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 would come from a combination of local taxation and a state infrastructure grant.
We need a national rural broadband plan
Assistant professor at the University of Virginia Christopher Ali wrote an op-ed in the New York Times calling for a national rural broadband plan. Ali highlighted that the lack of a national rural broadband policy is causing the United States to lose the global competition in com...
State-funded broadband build-outs making progress — but for lawmakers, anxiety lingers
Local residents "are beginning to see the fruits of state-funded broadband expansion efforts." While Chazy & Westport Communications announced completion of a project that expanded broadband to 620 homes and businesses, Slic Network Solutions has completed the majority of its netw...
Powell may ‘start small’ with fiber-optics deal
Powell, OH, is "considering an agreement that would give the city its first fiber connection." The city’s operations committee reviewed a proposal from Consolidated Electric Cooperative "that would see Powell spending $81,650 to connect to an existing fiber-optic network for...
Trump pledges investment, but is silent on key tech issues
During his State of the Union address, President Trump promised legislation to invest in "the cutting-edge industries of the future," but did not elaborate upon any technology policy issues like broadband or privacy. Following the speech, Michael Kratsios, deputy assistant to the ...
CPUC judge wants complex pole attachment issues to be even more complicated
According to a ruling by an adminstrative law judge, utility pole associations (privately and municipally owner) and telecom companies should be regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. The ruling concerns a dispute between Pacific Gas and Electric, which owns pole...
This congressman wants to build a ‘digital’ border wall that would also provide rural broadband
Texas Representative Will Hurd is partial to the idea of a digital wall: "a border-wide system of technology such as cameras, sensors, and drones communicating through a fiber optic network to keep the border secure." Hurd noted the digital wall could close the digital divide, sta...