Austin Public Library expands ‘Wi-Fi HotSpot Lending’ program
After a successful pilot at the Southeast Branch location, the Austin Public Library (APL) is expanding its “Wi-Fi HotSpot Lending” program to include 10 branch locations. The program, which originally launched in mid-December and ran for six weeks, lets library customers check out active Wi-Fi hotspots. Read the full article at KVUE.com.
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NACEPF and Mobile Beacon Statement Regarding Hill Briefing, “Windows of Opportunity: How EBS Spectrum Can Close the Digital Divide”
“I thank the SHLB Coalition for organizing this briefing to educate our policymakers about the ways Educational Broadband Service (EBS) is being used today to provide much-needed broadband access to anchor institutions, students, low-income families, and rural Americans. Today, EBS remains the only licensed spectrum available for educational institutions to connect their communities. In areas […]
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Can Tapping Into Unused Broadband Spectrum Boost K-12 Connectivity?
School advocates hope that a proposal under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission to tap into a largely unused portion of broadband spectrum will boost students’ access to high-speed internet connectivity. The FCC is considering an array of ideas that it says will overhaul and “rationalize” outdated regulations for how the spectrum is governed, so […]
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Rural Americans Stand to Lose in Proposed T-Mobile/Sprint Merger
BY CARRI BENNET & KATHERINE MESSIER February 14, 2019 One of the central challenges facing our country today is the growing divide between rural and urban America. As many economists have noted, rural areas are increasingly lacking the opportunities for job creation and growth that are found in our big cities. That gap is bad […]
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Senate Democrats Press for Hearing on T-Mobile/Sprint Merger
Several Democratic senators voiced concern today over impacts of T-Mobile’s $26 billion agreement to acquire rival wireless service provider Sprint, and requested a hearing on the merger. At the same time, rural wireless carriers expressed their opposition to the deal. In a letter to chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, […]
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5 U.S. senators urge hearing on T-Mobile/Sprint merger
Opposition to T-Mobile’s proposed merger with Sprint is growing. A group of five Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee urging them to hold a hearing to examine the potential impact of the deal on consumer choice and competition in the wireless market. “The merger of T-Mobile and Sprint would […]
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More rural carriers announce opposition to Sprint/T-Mobile merger
Washington, D.C., January 24, 2019 – More wireless companies serving predominantly rural consumers today joined the 4Competition Coalition, illustrating the growing opposition to the Sprint/T-Mobile merger from rural businesses and advocates. Western New York-based Blue Wireless and Alabama-based Pine Belt Cellular announced their opposition to the deal, as did Mobile Beacon, a wireless provider that serves more […]
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Debating the future of the 2.5 GHz EBS spectrum
Mobile Beacon is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation (NACEPF) Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel continued her backing of an incentive auction for Educational Broadband Service licenses at 2.5 GHz at a forum in Washington, D.C., framing it as a compromise option to “honor” the intent for educational use in […]
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Statement By NACEPF and Mobile Beacon Regarding IIA’s “Can a Voluntary Auction of the 2.5 GHz EBS Spectrum Band Help Close the Homework Gap” Event
“Today, educators across the country are utilizing EBS spectrum to solve the persistent challenges that prevent millions of Americans from getting online and engaging in our digital society. The North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation (NACEPF), the 2nd largest EBS licensee in the United States, and its subsidiary Mobile Beacon work side by side with […]
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Highland Park library now loaning out mobile hotspots
The Highland Park Public Library now allows cardholders 14 and older to check out mobile hotspot devices that enable users to connect their smartphones, tablets, laptops or game consoles to the internet from anywhere. The hotspot devices can be checked out for a two-week period and renewed for one additional period. Librarians see the initiative […]
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