Post on 25-Jun-2020
North Country CouncilCommission Meeting
May 7, 2020
Agenda
4:00 Call to Order, Chair Grant
4:05 Welcome – Review Executive Order, Executive Director Moren-GreyIntroductions
Zoom Logistics
Minutes from August 15, 2019 – Motion
4:10 Presentation: Broadband 101 – Improving Broadband Infrastructure
5:55 Public Comment
6:00 Adjournment
Logistics Once entering the meeting all participants will be muted to reduce background noise.
During introductions please unmute yourself and re-mute.
While the presentation is in progress participants video will be turned off /stopped to reduce distraction.
During the presentation have a question ask it via the chat button. Your questions will be asked during a pause in the presentation.
Broadband
101 Improving Broadband Infrastructure
Presentation By
Carole Monroe of ValleyNet, which is the operating company of ECFiber and LymeFiber.
Special Guests
Steve Knox and Rick Hiland, Co-Chairs of the Carroll County Broadband Initiative
Carole Miller, Director of Broadband Technology, BEA.
Broadband FundamentalsCAROLE MONROE
BROADBAND CONSULTANT
Basic TerminologyBackhaul
Bandwidth
BitsKilobits (Kbps) = 1,000 bits transferred per sec.Megabits (Mbps) = 1,000,000 bits trans/secGigabits (Gbps) = 1,000,000,000 bits trans/sec
Bytes
CPE Customer Premises Equipment
Dark Fiber / Lit Fiber
Data Cap
Download / Upload
Fiber Optic
Last Mile
Middle Mile
PoP Point of Presence
PPP Public Private Partnership
Symmetric/asymmetrical
Take Rate
VoIP
WiFi
What is Broadband?Broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals and traffic types. The medium can be coaxial cable, optical fiber, radio or twisted pair.
In the context of Internet access, broadband is used to mean any high-speed Internet access that is always on and faster than dial-up access.
In 2015, the FCC increased the previous standard of 4 Mbps download/1 Mbps Upload to 25 Mbps download/1 Mbps to reflect advances in technology, market offerings and consumer demand.
This new standard has set a new bar, one that very few DSL areas can reach, particularly on the upload side.
So why does this matter?
How much is enoughDownload speed needs for light, moderate, and high household use*
Basic: 3-8 Mbps
Medium: 12-25 Mbps
Advanced: > 25 Mbps
* FCC Consumer Guide
FCC Broadband Speed GuideActivity Minimum Download Speed (Mbps)
Browsing and Email1
VoIP Calls0.5
Student5-25
Telecommuting5-25
File Download10
Watching Video
Streaming Standard3-4
Streaming High Definition5-8
Streaming Ultra HD 4K25
Video Conferencing
HD Personal Video Call1.5
HD Video Teleconferencing6
Gaming
Game Console3
Online Multiplayer4
Internet Use
Broadband Benefits
Telehealth
Education
Economic Growth
Property Values
Smart Cities
Work from home
Small Businesses
TelehealthDartmouth Hitchcock Telehealth
Outpatient Virtual Visit services connect rural hospitals and outpatient locations to Dartmouth-Hitchcock specialists using live, two-way, secure audio/visual technology, allowing patients to receive the care they need closer to home. In many cases, patients can receive this virtual care in a non-clinical location, like their home or work.
Education K-12
Pandemic
Snow Storms
Flip the classroom
Shared AP classes
Homework
Parental Involvement
Housing ValuesHigh Speed internet is the single most important amenity to multiple dwelling units (MDUs)
Fiber Optic network increases rental values by 8% and purchase values by 2.8% *
Values negatively impacted without broadband access**
Availability and quality important to visitors and potential residents
Value lessens as speeds exceed 250 Mbps
*FTTH Council of Americas study 9/2016
**Dept. of Agriculture and Applied Economics Madison, WI 2/2019
Network TypesCellular Mobile
Fixed Wireless
DSL
Fiber – GPON, Active E
Satellite – Current, Low Level
Cable Solutions
Hybrid Networks
5G
Mobile Cellular Internet – 4G LTE6 to 50 Mbps, upload speeds 3-15 Mbps
smartphone download and upload capability
Carrier Network
Distance from tower
Sufficient backhaul from tower
Fixed Wireless Utilizes towers to transmit and receive internet signals in the form of radio waves
Point to point; point to multipoint
Competitive Advantageso Flexible fail over and redundancy work technical capability
o Local customer service
o Rural areas
o Reliable and secure
Challengeso Lack of spectrum
o Noise and interference
o Excessive government regulation
o Increased operational costs
o Line of sight limitations
o No specific standards
DSLDigital Subscriber Lines
Uses current copper lines, speed dependent on location from the equipment location (DSLAM)
Download speeds from .5 to 15 Mbps, unless bonding two lines together, 1-25 Mbps.
