San Diego Union-Tribune

Nishal Mohan, founder and CEO of the tech nonprofit, Mohuman, wants to make technology more accessible and affordable for people in underserved communities. “I have lived experience on both sides of the digital divide, with a deep understanding of the complex systemic inequities perpetuating it, that go beyond devices and internet access. And I know how to fix it,” he says. “I want everyone to have an easier time than my family and I did, to succeed.

Marty Cooper is best known as the “father of the cellphone” that debuted in 1973 long before the Internet, the personal computer, the cordless phone or even a television remote control. At 92 years old, the San Diego resident still is actively engaged in the wireless world — advocating on how to bridge the digital divide and bring affordable broadband Internet access to all parts of our country. He contends that 5G is a “good” technology, but for the internet to be ubiquitous to students, it is not necessary. “The enemy of good enough is perfect.

A key hurdle to widespread gigabit-speed Internet is the high cost of getting fiber optic lines over the last mile -- from the fiber backbone in nearby streets to each house. But increasingly, cellular operators, broadband providers including Google Fiber and several startups are exploring a new, less expensive way to bridge the last mile gap – wireless technology. Google Fiber – which named San Diego (CA) as a potential city for building an ultra-fast fiber optic Internet network -- said in Oct that it would pause future fiber optic roll outs in San Diego and seven other potential Google Fiber cities while it explored new approaches.

Among those is wireless, including high frequency airwaves, which can deliver gigabit data rates over short, line of sight distances but also tend to bounce erratically off obstacles and degrade in rain or fog. Don’t expect Google Fiber to incorporate wireless into fiber networks anytime soon. There are still many questions about how viable wireless can be, and what licenses would be required from federal regulators in various airwave bands. But recent improvements in antenna technology and beam forming techniques to more precisely steer these high frequency airwaves are fueling optimism about their ability to span the last mile. Certain high frequency airwaves have been earmarked to become part of the spectrum dedicated for upcoming gigabit class 5G cellular networks.