SPRUCE IT up Redefining Ambiance with Divine Your Space
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MARCH/APRIL 2021 CONNECTED SPRUCE IT UP Redefining ambiance with Divine Your Space MAINTAIN THE GREENS CONNECTING CREATIVES Spending more quality Artists and artisans unite time away from yardwork through broadband INDUSTRY NEWS Rural Connections By SHIRLEY BLOOMFIELD, CEO NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association Here’s to hope in 2021 How fast is broadband? he pandemic has made it clear that every American needs broadband Industry leaders encourage the FCC to Tto thrive. We need it for work, reconsider the definition of ‘broadband’ for school, for health. And we need it for accessing government services, for grow- ing businesses and for building commu- By STEPHEN V. SMITH nities. If there is a silver lining to 2020, We as a nation need to rethink what is served by the Commission adopting which was a hard year for so many, it’s considered true broadband connection a gigabit symmetric benchmark … that more people are now acutely aware of speeds. That’s the message telecom it should at least raise the minimum the essential nature of broadband services. industry leaders recently sent to the broadband performance benchmark for The new year brought new challenges, Federal Communications Commission. the Sixteenth Broadband Deployment many of them playing out at our Capitol, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Asso- Report to 100/100 Mbps.” a building I’ve had the honor of visiting ciation joined with the Fiber Broad- Raising the definition, a benchmark many times to talk to members of Con- band Association in sending a letter to that impacts funding decisions and gress about the need to support broadband the FCC in December addressing the technology choices, would put the for all of America. But I choose to have definition of broadband.The letter came country on a path toward ensuring all hope that better angels of our nature will as the FCC prepares its next report to Americans have broadband access that guide us to rebuild, and I believe NTCA Congress on the state of broadband actually meets their needs, the letter and our members have an opportunity to deployment in America. states. With millions of people using help that rebuild with the work that we do For the past five years, the FCC has broadband at home to work, participate supporting broadband connectivity and considered any connection speeds of in school and attend doctor appoint- other critical services for rural communi- 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload ments, broadband has become essential ties. to be the benchmark for broadband. to everyday life. The hard-working members of NTCA “By any measure, this benchmark does Bloomfield and Bolton further have made so much progress in the past not reflect what American consumers concluded that redefining broadband decade toward solving the rural broadband need today, let alone tomorrow,” wrote would allow the FCC to “keep pace challenge. There is much work yet to do, NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield and with broadband service that Americans but I have hope in the progress they are Fiber Broadband Association President both need and want,” while providing making. Through federal and state funding and CEO Gary Bolton. “a benchmark the Commission can programs, coupled with local investments In urging the FCC to redefine what then use to ensure that we build our by providers themselves, we are on our speeds are considered broadband, networks right the first time by driving way as a country to connecting everyone. Bloomfield and Bolton wrote that investment in future-proof broadband There is a day in our future when we “while all Americans would be best infrastructure.” can say that everyone who needs or wants a broadband connection has access. That day is coming, sooner than later. I have To hear an interview with Gary Bolton on this and hope. related topics, visit www.RuralBroadbandToday.com, or search for “Rural Broadband Today” on your favorite podcast app, Spotify or Amazon Music. 2 | March/April 2021 The price of entertainment onsumers can tap into a rushing cause of the higher prices. In fact, for networks a fixed fee for each subscriber stream of content delivered across many providers, such as the rural com- of the service. But each year there are Cdevices ranging from TVs to munications companies serving much of fewer traditional TV subscribers to carry smartphones. Sports, news, movies, com- America, the increasing cost of content is that load. In 2020 alone, about 6.3 million edies, dramas, music — the list of options an annual struggle to hold prices down. people dropped their cable or satellite TV is seemingly endless. It’s not a push to increase profits, and their service, according to investment research But there is a cost. And for many