Texas State Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco, filed two bills this legislative session that aim to increase broadband access for people who live where access to reliable internet service is limited, largely in rural areas. The proposals “call for the creation of a broadband office in the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the establishment of a grant program to support public or private broadband investment. Anderson’s plan would also include coordination between the broadband office and the Texas Department of Transportation and require reports to the Legislature about the office’s progress.”
The connected classroom
Crown Castle’s Vice President of Fiber Sales, Doug Turtz, provided an Industry Viewpoint regarding rapidly changing technology in the education environment. "One highly scalable option for the education arena to address this increasing bandwidth demand is through dark fiber ...
Broadband access, workforce development Frederick EDA's top legislative priorities
The Frederick County Economic Development Authority (FDA) on Thursday unanimously approved legislative priorities to send to the Virginia General Assembly, one of which is "to support policies and budgets that provide broadband access to all parts of Virginia." The FDA believes th...
State leaders meet in Elkins to discuss economic strategy, high-speed broadband access
During an Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce meeting last week, state legislators brought up the need for high-speed broadband connectivity. State Sen. Greg Boso called on Verizon and AT&T to "at least build the infrastructure so that it encourages them to branch off of th...
US Census Bureau finds stark rural-urban broadband divide
The latest American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau reinforces how stark the digital divide is between urban and rural areas. Among counties where fewer than 60% of homes lacked broadband internet subscriptions, 88% were mostly or completely rural. Lack of access was al...
Nominee for Mills Cabinet sees broadband access as key to Maine economy
Gov.-elect Janet Mills nominated Heather Johnson, the woman charged with expanding broadband access in Maine, to be her economic development commissioner on Thursday. Johnson, who has a background in public- and private-sector economic development and communications, now heads the...
New Hampshire towns might start making their own broadband
The town of Bristol has voter permission to spend $98,500, and hopefully another $33,000 next year, combined with a $132,000 grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission, to build three miles of fiber backbone through its main business district. The system, which will enter ...