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Congress Could Soon Decide Fate And Future Of Affordable Connectivity Program
The farm bill may soon play a key role in maintaining the $14 billion Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) currently overseen by the FCC. However, the farm bill doesn’t represent the only shot of extending and funding the ACP. A bipartisan coalition of 45 lawmakers are simultaneously pushing for the ACP to be funded by other appropriation measures currently winding their way through the halls of Congress. Both the appropriations and farm bills face a looming September 30 deadline Congress seems unlikely to meet.
Decorah, Iowa Inches Closer To City-Owned Fiber Build With Plan To Reach Finish Line
Decorah, Iowa is moving forward on a long-percolating plan to expand the city’s core fiber ring to provide affordable broadband access to long-neglected residents and businesses. While the project has been discussed for years, local officials tell ISLR the project gained renewed momentum during peak COVID, and is creeping closer to launch. While contracts are still being finalized, the city hopes to spend somewhere around $12 to $15 million to deliver fiber to all 3,000 potential subscriber locations.
AAPB Calls For Help in Developing Public Broadband Handbook
The American Association for Public Broadband is calling for help in creating a handbook that helps communities examine their option to create and maintain public broadband networks. The handbook will be a “hands-on, high-level resource for moving through the entire process including getting started, building community support, technology and business case analysis, role of partners and finance.”
After Decades Of Talk, Palo Alto Drives Forward On Municipal Fiber Build
For over 20 years, the city of Palo Alto, the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley,” has flirted with the idea of building a city-owned municipal fiber network. Now after years of debate, numerous studies, several false starts, and many unfulfilled RFPs, city officials say they’re finally moving forward with a city-owned fiber network they hope will transform affordable broadband connectivity citywide. Phase One of the city’s planned fiber deployment should begin later this year, delivering fiber access to around 20 percent of the city–or 6,500 homes and businesses.
Waterloo, Iowa Unveils Affordable Pricing For City-Owned Fiber Build
After years of strategizing, Waterloo, Iowa officials unveiled a new website for the city's fiber-to-the-home project and annouced service pricing. The city’s network will cost $115 million, take roughly three years to build, and ultimately deliver affordable fiber access at speeds up to 10 Gbps to all municipal buildings, anchor institutions, and all 67,695 city residents.
Mississippi Electric Cooperative and State Shine BEAM On Rural Delta Region
The establishment of a new broadband office in Mississippi heralds a new era in the state’s efforts to bring high quality broadband to all its residents, especially those living in the most rural parts of the state. On the forefront of that effort is the Delta Electric Power Association, an electric cooperative building out fiber networks in the Mississippi Delta region, where about a quarter of residents do not have access to broadband of any kind.
Central Virginia Electric Cooperative Brings Fiber To 20K Virginians In 52 Months
The Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC) and its Firefly Broadband Initiative has successfully completed its $150 million fiber expansion project, having deployed 3,600 miles of new fiber, passed 40,000 total homes and businesses, and directly connecting 20,000 state residents–many for the first time ever–in less than 52 months. About 90 percent of households connected had no broadband access previously.
Open Access Fiber Network Comes to Rural Enclave in Washington
The Whatcom County Public Utility District is now leading the charge in one of the most difficult-to-reach parts of the state in building an open access dark fiber network that will bring high-speed connectivity to over a thousand homes and businesses in Point Roberts.
Tribal Broadband Bootcamp Comes to Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation in Northern New York
As a young woman of the Nuxalk Nation, Mallory Hans is one of about 50 people hailing from various Tribes and First Nations across North America in attendance for the latest Tribal Broadband Bootcamp, hosted at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort on the Saint Regis Mohawk reservation along the New York/Canada border.
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Edison, New Jersey Nabs $2 Million For City-Owned Fiber Network
Edison, New Jersey is proceeding with the construction of an affordable, gigabit-capable fiber network after receiving $2 million cash infusion from state leaders. The resulting network will be built on the back of decades’ worth of local frustration with the high prices, spotty availability, and slow broadband speeds provided by regional monopolies.
CBN’s Signal to Noise Ratios Week of July 24
In this week’s round-up of broadband news, we culled three stories we think are worth reading. As always we look to separate the signal from the noise.
Activists Say Time Is Right To Renew Fight For Community Broadband In Portland
Portland activists are renewing their calls to prioritize the construction of a municipally owned broadband network in the Oregon city of 635,000. With an historic infusion of federal subsidies and a looming shakeup of city politics, advocates for community-owned broadband say the time is right to finally revolutionize city telecom infrastructure with an eye on affordability.