategic Plan

August 22, 2019 – The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is responsible for protecting the U.S. critical infrastructure from physical and cyber threats, has released a strategic plan. Titled CISA Strategic Intent, Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow, the plan explains the agency’s vision and operational priorities for the future. The plan lists the following core principles that CISA will follow as it carries out its mission: leadership and collaboration; risk-prioritization; results-oriented; respect for national values; and unified mission and agency. The plan also outlines the CISA director’s five specific operational areas of focus: china, supply chain, and 5g; election security; soft target security; federal cybersecurity; and industrial control systems.

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Digital Opportunity Data Collection FNPRM Comments Due September 23

August 22, 2019 – On August 6, 2019, the FCC released a Report and Order and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which updates the FCC’s existing Form 477 process in hopes of collecting more accurate broadband deployment data and producing more precise broadband maps. The item has been published in the Federal Register, setting the comment deadlines. Comments on the Second FNPRM are due on or before September 23, 2019, and reply comments are due on or before October 7, 2019. In the Second FNPRM, the FCC is seeking comment on, among other things, certain aspects of the Digital Opportunity Data Collection to enhance the accuracy and usefulness of broadband deployment reporting.

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Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Comments Due September 20th

August 21, 2019 – The FCC’s  Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) has been published in the Federal Register, setting the comment deadlines. Comments are due on or before September 20, 2019 and reply comments are due on or before October 21, 2019. In the NPRM, the FCC proposes using a multi-round reverse-auction to provide at least $20.4 billion in RDOF funding over the next 10 years to support broadband networks in rural America. The auction will favor faster broadband services with lower latency. The FCC is targeting RDOF funding to the more than 10 million households and small businesses in price cap areas that still lack access to broadband services at speeds of at least 25/3 Mbps; more than 7 million of which are located in rural areas. RDOF support will be distributed in two phases: Phase I will focus on those areas of the country that are wholly unserved, and Phase II will target (1) any areas not won in Phase I, and (2) census blocks that are partially served once the FCC has granular information about which areas are already served with broadband.

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CAF Broadband Performance Testing Paperwork Reduction Act Comments Due September 19, 2019

August 20, 2019 – The FCC has published a notice in the Federal Register setting the deadline for Paperwork Reduction Act comments on Connect America Fund Broadband Performance Testing Measures. Comments must be submitted on or before September 19, 2019. Specifically, comment is sought on the information collection related to the requirements for high-cost universal service support recipients to test the speed and latency of broadband services provided to customer locations. Also, comment is sought on the information collection related to the requirement that certain carriers with high-cost reporting obligations must file information about their locations which meet their broadband deployment public interest obligations via an electronic portal.

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Commerce Department Adds 46 Huawei Affiliates To Entity List; Extends Huawei Temporary General License By 90 Days

August 19, 2019 – The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has placed 46 additional Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. affiliates on the Entity List – the list of entities reasonably believed to be involved, or to pose a significant risk of being involved, in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the U.S. A total of 19 of the 46 affiliated entities are being added to the existing entry for Huawei, while the other 27 entities are being added under new, separate entries, effective August 19, 2019. In May 2019, the BIS added Huawei and 68 non-U.S. affiliates of Huawei to the Entity List. The BIS decision prohibits, without a license, the export, reexport, or transfer (in-country) of items to any of the listed Huawei entities. Applications for such licenses are subject to a review policy with a presumption of denial. Additionally, however, BIS announced “it will extend the Temporary General License (TGL) authorizing specific, limited engagements in transactions involving the export, reexport, and transfer of items – under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) – to Huawei and its non-U.S. affiliates which are subject to the Entity List.” Continuation of the TGL is intended to allow consumers “the necessary time to transition away from Huawei equipment, given the persistent national security and foreign policy threat.” The license will be effective on August 19, 2019 and last an additional 90 days.

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FCC Delays CAF II Post-Auction Location Adjustment Process

August 19, 2019 – The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has delayed initiation of the Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II post-auction eligible location adjustment process. It would have allowed CAF II auction winners to adjust their deployment obligations and support amounts when the total number of actual locations are less than the number of funded locations in the eligible census blocks within their winning bid areas in a state. Those participating in the eligible location adjustment process were required to submit, within one year after release of the CAF Phase II auction closing public notice (August 28, 2019), evidence of the total number of locations in their eligible areas, including geolocation data, in a format specified by the Bureau. However, the Bureau never issued a public notice or order detailing specific instructions, deadlines, and requirements for filing valid geolocation data and evidence. It released a Public Notice in September 2018, seeking comment on several eligible location adjustment proposals, and then in June 2019, it sought comment on approaches to identify and resolve location discrepancies for rate-of-return carriers receiving A-CAM support. At a future date, the Bureau will adopt specific procedures and requirements for the eligible location adjustment process and announce a new filing deadline for participants.

