With a broad boost from U.S. Reps. Anna G. Eshoo and Jackie Speier (D-Palo Alto, Hillsborough), a large coalition of Western cities and counties are waging a legal showdown with a shuttered federal government in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over control of 5G wireless installations. Eshoo's bill, H.R. 530 -- called the Accelerating Wireless Broadband Development by Empowering Local Communities Act of 2019, "essentially resets the clock on the FCC's new rules by erasing what the federal government has implemented in the under-the-wire maneuver." Eshoo noted "5G is essential for our country's communications network and economy, but it must be deployed responsibly and equitably."
Centennial's fiber backbone construction complete
The City of Centennial, CO’s vision to provide dark fiber "with simple terms of access and usage has come to fruition with the completion of FiberWorks, a 432-fiber-strand backbone connecting key city sites and community anchor institutions." More than 50 miles of fiber back...
Verizon CEO sees home broadband as a ‘big opportunity’
At the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference, "Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg touted the carrier’s 5G home residential broadband service as complementing its wired Fios offering while extending the ability to provide a wireless alternative to home connectivity." In his c...
Verizon’s 5G aspirations lead to over 10,000 voluntary resignations
In light of its 5G aspirations, Verizon announced approximately 10,400 of its employees voluntarily resigned as part of its "realigned organization structure." The cost-cutting program should help Verizon retool for its 5G technology. The realignment is a four-year, $10 billion co...
Charlemont rejects Comcast broadband offer; opts to build $1.4M fiber optic network
Comcast’s $462,123 proposal, which would have connected 96 percent of households in Charlemont, Massachusetts with high-speed internet was rejected by town meeting voters. Instead, Charlemont has decided to build its own fiber optic broadband network. The project funding wou...
The State of Nevada, City of Las Vegas, NTT reach deal to accelerate smart city
The State of Nevada, City of Las Vegas and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation announced an agreement to "advance and accelerate smart technologies." The city will start trial-use of the smart city solutions during spring 2019 for the consideration of the full-scale service...
City, Cincinnati Bell bring free Wi-Fi to Downtown
City leaders in Cincinnati, OH, announced a partnership with Cincinnati Bell that "will bring free Wi-Fi to downtown Cincinnati." The new alliance, dubbed "Smart Cincy," will "ignite economic growth, improve public safety, power more efficient government, and bridge the digital di...