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.”
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...
Port gets boost in funds for fiber
Chief Operating Officer Kara Riebold reported to Port of Whitman County commissioners on January 24 that the Community Economics Revitalization Board (CERB) has increased the Port’s loan and broadband grant. The qualifications for the increase "required a project to expect o...
Bowdoinham gets pitch for $580,000 broadband internet expansion
Bowdoinham residents coping with lagging internet speeds could start to see change later this year. The town partnered with Lincolnville Communications to design and engineer a fiber network to provide broadband internet to the unserved or areas that lack high-speed access, which ...
High-speed broadband to increase in parts of Spokane and Stevens counties
Idaho-based Intermax Networks will receive $216,045 annually to "provide fixed wireless broadband and voice over internet protocol services to 823 homes and businesses in Spokane County." Virginia-based Declaration Networks Group Inc. will receive $390,410 annually to "provide fix...
Statewide tour stops in Jacksonville to expand broadband
A statewide tour to improve broadband and provide high-speed internet made its last stop in Jacksonville Wednesday night. Experts in the field came to find a solution to allow municipalities to enter public and private partnerships to provide high-speed internet. Currently, a Nort...