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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.”