MuniWireless

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded grants to fund broadband mapping and planning activities in Virginia and American Samoa under NTIA’s State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning. The data will be displayed in NTIA’s national broadband map, a tool that will inform policymakers’ efforts and provide consumers with improved information…

The NTIA has provided an $80 million broadband stimulus grant to the Louisiana Broadband Alliance to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, create jobs, and improve education and healthcare. The grant will bring high-speed Internet access to more than 80 community anchor institutions – including universities, K-12 schools, libraries, healthcare facilities – and lay the groundwork for bringing affordable broadband service to thousands of homes and businesses in the region.

The Louisiana Broadband Alliance, a collaboration among six state…

This is part 2 of a series written by Marc Canter about digital cities and fiber optic networks.

As the economic roller coaster ride over the past 20 years has taken us to new highs and lows, Cleveland and the Northern Ohio region have seen their economy flatline.  Once known as the home of innovation in America, Northern Ohio has turned into a poster child of the demise of our manufacturing base, as we exemplify what it means to have…

No need to wonder what the incumbents will do. We, who have been pushing for municipal and community owned broadband, open networks, line-sharing and alternatives to the monopoly/duopoly, know all too well that cable and incumbent telecom operators will oppose Google’s attempts to bring more competition into the “middle mile” and the last mile.

This article on AnnArbor.com cites me and others like Steve Pierce, co-founder of Wireless Ypsilanti, expressing our belief that the incumbents will spend millions of dollars, as…

The NTIA has awarded $4.7 million to the Las Vegas-Clark County Urban League (in partnership with the city of Las Vegas and the Housing Authority of Clark County) to upgrade existing public computer centers and open new ones in public housing developments, community and senior centers. The money will also be used for job training, community health programs and courses that teach computer skills. The centers will nearly triple the number of users served per week to 5,000, expanding access…

Level 3 is one of the biggest winners of broadband stimulus funding from the NTIA. It has received $13.8 million to build new interconnection points and expand its broadband networks in California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Tennessee and Texas, bringing broadband speeds of up to 10 Gbps. Level 3 acts as a middle mile provider for institutions and Internet service providers.

The other big winner is the OpenCape Corporation, which received $32 million to deploy 350 miles of fiber and over 100…