Wireless Internet

The US Department of Commerce's Department of Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $3.1 million grant to the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma (Ada) to build a fixed wireless high-speed internet network. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Indigenous Communities program. This project will provide expanded, high-speed internet access to the Tribal community, promoting entrepreneurship and workforce development. This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Southern Oklahoma Development Association (SODA).

New York City (NY) has an agreement with CityBridge, the team behind LinkNYC, that involves installing 2,000 5G towers over the next several years, an effort to help eliminate the city’s “internet deserts.” Ninety percent will be in underserved areas of the city — neighborhoods in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and above 96th Street in Manhat

The Federal Communication Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology conditionally approved 13 proposed automated frequency coordination (AFC) database systems to finalize development for operations in the 6 GHz band and prepare for the testing phase. This automated frequency coordination (AFC) system manages spectrum access for 6 GHz band standard-power unlicensed devices. The FCC’s recent rule changes expanded unlicensed use in the 5.925-6.425 GHz and 6.525- 6.875 GHz portions of the 6 GHz band to allow standard-power devices under the control of an AFC.

If you’re frustrated with the speed of your home Internet, what can you do to improve it? Before making the leap to a new provider or absorbing the often difficult-to-swallow costs of a high-speed service plan, you might want to consider another culprit of slow Internet: your WiFi connection. WiFi connection performance is determined by factors independent of your access connection, while the access connection performance is (primarily) determined by the specific service contract you purchase from a service provider (ISP).

One existing resource that is often overlooked in designing wireless networks is AM radio towers. For the most part, companies deploying fixed wireless and microwave antenna have avoided these towers. The conventional wisdom has been to avoid the AM towers as being too hot in power and frequency to use for other purposes. But the AM towers don’t have to be a wasted asset. There are two methods that can be used to install other radios on AM towers that often get overlooked by cellular companies and wireless broadband providers.

The Federal Communications Commission voted to launch a proceeding to explore repurposing up to 550 megahertz in the 12.7 to 13.25 GHz band (12.7 GHz band) for next-generation wireless services.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed rules to bolster the operational readiness and security of the nation’s public alert and warning systems, the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. These systems warn the public about emergencies through alerts on their televisions, radios, and wireless phones. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted, the FCC proposes to:

Identifying problems with Wi-Fi can be difficult, and people often just turn Wi-Fi off on their devices and instead use their cellular data connection.

Shreveport (LA) Mayor Adrian Perkins made good on another part of his smart city initiative that he campaigned on four years ago. Mayor Perkins joined library officials and others to launch the start of Universal Digital Access. Mayor Perkins says that by using hi-tech gadgets mounted on the garbage trucks, the city mapped out areas of the city that don't have good internet access. "Many of the libraries are actually within that digital desert.

Broadband internet access and speeds will increase for homes and businesses in and around Madelia, Minnesota thanks to a collaboration by the companies Midco, Crystal Valley Cooperative, and Land O’Lakes. Land O’Lakes and Crystal Valley helped Midco in finding locations to place infrastructure. Rather than laying a lot of new fiber lines to homes and far-flung farm sites, the project uses a system of towers and antennas to get high-bandwidth signals to customers. “The Madelia project is a bit unique, it is a hub site,” said Ben Dold senior VP of operations for Midco.