Having just read the New York Times story “Most of U.S. is Wired, but Millions Aren’t Plugged In,” I was reminded that even the top mainstream telecom journalists really have little understanding of what they write. This is a bit ranty but comes back together constructively at the end. I just read that “nearly 98 percent … Read More
Chattanooga’s EPB Fiber is the highest profile community network in the U.S. It was the first network in the nation to offer a symmetrical gigabit tier to every last address in the community. On today’s Community Broadband Bits podcast, Danna Bailey joins us to discuss the network. Danna Bailey is EPB’s Vice President of Corporate Communications … Read More
The City of Champaign is now celebrating the transition to the UC2B fiber network. With underground fiber lines, the City will no longer be plagued by weather related interruptions. Champaign is also counting on significant savings on a network that is more than 1000 times faster than the old connections. From the City of Champaign website: … Read More
New Hampshire FastRoads will soon be working with Vermont’s Sovernet to bring access to southern New Hampshire. According to the Battleboro Reformer, Sovernet is ready to begin offering data and voice service as soon as the fiber infrastructure is complete. “It’s really exciting because while we do some business in New Hampshire we have not been … Read More
The Rockbridge Area Network Authority (RANA) is almost ready to launch its open access network in north central Virginia, home to about 22,000 people. A recipient of the BTOP stimulus program, the main focus is connecting community anchor institutions and spurring economic development. However, it has been built to allow service providers to also offer DSL … Read More
CapeNet is officially open throughout Cape Cod. Cape Cod Today reports Governor Deval Patrick, President of Massachusetts’ Senate Therese Murray, and State Senator Dan Wolf spoke on June 14th at an official event titled “This Changes Everything.” Planning for the new fiber network began seven years ago as a joint idea between Cape Cod Community College … Read More
CapeCodToday, recently ran two interviews relating to OpenCape, the publicly owned network nearing completion in Massachusetts. The interviews follow a belated March press release from Comcast, announcing its new service contract with Cape Cod Community College (CCCC). Like some others familiar with the project, we were surprised to see the college choosing Comcast for connectivity instead … Read More
Joanne Hovis, President of CTC Technology and Energy, recently published a must-read article in Broadband Properties Magazine. Whether you are a community leader investigating the possibility of a publicly owned network or an engaged citizen looking for pros and cons, this piece explains practical benefits succinctly. In her article, The Business Case For Government Fiber Networks [PDF], Hovis … Read More
Back in December, 2009, Vice President Biden travelled to Dawsonville, Georgia, to officially kick off the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) program. The first award, a grant of $33.5 million, went to the North Georgia Network Cooperative. The group combined that grant with local and state funding and in May, 2012, lit the North Georgia … Read More