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FCC Issues Report On CenturyLink Nationwide Network Outage

August 19, 2019 – The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has issued a report on the nationwide network outage experienced by CenturyLink on December 27, 2018. The outage on CenturyLink’s fiber network lasted for almost 37 hours, and was caused by an equipment failure that was exacerbated by a network configuration error. The outage impacted other service providers that rely on CenturyLink’s network, and resulted in extensive disruptions to 911 calling, including dropped calls, disconnected 911 call centers (Public Safety Answering Points), and fast-busy signals for 911 callers. According to the report, approximately 17 million customers in 29 states lacked reliable access to 911, and at least 886 calls to 911 were not delivered. The outage was caused when a switching module in CenturyLink’s Denver, Colorado node generated malformed management packets, which were delivered to all connected nodes instead of being discarded by the network. This consumed processing power in affected nodes, disrupting their ability to maintain internal synchronization, and ultimately making them unable to route and transmit data. The report also details the corrective actions taken by CenturyLink to prevent a similar outage. The FCC has yet to announce an enforcement action against CenturyLink for the outage.

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Grain Management To Acquire A Majority Interest In Summit Broadband

August 18, 2019 – Grain Management, LLC has announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire a majority interest in Summit Vista, Inc., dba Summit Broadband from Cable Bahamas Ltd. Grain is a Washington, D.C.-based private equity firm focused on the global communications sector. It recently purchased a majority stake in regional communications carrier Ritter Communications, and purchased rural broadband provider Great Plains Communications in 2018. Summit Broadband is a fiber-optics telecommunications provider in Central and Southwest Florida that provides voice, video, data, and high-speed internet services to commercial and residential customers, as well as Ethernet and dark fiber transport to enterprise and carrier customers.

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CAF II Auction Winner Sunset Digital Communications, LLC Designated An ETC In Parts Of Tennessee & Virginia

August 13, 2019 – The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has designated Sunset Digital Communications, LLC as an eligible telecommunications carrier (ETC) in parts of Tennessee and Virginia. SDC LLC’s ETC designation applies in high-cost areas where it was a winner bidder in the CAF Phase II Auction. SDC LLC won $ 5,595,554.80 in CAF II Auction funding in Tennessee and $ 23,979,452.60 in Virginia to serve 2,095 and 6,998 locations, respectively. In the ETC designation Order, the Bureau waived, on its own motion, the requirement that SDC LLC submit proof of its ETC designation on or before February 25, 2019.

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Viacom & CBS Announce Merger

August 13, 2019 – Viacom Inc. and CBS Corporation have announced they will merge. The deal, an all-stock merger, will create a media company valued at roughly $30 billion. It is expected to close by the end of 2019. Existing CBS shareholders will own approximately 61% of the combined company, which will be called ViacomCBS, and Viacom shareholders will own 39%. Viacom’s business portfolio includes Paramount Pictures and cable TV channels Comedy Central, MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, and others. CBS’ businesses include CBS Television Network, The CW, CBS All Access digital streaming subscription service, CBS Sports Network, and other TV channels. Bob Bakish, current President and CEO of Viacom, will become President and CEO of the combined entity. The merger is expected to give Viacom and CBS greater scale to compete against other large media companies and online streaming services.

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CenturyLink Busted For Cramming - $550,000 Fine

August 13, 2019 – The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau has entered into a settlement with CenturyLink, Inc. to resolve an investigation into the company’s placement of unauthorized third-party charges and fees onto consumers’ bills. The Bureau began its investigation after receiving customer complaints about CenturyLink’s third-party billing practices, which alleged customers had been assessed unauthorized charges on their bills for long distance services from various third-party resellers. As part of the settlement, CenturyLink will pay $550,000 to the U.S. Treasury, and must adopt a compliance plan designed to prevent future cramming.