Upload speeds 768K – 2 Mbps
ADSL – Asymmetric Download and upload differ. A bonded pair close to the DSLAM may get 25/2.
VDSL – Very high speed DSL, Higher Speeds (50-80 Mbps)within 1 mile from the DSLAM
Optical Fiber Network Optical fiber is a glass (or plastic) medium that connected to lasers on each end transport light signals.
Most effective and efficient means of transporting information
Future proof – to upgrade the speed/capacity only requires swapping the equipment at both ends.
GPON – Gigabit Passive Optical Network, splitters not electronics out in the field
Active E – homerun fiber connections from the hub to each home
Low Earth Orbit SatellitesTechnology still in its infancy though this mechanism for broadband delivery has been in development since 2015
Unknowns:
What will the cost to the consumer be when the cost of deployment is billions of dollars?
When will the consumer equipment be identified and tested?
In real world scenarios, has the latency issue been resolved?
Will the result be universal service?
What will the issues be when there are 30,000+ satellites in varying low level orbits?
As this concept matures, it’s possible that some time in the next several years this could be a possible solution for serving unserved areas; however, this is far from guaranteed based on currently available knowledge.
Cable SolutionsDOCSIS 3.1 technology
High Quality
Hybrid Coax/Fiber
Download speeds up to 10 Gbps, upload 1 Gbps
DOCSIS 3.0 Limitations
Download speeds up to 1 Gbps, upload 200 Mbps
Dependent on subscribers on the network
Equipment upgrades to get to 3.1
5G - 5th Generation WirelessPromises
higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds
ultra low latency
more reliability
massive network capacity
increased availability
uniform user experience to more users
5G Issues for Rural Areas Utilizes short range airwaves, which exist within 800 feet from 5G enabled towers.
Each tower is backhauled to the internet with fiber.
To reap the full benefits in rural areas, all premises would need to be within 800 feet of a tower.
This would require a significant fiber network to connect each tower. It is unlikely that the full benefits of 5G technology will be universal in rural NH any time soon.
Municipal Broadband ModelsPublic Private Partnerships
Municipal Ownership
Municipal funding private ownership
Cooperative
Public Private PartnershipsPrivate Investment, Public Facilitation
◦ ECFiber
Private Execution, Public Fundingo Completion of cable in town
Shared Investment and Risko Consolidated Communication Model
Municipal OwnershipMunicipality owns the network asset
Outsources Maintenance and Operations
ExamplesoLeverettNet
o Islesboro, Maine
Municipal Funded, Private OwnershipFill the gap
Extend private network for universal access
CooperativeCooperative – a non-profit, member owned organization that provides a needed service. Members pay a small fee to join and have voting rights within the organization.
Electric Cooperatives across the country are expanding broadband as an essential infrastructure.
31% of broadband in rural America is provided by rural cooperatives.
WHY NOT NHEC?
Some Government ProgramsUSDA Rural Utility Service (RUS) Loans Reconnect Program – Grants/Loans: targets locations in census blocks unserved by
at least 10 Mbps download
Rural Digital Opportunity FundsTargets homes and businesses in census blocks that are entirely unserved with
download speeds of at least 25 Mbps
Issues include census block mapping, the 10 Mbps for Reconnect, Letters of Credit for the full project required
Lifeline Support
Net NeutralityThe principle that internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites or a means of paid prioritization.
Three biggest companies against Net Neutrality: AT&T, Verizon, Comcast – all providers and content owners.
What you can do now – Data GatheringTown Information:
Miles of Road – this allows us to estimate miles of network
Number of premises
◦ Single Family; Seasonal or FT
◦ Multi-tenant buildings and number of units
◦ Businesses - Served/Unserved
◦ Municipal
◦ Community Anchor Institutions
GIS Locations of premises
Number of Households
Population
Median Income
Results of an RFI for number of premises served at greater than the FCC definition of broadband, 25 Mbps down/3 Mbps up.
Cable access by premise or by road
Regional Information:
Current pole owners – Electric Companies, Landline Telephone Companies by town
Current Providers
Home businesses or work-from-home employees
Broadband Survey data available
Thank YouMaterials will be posted at www.nccouncil.org
Questions or more information contact
North Country Council at mmoren@nccouncil.org