Billions to Connect Everyone to High-Speed Internet Could Still Fall Short

Along the southeastern edge of Oklahoma, where expansive cattle ranches and empty storefronts dot the landscape, the lack of high-speed internet service has become a daily frustration for residents.

Wanda Finley, a fourth-grade teacher in Sawyer, Okla., said the satellite service at her home was often too slow to use, and it sometimes went out for days. She cannot schedule medical appointments, request prescription refills or pay her bills online until she gets to work. Nearly every weekend, she drives about 40 minutes to school to prepare her weekly lesson plan because it can take minutes for a single web page to load at home.

“I’m hoping it will change,” Ms. Finley, 60, said, sitting in her home on a recent afternoon.

If President Biden gets his way, Ms. Finley and her neighbors will benefit from a $42.5 billion program to expand fast internet access across the country. The funding, which was included in the 2021 infrastructure law, is part of an initiative that has high ambitions: to provide “affordable, reliable high-speed internet” access for every home and business by 2030.

The effort is meant to close the “digital divide” by ensuring that all Americans can connect to fast internet, given the critical role it plays in economic opportunities, education, health care and other areas. The Biden administration has also invested more than $22 billion in other programs to build broadband networks and reduce the cost of internet bills.

The lack of broadband infrastructure is particularly problematic in rural areas, where internet service is often unavailable or limited. Roughly 24 percent of Americans in rural areas lack high-speed internet service as defined by the new program, compared with 1.7 percent in urban areas. Research has shown that internet connectivity can fuel economic growth in rural areas, helping to create jobs, attract workers and increase home values.

Attempts to get broadband to everyone are not new: The federal government has already pumped billions into efforts that have had mixed results. Biden administration officials have said the new program, coupled with other federal and state funding, would be enough to finally reach everyone who lacked high-speed internet access.

But some state officials and industry analysts remain wary and have raised concerns about whether the funds will achieve all of the administration’s goals.

Severed cable off Arctic Alaska is repaired with internet, cell service improvements underway

A Quintillion repair crew with the broken shoreside fiber optic cable aboard the deck of the Integrity, about 30 miles north of Oliktok Point this summer. (Photo courtesy of Quintillion)

Quintillion’s subsea fiber optic cable cut — which for months has challenged communications across northern Alaska — has been repaired, the broadband provider said Tuesday.

“Service to customers has been fully restored,” Quintillion said in a statement.

It might still take time for some residents to see improvements to their internet and cell service as telecom providers such as GCI transition back to using the fiber system. Several other providers have already restored their fiber service in northern communities.

The breakage happened out of Oliktok Point west of Prudhoe Bay in the middle of June when sea ice severed the cable. The issue caused internet and cell outages in several North Slope and Northwest Arctic communities and affected thousands of Alaskans.

Quintillion planned to repair the cut in about two months but had to wait for the ice to clear to get to the site, company President Michael “Mac” McHale has said. On Aug. 25, they started the multimillion-dollar repair to the cable, which is buried about 10 to 12 feet below the seabed floor, under 90 feet of water.

Satellite Internet Market Size worth $17.1 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 33.7%

“Satellite Internet Market Size”

The Satellite Internet Market Value is projected to be USD 17.1 billion by 2028, growing from USD 4.0 billion in 2023, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 33.7% during the forecast period.

The “Satellite Internet Market Size by Orbit (LEO, MEO/GEO), Connectivity (Two-Way Service, One-Way Service, Hybrid Service), Vertical (Commercial, Government and Defense), Frequency, Download Speed and Region – Global Forecast to 2028.” The Satellite Internet Market Size is valued at USD 4.0 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 17.1 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 33.7% from 2023 to 2028.

The Satellite Internet Market Report includes services including Satellite, User Terminal and end-user service. The emergence of “Satellite Internet” represents a transformative integration of satellite communication and non-terrestrial networks to provide enhanced connectivity and enable a wide array of applications across various sectors. By leveraging advanced satellite systems, such as low Earth orbit (LEO), Satellite Internet aims to extend the capabilities of terrestrial 5G networks to even the most remote and challenging environments. This integration enables the provision of high-speed, low-latency connectivity to support critical communications and applications in sectors such as telecommunication and cellular backhaul, media, and entertainment, business and enterprise, retail and consumers, aviation, marine vessels, transportation and logistics, as well as scientific research and development.