During a Town Hall meeting last Tuesday, 133 of the town’s 471 registered voters unanimously approved spending $400,000 for the construction of a town-owned broadband network. “We did this to make sure that we can pay the bill the day that construction begins,” said Board Chairman Howard Bronstein. The town is working with Westfield Gas and Electric, which is providing design, engineering, and project management services, to build the network. As planned, the town’s fiber-optic network will provide high-speed Internet and telephone service to every residence and business in town.
T-Mobile has 5G towers in most top U.S. markets, handsets arriving in 2019
During T-Mobile’s fourth-quarter 2018 results call, executives maintained that they’re "ready and excited for the launch of the company’s nationwide 5G network." T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray said the company is adding "thousands upon thousands of new sites with 600Mh...
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...
USDA e-connectivity toolkit offers rural broadband resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a new "e-connectivity" toolkit to support the deployment of high-speed Internet service in rural communities. The toolkit features 27 USDA programs meant to facilitate the expansion of broadband, including grants, loans and technical ass...
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 ...
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...