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Fourth Wave: FCC Authorizes $121 Million CAF II Auction Funding For 539 Winning Bids

August 12, 2019 – The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has authorized $121,177,648.80 in Connect America Fund Phase II Auction support for 593 winning bids. The Bureau authorized the support amounts after reviewing the information in each entity’s Auction 903 long-form application, including the letters of credit and Bankruptcy Code opinion letters. The Universal Service Administrative Company may now obligate and disburse Universal Service Fund support to each entity, with payments beginning at the end of August 2019 and continuing until 120 equal monthly payments have been made. These CAF II auction support recipients are required to begin commercially offering broadband service to 40 percent of their requisite number of the locations by the end of the third year of funding, and to an additional 20 percent in each subsequent year, with 100 percent by the end of the sixth year. Additionally, the Bureau has announced it will soon post a state-level summary under the “Data” tab on the Auction 903 webpage at https://www.fcc.gov/auction/903. The summary will provide for each long-form applicant included in this most recent authorization: (1) the total support amount over 10 years and total number of locations that the long-form applicant is being authorized for in each state, (2) the total number of locations to which the authorized support recipient must offer the required voice and broadband services for each performance tier and latency in each state, and (3) the eligible census blocks included in the winning bids that are being authorized in each state.

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FCC Authorizes CAF Phase II Support For Three New York Broadband Providers

August 12, 2019 – The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has authorized million Connect America Fund Phase II support for the following three New York broadband providers: Armstrong Telecommunications, Inc.; DTC Cable Inc.; and Haefele TV Inc. The total support is $16,183,329 over ten years. The three broadband providers will use the funding to bring broadband service to 8,088 locations in 571 census blocks. The Bureau authorized the support amounts after reviewing the information in each entity’s long-form application, including the letters of credit and Bankruptcy Code opinion letters. The Universal Service Administrative Company may now obligate and disburse Universal Service Fund support to each entity, with payments beginning at the end of August 2019 and continuing until 120 equal monthly payments have been made. These CAF II support recipients are required to begin commercially offering broadband service to 40 percent of their requisite number of the locations by the end of the third year of funding, and to an additional 20 percent in each subsequent year, with 100 percent by the end of the sixth year. In an attachment to the Public Notice announcing the funding, the Bureau has provided a summary of CAF II funding authorized for New York broadband providers: (1) total support amounts over 10 years and total number of funded locations; (2) the total number of locations to which each authorized support recipient must offer the required voice and broadband services for each performance tier and latency; and (3) the eligible census blocks included in the winning bids that are being authorized.

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New FCC Fraud Division Up & Running; Will Police Universal Service Fund Programs

August 12, 2019 – The FCC Enforcement Bureau’s new fraud division has officially launched. It will investigate and prosecute fraud, waste, and abuse in the four universal service fund programs and other funding programs that the FCC oversees, and will work closely with the FCC’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other law enforcement agencies. Comprised of existing FCC staff, the fraud division was created in February 2019, but only recently received approval by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, and the Office of Management and Budget.

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Departments Of Commerce & Transportation Announce Over $109 Million In Next Generation 911 Grants

August 9, 2019 – The U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Transportation have announced more than $109 million in grants to 34 states and two tribal nations as part of the 911 Grant Program. The grants will help 911 call centers upgrade to Next Generation 911 (NG911) capabilities. For example, the funding will help defray the cost of transitioning 911 emergency call centers to digital, IP networks, and implementing advanced mapping systems for identifying the location of 911 callers.

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Indiana Announces $22 Million In Broadband Grants

August 8, 2019 – Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb has announced $22.1 million in funding for 11 broadband expansion infrastructure projects. The funding is part of the initial round of Indiana’s Next Level Broadband program. The seven grant recipients – six telecommunications providers and one utility cooperative – will  contribute $14 million in matching funds, resulting in $36.1 million total investment for broadband. According to the press release, the funding will provide broadband infrastructure to more than 4,800 homes and commercial locations in 12 counties.

