Chanute’s City Commission voted on November 25th to move forward with plans for a FTTH network. The community of approximately 9,000 began installing fiber in 1984 for electric utility purposes. They have slowly expanded the network throughout the community. Chanute’s fiber and wireless broadband utility now serves government, education, and several businesses. We documented their story … Read More
Westminster began its FTTP pilot project last summer and interest is high. Brett Lake from the Carroll County Times recently reported the project is growing. According to the story, the Mayor and Common Council voted in late November to spend city capital projects reserve funds to expand the pilot. During the engineering phase of the project, … Read More
Public Knowledge and the Center for Media Justice have an eye on the transition from traditional copper landline telephone service to Internet-protocol services. As we move forward, both organizations continue to educate citizens on telecommunications policy and how it can affect us. On December 12, at 2:00 p.m. EST, both groups will collaborate for a webinar … Read More
In 1999, Laurens County Schools and Dublin City Schools needed to move past dial-up Internet access. The City of 16,000 built a fiber network to serve students in the community. It now also serves local government and businesses in the Dublin area. Once the network was in place, AT&T and Charter Communications began building in Dublin. … Read More
Ellensburg, located in central Washington, is considering the pros and cons of a municipal fiber network. A big pro for the community of 18,000 is the ability to predict costs rather than depend on Charter Communications. Charter wants to begin charging $10,300 per month for municipal connectivity it previously supplied at no cost in return for … Read More
The City Council of Columbia is moving forward with efforts to improve connectivity in the town of 113,000. In November, elected officials hired a consultant to analyze the community’s current infrastructure and develop a broadband plan. According to a Tribune article, the initiative will be a collaborative effort between the City, Boone County, and the University … Read More
As of December 2, students and staff in Cedar Falls schools have access to 1 gig Internet service from Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU). The WCF Courier reports that the Board of Education recently decided to switch from the Iowa Communications Network (ICN): Doug Nefzger, the district’s financial officer, said though Des Moines-based ICN has been a great … Read More
Muskogee, located in east central Oklahoma, is considering free Wi-Fi across the community to boost economic development. As a model, community leaders are looking at Ponca City. A recent Muskogee Phoenix article quoted the Interim City Manager: “Our hope is that the public Wi-Fi initiative will distinguish us from other cities when it comes to attracting … Read More
Thomasville belongs to Community Network Services (CNS), serving six communities in southwest Georgia. Thanks in part to revenue generated by the network, this community of 18,000 has eliminated its local fire tax. In 2013, Thomasville is estimated to earn a net income of up to $8.5 million from its utility services while keeping prices affordable in … Read More
