David Byrd, CMO and EVP Channel Sales, ANPI ZONE, dbyrd@anpi.com

I took a few weeks off to begin my new role as CMO and EVP Channel Sales for ANPI and ZONE Telecom. ANPI is a leading solution provider to the small independent telephone companies. It counts nearly five hundred of them as customers. ZONE Telecom tends to sell more to business customers with long distance as the primary service offering. Both of these entities differ from my previous employer, as IP communications is not the dominant technology supporting the product offering. It is however, the primary technology that makes up the national network. The blog I wrote the last four years, SIP and Serve by a Foodie, focused on IP communications and cuisine. I wrote it three days a week with an original recipe leading the Monday blog. “Byrd’s Eye View” will be expanded to cover a wider range of technology, FCC and industry issues that affect the independent telephones companies and, from time to time, a special recipe or restaurant. Look for this blog every Monday and Thursday.

Considering I have been away for approximately six weeks, there were a lot of potential topics to launch this first blog. However, it was timely that the FCC released its Eighth Broadband Progress Report. The highlight of the report is that both wireline and wireless broadband access has soared in availability with 98% of Americans gaining access to either fixed or mobile broadband at 4 megabits per second down (Mbps) and 1 Mbps up. Additionally, 90% have access to both wired and wireless providers. All of this looks great but it leaves out a third component, price. I have long advocated for the FCC to evaluate the progress of broadband deployment by looking at Access, Speed and Price (ASP). If they had done so, it would probably have answered the question of why only 40% of Americans have adopted fixed broadband at the 4 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up speeds, although it is available to 94% of the country’s population.

There are other elements of the report worth discussing but enough for today. It is great to be here at ANPI and able to start another blog. Join me on Thursday for more on the FCC’s Eighth Broadband Progress Report, in particular, comments regarding the USF/ICC Transformation Order.

It’s great to be back!