Small- and mid-sized telecom operators provide broadband in...

Small- and mid-sized telecom operators provide broadband in rural areas, competition and choice in urban areas, and services to community institutions and businesses in underserved areas, the American Cable Association said in a white paper (http://bit.ly/1mL3L9s). The study, released Wednesday, was done by Cartesian. ACA members’ broadband footprint covers nearly 8 million homes in small cities and rural areas, “covering nearly 20 percent of the population in these areas,” it said. But ACA members face specific challenges due to their size, it said. Local and regional cable operators “must compete against large telephone companies receiving government subsidies to provide broadband to unserved areas.” They also are disadvantaged in negotiations over interconnection with the networks of Tier 1 Internet service providers, it said. ACA estimates that 1.6 million homes in its members’ territories are considered “high cost,” it said. Of these homes, about 842,000 would be eligible to receive government broadband funding “if not for the presence of ACA members,” it said.