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FCC Fines North Carolina Man For Impersonating First Responders

August 7, 2019 – The Federal Communications Commission has imposed a penalty of $39,278 – the maximum fine permissible under statute – against Ocean Adrian Hinson for operating, without FCC authorization, a radio on the public safety frequency used by the Westfield Volunteer Fire Department in Surry County, North Carolina. The FCC issued a Notice Of Apparent Liability For Forfeiture in October 2018. Mr. Hinson requested a reduction or cancellation of the forfeiture, which was denied. The FCC applied an upward adjustment from the base forfeiture of $10,00015 to the statutory maximum of $19,639 for each of Mr. Hinson’s two violations of section 301 of the Communications Act, concluding that “Mr. Hinson has demonstrated deliberate disregard not only for the Commission’s authority and rules, but also for the safety of first responders and the public that they are called to serve and protect.” Mr. Hinson must pay the fine within 30 calendar days of the Forfeiture Order, or the case will be referred to the U.S. Department of Justice for enforcement of the forfeiture.

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Arkansas Creates $25 Million Broadband Grant Program

August 6, 2019 – Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has announced the creation of “Arkansas Rural Connect,” a new $25 million broadband grant program. The program will attempt to meet the goal of deploying high-speed broadband Internet access service – at a rate of 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream – to all Arkansas communities with more than 500 residents by 2022. This goal was outlined in Arkansas’ State Broadband Plan, which was released in May 2019. The new broadband grant program will be housed within the Arkansas State Broadband Office. Further details and the rules for the Arkansas Rural Connect grant program will be developed in the near future. According to the press release, the program is expected to prioritize applications that partner with ISPs to deploy broadband at 25/3 Mbps speeds to all residents of a community; share project costs and provide facilitation for the project by procuring rights-of-way for wireline deployments; seek to serve communities that have a population of at least 500 with less than 50 percent of the population covered by broadband speeds of 25/3 Mbps; and that provide service that does not constrain normal Internet use.

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Massachusetts “Netflix Tax” Bill Would Impose Fee On Internet Streaming Services

August 1, 2019 – The state legislature of the commonwealth of Massachusetts is considering a bill, H.4045, to regulate the commercial sale of streaming entertainment services to individuals and businesses in Massachusetts. The bill is intended to “establish a comprehensive statewide policy concerning the recovery of municipal costs for the management and maintenance of digital infrastructure in the public rights of way.”

If passed, the H.4045 would impose a 5% fee on any streaming entertainment service operator’s gross revenues derived from the sale, lease, or monetization of streaming entertainment to individuals and businesses in Massachusetts. A “streaming entertainment operator” is defined as “any company, entity, or organization that provides streaming entertainment services and delivers such entertainment via digital infrastructure.” A “streaming entertainment service” is defined as any paid service with more than $250,000 in gross revenues from users in Massachusetts that sells access to audio, video, or computer-generated or computer-augmented entertainment and delivers such entertainment via digital infrastructure. Accordingly, streaming services that earn less than $250,000 in gross revenues in Massachusetts would be exempt from the fee.

The fees paid by streaming entertainment operators will be held in a Streaming Entertainment Fund, which will distribute money bi-annually according to the following formula: One-fifth (20%) of the fund will be distributed to the Commonwealth General Fund; Two-fifths (40%) will be distributed to municipalities and local governments and further allocated proportionally based upon population; and (iii) Two-fifths (40%) will be distributed to community media centers and further allocated proportionally based upon population. The bill has been referred to the legislature’s Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.

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FTC Launches New Interactive Website To Inform Consumers About The Do Not Call Registry & Unwanted Telemarketing Robocalls

August 1, 2019 – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a new interactive website containing information about the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry and unwanted telemarketing robocalls. The website can be used by consumers in the following ways to obtain information on the DNC Registry and unwanted telemarketing calls:

• Consumers can access reports about the number of DNC and robocall complaints filed from their state, as well as compare information on complaints filed by consumers in other states or nationally.

• Consumers can perform specific searches to determine what types of telemarketing calls consumers are reporting, such as live calls versus robocalls.

• Consumers can, users can explore the DNC database by topic and type of telemarketing call.

• Consumers can search for the types of calls that are prompting the most complaints to the FTC, and track complaints over time to look for trends in the data.

The FTC’s new interactive website also contains basic DNC and robocall statistics collected by the FTC, including the number of consumers with numbers on the DNC Registry, the number and types of entities that are accessing the DNC Registry to scrub their call lists, and the number of robocall complaints by month.