con- efforts to control prices illustrate the give firm Moffett Nathanson. sumers that price increases each spring. and take behind what you see on your bill. Without an expanding subscriber base to If you have it handy, take a moment to For these companies, only a small por- offset these increasing costs, TV providers review a bill for your TV programming tion of a monthly television subscription often pass the expense on to consumers from three years ago. Compare it to today, fee goes to personnel costs, equipment in the form of fees added to advertised and in most cases the difference is obvious upgrades and tasks such as equipment prices, according to the FCC’s 18th — television programming is pricier. maintenance. So, where does all the Annual Video Competition Report. The increases are not limited to tradi- money go? When it comes to these hidden costs, tional cable TV providers either. Stream- Much of the cost is wrapped up in there is one bright spot for consumers. The ing services have seen prices spike, too. agreements allowing TV providers to Television Viewer Protection Act passed at When Google launched YouTube TV, the bring content to you. Networks like ABC, the end of 2019 requires cable and satellite monthly price was about $35. Now, it’s NBC, CBS and Fox regularly renegotiate companies to disclose the total monthly $65. these agreements. In many cases, these are price of subscribers’ TV bills, including In cases such as Google, as well as annual negotiations. all individual fees and charges, when they other providers, adding new, desirable A 2019 analysis of cable TV rates by sign up. content channels helps drive the increases. Consumer Reports found that while adver- That transparency won’t make your bill For traditional networks, investment in tised rates generally increased by 3% to any lower. But it will give you an accurate higher-quality programming has become 4% annually, fees for the major networks picture of the full cost of your monthly essential to compete with streaming ser- and channels airing live sports climbed TV bill. vices like Netflix, Amazon and HBO Max. between 8% and 10% each of the Those costs are then passed on to cable previous four years. providers and their customers. How are those rates determined? But more content is not always the root Essentially, the TV provider must pay March/April 2021 | 3 FROM THE CEO CONNECTED MARCH/APRIL 2021 VOL. 9, NO. 2 Equipping and enabling The West Carolina Tel Connected is a bimonthly newsletter published by West Carolina Telephone, © 2021. It is distributed vibrant rural communities without charge to all members/owners of the cooperative. The 2020 census data will be coming out this year — and despite what the headlines may say, I’m here to tell you that rural America is alive and well. s you may remember, I urged everyone to participate in the 2020 census. The population counts go a long way is a member-owned cooperative dedicated in determining our representation in Congress and the to delivering advanced telecommunications A technology to the people of Abbeville, statehouse, as well as funding for state and federal programs. Anderson and McCormick counties. According to the 2020 census website, 2020census.gov, the census will shape the future of our community for the next 10 years. West Carolina Telephone While that timeframe may be a bit of an overstatement, there’s no 233 Highway 28 Bypass doubt that an accurate population count is critically important. Abbeville, SC 29620 Telephone: 864-446-2111 While census numbers will contribute to the allotment of fund- www.WCTEL.com ing and political clout, they will also help to tell the story of rural America. The 2020 census should provide definitive evidence of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS trends shaping communities like ours. But as you probably know, I’ll be the first to say that whatever trend lines on a graph from Westley “Wes” McAllister, President JEFF WILSON the U.S. Census Bureau suggest, parts of rural America are more North McCormick, Area 8 Chief Executive Officer vibrant and offer more opportunities today than ever. John Michael Thomas, Vice-President Some communities have no doubt fallen on hard times. But many Iva, Area 2 others, including ours, are very much alive. According to experts at Jane U. Stone, Secretary places like the USDA and the National Council of State Legislators, about one-third of rural Donalds, Area 3 counties are growing, one-third are stable and one-third are shrinking. Researchers point to L. Ned McGill 2016 and 2017 as years where many rural areas began showing growth after many years when Starr, Area 1 the number of residents diminished. Will all the news and research taken from information contained in the census be positive for Lee W. Logan Due West, Area 4 everyone in rural America? Most likely, it will highlight some of the challenges communities like ours face.