PCCA Journal|3
rd
Quarter 2015
36
Telecom News
Continued from page 35
Study Shows That Fiber
Access Increases Home Value
T
he Fiber to the Home (FTTH)
Council Americas recently
released a white paper find-
ing that access to fiber may
increase a home’s value by up to 3.1
percent. Using the National Broadband
Map and a nationwide sample of real es-
tate prices from 2011 to 2013, the study’s
authors investigated the relationship
between fiber-delivered Internet services
and housing prices. The boost to the
value of a typical home—$5,437—is
roughly equivalent to adding a fireplace,
half of a bathroom, or a quarter of a
swimming pool to the home.
The study adds to a growing list of
others showcasing the consumer benefits
from widespread access to fiber broad-
band Internet. A number of studies have
linked broadband networks and new in-
vestments in such networks to improved
economic performance. And the speed
and reliability fiber provides offer further
benefits. In 2014, the FTTH Council re-
leased a study finding higher per capita
GDP in communities where gigabit
Internet was available. Infrastructure in-
vestment, job creation, entrepreneurship,
and companies relocating or expanding
to a city are all manifestations of this
growth. This year’s study found that
for homes where 1 gigabit-per-second
broadband was available, transaction
prices were more than 7 percent higher
than homes located where the highest
speed available is 25 Mbps or lower.
“The evidence is mounting: invest-
ment in fiber improves the economic
performance of a community as well
as its quality of life,” said FTTH Coun-
cil President and CEO Heather Burnett
Gold. “Around the United States, leaders
at the local level have started to think
about how their community’s Internet
infrastructure is a catalyst for economic,
educational, and governmental innova-
tion.”
“The benefits of all-fiber, ultra-high
bandwidth networks are clear to people
in communities where it is deployed,”
said FTTH Council Board Chairman
Kevin Morgan. “Today’s findings further
validate our mission as an organization:
to promote investment in and adop-
tion of FTTH services throughout the
country creating value for service provid-
ers and their customers. We’re looking
forward to working with more providers,
communities, and leaders to make that
happen.”
is an important contribution to those efforts. Among other
things, the bill includes several accountability provisions that
will help protect consumers who pay for the fund. We look
forward to working with the sponsors and other interested
stakeholders on ways to modernize the program.”
On June 1, AT&T’s Jim Cicconi posted the following in his
blog:
“Tomorrow, the Senate Commerce Committee will convene
a hearing on the future of the FCC’s Lifeline program. Given
the recent GAO report on the program and the FCC report
on the broadband Lifeline trial, some folks might argue that
Lifeline is irreversibly broken and incapable of accomplishing
any credible goals. While I would agree that the existing pro-
gram is broken and in dire need of reform, I think it would be
a mistake to conclude that the program cannot be fixed and
modernized for the 21st Century. I was in the Reagan White
House when the Lifeline program was debated and ultimately
created. Back then the goal of the program was not to in-
crease telephone penetration, but rather to create a program
to help low income Americans through a difficult time in life
by providing them a tool to get back on their feet. In short,
Lifeline was envisioned as part of our country’s social safety
net for those with very low incomes or out of work.
“Communications technology—voice service then—was
the critical tool that provided access to emergency services,
friends, and family, and job opportunities. If you had a
phone, you had a chance. Fast forward 30+ years to the 21st
Century. People still fall on hard times, and they still need
safety net programs like Lifeline. But increasingly in today’s
society, having a voice line is not enough. The way people
find job opportunities today is different than it was back in
1985. We’ve gone from want ads in the newspaper to posting
available jobs online. Apps like Facebook and LinkedIn have
become important job networking tools. Education and train-
ing courses—even the process of applying for a job—have all
moved online, along with needed services like childcare. In
short, Internet access has quickly become the more needed
Lifeline technology for the 21st century. If we still believe this
part of the social safety net was soundly conceived and is
still needed today—and I do—we need to focus on fixing the
program to eliminate abuses and modernizing it to meet to-
day’s needs, all while preserving the essence of the program’s
good intentions.”