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."
Facebook to launch broadband expansion project in West Virginia
Representatives from Facebook joined West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., to announce a 275-mile fiber optic cable across West Virginia to connect its data centers. The project will enable broadband providers to tap into the fiber line, giving the...
Making connections: State lawmakers introduce bills in attempt to bring better internet access to rural areas
Three Texas state lawmakers "have filed five bills this legislative session to help bring high-speed internet connectivity to those who live in rural areas." Senate Bill 1103 and House Bill 2423 "create a broadband office within the Public Utility Commission of Texas that would pr...
Bel Air commissioners considering 'small cell' wireless legislation
The town of Bel Air is developing four pieces of legislation, including Ordinance 789-19 and three resolutions that apply to regulating the placement of small cell technology. Town Planning Director Kevin Small said "it’s the intention of the town to allow our citizens to re...
5G’s potential, and why businesses should start preparing for it
Omar Abbosh, group chief executive of Accenture’s Communications, Media & Technology operating group, and Larry Downes, Senior Fellow with Accenture Research, published an article in Harvard Business Review highlighting the findings of a new Accenture survey of nearly 2,000 ...
Huawei ban won't make the US fall behind in 5G technology, experts say
According to experts, the U.S. will not fall behind in the introduction of next-generation 5G mobile networks if Huawei stays banned there, though smaller countries and potentially Europe could suffer from reduced competition. Experts told CNBC that Nokia, Ericsson and smaller riv...
Trump’s 5G plan is more than a gift to his base
Kevin Werbach, a professor at the Wharton School and a former telecommunications policy advisor to the Clinton and Obama administrations, published an op-ed in The New York Times discussing the potential value of a 5G plan operating on a wholesale basis, in which carriers and othe...