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FCC Tribal Workshop In Billings Montana On August 20-21

August 1, 2019 – The FCC has announced it will hold a workshop on August 20-21 in Billings, Montana for Tribal governments, employees, and members. The Tribal Workshop “is designed to provide information that will help Tribal Nations identify and evaluate opportunities to develop more robust broadband, telecommunications, and broadcast infrastructure and services in Tribal communities,” as well as “to provide information about the FCC and how it conducts its regulatory responsibilities, and to encourage Tribal participation in the regulatory process.” The Tribal Workshop is tentatively set to include presentations and discussions on the following topics and issues:

• Information on Universal Service Fund programs, including the new Rural Digital Opportunity Fund;

• Information on the Tribal engagement obligation for High Cost Fund recipients;

• Open discussion with participants about experiences with the Tribal engagement obligation;

• A Tribal information technology panel will discuss deployment of telecommunications services on their lands;

• Information on the transformation of the regulatory framework governing the 2.5 GHz band, and opportunities for Tribal Nations in rural areas to gain access to 2.5 GHz spectrum; and

• Presentations on the FCC’s Tribal Radio Priority, as well as on public safety communications issues of concern to Tribal Nations.

The workshop will be held August 20-21, 2019 at the Department of the Interior Building, Medicine Wheel Room, 2021 4th Ave N, Billings, MT. Doors will open at 8:30 am on August 20 and at 9:00 am on August 21. Registrations for the workshop must be sent via email to the FCC at BillingsWorkshop@fcc.gov.

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Live Free Or Die With 5G: New Hampshire Establishes Committee To Examine Environmental & Health Effects of 5G Wireless Technology

August 1, 2019 – The state of New Hampshire has enacted a law (HB 522) establishing a commission to study the environmental and health effects of evolving 5G technology, including the use of earlier generation wireless communications technologies. The law directs the commission to compile its study based on testimony from the scientific community, the medical community, the wireless technology industry, and other organizations and members of the public with an interest in 5G technology. The commission will consider, among other things, the following issues:

• Why the insurance industry recognizes wireless radiation as a leading risk and has placed exclusions in their policies not covering damages caused by the pathological properties of electromagnetic radiation?

• Why do cell phone manufacturers have in the legal section within the devise saying keep the phone at least 5mm from the body?

• Why have 1,000s of peer-reviewed studies, including the recently published U.S. Toxicology Program 16-year $30 million study, that are showing a wide-range of statistically significant DNA damage, brain and heart tumors, infertility, and so many other ailments, being ignored by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC)?

• Why are the FCC radiofrequency exposure limits set for the United States 100 times higher than countries like Russia, China, Italy, Switzerland, and most of Eastern Europe?

• Why have the cumulative biological damaging effects of ever-growing numbers of pulse signals riding on the back of the electromagnetic sine waves not been explored, especially as the world embraces the Internet of Things, meaning all devices being connected by electromagnetic waves, and the exploration of the number of such pulse signals that will be created by implementation of 5G technology?

New Hampshire’s new 5G committee will prepare and publish an interim report on or before November 1, 2019, and a final report of its findings and recommendations by November 1, 2020. The reports will outline the advantages of, and risks associated with, 5G technology; develop a strategy, if deemed necessary, to limit RF radiation exposure from 5G or lesser generation technology; include a public policy statement on 5G wireless systems, which either declares the technology safe or outlines actions required to protect the health of its citizens and environment; consider alternatives to 5G technology that will accelerate information flow speeds and volumes without the use of electromagnetic waves that emit high levels of radiation; and provide any recommendations for proposed legislation developed by the commission.

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Verizon Turns On 5G Wideband Service In Parts Of Washington DC, Atlanta, Detroit, & Indianapolis

August 1, 2019 – Verizon has announced it has launched 5G Ultra-Wideband service in parts of Washington DC, Atlanta, Detroit, and Indianapolis. Verizon has already launched 5G in Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, Providence and St. Paul. Verizon currently plans to turn on 5G this year in more than 30 cities including: Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Des Moines, Houston, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis, Phoenix, San Diego, and Salt Lake City.

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NCTC Renews Carriage Agreement With Viacom

August 1, 2019 – The National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) and Viacom Inc. have announced a renewed distribution agreement which will allow for the continued carriage of Viacom’s networks by NCTC’s more than 750 member companies. NCTC is a programming and hardware purchasing organization for its member companies who own and operate cable systems throughout the U.S., many in rural areas. Viacom owns numerous pay TV channels, including Comedy Central, MTV, BET, and Nickelodeon. Terms of the carriage agreement were not disclosed.