While in Iowa for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities telecom conference, I had a chance to interview Michael Curri, the Founder and President of Strategic Networks Group – SNG. He and I have long had great discussions at events around the country and I attempted to recreate some of the key points in this interview. … Read More
We last reported on Arlington County, Virginia, in the summer of 2012 when they were into phase II of their publicly owned fiber network deployment. At the time, the community planned to use the dark fiber network for public schools, traffic management, and public safety. That plan will now include local businesses. ARLnow reports that ConnectArlington … Read More
The Illinois community of Urbana, home of UC2B, recently passed a resolution in favor of FCC’s section 706 authority. The community’s fiber project is bridging the digital divide in this community of 41,000. On March 17, the City Council voted unanimously to support the FCC as it considers action to discourage, prevent, and remove state legislative … Read More
The Blandin Foundation held an informative webinar on March 13 that is now ready for viewing. If you were not able to attend the webinar, this is a great opportunity to learn more about grants available through the Blandin Community Broadband Program (BCBP). There are six active programs that focus on broadband. Mary Magnuson from the … Read More
The proposed Comcast/Time Warner Cable deal will be on everyone’s mind for many months to come. Thanks to Harold Feld, it is now possible to follow the process as it moves forward. Feld began a series of posts earlier this month that map out the review as it moves from the Department of Justice Antitrust Division … Read More
Ponca City’s free Wi-Fi has attracted attention over the years. A recent article in Government Technology focuses on the free Wi-Fi service and reveals the secret behind Ponca City’s jewel – their municipal fiber network. From the article: So what makes Ponca City’s wireless network a long-term success, and what suggestions do city officials have for … Read More
In a revealing video about the Internet access problem in rural Minnesota, Annandale City Administrator Kelly Hinnenkamp describes her town’s struggle with connectivity. The video is the latest in a series on the Minnesota Senate DFL YouTube page intended to shed light on the critical situation in the state. Hinnenkamp describes broadband in the areas outside … Read More
In case you missed it, you can still stream the FCC’s Rural Broadband Workshop. The announcement describes the event: The workshop will include an examination of the broadband needs of rural populations and the unique challenges of both broadband deployment and adoption in rural areas. In addition, the discussion will highlight the economic, educational, and healthcare benefits … Read More
While at the SEATOA Conference in Raleigh last week, I met Mike Foor, the President and CEO of the Georgia Communications Cooperative (GCC). Given the important role GCC is playing in expanding great Internet access in rural Georgia, we wanted to interview him for Community Broadband Bits. Back in episode 46, we spoke with Paul Belk … Read More
