Only seven business days after it began, the FCC’s 24 GHz spectrum auction “blow past the $1 billion mark Friday (March 22).” The FCC is auctioning the spectrum “to free up more bandwidth for 5G wireless broadband, to help close the rural digital divide, and to make wireless a stronger competitor to wired broadband. New York and L.A. continue to lead, with bids on licenses there of $28,080,000 and $21,606,000, respectively, with Chicago in distant third with $10,436,000.”
Broadband effort critical in Columbia County
Kathryn Witherington, economic development coordinator for the Port of Columbia, published an op-ed emphasizing the importance of using public resources "to build a dark fiber line that any private internet service provider can lease to provide faster, more reliable internet to re...
If 5G is so important, why isn’t it secure?
Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler published an op-ed stating, "We cannot allow the hype about 5G to overshadow the absolute necessity that it be secure." Wheeler said the our wireless networks are not as secure as they could be since cyberattacks were "not a front-and-center concern...
County officials meet with consultant, set to start broadband plan
The Franklin County Broadband Authority kicked off its first 2019 meeting Jan. 15 with a presentation of broadband strategies from Andrew Cohill of Design Nine, Inc – a Blacksburg-based broadband consulting firm selected last year to work with county officials. "Ultimately, ...
Seoul and SK Telecom to use 5G to prevent jaywalking
Seoul and SK Telecom plan to develop "cooperative-intelligent transport systems" that will utilize 5G and car telecommunication to increase safety, the two companies announced. They will install 5G and sensors at major roads in South Korea's capital. They will also supply 5G Vehic...
Need for data has region preparing for upgrade
Pennsylvania is preparing for the rollout of 5G cellular data service, where Crown Castle East Area director Karmen Rajamani said "people are using their devices in a different way now. When you first started, it was to make phone calls — not a lot of data demand there. But, incre...
Legislature looks to bring broadband to rural ‘black holes’
Areas like Keller, WA, which are known as "black holes" in the internet world, are the targets of a broadband proposal announced Wednesday by Gov. Jay Inslee during a press conference in Olympia. If the Legislature signs on, it could mean a new state broadband office within the Wa...