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Ray Bixler

I've been attending the https://lnkd.in/ex_EcNmE this week and have been very fortunate meeting key industry influencers as well as listening to some very compelling presentations. One that certainly grabbed my attention was by Brookings Institution non-resident senior fellow Blair Levin, who delivered a keynote at the event. During his presentation he shared his thoughts that we might on the cusp of a “digital Pearl Harbor” which will expose the fragility of the country's communications systems. Here's hoping he's wrong, but I certainly understand why he has these thoughts. While I've posted the entire article in the comments section below, here are the key takeaways for me... 1) The two recent horrific hurricanes, Helene and Milton, left more than a million citizens without broadband connectivity. But according to Levin, the destruction caused by these hurricanes might just be the thing that makes network reliability and resiliency a “front burner issue. “One of the really horrible stories one kept reading about North Carolina is the failure of the communications network,” Levin said, adding similar stories will most likely emerge from Florida in the wake of Hurricane Milton. 2) If everyone agrees that we need to strengthen our country's communications systems, in the end, who will foot the bill? “Anytime you build in resiliency, it’s expensive and somebody has to pay for that. And nobody wants to add cost for the consumers,” Levin said. 3) Satellite connectivity could be considered as a backup option for bridging the digital divide going forward. But it remains to be seen whether or not it will become a mandatory requirement for operators or an add-on selling point. Additionally, satellite broadband could actually end up being a threat to fiber players, but it largely depends on who is elected as U.S. president in November, Levin said. Indeed, rumors have swirled that nominee Donald Trump could initiate a review of the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, and ultimately end up diverting billions of dollars to satellite connectivity instead of fiber. Levin noted that Musk has been lobbying to secure more spectrum, which would ultimately boost capacity if he’s successful. In the end I think one thing is clear, we need to continue to strengthen our country's communications systems as all of us are ever more reliant on them. #Broadband #digitalpearlharbor #BEADfunding 

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Ray Bixler

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