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Washington Post: Obama to Nominate Tom Wheeler as FCC Chair

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:03:50 +0000

The Washington Post is reporting that Tom Wheeler, a telecom industry executive, will be nominated by President Obama to lead the Federal Communications Commission. Wheeler's nomination follows the departure of Julius Genachowski several weeks ago. Wheeler has served as an adviser to both the White House and the FCC. He also has strong industry ties, having served as the leader of both CTIA and NCTA, trade associations for the wireless and cable industries.

AT&T to Deploy Gigabit Network in Austin - If Offered Google Terms

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:36:01 +0000

Not soon after Google announced that Austin, Texas would be the Internet giant's next metropolitan region to become a Google gigabit city, AT&T said it would also deploy an ultra-high ...

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Google Winning Speed Race in Limited Markets

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:23:50 +0000

In the fiercely competitive race to offer the highest broadband speeds available in the consumer market, Verizon is continuing to set the standard with advertised speeds in major markets. Verizon recently doubled two of its existing speed combinations, and offered a new speed combination of 75/35 Mbps (Download/Upload) - and a new speed tier offering 300/85 Mbps broadband service.

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Partnership Between NYC and Verizon to Increase Broadband Access

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:13:46 +0000

Along with a number of broadband initiatives announced in 2012, the Bloomberg administration announced an agreement between Verizon Communications Inc. and New York City to install fiber-optic cables under sidewalks to enable the company to offer faster broadband connections throughout the City.

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Google Gigabit Fiber Expands to Austin and Provo

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:05:33 +0000

The Google fiber project in the Kansas City metropolitan area started with a community competition to offer very high speed Internet service to the community with the most compelling presentation and value proposition. After making considerable progress in deploying a gigabit broadband connection to many homes and businesses in the Kansas City region, the company announced plans to build another network in Austin, Texas...

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Is Copper DSL Still Viable for Broadband?

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:58:26 +0000

At one time, DSL service offered inexpensive high speed broadband connections delivered through existing copper telephone lines. However, as newer applications and devices were developed which required higher speeds and more bandwidth, limitations of the technology emerged. In addition, as the copper networks began to age, requiring expensive repairs and maintenance, broadband providers began to invest in fiber and wireless technologies to replace DSL.

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Senator Rockefeller: Expand E-rate and Increase Broadband Speeds

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:52:19 +0000

Widely credited with helping to significantly expand Internet access in Schools and Libraries, the FCC E-rate program is due for an overhaul. Senator John D. Rockefeller (D-WV)wants to expand access to the program while increasing broadband speeds in schools and libraries.

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Solutions for Rural Broadband

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:40:30 +0000

In a report entitled Rural Broadband Availability and Adoption: Evidence, Policy Challenges, and Options, published by the National Agricultural & Rural Development Policy Center, the researchers said their findings "constitute an important indication that development efforts focused on mobilizing populations to subscribe to and use broadband capabilities will reap gains."

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State Broadband Initiatives Take Different Approaches to Expanded Access

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:27:56 +0000

Illustrating the vast differences in challenges between states to expand broadband access, several state initiatives have been recently announced. These include the following:

New York State's Connect NY Broadband Grant Program Awarded $25 million to 18 Project Sponsors
Century Link Promises to Invest Savings from Property Tax Repeal into Broadband Infrastructure
Alaska Sets Goal of 100 Mbps Broadband Speeds by 2020 at an Estimated Cost of $1.2 billion

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United Nations Sets Gender Equity Broadband Goals

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:17:53 +0000

The United Nations Broadband Commission for Digital Development was formed in May 2010 as a result of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's call to increase efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Since its original formation, the Broadband Commission has published a series of reports, including a recent "Call to Action" encouraging the global community to meet five broad goals related to broadband access.

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