Local/Municipal
Alaska to see fiber expansion
Alaska Communications says that after a successful pilot of fiber-to-the-home service in 2022, it plans to extend its fiber network to another 14,000 homes over the course of 2023. Alaska Communications’ fiber network already serves some neighborhoods in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Soldotna. The fiber service offers three pricing tiers of symmetrical speeds up to 2.5 Gbps.
Baltimore’s redlining legacy has lasting impact, residents tell FCC
Representatives of the Federal Communications Commission visited Baltimore to hear about residents’ experience of digital discrimination in the city. Some said the city’s past continues to affect technology access today. Some residents told the FCC that the city’s majority-Black population is concentrated in areas where internet service is slow. Others said multi-generational households often lack the funds to pay for high-speed internet service.
With billions of dollars on the line, East Texans say a crucial state map incorrectly shows they already have broadband
Thousands of East Texans are part of a petition challenging the accuracy of the Texas Broadband Development Map that shows internet availability and speeds across the state.
Five Massachusetts towns band together in redundant broadband network
A new broadband network for Colrain, Charlemont, Heath, Leyden, and Rowe (MA) that prevents major outages and improves the resiliency of internet access will be completed by June 30, 2023. The system creates three backhauls and a 10-gigabyte circuit connection shared between the towns: one in Rowe, one in Charlemont, and one in Leyden. The project also increases redundancy to prevent internet outages caused by downed utility poles, fires, or other natural disasters.
Syracuse lawmakers approve free broadband for 10 city Census tracts
Some of Syracuse’s poorest neighborhoods will soon have free broadband service. City lawmakers approved a $3.5 million plan to build a new city-owned wireless network. Syracuse will use federal stimulus money to provide service in 10 Census tracts on its south, southwest, and near west sides.
Reps. Hudson and Eshoo Introduce Bill to Modernize Nation’s Aging 9-1-1 Systems
US Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), co-chairs of the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus, introduced the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act to accelerate federal efforts to modernize the nation's aging 9-1-1 systems. The Next Generation 9-1-1 Act, which passed the House last Congress, would authorize $15 billion in federal funding to help state and local governments deploy Next Generation 9-1-1 systems across the country.
Charter buys Maine Broadband Provider Bee Line, invests $82 Million
Charter Communications is flexing some muscle in Maine in the face of growing fiber coverage from the likes of Consolidated Communications. Charter plans to invest a total $82 million over the coming years and scooped up Bee Line Cable to flesh out its footprint in the central part of the state. Bee Line boasts 300 miles of fiber cable, which it uses to serve internet and digital voice products to consumers in Anson, East Millinocket, Farmington, Industry, Madison, Millinocket, Skowhegan, and Wilton.
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How we mapped mobile data in South Bend (IN)
As the City of South Bend’s Civic Innovation team works to better connect residents in our community, we need to first understand residents’ current experiences across connectivity options.
Baltimore Mayor Scott promised to close Baltimore’s digital divide, but 2 years in, the city still can’t say how it gets there
In a hearing before City Council in June 2022, Baltimore’s then-chief broadband official Jason Hardebeck outlined a vision to bring next-generation internet connection to one of the poorest parts of town, the public housing project Gilmor Homes, within a matter of weeks. He pitched the idea as step one in an aggressive campaign to establish 100 communal Wi-Fi hotspots across West Baltimore, all within a year. But within two months of outlining his proposal for Gilmor Homes to the City Council, Hardebeck was fired from his post without reason given, he says.
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Good Enough Broadband
Several local politicians ask me why they should pursue getting grant funding for their county since Starlink satellite and fixed-wireless access (FWA) cellular broadband seem like good broadband alternatives that are already here today. I hate to tell them that these technologies are not a good permanent solution. At the same time, I stress that they should be promoting these technologies to make sure that folks know there are some better alternatives available today than other extremely slow broadband options.