On March 18th, our own Chris Mitchell will host a webinar that you don’t want to miss. Tech In the City: A Conversation About Community Broadband Access will be an engaging discussion about municipal networks in light of the recent Verizon v. FCC decision. The court delved into the FCC’s authority, clearing up ambiguities from past … Read More
Community leaders in Lexington are the latest to stand at a fork in the broadband road. In September, the franchise agreement between the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) and Time Warner Cable expired, resulting in a month-to-month agreement continuation. As they negotiate a new contract, local citizens have called for consideration of a municipal network. When … Read More
This post got lost in our system but we still wanted to publish it. The Nation ran an article by Maya Wiley, founder of the Center for Social Inclusion, calling on New York’s Mayor de Blasio to bring the “Two New Yorks” together with community broadband. Her article describes the Red Hook area of Brooklyn where a … Read More
We recently reported that local leaders in Chanute and Westminster had passed resolutions supporting the FCC as it considers its authority. The Kentucky Municipal Utilities Association (KMUA) passed a similar resolution on February 28th. KMUA members include 45 city-owned utilities including electricity, water, wastewater, natural gas, and telecommunications services. Members include places our readers are familiar … Read More
The Government Accountability Office released a report today examining economic development and government-spurred broadband deployment. The report, titled Telecommunications: Federal Broadband Deployment Programs and Small Business looks at the effects of stimulus projects on opportunities for small business. According to the press release: “GAO’s investigation confirms the success of the Recovery Act’s broadband programs,” said Rep. … Read More
The possible merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable and the FCC’s recent announcement to review state barriers have created a significant buzz in the world of telecommunications. Two recent NPR interviews with Susan Crawford and Jim Baller provide insight into how the merger may affect consumers and why a new light is shining on municipal … Read More
Residents in the Iron Triangle neighborhood of Richmond are now receiving free Wi-Fi as part of a new pilot program. The pilot, sponsored by Building Blocks for Kids (BBK), hopes to make Internet access widely available to the many local families who cannot afford it. New towers have been placed on local homes to extend access … Read More
The 2014 Broadband Communities Summit is scheduled for April 8 – 10 in Austin, Texas. Chris Mitchell will be speaking at 3 p.m. on April 8 during the Economic Development Program as part of the talk titled “Economic Development: The Killer App.” Chris will be back on April 10th to speak during the Rural TeleCon segment. He will … Read More
The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) just announced that the 1,200-mile fiber network MassBroadband 123 is now complete. According to the official announcement, the middle-mile network will eventually serve over 1,200 community anchor institutions. The open access network, constructed with $45.4 million in stimulus funding and an additional $40 million in state bond proceeds, lit up in … Read More
