Texas State Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco, filed two bills this legislative session that aim to increase broadband access for people who live where access to reliable internet service is limited, largely in rural areas. The proposals “call for the creation of a broadband office in the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the establishment of a grant program to support public or private broadband investment. Anderson’s plan would also include coordination between the broadband office and the Texas Department of Transportation and require reports to the Legislature about the office’s progress.”
PG&E faces pole attachment shot clock, as CPUC arbitrator hands Crown Castle a win
An administrative law judge "gave Crown Castle a victory of sorts in a dispute over terms for attaching fiber optic cable to utility poles that Pacific Gas and Electric owns." If the California Public Utilities Commission signs off on the finding, it will establish a 45-day "shot ...
Digital divide as City Commission considers utility-managed fiber optics
At a workshop with city commissioners in the city of Tallahassee, FL, commissioners discussed whether the city should get into the high-speed internet business. While several commissioners favored "wanting to issue a request for proposals on a feasibility study and continue talks,...
How dark fiber can support flexible networks for local government
StateScoop reported on the various ways that dark fiber gives counties the opportunity to use and manage their own, private broadband infrastructure. It highlighted that Dark Fiber offers counties greater network control and capacity and has the potential to support equal access t...
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...
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...
Rural America will fall further behind without all-fiber broadband infrastructure investment
Lisa R. Youngers, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, published an op-ed in The Hill emphasizing that all Americans "deserve access to ultra-fast broadband service that only all-fiber networks can provide. Expanding all-fiber networks, especially to rural America...