FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly recently spent eight days...
FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly recently spent eight days touring Alaska as a guest of the state’s congressional delegation. Among his takeaways was enforcement of the notion that Alaska is unique, O'Rielly said Friday in a blog post (http://fcc.us/1lFDFFM). “Seeing it…
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again, however, reminded me not only of its immense size, but also of its uncompromising terrain,” he said. Another observation is that Alaska schools need connections, not Wi-Fi, he said. “My visit reaffirmed the serious concerns that have been expressed with shifting the E-Rate program’s attention from basic connectivity to Wi-Fi.” O'Rielly said he also took note of the extent to which federal subsidies have distorted the communications marketplace there. “My conversations with providers in the state highlighted the number of Federal programs and the influence of these programs on Alaskan communications,” he said. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler also recently toured the state (CD Sept 3 p12).