The USDA recently announced the availability of $550 million in funding for a second round of its ReConnect loan and grant program—designed to enable last-mile broadband infrastructure deployment in rural areas. This funding, appropriated by Congress, follows on last year’s $600 million Round 1 appropriation. Applicants should anticipate stiff competition for funding simply due to […]
Read More… from Unique Rural Broadband Funding Opportunity in Early 2020
CTC congratulates public officials in Grant and Wheeler counties, and the Oregon Telephone Company (OTC), on winning a $6 million federal grant to expand high-speed connectivity to hundreds of new customers in this frontier region of eastern Oregon. This grant was one of the funding announcements made December 3 in the first round of the […]
Read More… from A $6 Million Grant Promises to Close the Digital Divide in Oregon’s Frontier Region
The Benton Foundation today published CTC Chief Technology Officer Andrew Afflerbach’s analysis of the Department of Justice’s proposed T-Mobile/Sprint/DISH strategy. In his evaluation of DOJ’s approach—which is intended to address the loss of a mobile communications competitor that will result from the proposed T-Mobile/Sprint merger—Dr. Afflerbach found that the solution raises as many technical questions […]
Read More… from An Engineer’s View of the Department of Justice’s T-Mobile/Sprint/DISH Strategy
Andrew Afflerbach, PhD, P.E. Chief Technology Officer Understanding broadband performance involves understanding a range of factors in addition to speed. Consumers usually compare the performance of data connections by considering network speed (measured in bits per second) but this measurement can be deceptive because it is incomplete. For example, a 150 Mbps cable modem connection […]
Read More… from Broadband Performance is About More than Speed
All of us at CTC congratulate our friends at SiFi Networks, Ting Internet, and Gigabit Now on their announcement of an open-access fiber-to-the-premises network deployment in Fullerton, California. The agreement announced earlier this month includes a citywide fiber network to be constructed by SiFi Networks; retail broadband services to be provided by Ting Internet and […]
Read More… from SiFi Announces New Open Access Fiber Network in Fullerton, California
As the City Council and Utility Board of Tacoma, Wash., draw closer to approving an innovative broadband public-private partnership (P3), Mayor Victoria Woodards has noted that the proposed agreement will not just create potential financial benefits, but will achieve key City policy goals—including equity, low-income affordability, net neutrality, and competition. In an article published this […]
Joanne Hovis, President Yesterday I had the honor of presenting the results of a near-18-month process to the City of Tacoma, Wash., City Council and the Board of Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU). At their direction, I have been working with a City and TPU team to determine a future strategy for Tacoma’s successful and renowned […]
Heather Mills, Lead, CTC Funding Strategies Team The USDA’s Rural Utilities Service last week released the final deadline dates for the upcoming ReConnect grant and loan funding cycles, in which $600 million will be awarded for rural broadband projects.[1] While the final application is not yet available, the new final deadline dates and the program […]
The Port of Ridgefield, Washington, released an RFI to solicit informal proposals from private sector entities that may have an interest in leasing the Port’s planned 42 miles of dark fiber to make affordable broadband available to businesses, economic development areas, first-responder facilities, anchor institutions, and residences. The information gleaned from this RFI will help […]
Read More… from Port of Ridgefield, WA, Issues Dark Fiber RFI
Andrew Afflerbach, PhD, P.E. CEO & Chief Technology Officer Like most cities, Boston needs an expanded fiber optic network to serve the fast-growing needs of City schools, police, and other departments—plus a range of applications like public safety cameras. Boston understood its needs—but needed more clarity on its choices. Would it be possible to affordably […]