Rural areas are found to be woefully underserved when it comes to broadband options, a condition that could stunt economic growth. It's no wonder then that Illinois is aggressively pursuing universal access for everyone in the state. Lt. Governor Pat Quinn is one of the main cheerleaders for rural broadband,… Continue reading
In a move sure to keep cable and telco execs stocking up on Mylanta, Congress is pushing through a new broadband bill designed to improve speed, access and reporting of availability. The bill borrows from the successful Connect Kentucky program to invest more money in bringing broadband to rural and… Continue reading
Hot on the heels of Sen. Rockefeller's demand for 100Mbps broadband, echoing the sentiments of the FTTH Council, Vermont has passed a so-called "e-state" bill that requires adequate cellular and broadband coverage across the entire state. This is monumental for a rural state where those living outside of cities often… Continue reading
Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia wants broadband and he wants it now. He's just introduced a resolution (albeit non-binding) to push for universal 10Mbps access by 2010 and 100Mbps by 2015. Because it's non-binding, it amounts to little more than fist-shaking at providers who've been dragging their feet, but… Continue reading
I was invited to pay a visit to the offices of DynamicCity last Friday to talk about what can be done to help spread UTOPIA. (For those that don't know, this is the company in charge of building the physical plant for UTOPIA.) A special thanks to Joel, Cory and… Continue reading
It's earnings report season, and it looks like the short-term thinking of investors has been ruling the day with telcos. Verizon has watched earnings tumble as they make significant investments in their FIOS system while Qwest tripled their profits by building a whole lot of nothing and cutting retirement benefits…. Continue reading
The FTTH Council is pushing for a national standard of 100Mbps broadband for all American households by 2015. This would place us behind other countries (like Singapore, which plans to have 1Gbps by then), but it would be a major step forward in getting true broadband adopted nationwide. (See press… Continue reading
Centerville's planning commission approved the site of the main UTOPIA hub within the city, paving the way for the service to be rolled out. There's no specific dates, but construction should start this summer to provide services by year's end. (See full article here.)
Vermont's Legislature passed a bill requiring universal broadband and cell phone service. The mountainous state is notorious for cell phone dead spots and most of the rural state doesn't have access to broadband services, even under the weakling 200K definition. It includes provisions for faster approval for new facilities (including… Continue reading
The rural town of Pulaski, TN has recently opened their FTTP network to all residents in the city. The network offers triple-play services for about $100 a month at a cost of a $17.9M bond to be paid off in 17 years. It'll be interesting to watch this project and… Continue reading