Spencer Municipal Utilities (SMU) of Spencer, Iowa, will be replacing old copper cable with fiber this summer. According to the Daily Reporter, customers can expect the upgrade with no increase in rates. From the article: “Just like internet service has evolved from dial up to DSL and cable modem, fiber will give customers the next level … Read More
Municipal broadband networks have been gaining traction across the country. It’s easy to see why: In many rural and low-income communities, privately offered broadband services are nonexistent. In its 2012 Broadband Progress Report the Federal Communications Commission counted nearly 20 million Americans (the vast majority living in rural areas) beyond the reach of broadband. The Free … Read More
We recently reached out to Princeton, Massachusetts, after reading several local news articles about the city’s ambition to improve broadband in the community. Phyllis Booth of the Landmark has been covering the story. Community leaders recently mailed survey cards to every residence in town and put the survey online to provide ample opportunity for feedback. With … Read More
Benton PUD, located in south central Washington, recently expanded its fiber foot print through Richland and Rattlesnake Mountain. The move involved a collaborative effort between the City of Richland, the Benton PUD, and the Department of Energy. According to Annette Cary of the Tri-City Herald, the expansion will bring better communications to the Hanford Nuclear Site. … Read More
We were happy to report when HB 282 failed to advance on the floor of the Georgia General Assembly House in a bipartisan vote. We were equally pleased to learn that at least one Georgia community passed an official resolution opposing the bill while it was making its way through the committee process. Alpharetta, an Atlanta … Read More
San Jose launched its new, publicly owned, downtown free Wi-Fi on March 14th. This is the community’s third attempt at bringing a successful free service to downtown and city officials have made much ado about the new “Wickedly Fast Wi-Fi Network.” The city teamed up with SmartWAVE Technologies and Ruckus Wireless to design and install the … Read More
Located in the southwestern corner of Missouri, Nixa has joined the growing list of local communities fed up with slow Internet access. A recent Rance Birger News-Leader article, describes the frustration of local tech CEO, Jeremy Bartley. He is not the only business leader in Nixa who is not willing to accept the Internet status quo. Bartley is … Read More
“Fiber is the key to assuring Palo Alto’s long-term position as the Leading Digital City of the Future” That was Palo Alto Mayor Greg Scharff who was giving his State of the City Address at Tesla Motors in February. Mayor Scharff described 2013 as “the year of the future” for Palo Alto, with technology and infrastructure … Read More
Mount Vernon, Washington, started building their own fiber optic network in 1995 and over the past 18 years have continued to add incrementally. While the network started as a way to connect a few municipal facilities, it has since expanded to nearby Burlington and the Port of Skagit. The network now serves government, schools, hospitals and … Read More
