Bristol, Va., a community of 18,000 residents in southwest Virginia, is home to the Bristol Motor Speedway for NASCAR events and the Country Music Alliance Museum. The city is one of the first entities in the nation to offer voice, data and video to residents via fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) technology. All this was made possible by Bristol Virginia Utilities’ (BVU) 800-mile and growing broadband network run by the utility’s OptiNet division. The network has been funded with revenue bonds and grants from the Virginia Tobacco Commission’s technology committee.
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US Falls to 25th in Broadband Penetration Worldwide
The US fell from 23rd to 25th place in worldwide broadband penetration in the last half of 2006, according to a recent survey by Point Topic. OECD data confirms the slowdown, with the US falling to 15th in broadband penetration among OECD countries surveyed. US broadband penetration grew 0.65 percentage points to 80.81% among active Internet users in March.
Former FCC Commissioner Harold Furchgott-Roth
“In the next few weeks, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development will issue its semiannual report on broadband penetration, and America is likely to have a middling ranking (it was 12th out of 30 countries in the most recent OECD numbers of a few months ago). Its standing is fodder for many politicians, including several candidates for president, who say we need a national broadband policy. They are wrong: Industrial policies, including for broadband, are bad ideas.”
“When it Comes to Broadband, U.S. Plays Follow the Leader”
The United States often views itself as a paragon of technology innovation and deployment. In some cases, that view is correct, but not when it comes to broadband deployment, where the country lags considerably behind other major nations. Here’s why.
Esme Vos on the State of US Broadband and the National Broadband Strategy
“As a nation that prides itself on technology leadership, it’s mystifying why the U.S. doesn’t have a clear, well-planned strategy and supporting policies for broadband. No matter what your personal beliefs are as to whether the federal government or market forces should actually provide tomorrow’s high-speed networks, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that the lack of a coherent plan for how the country will use bandwidth to enhance its citizens’ lives, and maintain its competitiveness in world markets, is a huge problem.”
MetroNetIQ on Gordon Cook’s post and the National Broadband Strategy
Broadband Leadership? It Starts at Home
Gordon Cook on the National Broadband Strategy
In the absence of Jim Baller’s plan, the US has no initiative to move past status quo. Many informed people have rung the alarm, but he’s the first to articulate the steps necessary to achieve results. Kudos to him. Any concerns expressed should be seen against the backdrop of his commitment. The timing (before the next election) is about right for getting the matter into the political domain.
Rich Tehrani from TMCnet on “Eight Bold Steps”
“A few of my friends have ordered FiOS from Verizon and they seem happy to have broadband access at speeds once unavailable from phone companies. The sad thing is that even though broadband speeds are increasing in the US, the cost of the connections are higher than in many other parts of the world, and the speeds are still only a fraction of what others are experiencing in places like Asia.”
Ed Gubbins on “Eight Bold Steps”
“The Baller-Herbst law firm, a vocal broadband advocate best known as a supporter of municipal broadband, has published an eight-step plan to achieve a national broadband strategy.”
100 Mbps available nationwide in Singapore
Singapore will become the first country in the world to commercially launch 100Mbps residential broadband services nation-wide, as StarHub marks another milestone with its deployment of DOCSIS 3.0 technology.
John McCain’s Perspective on Broadband
SAN JOSE, CA — U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Cisco President and CEO John Chambers shared a stage on Friday at the San Jose Convention Center at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Annual Public Policy luncheon. Stephen Wright, editor of the San Jose Mercury News editorial page, questioned the pair about R&D, Immigration, What’s Going Right and more. No, not that Steven Wright.When asked by Wright what was the one thing that Congress could do to make the biggest impact to innovation the responses were thus: (I’m paraphrasing)McCain: Immigration reform. We need to get more H1-B workers in the US in order to have the educated workers available in the innovation creating jobs.Chambers: Broadband
Verizon admits Penn. barrier to municipal entry was a “debacle”
After years of fighting to protect the rights of municipalities to provide broadband and other telecom services, Jim Baller, an attorney with the Baller-Herbst Law Group, has to admit he’s breathing a lot easier these days.
Largest NuComm International to Locate in Lafayette, La.
Canadian contact center leader’s second U.S. location in Lafayette will create up to 1000 jobs within a year to boost Louisiana’s economy
Freedom For Our Future responds to alleged municipal failures
The opposition has cited cities (out of over 620) where they say a municipal broadband utility has failed… They ALSO SAY that there aren’t any other communities out there who are providing Fiber To The Home (FTTH). That’s news to the 217 communities who belong to the FTTH Council.
USA Today again supports Lafayette fiber project
Lafayette, La., is on the leading edge of the broadband revolution. Or at least it could be if BellSouth would just step out of the way, says Joey Durel, president of the city-parish.