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."
Broadband reforms welcome, but public must remain vigilant
The Sun Community News Editorial Board published an editorial highlighting concerns about New York State’s broadband program. The editorial encouraged "local lawmakers to develop a systemic structure to capture and direct all telecommunications-related concerns" from residen...
City Council votes to approve 5G in city limits
Sioux Falls "will be one of the first in cities South Dakota – and possibly among the first in the nation – to roll out 5G technology." Verizon Wireless has been given the go-ahead from city council to install "small cell technology" on poles and parks around the city....
Big Cable’s ‘10G’ campaign betrays a fear of wireless 5G
At CES 2019, the NCTA and other cable groups announced a new 10G initiative. Unlike 5G, the 10G branding "isn’t referring to a generational count, but rather the kind of network that the various global cable groups are hoping to achieve: 10 gigabits." Michael Powell, the pre...
Manteca city leaders ponder agreement for small cell towers
The city council in Manteca, CA, is considering approving a "master pole agreement for wireless providers to install cells sites on city property." The agreement "establishes a streamlined encroachment permit process. It also establishes policies for controlling location, aestheti...
Rep. Lisa Stone Barnes to tackle broadband in first term
One of the first things that North Carolina Rep. Lisa Stone Barnes wants to focus on in the legislature is "expanding broadband coverage in rural areas of her district." Barnes said that "lack of broadband access cuts her constituents off from educations and health care opportunit...
AT&T is creating a 5G hospital
AT&T is partnering with Rush University Medical Center to "create the first 5G-enabled hospital in the US. The technology is expected to speed up network communications and reduce latency to help improve care at the Chicago hospital." AT&T also announced that "it’s installin...